Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield

Have you ever felt like your dreams were bigger than you are? So big that they felt out of reach?

Maybe you want to write a best-selling book or start a talk show, buy your dream house, or travel to islands you can’t even pronounce! Or, maybe you’re being interviewed on The Today Show by Savannah and Hoda (that’s my dream, just in case you’re wondering).

Those are good solid dreams that feel light years away. You think about them and then you put them on the shelf. Instead of going after them you fiddle around and worry about things that you know won’t matter in the long run—like staring at your Insta feed or worrying that your website opt-in isn’t quite right.

The reality is that you have likely been afraid to do big things and I get it. You’ve been playing small. It’s sad but it’s true—and I’ve been in the same boat.

It’s time for a change, my friend.

You’re here right now. You’re listening to a podcast that promises to help you make a bigger impact in the world. That proves to me you’re in this and you’re not taking your business or your life lightly.

In this episode, I’m going to walk you through an exercise that will help you make some crucial decisions about moving forward in a bigger way. Listen through to the end of the episode, download this special PDF, and make sure you finish the exercise.

But promise me that in the next 24 hours you will commit to doing this worksheet

Here’s why this exercise is so important: right now, today, you can reclaim the fact that you are a big deal.

Because you are meant to be a big deal in this world. You are ready. Your time is now. It’s never too late, so hit play now, let’s start making those big dreams come true.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_243.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Looking for a little inspiration when it comes to the topic of your course?

If you’re like most course creators just starting out (who I hear from all of the time!), you’ve had an idea for your course for some time, but you aren’t sure how to move forward, or if your core market will even pay for it.

So in this ep, I will walk through three approaches to help you choose your next course topic.

To up the fun factor, I am going to teach this episode with real-life examples from some of my students. You’ll hear how they built their courses based on their successes, including one superstar who made $255,000 with one webinar and a couple of emails as a follow-up.

I will also show you how to take what you teach with your customers or clients one-on-one and turn that framework into a digital course so that you can move away from that client work you enjoy in the beginning, but then get burnt out with over time.

This episode will definitely spark some creative juices for you—and better yet, show you what’s possible in the digital course world!

And if you want to keep the momentum going, make sure to download my brand new freebie called The Ultimate Course Creation Starter Kit. In this Starter Kit I’ll show you how to choose the right “course type” for your business, the perfect course name to attract your perfect audience, and how to kickstart your course idea validation on social media to ensure your audience will be willing to invest.

Grab a copy of that special free guide here.

I truly believe you have something you can teach others that can become a digital course. Allow yourself to dream a little bit. And don’t let the fear of “what will others think” stop you. Creating a digital course has transformed my life, and the lives of so many of my students. I want you to experience what’s possible. Listen up now.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_242.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

How does a vegan, homeschooling, bodybuilding mom of four get into the online world? And then see massive success with webinars?

It may seem like a crazy story, but I can guarantee you that you will be completely enthralled and inspired with Kim Constable and her personal journey.

Kim started her online adventure back in 2009 after she had had enough of the stress of running a business AND raising four kids. There was literally a day she just sank to her knees and started crying. She knew there had to be a better way to live (and make money!).

On today’s ep Kim and I talk about how she finally found success online by tapping into a personal passion—vegan sculpting—then building a signature course and running webinars.

Kim followed my coaching to a tee (in Kim’s words: “I’m a very good soldier”) even when it got frustrating or took longer than she had hoped. And that commitment paid off: In her first round of webinars for her Sculpted Vegan program she made $52,000. She also just had her first six-figure month—and there’s still so much more ahead for her!

This type of success doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it come without a little time, energy, and investment. Kim has found the secret sauce, and she’s sharing it with us today. (And in case you don’t think you can manifest your dreams—Kim said years ago that she would be on this very podcast!) Click here to hear her story.

This episode is brought to you by the Digital Course Academy—if you are looking to move beyond your service-based business (or, like Kim, you are burnt out on your current situation) and want to embrace a course-based model, you’ll want to enroll in the Academy, launching in January 2019. Sign up to be the first to know when the program goes live (and also grab a tasty course creation freebie!).

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_241_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

When it comes to picking the format of your next digital course, the options may seem... daunting. Because thanks to the growing demand for online trainings, there are A LOT of choices out there today.

So how do you know which one is right for you?

Today, I’m taking all of the confusion out of what can be a tough choice, and giving you three solid choices to pick from. These three are based on my experience as a course creator, and what I think works best for my students overall.

I’ll walk through each of the three, giving you the pros and cons, as well as an example from one of my students.

Then make sure you stay on until the end, where I give you the exact questions to ask to help determine which of the three are right for you.

Let’s get started and figure out your next course format, together.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_240_v2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:52am PDT

It’s planning time. My favorite time of year. Time to pull out the giant calendar, the sharpies, and any other office supply I can get my hands on. And start to plan for BIG things in 2019.

In this special bonus episode, I walk through my 7-step process for getting what you really want in your business in 2019. Download my 2019 Planning Roadmap and follow along, because I know great things are waiting for you next year...

Are you ready?

Oh, and three things before you get started…

#1: Just focus on the first 6 months. Don’t think beyond that so you can stay focused.

#2: Take ONE entire day to plan. Break out that white board, the post-its, anything that gets your juices flowing, and eliminate any distractions. Think about getting out of your environment, even booking a hotel room for a day so you can really dive in.

#3: Plan with someone who knows your business. Whether it’s your virtual assistant or a trusted colleague, the more someone knows you and where you want to go, the better.

Again, make sure to download the step-by-step worksheet that goes along with this episode—your 2019 Planning Roadmap—to follow along and do this exercise.

Let’s get started…

First you’re going to start with your opportunities and big dreams for the next 6 months. Will you create your own digital course? Hire a VA for extra support? FINALLY write that book that’s been swirling around in your brain?

Then you are going to decide on your non-negotiables—what did you hate doing this year? What are you not willing to do or experience to get to your wildly successful year? There is always stuff that you just get tired of doing. For me, I’m no longer to make excuses for not posting on Social Media. You might say: I’m no longer going to take clients out of fear that you will lose out on the money.

Then you get to the fun part—to declare your number. Is it $555K or $55K? How much do you want want to earn next year?

Next you’ll take a step back to move forward. I’m not about living in the past, however one thing I always do on my planning day is to look at the metrics of 2018. Because so much of what you’ve done (the good, the bad and the ugly) influences how you are going to move forward.  

Then you’ll do your calendar planning in two phases. This is the big step. In phase one you’ll figure out how you’ll make the number you declared. Then in phase two you will calendar it out.

Then you’ll identify how you need to show up to make 2019 the biggest year yet.

In the final step, you’re taking action. There is where you pull it all together and identify your steps to get it done.

Now promise me one thing: At the end of this process, you need to celebrate and do something special to commemorate the moment! (My integrator, Chloe, and I did something fun and silly!)

So get going and build your vision for 2019.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: OMME_Bonus_5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

I’m getting a little personal in this episode, because it’s time to revisit something I brought up back in October 2017 on this podcast: My weight.

Now, that October ep was the first time I had ever brought up my struggles with weight. I shared how I hated video because I was incredibly embarrassed about my weight. That was just over a year ago, and today, I can confidently say everything is completely different.

Coming clean to you guys put a fire under my butt and helped me make a shift in my life. I was no longer hiding this big, dirty secret from the world and that opened up space in my mind for what was possible.

It took a couple of months, but on March 25, 2018, I officially started my weight-loss journey and so much has changed about my life. I hired a weight-loss coach, Corinne Crabtree (who just so happens to be one of my students, but more on that later…), and have learned to put myself and my health first—even before work.

Since then, I’ve lost roughly 60 pounds and I’m a little more than halfway to my goal. I know that before I started this journey, any time I saw someone make such a transformation, I always wanted to know, how did you do it!? So today I’m sharing with you guys how I’ve gotten here—not just in my weight loss, but also in the mindset change that has happened.

Look, if we’re going to be real, it’s not just about the weight. I had to change the way I handled my feelings and thoughts; most importantly, my thoughts about myself. I have a feeling that many of you might need to make that kind of mental change too. My wish is that when you hear my progress, you also decide that enough is enough and you join me on this journey of letting anything hold you back from living the life you want to live and building the business you want to build.

I want this episode to be more like a conversation—so grab a cup of coffee, find a cozy spot, and press play.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_239.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Find people who want to be found.

Talk to them in ways they want to be talked to.

Take them on a journey to where they want to go.

—Seth Godin

Those are just a few of the nuggets of marketing mastery from THE Seth Godin, my longtime DREAM guest for the podcast.

I’m SO excited to have Seth on today to chat about his new book, This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See, and diving deep into what sets the best marketers apart from the rest.

According to Seth, as an online marketer, you know you’re not going to be able to successfully serve every single person in the world, but for some reason, you still (probably) freak out in narrowing down the people you can help or reach.

Change—and thereby, growth—can only happen when you find your smallest viable market and serve the heck out of them. You have to find and build your community in order to be an effective online marketer.

In his book, Seth writes:

“Find a corner of the market that can’t wait for your attention. Go to their extremes. Find a position on the map where you and you alone are the perfect answer. Overwhelm this group’s wants and dreams and desires with your care, your attention, and your focus. Make change happen. Change that’s so profound people can’t help but talk about it.”

That’s your goal as a marketer—to find people who want to go where you are going and who want to experience what you are offering. Then you can teach them what they need to know to get there.

If it’s your content that’s going to help them, awesome. But, as you’ll hear Seth share, that’s not the only thing they need; you should be providing them safe places that build tension, invoke change and push them forward in their journey.

His book—and this interview—have already dramatically changed the way I view content and community. And I can already tell you, it’s literally going to impact how I teach my brand-new course, Digital Course Academy.

So, are you ready to have your mind blown like I did? Press play to hear Seth’s nuggets of wisdom!

This episode is brought to you by the women of Cultivate What Matters and their Power Sheets. How would it feel to get anything you wanted? What if you could create goals with clarity and purpose? If you want to create goals that matter (“goals with soul”) then you’ve got to check out Power Sheets.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_238.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

If you’re reading this, I know that you are an entrepreneur that puts a lot of time, energy and resources to building your business. The last thing you need in your entrepreneurial journey is to run into any sort of legal trouble, but if you do, you’ll want to be protected. Better to be safe than sorry, right?  

The sort of legal protection I’m talking about is setting up a corporate entity to protect you and your business. The good news is that it’s a relatively cheap investment. The double dose of good news is that I’ve got attorney extraordinaire, Bobby Klinck, on the show today to walk us through all the ins and outs of setting up an LLC or S Corp without all the confusing legal jargon.

You may remember Bobby from our GDPR episode, but what you may not know is that Bobby has become our resident attorney here at Team Porterfield. We love him because he breaks down all the legal stuff for us an understandable, doable fashion, and actually kind of makes it all fun!    

What we cover in today’s episode:

  1. The most common company forms (listed below), what they entail, how they’re different, and which is the right kind (and wrong kind) of entity for an entrepreneur to set up:
  • Sole Proprietorship
  • Partnership
  • LLC (including the S Corp election)
  • C-Corp
  1. The process for setting up your LLC or S Corp election (most common options with entrepreneurs) and what you need to do after you’re all set up.

Let me tell you, this episode is packed with good information. Even after being in business for 10 years and all set up legally, I learned a ton and am glad to be more clear on the whole process. Bobby gave so many good examples throughout this episode and we both hope that you walk away with some real clarity on understanding what you need to do in order to protect yourself and your business.

Let’s get to it...press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more details.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: OMME_BONUS_4_-_Bobby_Klinck_LLC_or_S_Corp_No_music.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Ok, I have a confession to make...I totally LOVE to binge-watch certain shows like Housewives, Game of Thrones, and my latest binge has been The Handmaid’s Tale. So good! Anyway, I’ve heard from enough of you to know that you, too, love a good binge session.

So what do you think it is about these types of shows that keep us coming back? I’m pretty sure the writers have a secret writing potion they use when they’re creating the storylines and scripts. ; )

But seriously, wouldn’t you love to know their secret so you could create content that your ideal customer avatar (I’m looking at you episode #236) wants to binge consume and can’t stop raving about?

Well, you’re in luck, because on today’s show I’ve brought in a Hollywood insider to tell us exactly how it’s all done. My guest Melissa Cassera, is a publicity strategist and a professional screenwriter who loves nothing more than creating binge-worthy content, so she’s our girl!

Melissa became obsessed with how movies and TV shows could create obsessed fan bases, so she decided to figure it out and share the secrets with business owners, like yourself, so that you, too, can create an obsessed fan base through the power of storytelling.

In this episode Melissa breaks down these five storytelling techniques that you can use when you’re creating content:

  • The  inciting incident (your hook)
  • Introducing conflict into your story
  • The rule of three
  • The conclusion
  • The power of “what’s next”

(Don’t forget to download the worksheet that Melissa created to help you walk through these techniques the next time you create content.)

You will love Melissa’s approach to storytelling and you’re not going to believe how fun it is to create content using these strategies. And best of all, you’re going to have your ideal customer avatar LOVING what you’re giving them and coming back for more!  

Press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more info.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_237_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Have you ever struggled to communicate a clear message to your followers? One that grabs AND keeps their attention?

Is this scene familiar? You sit down at your computer, fingers on the keyboard, ready to create the perfect content to captivate your audience. You know this email you're about to send or the social media post you’re creating is going to resonate with your audience!   

You hit SEND or POST….

And….

No comments on your post (except your aunt and a high school friend who is definitely NOT your ICA). The open rate on your email isn’t at all what you expected and the click-through rate is even worse.

I think we can all remember scenes like these from our entrepreneurial journeys. But there’s hope, my friends! And that hope comes in the form of a 7-part communication framework. One that’s easy to understand and fun to implement.

With just a couple tweaks to the way you position yourself and your customer, and how you talk to them, they’ll be eager to read that next email or social post. Excited to jump on your weekly FB lives or show up for your next webinar. And better yet, they’ll want to buy what you’re selling because you’ll know how to present what you’ve created for them in a clear way that speaks directly to their pain points and desires and offers a solution that they won’t be able to refuse.

“When you stop talking about your customer’s problem, they stop doing business with you.”  Don Miller

And that’s where Don Miller comes in. Don, the author of Building a StoryBrand, is the creator of this 7-part framework that shows you how to clarify your message through the principles and framework of storytelling.

This interview was one of my all-time favorites and I think it might be one of yours too. I had a couple of huge aha moments for sure!

Are you ready to listen? Click here to get started.

P.S. Remember how we became intimately aware of our avatar last week in episode 235, How To Identify Your Ideal Customer Avatar and uncovered their specific pain points and desires? It’s this type of knowledge that we MUST have to create the messaging Don talks about that captivates and converts. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, make sure you add to your playlist.   

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan: My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you. amyporterfield.com/listbuilding

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_236.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Have you ever sat down to write a blog post, create an outline for your podcast or video show, and you just froze? Not because of fear or imposter syndrome, because those are 100% real, too. Instead you froze because you just didn’t know what it was that your ideal customer wanted or needed from you. It can feel like you’re just pulling any old idea out of a dark hole.

Now of course we will all suffer from writer’s block at some point, but what is worse is not understanding who it is you’re serving and why.

In today’s show I’m talking about how to identify your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). Why is this so important? Because your ICA is someone who is absolutely crucial to the success of your business and if you don’t know who they are, your business won’t have legs to stand on.

Your ICA is your PERFECT customer. This ONE single person is the potential customer who wants and needs YOUR content, YOUR product, or YOUR services. This is also a person that you LOVE to work with. Win-win!

There are specific ways to really hone in on who this person is: what they like, what they don’t like, what their aspirations are, and most importantly, what their fears are. And surprise, surprise...when you know all this, you won’t be sitting there frozen at your computer not knowing what to create or to say in your next social media post.

You’ll be happily creating solutions to their wants or needs and something they will actually pay for.

You’re not just building your business as a hobby, right? I know you’re not, and that’s way I want you to get laser focused and know how to serve your customers best!

In today’s show, I’m going to share the exact steps in how I figured out how to understand my perfect customer. I’ve even created a super helpful worksheet for you to print out and use as you define your very own ICA.

Press play and let’s dive in!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_235.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

As an online entrepreneur you are constantly putting yourself out there. You’re writing social media posts, copy for emails, creating webinar slides, creating content for your podcast or video show, and writing blog posts. And when you do, you’re showing up in one of two ways: with your true personality shining, or trying to impersonate someone else.

The problem is, especially if you’re just starting out, the impersonation route seems to be the popular choice.

I want you to hear these words from my guest today, Laura Belgray: “There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.”

Read that again, my friends: There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.

You cannot and should not even try to be all things to everyone. When you do, you water down all that is wonderful and unique about YOU.

Here’s the good news! Laura is in the business of helping people infuse their personality in all they do and she’s sharing some great tips and strategies with us on the show today.

Laura is a copywriter and television promo writer. She even works with BRAVO and tells us about a Real Housewives promo line she wrote not too long ago...sooo clever!

In this episode, we talk mindset blocks and how to overcome them so your copy shows the real you, specific exercises and assessments that will help you to discover what your unique personality is, and Laura shares the five very actionable Ps of showing your personality in your copy. Really good stuff today, my friends!    

Are you ready to step into your own special uniqueness? Press play and let’s dive in!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab the free worksheet that will help you to discover the uniqueness of your personality so you can share it with the world!  

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: OMME_Laura_Belgray_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

This episode is a long time coming. I get asked A LOT about how to podcast. From the equipment and software I use, to knowing what topics to cover and which guests to feature, to the recording, editing and publishing phase, to how in the world I keep it all organized!

I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing all of it with you today!

Whether you’re currently a podcaster and would find it helpful to hear about my podcasting process and organization, or you’re thinking about starting a podcast soon and want to hear all the ins-and-outs of set up and how to decide on topics and guests, this is going to be an episode you don’t want to miss.

Here are the 10 podcasting areas I get into on the show today. Hit play and let’s get started!

  • Show Format
  • Set Up
  • Deciding on Topics and Guests
  • Podcast Outlines
  • Recording
  • Editing
  • Graphics Creation
  • Publishing
  • Promoting
  • Tracking Your Analytics

I’ve linked you up to all the podcasting equipment and software I use here, but I thought you might like to have a little behind-the-scenes tour of my podcasting studio, too. I did this video a while ago, but I still use the same equipment.

Remember, I chose to invest in better quality equipment from the beginning, but you can still get great audio quality with a less expensive mic and by sitting in a closet to record. Feel free to start simple and get fancy later.

I hope you find this episode packed with value and resources that will help you in your podcasting process.

Wishing you all the best in your podcasting journey.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_233.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Today we’re going to talk about making money and actually being profitable in your business.

Believe it or not, most entrepreneurs never really show a consistent profit in their business. The reason for this is because any extra money they have coming in ends up going back into the business. Reinvesting back in your business or using extra money on hand to buy the latest and greatest software or tool of the trade sounds like a reasonable and healthy plan, right?  

Not so much. Especially when you’re not being intentional about it.

My guest today, Amber Dugger, is a financial expert who tells us that maintaining clarity and control of where your money is going will be a game-changer but you must first have a good cash flow system. Amber is a mastery level Profit First Professional and teaches the cash flow system from the Profit First book, but her teaching is tailored specifically to online entrepreneurs.

In case you were wondering, this has nothing to do with bookkeeping or accounting, but everything to do with with what you do with the money coming in right now and in the future.  

I use the Profit First system in my business, and it has been a game-changer, but what Amber shared today is going to help me to make the system even easier. I can’t wait for you to learn this system, too, and become a profitable business the minute you do!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Listener shout out of the week!

Thank you Anna! So glad you enjoyed it and happy to know you’ve hired an Integrator, too! Listen to the epsiode Anna refers to here.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_232.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Let me ask you a question: Can you relate to any of these issues when it comes to writing your own copy?

  • It takes forever to write a headline, a blog post, or the script for your podcast or video show because you’re constantly second guessing yourself?
  • You write something, put it out there and...CRICKETS? (The silence is devastating.)
  • You’ve got a tight deadline and you sit down to write but you’re completely blocked? You can’t seem to eek out anything on that page and the clock is ticking?

If there’s one thing that most of us as online entrepreneurs have experienced it’s getting tripped up on writing copy.

Well, don’t worry, there’s hope for us yet...

Two things my guest, Marie Forleo (yes, the Marie from the award winning MarieTV!) shared on the podcast today that really resonated with me, and I think will with you too, are:

  1. You CAN learn to be a stellar copywriter in your business. (No more telling yourself otherwise!)
  2. Writing effective copy has been the single most important skill that Marie has developed over the last 18 years in her business. (By the way, this one says A LOT, coming from a person that has achieved the monumental level of success that Marie has.)

Marie, who has been a student of copy since day one, joined me on the show today to share the top copywriting tips and strategies that she’s used along the way to connect and resonate with the millions of people her message has touched.

You know I love when you listen to my podcast and take action, so today I want you to listen in, take what Marie shares, and begin implementing it in your business immediately. You’ll see... you’ll get better and better with writing copy, and you’ll have tangible results to show for it: more conversions and a bigger impact.

If you haven’t jumped over and started listening already, let me give you one more reason why listening in today is going to be a game-changer in your business: You know how much competition is out there, right? Now, you know I’m all about running your own race, but competition is real, and when you can find an advantage over your competition, you’re smart to take it. Copy is an area that most people are not paying attention to, so this IS your competitive advantage. Writing better copy will be how you set yourself apart.

Are you ready? Press play and let’s dive in!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Listener shout out of the week!

 

Thank you 

Direct download: 231_NO_WEBINAR_MENTION_Edit_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

In honor of the upcoming World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2018), I wanted to have a candid, real, and raw conversation about being an entrepreneur while dealing with depression.

I have dealt with depression starting at a young age and it moved its way into the years that I was starting this business as well.

There are three goals I wanted to accomplish in this episode:

Goal #1: If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, or anything around mental health issues, I want you to know you are not alone. We may not talk about it, but we are out there. You are not alone.

Goal #2: To get the conversation started. Mental health issues can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that needs to change. We need to have hard conversations and I’m hoping you will learn some tools in this episode to be more vocal about what you’re going through as well.

Goal #3: You can still be successful in spite of, or in addition to, your depression or other mental health challenge you are going through right now.

I didn’t want to do this episode alone and I also wanted you to be part of a conversation, so I brought on my dear friend Jasmine Star who also has a history of depression that she shares today, too.

I hope that as you listen you will not feel alone, be encouraged, and walk away with some tools and resources to help you move forward as you deal with depression and as you grow your business.

Here is the quote Jasmine shared by Elie Wiesel: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever humans endured suffering. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

These were the questions that Amy and Jasmine asked (inspired by Dr. Amen and suggested by Jasmine): When you are having a negative or overwhelming thought:

  1. Write it down. The act of writing it down is like an exorcism. It forces you to see it.
  2. Ask yourself about that one thing you’re struggling with.
  3. And then ask yourself: Is this true?
  4. See what your answer is to that question and ask yourself if you’re 100% certain the your response is true. (Remember, you are not a fortune teller….you can not know with certainty what is destined to be true for you, right??)
  5. Then ask yourself, “How does this make you feel?”
  6. Then look at that response and ask yourself, “Do you think that those feelings will keep you from the purpose you have in this world?”
  7. What would feeling the opposite of this look like?

The choice is yours in how you choose to think and believe in your answers to these questions.

“We are not our thoughts. The things that we think are not us.” -- James Wedmore

Remember:

  • Don’t be ashamed of your story--it’s needs to be heard.
  • Find a support system that will give you what you need in those dark moments.
  • If you don’t have that support system, or even if you do, find a good therapist.
  • Consider exploring medication that may help you.

If you are in crisis and need help immediately, please call the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine: 1-800-273-TALK or text “Talk” to 741741.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_230.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

“There is no such thing as a benign email that doesn’t have a goal.” This is something my copywriter, Ry Schwartz, said to me a while back and it’s truer than ever today, with so many things vying for the attention of our audiences. It is critical that we be intentional with our communication and that’s where the P.S. Strategy comes in.

In today’s episode I dive into the strategies behind simple, yet very powerful micro-conversions -- the P.S. Strategy being one of them. Once you understand how to use these micro-conversions in your communication with your community, you will not only be coaching their conversion from point A (your first interaction with them) to point B (which is them being your paying customer), but you will also be coaching them to take action when you ask them to. Both will be game-changers in your business!   

If you’re not using micro-conversions in your marketing strategy, let’s change that right away! Join me on the podcast today!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_229.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Even the most vigilant goal-setters have been know to stumble when approaching the finish line, but my guest today, Jon Acuff - entrepreneur, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and popular speaker, has cracked the code on how to SIGNIFICANTLY increase your chances of FINISHING what you start, and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised to hear how to make it happen.

In writing his most recent book Finish: Give Yourself The Gift of Done, Jon commissioned a study where nearly 900 people were studied for six months to figure out what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to being able to finish what you start.

Jon breaks his findings down in six areas with an overriding theme of embracing imperfection (ugh! This is gonna be hard for some of us...)  

"Developing tolerance for imperfection is the key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers." - Jon Acuff

Here are the six secrets to finishing what you start that Jon divulges on the podcast today:

  • SECRET 1: Cut your goal in half
  • SECRET 2: Choose what to bomb
  • SECRET 3: Make it fun!
  • SECRET 4: Leave your hiding places and ignore noble obstacles...
  • SECRET 5: Get rid of your secret rules
  • SECRET 6: Use data to celebrate your imperfect progress

So, f you’re about to start something or you’ve got a list of half-done projects that you’d like to finish - don’t wait another minute - listen to my conversation with Jon right away.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_228.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

My guest today, Andrew Warner, tells us that chatbots are the FUTURE of online engagement. Sounds like something we should pay attention to, right? If you’re not familiar with chatbots yet, you will be by the time you listen to this episode.

I currently use chatbots to a limited degree in my business, but after this interview I can assure you, I will be using them in a MUCH bigger way. Andrew shared some amazing strategies that are easy to implement and don’t cost much, if anything.

Andrew is the founder of Mixergy, a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses. He also started BotAcademy.com, where he trains people to create bots (not something he recommends for the majority of my audience, by the way).

In this episode, Andrew breaks down exactly:

  • What a chatbot is (Andrew created this sample chatbot for my audience)
  • How we should use them in our businesses (he blew my mind with some amazing statistics from using chatbots to increase webinar attendance show up rates)
  • How we should NOT be using them (you’ll want to know how to avoid these 5 mistakes)
  • How to begin using them (It’s easy and most are free)
  • Fun bonus: Andrew gives us a look into the future of bots...some fun ways they will be used. Think: being able to order, pay for, and have a beverage delivered for yourself or someone else while you’re attending a pro baseball game!

Andrew gives immense value in this episode...he shares great examples and even created a couple videos for us to see a chatbot in action (I’ve got those videos linked up below).

Behind-the-scenes funny story: I do most of my podcast interviews in audio-only format and when Andrew asked if we could turn on video because it would be easier for him to engage during our conversation, he was wearing a sports coat! I love that!! Talk about showing up...look how dapper he looks! I on the other hand was in my workout clothes.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_227.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

When just starting out in business (your first year or two) there are a variety of different paths to take, tasks to complete, and shiny objects lurking around every corner. When you’re not sure where to start or what to do next, this lack of focus leads to overwhelm and frustration. That’s why I recorded today’s episode (and created the awesome New Business Focus Worksheet to go with it!).

I’m breaking down the FIVE key areas to focus on when you’re just getting started, and these are absolutely crucial for a successful online business.

Are you a seasoned entrepreneur? Don’t click away, because this episode is for you, too. I not only focused on these same areas when I first started my business, but I still do today. I use these five areas almost as a check-up checklist for my business every quarter and during my annual planning.

Here’s a snapshot of what I’m covering in today’s episode:

FOCUS AREA #1: The importance of understanding WHY you’re building your business. I talk about Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and the #1 foundational question you need to ask yourself as you develop and grow your business. .

I also dive into the importance of understanding WHO you are serving - your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA).

While this exercise will take time and some real work on your part, you don’t want to skip over this if you’re not really clear.

If you’re listening to the episode and are already clear on your ICA, you can just pick back up around the 21 minute mark to move on to Focus Area #2.

FOCUS AREA #2: Why you need a website with a clear message and how to make that happen. These are some of the examples I discuss in the episode:

Example from Michael Hyatt’s ABOUT Page.

FOCUS AREA #3: The importance of choosing ONE platform to focus on in the beginning and creating original, consistent content there on a weekly basis.

FOCUS AREA #4: Authentic engagement - a HUGE factor in whether your business will succeed or not.

FOCUS AREA #5: Creating a way to make money in your business while you are figuring things out and building the business of your dreams.

I also created a great freebie to help you work through these FIVE focus areas. You can grab that right here.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_226.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

On today’s show, we’re diving into strategies around two things I LOVE to talk about: list-building and evergreen lead automation! However, there’s a twist! I’ve brought on someone to walk us through some really great strategies on these topics on a platform I haven’t covered much here: YouTube!

You and I both know video is where it’s at so even if you haven’t thought about the platform much or are not a huge fan of video, this episode is loaded with very doable strategies that I want you to consider using to grow your email list.

My guest today is an absolute YouTube boss and she’s going to guide us through her proven three phase method to creating a YouTube evergreen lead machine without using paid advertising.

Sunny Lenarduzzi has a YouTube following of over 170,000 subscribers and and has helped her clients to go from zero to 100,000 subscribers and build their email lists from zero to 28,000 in less than 10 months (resulting in multiple 6-figure businesses).  

HOW BECOMING A YOUTUBE BOSS WAS A HAPPY ACCIDENT

Do you ever wonder if the work you are doing today will ever lead to something that can REALLY help you scale your business? Sunny shares her journey from being a social media consultant to coming to a place where she didn’t have the bandwidth to accept any more clients.

In order to save some time and provide a common solution to several of her clients, she created a video that that changed the trajectory of her business forever. She published that video on her non-branded YouTube channel, emailed the link to her clients, went to bed and the next morning had 2,000 views!

THE POWER OF REVERSE ENGINEERING

Sunny was completely surprised with the amount of views and comments and decided to figure out what the heck had happened, so she reverse engineered the situation. Through this process Sunny realized the key to the success of that ONE single video and applied it to every video moving forward. In that first year she grew her YouTube subscription to 50,000 in and 3 million views!

WHAT CONTENT IS BEST FOR YOUTUBE?

As Sunny will tell you, YouTube is a platform that people are searching every single day for how to solve their problems and get their questions answered. That was why that first video she published went gangbusters. She was providing a solution to a problem that many people were searching for.

Well guess what? You as an entrepreneur can be the one to provide your ideal customer the solutions and answers that they’re searching for on YouTube...you just need to show up and let you videos be found. If it worked for Sunny, it can work for you too!  

GETTING STARTED GENERATED LEADS ON YOUTUBE

You’ll want to tune into today’s episode to get all the details on Sunny’s 3-phase system to creating an evergreen lead machine, but here are the phases broken down:

PHASE 1

This phase is all about creating profitable content that increases your reach and revenue without having to rely on paid advertising. The key here is to research before recording and here’s how:

  • Use frequently asked questions for content ideas
  • Look for ideas from your competition and community hubs (Sunny’s not suggesting you steal from your competition, but there’s nothing wrong with getting a little inspiration and putting your spin on an idea that’s resonating with your ideal customer.)
  • Look to provide content on trends within your industry. This is not for the evergreen leads so much, but more more gaining visibility and reach.
  • Research and find the right keywords and key phrases to use when titling your videos.

PHASE 2

This phase is all about converting your viewers into customers through Sunny’s H.O.T. (Hook, Outcome, Testimonial) formula. She explains how  you can use this formula to tweak your video scripts to keep your viewer engaged, which will turn them into a loyal viewer, and ultimately a paying customer.

It’s through Sunny’s H.O.T. formula where list-building comes in too! Sunny explains how to work in the ever-so-important conversion calls to action where you provide an opportunity for your viewer to download a guide, checklist, or worksheet.   

PHASE 3

This is the evergreen traffic machine phase! Now that you’ve got your phase 1 and 2 bases covered, it’s time to publish your video. But you’re not just going to publish and wait...Sunny explains why the first 24-48 hours after posting your video is crucial to actively distribute a link to your warm audience in order to get some engagement going which tells YouTube that your video is one that should be ranking on the first page. Once you’re on that first page, your cold audience is introduced to your video and this begins that evergreen lead machine!

You might be thinking, “This is great, but I don’t have any authority on YouTube, so how am I supposed to rank when my competition is so tough?”  Sunny explains in detail in today’s episode but the key is to work on getting search rankings in smaller competition pools.

So there you have it! I’d love to hear how you’re going to use YouTube as a list-building technique in your business. Head over to Instagram and DM me and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

This episode is brought to you by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days”. If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_225.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

On today’s show I brought on the Integrator on my team, Chloe Euse. The goal of this episode is to help you step into the Visionary role as the founding entrepreneur of your business so that you can do more of the things that you were created to do and that are in your zone of genius.

The deal is, in order to be able to fully step into that role, you will need to hire an Integrator (also known as a Project Manager) to work alongside you.

I’m taking you behind-the-scenes so you can see how a Visionary and Integrator work together. To give you a hint, you as the Visionary are responsible for deciding on the WHAT of the business, while your Integrator figures out the HOW to make your vision come true.

I really want you to take the time to tune in and listen today and hear directly from us, but here are the key areas we cover:

  • The skills that are vitally important for an Integrator to have
  • How specific Myers Briggs types may work better (or worse) together
  • The nitty-gritty of how a Visionary and Integrator work together (you two are going to work VERY closely together so you better like each other!)
  • Whether you should hire a local or virtual Integrator
  • How the Integrator executes on the Visionary’s vision (this is where the other members of your team and contractors come in!)
  • How tension between the Visionary and Integrator is actually a good thing
  • Why an Integrator is NOT an implementer. There is a very important distinction here!
  • What a day in the life of an Integrator looks like
  • Chloe’s TOP 3 tools that she couldn’t live without as an Integrator
  • Chloe gives you (the Visionary) some final words of wisdom for when you decide to take the leap and hire your Integrator (her insight here as an Integrator is GOLDEN!)

And to wrap this episode up with a big bow, we’ve got a couple fantastic freebies for you. Both are Google Doc templates that you can take and make your own.

  1. The exact Integrator job description I used when I hired Chloe.
  2. The pre-hire test-run assignment I used for my top Integrator candidates.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.  

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_224.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Raise your hand if you could use a little extra cash in your business right now!

In the first few years of building my business I certainly could have used some extra money, and had I known what I know today, I would have done something entirely different that would have brought in a nice flow of revenue during those tight times: affiliate marketing.  

If you don’t have affiliate marketing as a revenue generator in your business, I want that to change for you today.

My guest today, Pat Flynn, is going to share his proven system for earning money through affiliate marketing. Why did I choose Pat to be our guide today? Because he has earned three million dollars through affiliate marketing commissions since he started this business! He knows his stuff!    

AFFILIATE MARKETING IS A GAME-CHANGER!

If you’re new to the idea of affiliate marketing, Pat simply defines it as the process of earning a commission by promoting another person or another company’s product.

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that if you love a product or service and have a platform that you’re able to share why you love it with your audience, you can earn a commission from that recommendation at no cost to your audience.

Pat shared how he promoted one of his favorite products through a banner ad on his website and was being paid $1,000 per month, but he contacted them and asked about trying out an affiliate relationship instead. They did and he went from earning $1,000/month to $8,000 the next month!

PAT’S TOP TWO TIPS ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN AFFILIATE MARKETING:
  • Be authentic. Don’t be an affiliate for a product you don’t believe in. Think about the things you would recommend to a friend, this is how you should think when you’re deciding what products to be an affiliate for.  
  • Treat the product you are promoting as if it were your own. Tell your audience why you love it, how it has helped you, and how it can help them. It’s extra helpful if you can take them behind-the-scenes and show how you use it.
TWO TYPES OF AFFILIATE MARKETING TO CONSIDER: PASSIVE & ACTIVE

An example of a PASSIVE way of affiliate marketing is when you include links to products on your website, like my Tools of the Trade page here. This is considered PASSIVE because once you set it up, it’s there and as people come to your website or are linked to it in an email, they can click on the links to make a purchase. Another example is by including a link just like this link right here in the show notes in which I’m sharing my affiliate link to Pat’s 123 Affiliate Marketing program.

An example of an ACTIVE format of affiliate marketing would be it Pat and I decided to do a special webinar with a launch sequence where we were actively promoting and selling the product to our audiences and we even offer a special deal that’s only available during a specified time period.

A prime example of this is when I promote B-School each year in February. I go all out in promoting Marie’s program because I 1000% stand behind her program, and because of this I promote the program as if it were my own. Being an affiliate for this program has been a game-changer for my business and I definitely use the strategies that Pat teaches in his program.

Either way, always be upfront with your audience that you are an affiliate. This is being transparent with your audience, but also protects you legally.

JUST GETTING STARTED IN AFFILIATE MARKETING?

Pat is clear that you do need to have an audience to be successful in affiliate marketing, otherwise who would use your links or join your webinars? However, I love that he talks about planting seeds now for people that may come across your content down the road. You may not make much money when your audience is small, but everything will be in place for you to earn affiliate commissions as you grow.

This is also a great way to begin monetizing because that trust you gain by recommending other people’s products can then lead to you selling your own products down the road.  

HOW TO AUDIT YOUR EXISTING AFFILIATE MARKETING STRATEGY

Maybe you’re already an affiliate, but you want to do an audit to see what’s working and what’s not, Pat suggests looking at your Google Analytics and see what’s doing well and optimize for those. Here are a few of the optimizing ideas he shared:

  • Include more links in your blog archive
  • Interview the founder on your show or on your blog
  • Create a demo video for the product you are recommending
  • After you’ve generated lots of leads for an affiliate you are then in a good position to contact the company to discuss other ways to promote your affiliate link beyond the traditional methods (Pat gives some good personal examples in the episode)
  • Create offers or bonuses as an incentive to go through your affiliate link
  • Add links to your resource page
  • Do a review of the product
PAT’S #1 NINJA AFFILIATE MARKETING TRICK!

Create a demo video!

Pat says creating a demo video is one of the most underused but HIGHLY effective techniques to take your affiliate marketing to a whole new level.

Pat includes the in-depth how-to create a killer demo video that converts as a bonus to my audience if you purchase his 123 Affiliate Marketing program through my affiliate link, but he also shares a few tips right here!

  • You don’t need to share every little feature or process for the product you’re recommending. Your demo video should show just enough to excite someone, but not bore them. It’s not a tutorial, it should be a overview that shows the viewer what the product is and how it can help them.
  • Pick three features to share in your demo video, but make sure to understand how to share why these features exist and why this product is unique.
  • Show your viewer how easy it is to use the product. If you do, they will want to get started using the product right away!  
TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID IN AFFILIATE MARKETING
  1. Promoting the wrong product. Make sure your are promoting relevant products that you have experience with and that WILL help your audience.
  2. Not pushing hard enough. Of course you don’t want to be annoying or too pushy, but when you know you’ve got a product that will solve that person’s problem or help them to achieve a certain goal they have, then you can and should push harder.

Alright, you’ve got ninja tricks, some mistakes to avoid, and hopefully a plan to either begin earning money through affiliate marketing, or a plan to give your existing affiliate strategy a boost

Take a listen to this short one-minute video where Pat tells you a little bit more about how you can earn money through affiliate marketing.  

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_223.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

I just got back from a total immersion weekend retreat in Palm Springs with my Integrator Chloe and in today’s episode I share all the details of what went down! Unlike a typical team retreat we weren’t brainstorming ideas, we were actually cleaning up the messy stuff in our business.

Yep, I’ve got messes to clean up just like anyone else. I must say, I do believe my team and I are a gold standard when it comes to setting up systems and processes, but I think no matter how well the backend of your online business looks every single one of us has room to do a little cleaning, don’t you think?

Let me share a little bit about the weekend...

WHAT IS A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT WEEKEND?

First things first, this is NOT a team retreat and it is NOT a big brain-storming weekend where you come up with new ideas for the future. This is dedicated time to spend looking at the messy parts in your business and cleaning them up. The types of things you’ll be looking at cleaning up, fixing, or eliminating are areas that will ultimately impact the financial bottom line in your business.

WHO SHOULD GO ON A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT?

This is time best spent either on your own, or in the company of the right-hand person in your business. I took Chloe, my Integrator, because she is such an integral part of my business. . (Side note: Don’t miss upcoming episode #224 where I bring Chloe on the show and we talk about her role as an Integrator (aka Project Manager). We get into what she does, how she does it, who she manages, how we work together, her fave tools and lots more!)

FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND RETREAT

Answering the following five key questions will help you to set a focus and make sure you’re on the same page (if you will be with someone from your team):

  1. What’s your #1 pain point in your business right now?
  2. What feels messy, broken, or painfully slow?
  3. What needs to be fixed before you can grow?
  4. Where are you losing money? Do you have any current leaks in your funnels, or in any system that you’re using to make money right now?
  5. What have you been putting off for way too long? What are the important things you’ve been wanting to get to but you know there are just not enough hours in the day?

I want you to answer these questions when you take your total immersion retreat weekend, too. Yes, I want you to take time away to clean up the messes in your own business. You will not regret it, I promise you!

TIP for answering the five questions: When answering these questions for yourself, think about team, systems, processes, and funnels (for my beginners, don’t let the word funnel throw you off...this just means the different systems and strategies that you have in place to get people to buy or join your email list).

I go into much more detail in today’s episode, but I’ve included a snapshot here for you to see how our weekend progressed. Now remember, this is going to look different for everyone, but I thought the examples from my business might be helpful to get you thinking about areas in your own business that might need some cleaning up.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING

  • Agenda
    We worked on our agenda during the 2-hour drive to Palm Springs. It’s important to have a clear game-plan before you arrive at your destination, so you can get right to work. While we laid our agenda out in detail, we allowed ourselves the flexibility to change and pivot as necessary throughout the weekend.
  • Calendars
    We cleaned up my calendar bigtime! I’m a big fan of the “no train” but for some reason I lost my way over the last few months and had said “yes” to too much. Because of this, I was missing important deadlines in my business because my calendar was too full. This also meant that I was working nights and weekends and that is something I am trying not to do.

SATURDAY MORNING

Fresh and ready for a new day, we cleaned up our elaborate evergreen funnel system inside InfusionSoft. Because we’ve been at this for awhile, parts of our funnels were broken. Let me just tell you that this part was NOT fun!! But, you know what, I’m glad we knocked it out early in the weekend. : )

SATURDAY AFTERNOON - THIS WAS THE FUN PART FOR ME!!

  • We talked about the projects we were going to work on moving forward and who was going to work on what.
  • We also talked about what projects we needed to put on the back burner or eliminate completely. In this episode I talk about a big decision we made in switching up something that one of my team members was working on.

SUNDAY MORNING

  • Wrapped up any loose ends and headed back home. (I didn’t do it this time, but next time I’m definitely scheduling massages for me and Chloe to enjoy before we leave.)

MY TOP TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND TIPS

I believe a total immersion weekend retreat like this is critical to the success of your business. Step away from your everyday distractions and you won’t regret it! Here are some tips for you to consider when you go on your retreat:

  • Choose a destination you enjoy and that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but if you’re at a place in your business where you can splurge a little, go for it!
  • Just know that your days are going to be long. We worked hard, but it was so worth it!
  • Change up your environment so you don’t go stir crazy. We found fun little places around the hotel property to work throughout the weekend: the beautiful lobby, our hotel room, and we even knocked out a couple of hours of work from the bar while sipping on a refreshing margarita!
  • Take time to eat, drink lots of water, get some fresh air, take walks, and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
  • Let your family know that this time away will be focused on work and that you will not be available much throughout the weekend. It’s very important to limit distractions in order to make the most of your time away, and by stating this up front you will make sure no one at home is feeling neglected!
  • Keep a Google Doc noting the big decisions that you’ve made over the weekend and any team communication you want to relay when you return.
  • Get all those action items moved into your project management tool. Chloe always says, “If it’s not in Asana, it’s not happening!”
  • Don’t forget to have a little fun, too! You’re going to be working really hard, so I suggest you treat yourself to a massage or some sort of simple pleasure at the end of your weekend.
  • Upon your return, have a meeting with your team or individual team members to fill them in on some of the decisions you made or changes that may be coming down the pipeline.
  • Repeat your total immersion retreat weekend on a quarterly basis!

So what do you think? Are you ready to book a total immersion weekend retreat to clean up the messy parts in your business? I hope you said “yes!” because this is an investment that you won’t regret! If you’ve decided to go for it, pick where you’ll go and book it in the next 48 hours, and when you do, head over to Instagram and DM me to let me know when and where you’re going!

This episode is brought to you by Audible where you too can listen to the book I mentioned that I’m loving right now: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, for FREE! Members of my audience get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/OMME

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_222.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

HOW WEBINARS, CREATING A COURSE, AND A MEMBERSHIP SITE CHANGED THIS TEACHER’S LIFE IN A HUGE WAY!

I'm always in awe when one of my students shares with me how they’ve built their million dollar businesses. Anna’s story is one of my favorites and I wanted her to share it with you as well!

Anna spent 23 years as a second grade teacher but decided she wanted to make an impact on the education community in a bigger way. This decision to shift her focus led her to my programs and she dove right in, taking action after action until things clicked! She made $10k on her very FIRST webinar and she's NEVER TURNED BACK.

You won’t want to miss Anna’s incredible story as she shares her journey to success. She shares the specific steps (and consistent action) she took from making that first $10k selling 2nd grade course curriculum, to creating a membership site for teachers that brings in almost $60k per month, to her latest venture, a course that teaches teachers how to teach guided-math, which at the time of this recording had only been live three weeks and she’d already made $35,000! That’s an entire year’s earnings for some teachers!

TWO MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GROWING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

And to wrap it up, Anna shares the two things she would do differently had she known back then what she knows now. I 100% agree with both, so do yourself a favor and take what she says and don’t let those mistakes slow you down from the impact you are destined to make!

Alright, if you’ve gotten this far and haven’t listened in to the podcast yet, what are you waiting for? : ) I promise you, you’ll be inspired by Anna’s story and fall in love with her just like I did!

If you’d prefer to watch the interview, enjoy that right here...

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

Direct download: OMME_Anna_Bonus_Episode.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Neil Patel, master marketer and SEO genius, joined me on my show today to dive into the the nuts-and-bolts of some simple SEO strategies that will bring you more traffic, conversions, and revenue! He walks us through a 3-month plan that I’ve broken down for you in a free guide that you can grab right here.

I have to admit, I haven’t spent as much time or attention as I should on SEO strategies, but that’s all changed this year...my team and I are being intentional about learning more about SEO and we’re going to implement the plan that Neil shared with us today, too!

IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

One thing that Neil dispelled immediately is the fear that so many of us have around the idea of SEO strategy, and that is, that SEO is too complicated and we’ll never understand what exactly to do!

Here’s what he had to say about that:

“SEO is not rocket science...it’s not hard, and as long as you follow this plan, which is broken down into three main steps, you should get results.”

And let me tell you the plan is not complicated...it’s very doable and this guide is going to help!

WHAT IS SEO AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE AN SEO STRATEGY?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and Neil explained that it’s really all about making your site compatible for search engines. Now of course we create our content for our audience to enjoy and find useful, but we need to understand the importance of making our content compatible for BOTH users AND search engines.

HOW SEO WILL INCREASE TRAFFIC, CONVERSIONS AND REVENUE

As an entrepreneur, you likely have a strong “why” behind what you’re doing online, but the bottom-line is that you want more people to see or listen to your content, you want to turn followers into customers, and you want to earn a living doing what you love to do. One way to accomplish this is to develop an SEO plan that has the ability to give you these tangible results.

And that’s exactly what Neil shared in today’s show! He broke down exactly what you need to do in order to get a really good, simple SEO strategy running on your website.

THE 3-MONTH SEO PLAN

I’ve outlined some of the key points Neil made in the interview here, but for the step-by-step plan download your free 3-Month SEO Guide here.

MONTH 1 - Research & Competitor Analysis

With SEO you may not see results for several months so you want to make sure you are going after the right keywords. Neil explained that if you’re not figuring out what keywords you should be using in your content, you might be getting traffic, but it’s NOT traffic that will turn into customers.

I’ve linked up to the keyword research tools that Neil recommends (below), but you’re going to want to listen in to today’s show for the JUICY hack he shared about using SEMrush to look up your competitor’s keywords as a guide in your research...it’s like he handed us a little piece of gold!!

MONTH 2 - Optimize Your On Page Code and Building Content

So, you’re probably wondering what “on page” means! I was too. : )

In simple terms, Google reads source codes (not the language you and I speak or read!) so it’s our job to make sure Google can read our websites so that we can rank in its searches.

The good news is that if you have a Wordpress website with the free Yoast SEO plugin installed it will handle most of the on-page SEO stuff for you. It basically walks you through the steps (in a very user friendly way) to make sure Google can read your pages.

Neil also discussed the importance of building quality content on a consistent basis on your blog. You’ve gotta have a place to use that keyword research from month-one research, right? Here are a few pointers Neil suggests you implement when you write your blog posts/articles:

  • Write in a conversational tone
  • Create thorough content (NOT short)
  • Use sub-headings
  • Keep paragraphs short
  • Use images
  • Wrap up your blog posts with a summary conclusion
  • End your conclusion with a question

MONTH 3 - Building Links and Getting Social Shares

Links from other people’s sites to yours (backlinks) can be a big SEO boost. Google loves seeing links, but not just any links! Google is so smart that it knows the authority and relevance of where those links are coming from. I know! It’s scary how smart Google is!

Anyway, obviously if you are linked to from a very well-known authority in your field, versus someone who themselves doesn’t have much authority or who doesn’t have much to do with your field, then who is Google going to give more credibility to? The well-known authority who is sharing relevant content with their audience via a link to your content, of course!

Part of Neil’s three-month plan also includes a great strategy for gaining social shares to your content. While social sharing will not directly affect your SEO, it sure will indirectly. Social sharing builds social proof, which ultimately builds awareness and your authority.

Make sure to grab your free 3-Month SEO Guide right here, to learn all about Neil’s technique for getting social shares through Buzzsumo.

I hope you listened to the episode because Neil broke all of this down in such an easy to understand and doable fashion. But let’s not leave it at that...I want you to put this plan in action. Here what I’d love for you to do right now:

  • Print out the 3-Month SEO Guide
  • Schedule time in your calendar to implement the steps in the plan. Remember to be non-negotiable with the time you block out.
  • Join my OMME Podcast Facebook group so that we can share our SEO successes in a few months. See you there!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_221_v2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

One thing I love about summer is having a little bit more downtime. This allows me to do some things that I might not always have time for at other times of the year like binge listening to my favorite podcasts.

That usually only happens while on vacation. As a matter of fact, I’m just back from a family vacation in Hawaii and I totally binge listened to a couple of my fave podcasts, The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo and Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations. They are both soooo good!  

So if you too find the opportunity for a little binge listening, I thought it would be fun to compile a Summer Listening Playlist for you as it relates to my favorite past Online Marketing Made Easy episodes.

What made this episode extra special for me was to have some of my listeners submit their favorite episodes as well. (I’ve included audio messages from them directly in today’s show!) Let’s dive in!

YOUR ONLINE MARKETING MADE EASY SUMMER LISTENING PLAYLIST
TOP FIVE LISTENER FAVORITES
  1. Both Michelle from Canada and Sarah from Denmark are fellow megabatching lovers and they recommend episode #182: How To Mega-Batch Your Content. My productivity has skyrocketed since I began mega-batching in my business.  
  2. Lyndsey from Asheville, NC (hello Blue Ridge Mountains!) recommends you listen to an episode that helped her to grow her email subscriber list to 50,000 in just one year: Episode #99: How to Build a List-Building Blitz Campaign. Make sure to listen to her audio message in today’s show, she has some great insight on the one thing in episode #99 that made all the difference in her list growth!  
  3. Molly from Oregon actually has three favorites to share:
    Episode #149: Your 90-Day Pre-Launch Blueprint (she really loved the freebie in this episode and if you like a detailed blueprint, so will you!)
    Episode #150: [Case Study] How to Turn a Pre-Launch Strategy Into a Wildly Profitable Online Launch (This episode is a follow up to episode 149 and will show you what the pre-launch strategy looks like in the real world.)
    Episode #209: The Surprising Journey of Launching a Physical Product with Lara Casey - I love hearing that Molly learned about a resource in this episode that saved her TONS of money in the production of her own physical product!
  4. Gregory from Nashville, TN (you’ve got to tune in to hear his awesome southern accent!) is a fan of the DIY approach and recommends you listen to episode #171: DIYing Your Business: 5 Areas to Focus On When You’re Just Starting Out - I was so happy to hear that Gregory said that this episode really gave him clarity to begin to build his brand and his online business. I’m definitely specific in this episode about what you should and should not be delegating in your business when you’re first starting out.
  5. For the 5th spot of my listener favorites list, I had to include a double-whammy because both of the recommendations are so good! Also, I just love how so many parts of the world are represented in the show today!
  • All the way from Perth in Western Australia, Neda shares her favorite episode #201: 5 Ways to Make Money (Without Using Webinars). - I love how Neda said this helped her combine her previous experience with what she’s doing now to make more money in her business.
  • And finally, from May in Oslo, Norway! May loves how episode #206: Post-it Note Content Creation Mini-Training contains a content creation process that’s easy to take action on! May, you are not alone...I had so much great feedback (and pictures of people’s Post-it Note creations) from this episode!  

I absolutely LOVED hearing from so many of my listeners and how their favorite episodes of Online Marketing Made Easy have helped move their businesses forward!  

Moving on to my own personal recommendations for your Summer Listening Playlist...

AMY’S TOP FIVE FAVORITES
  1. I absolutely loved episode #147 with Marie Forleo: How to Ask Better Questions and Get Better Business Results. Limiting beliefs and negative self-talk are a HUGE problem in the entrepreneurial field, and may be holding you back from achieving the success you want and deserve. This episode will help you to move forward with confidence!   
  2. Next up is episode #203: How to Get Noticed When You’re Just Starting Out. Are you seeing a theme here? My next recommendation is another on mindset! The online world can be a noisy place, but it’s the way you think that will really set you apart. I’m all about helping you reset your mindset around business and being an entrepreneur, and this episode will do just that!
  3. My next pick is a super strategic one: Episode #164: Free Content vs. Paid Content (What’s the Difference?) In this episode I talk about the #1 question I get ALL the time. I actually created this episode so I could have a place to direct people when I get asked this question and it’s one of my most downloaded episodes to date!
  4. Did you think I wouldn’t mention the first time my sweet husband Hobie joined me on the mic? In #161: Love & Business: How to Make it Work. Being an entrepreneur can be tough, but how about being married to one? This is an excellent listen for all those couples out there. P.S. Since then I recorded another episode with Hobie (#207: 20 Questions (Rapid Fire Style!) with Special Guest Interviewer, Hobie Porterfield which was super fun, too!
  5. The last episode that I’m going to recommend for you is one that is actually airing a couple weeks after this episode, so you’ll have to wait for it if you’re reading this before August 2, 2018. In episode #222: How to Create A "Total Immersion Weekend Retreat" to Clean Up Your Messy Business I talk about a weekend retreat I took recently with my Integrator, Chloe, in which we focused on cleaning up the messy stuff in our business. I want you to listen to this episode so you can get a behind-the-scenes peek at something that can be a complete game-changer for your business.   

So there you have it - you’ve got a nice summer playlist to tune into! I’m guessing there may have been one or two recommendations that really resonated with you and I want you to commit to listening to those in the next 24 hours.

If your favorite episode wasn’t mentioned here today, I’d love to hear from you! Head over to Instagram and DM me what your favorite is and why.  

This episode is brought to you by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan” -- My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_220.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Today you’re going to learn how to use one of the fastest growing social platforms, Instagram Stories, to build your email list, without using the Swipe Up feature.  

I don't know about you, but Instagram is by far my favorite social media platform. Mostly because I love Instagram Stories but also because I think the connections on Instagram feel more real than any other social platform.

If you are on Instagram then you've probably either recorded an Instagram story yourself, viewed one--or several (they are completely addictive), or you've heard someone else talk about Instagram Stories and you weren't really sure what the heck they were talking about.

Wherever you fall in this equation, there's one thing that is certain...you as a business owner, should be using Instagram Stories to create more solid, real connections that will, if you do it right, go far beyond just chatting on social media.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tyler J. McCall, an Instagram Marketing Strategist, who has found great success in growing his email list through Instagram Stories. He shared tons of valuable insight, tips and strategies that you will be able to implement starting today!  And, don’t worry, as I mentioned earlier this strategy has nothing to do with the Swipe Up feature, which requires you have 10,000 followers to use.

So whether you’re familiar with Instagram Stories or not, we’ve got you covered here! Let’s first dive into the basics around Instagram Stories and then we’ll go ALL in on strategies to grow your email list via this platform!  

WHAT IS AN INSTAGRAM STORY?

An Instagram Story is content that is shared in Instagram itself, typically photos and videos, but you can also share text-based images. Your photos or graphics last six seconds while your videos can be up to 15 seconds long. You create the Story content using Instagram (the creation and editing tools are built right in), or you can create them externally and upload them to your Instagram account.  

How Stories are different than a post in your regular Instagram feed is that the content goes away after 24 hours unless you add it as an Instagram Story highlight in your profile, which is a whole different episode!

WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING INSTAGRAM STORIES IN YOUR BUSINESS:

Instagram now has over 800 million users. Of those, 500 million are on the app every day. And of those 500 million, 300 million are on Instagram Stories every day. Need I say more?!?

Tyler tells us that Instagram Stories are taking over as the content of choice, and Instagram likes this, because it gives them another place to run ads.  And as business owners, Instagram ads are a very powerful tool, as well. And let me tell you, Instagram Story ads are converting really well for my business right now!

“There are now millions of people every single day waiting for the right content to show up for them on Instagram Stories” - Tyler J. McCall

How to Create High Quality Instagram Stories

In order to grow your email list through Instagram Stories (we’ll get to that strategy in a minute), you first need to know how to create high quality Instagram Stories that people want to watch. Here’s a quick rundown, but make sure to tune in to the episode for all the details!

  1. Create your Stories with purpose and intention
  2. Use a good mix of personal and business (Tyler shares information about his business in his Stories, but he also shares his shopping trips to Target! Yes, he loves to walk the aisles and point out some of his favorite products!)
  3. Utilize a beginning, middle, and an end to your Story. Just like your elementary school teacher taught you! Download this great 2-page worksheet “The Story Arc Method” to work through an exercise Tyler put together for you to up your Instagram Story game!
  4. “Never let the dashes turn into dots!” I love how Tyler put this, regarding being careful to not create painfully long Stories.  
  5. I asked Tyler how he always has AMAZING light for his Stories and he shared two tips that money can’t buy!!
  6. Use captioning in your Stories for people who want to consume your content but don’t use audio. Tyler said that this technique will help keep retention high, too.
  7. Drive interaction with Instagram features like polls and DM conversations. Engage with your followers!
How to Grow Your Email List Using Instagram Stories Without Using the Swipe Up Feature

Ok, now that you have a plan to create high quality Instagram Stories, Tyler shared some really great insight as to how to grow your email list through a Direct Messaging strategy. Since Tyler has over 10,000 followers he is able to utilize the Swipe Up feature available in Stories, but he admits he doesn’t use it much because he thinks it’s a bit lazy and too passive!

Growing your email list through Instagram is all about Instagram Story Direct Messaging!

It’s through this DMing that he’s able to directly communicate with his followers, build relationships, hear pain points directly from his potential customers mouth, and engage in an authentic way.

Here are a few of the important habits Tyler suggests you build around Instagram Story DM engagement in order to be in a position where you can actually grow your email list:

  • Show up consistently
  • Make sure your content is high quality
  • Use calls to action in your Stories (from asking your followers to answer simple questions, respond to polls, and finally to respond to your invitation for them to learn more about what you’re doing or to gain access to an opt-in offering.)
  • Once you’ve engaged them, keep the conversation going,...see how you can help them
  • Post in the regular feed less often, so you can spend more time in Stories (you saw the stats, this is where the people are!)

Do these things and the opt-in opportunities that you offer your followers (the ones that keep coming back to watch your Stories) will put you in a prime position to grow your email list. Tyler’s DM conversions are huge!  

Listen in as Tyler shares a system which he calls -- An Instagram Story Opt-In Sandwich -- in which you guide your Story viewers through a journey that ultimately leads them to your lead magnet, content upgrade, or webinar via DM conversations.

I, too, have recently using my DMs to engage with my followers, and it is powerful! The only problem is that it can be time-consuming --- time well spent, but time-consuming, nonetheless.

Since Tyler gets A LOT of DMs, I asked him how he manages it all and one of the top tips he shared is to get in there a few times throughout the day so you are responding pretty quickly, and also so the DMs don’t pile up and become too overwhelming for you to respond to.

I’ve found that it’s helpful for me to actually create a task in Asana (my project management tool), to check my DMs daily, and that’s working well at this point.

So here’s what I want you to do, download and work through this 2-page worksheet that Tyler created for you and don’t spend another minute on Instagram without intention and purpose.

A great big thank you to Tyler for providing such great step-by-step teaching in this interview!

Tyler and I would both love to hear from you in our DMs! I’m @amyporterfield and he’s @tylerjmccall.

All my best,

Amy

This episode is brought to you by: LBL

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in these show notes and on the podcast episode:

 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_219.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

As an entrepreneur, your business is constantly changing—that’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur.  

And here’s the thing: YOU change too. You change your mind about things you used to be adamant about.

I’ve experienced this myself. For example, when it came to creating courses, five years ago I would have said: Concentrate on building your course, don’t worry about the selling.

But since then I have had a change of heart.

I’ve watched my students inside of my training program Courses That Convert, and I’ve seen a need that I did not see years ago. That need is around launching their course before they have 100% completed it.

Now I talk about the benefits of pre-selling your course, or selling it in advance of the course being done, then delivering your content each week via a LIVE workshop to a group of founding members who have already paid.

So this episode is going to walk you through the exact steps that go into pre-selling a course. I am going to walk you through the pieces you’ll need to make your offer, get your first students through the door, and deliver your content.

There are a few reasons I like this strategy:

 

  • #1: Pre-selling is a big validator of your course idea.

 

  • #2: Pre-selling helps you build confidence about your training. Nothing builds confidence more than getting a few PAYING students through the door.
  • #3: Pre-selling helps with cash flow! I know that building a course and getting your online course up and running can sometimes be a bit of a pinch on your finances. That’s why pre-selling is great—to bring in a bit of money to help you pay for some of those expenses.
  • #4: Pre-selling helps you build momentum and accountability. By selling before your content has been created, you have no choice but to deliver! This helps you avoid the “it’s been a year and my course is still languishing” syndrome!
  • #5: Lastly, you get immediate feedback from actual students when you pre-sell. Since it’s more of a live interaction, you can tweak your content based on the feedback before you launch again.

By the way, this episode was brought to you by Courses that Convert…I teach a much more robust version of this process in that course, with step-by-step plans and templates. Learn more by attending my free masterclass “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.

So if you’re as excited as I am about pre-selling your course, here are seven steps to get you started.

The 7 Steps to Pre-Selling Your Course

Step 1: Determine Your Course Offer

First, you will determine your pricing and what kind of “course package” you’ll be offering.

Step 2: Set Up Your Early Interest Page

Once you figure out your offer, it’s time to set a page where you can capture interest about your course. You’ll need to create an opt-in to collect first names and email addresses, and include a teaser about what they can expect. You’ll also want to create a follow-up email for everyone who opted in.

Step 3: Create Your 30-Day Content Blitz

Come up with content ideas for your blog, podcast, Facebook Lives, etc., and then schedule your content so you’re releasing something new every week for 30 days. Remember to include a call to action at the end of your content, asking your audience to sign up for the course if they want to learn more. (All traffic from this content will go to your Early Interest Page.)

Step 4: Set Up Your Checkout Page

This page should include information about your course such as the benefits and the features.

Step 5: Set Up Your Live Workshop Components

In this step you will want to create the shell of your member’s site so when you start delivering your content you have a place to load it.

You’ll also need to determine the details of your training and decide on the platform you’ll be delivering it.

Set up all the components you’ll need to ultimately deliver your live content—links, welcome emails, a VA, etc.—so that you’re ready to go. As you deliver your live content, you will load up your recordings into your course platform for your paying members to access.

Step 6: Promote a 48-Hour Flash Sale Offer

Your 48-hour flash sale offer will include two emails:

  1. The first is sent to your Early Interest list and informs them of your limited time offer, what’s included in the program, the number of spots available, and a link to your checkout page.
  2. Your second email gives them one more chance to sign up.

In this step, you also have the option to include a webinar training as part of your pre-sell strategy.

Step 7: Deliver Your Content

You’re now done with the selling portion of your pre-sell offer. All that’s left is delivering your content!

Remember to create your slide decks, prepare any cheat sheets or other bonuses, remind your students before each new training, and then upload your content to your member’s site once you’re done delivering it.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Course Creation Resources:

Episode #49: How to Know if Your Idea is Profitable
Episode #107: How Do I Price My Online Course?
Episode #133: How to Get Unstuck in Your Course Creation Process
Episode #206: The Post-It Content Creation Mini Training

Webinar Resources:

Episode #130: How to Sell on a Webinar (Without Being Overly Salesy)
Episode #145: 13 Questions to Nail Down Your Winning Webinar Topic and Title
Episode #211: 5 Things I Said Yes to In The Early Years (But Say No to Now)


Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_218.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Today we’re going to discover something that has the power to majorly change the trajectory of your business! We’re going to uncover the three main roadblocks that sideline many entrepreneurs (and people in general) and cause them to get stuck in inaction. You will learn specific ways to take massive action, get more done, and get those big results you desire.

“Taking action...” seems easy enough, right?  “Just do something!” As you and I both know, it’s not as easy as it sounds!

If right now what you’re doing in your business is not leading you to the results you desire, then this episode is for you!

To shed some light on WHY we’re not taking action and to help us understand how to turn that around and become massive action takers, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brooke Castillo. Brooke is a Life Coach—I actually call her a Life Coach Extraordinaire— who has worked with thousands of people (including yours truly) who have been stuck, are not reaching the goals they’ve envisioned for themselves, or ultimately just need a coach to shine some light on a path that can lead them to the promised land of getting a lot done and achieving big results.

Quick note before we move on: I mention that I’ve worked with Brooke personally; I get more into it on the podcast, but in case you were wondering, I’m part of her Self-Coaching Scholars program. You know I’m on a mission to up-level my life, including my health and my weight, but I’m also on a mission to up-level my mind, and Brooke really gets into this in her program. I know that focusing on how I think about things will change both my personal and business life, and I believe it could do the same for you. Because I stand behind what Brooke does, I have become an affiliate for the program, so if you are interested in joining her program, too, click here, and let Brooke know I sent you!

MANAGING YOUR MIND

Brooke began with the idea that so much of starting and building a business is about managing your mind.  She said, “There's no way around it, because you can understand how to do everything, you can study all the material, but until you understand that what you think about is going to create the emotion that either drives the action or the inaction, you're never gonna take the action.”

Did you get that? This is important: What you think about creates the emotion that drives the action or inaction.  If stress, fear and panic are fueling the action, you’re not going to be able to produce results at the level you want to produce.

Brooke shared three entrepreneurial roadblocks—things that are keeping you from taking massive action.   

Reason #1: YOU’RE STUCK IN THE BUSY HUSTLE

I can remember times, back when I was first starting out, when I was hustling my butt off. I was all over the place, connecting with different people, working with all kinds of clients, seemingly very successful—but the problem was, I wasn’t taking action on the things that could actually take me to a place where I could grow and scale my business. I was hustling. I was tired. But, to some degree, I was really just chasing my tail.

This is what Brooke refers to as “The Busy Hustle”—a tiring hustle that’s produced by negative emotion: stress, fear, panic…[Insert your own word here!].  

You want to avoid getting into a state of busy hustle, where you may be working hard yet aren’t producing anything. Instead your goal should be to get to a place of a productive hustle, where results are consistently produced.

Brooke suggested if you want to produce something, don’t just sit down to “work on something.” Sit down to produce something!

It’s important to change our language around this. Let’s stop saying, “I’m working on so and so,” and instead say, “I’m producing xyz,” or “I’m recording a podcast.” See the difference?!  

Reason #2: YOU’RE GIVING YOURSELF TOO MUCH TIME TO GET SOMETHING DONE

Brooke believes that many people, especially those who are newer to business, give themselves too much time to produce a result. In the beginning you have more time than customers or clients, so you just expand the time you are “working” in your business. Yet while you may  have the time, what you actually produce doesn’t line up with the many hours you’re working.

Brooke suggests we take a look at the projects we need to get done, and assign a time frame in which we will get it done. For example: instead of my saying, “I’ll get the podcast recorded and uploaded to Dropbox by Wednesday”, Brooke would say, “I will have the podcast recorded and uploaded to Dropbox in one hour. I’ll sit down and get it done in that hour.”  

Of course you need to be realistic about time frames….some things are going to naturally take longer than others.    

And what sort of results will be produced if we go this route? Brooke says, “When you decide how long something will take and you stick to that, that’s when your production gets huge momentum.”  

Now for my fellow perfectionists out there: this can be tough, because you’re going to have to embrace the fact that you might produce some B-minus work. I know that’s hard to stomach! Brooke had to give me a little life-coaching during the episode, because I am not someone who got Bs in school!

Brooke’s argument for producing B-minus work is this: “B-minus work can change people’s lives. Work that you don’t produce at all, does nothing in the world.”  

Brooke told a great story about producing B-minus work on a book she wrote, about how she got some negative feedback which caused her some real shame and embarrassment; but a letter she received from someone whose life was changed because of that B-minus book made her realize that had she declined to put out that work in favor of striving for an A-plus, that woman’s life would never have been affected. That was when Brooke decided that she was ok with B-minus work—because she knew it would still produce results.

You’ll have to decide for yourself as to what level work you are ok with; but for Brooke, making this decision made a HUGE difference in her business, and because of that decision, she has reached epic levels of success.

Reason #3: YOU’RE AVOIDING FAILURE AND DISCOMFORT

Of course, no one loves failure and discomfort; but the truth is, if we’re going to learn and grow, there are going to be moments of failure and times where we will need to step outside of our comfort zone.

Brooke explained that our brains are literally wired to avoid any kind of failure, and the only way to produce a successful business is to fail repeatedly. So what do we do?!

We have to show our brains that we are not going to die because of discomfort and failure. We need to learn the process to move into discomfort, and then get comfortable with that discomfort.

“Discomfort is the currency to your dreams.” - Brooke Castillo

But discomfort is only part of the road to success for business owners. I love that Brooke shared that she schedules “Comfort-Time” in her week! This time is non-negotiable, and she schedules it in her calendar before anything else. Her comfort-time is comprised of walking her dogs, enjoying coffee and reading in the morning, and spending time with family.  

What would be the activities or non-activities that you’d have in your comfort-time? Schedule it in!  And remember: this time is non-negotiable. Agreed? Work hard, play hard! : )

If you’re reading this and have not listened to the episode yet, I highly recommend you do. Brooke gives some great examples, insights, and encouragement that you’ll only hear by tuning in. Plus, Brooke is so fun! I guarantee you’ll not only learn a ton, but will enjoy a few laughs while listening to this episode, too!

Thanks for spending time with me today!

All my best,

Amy

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in these show notes and on the podcast episode:

 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_217.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

 

I’m the first person to admit when I’ve made a mistake.

But I can promise you this, when it happens: I learn something new every time.

Inside my private Facebook group for all of my students, my students often ask me to troubleshoot their challenges with launching their courses. Our FB Live chats and their questions inspired me to create this specific podcast episode for all of you. Based on my experiences with thousands of students, I’ve uncovered five core reasons why most online courses fail. My goal is to help make sure you don’t make these mistakes, and if you do, I want you to be able to learn from them and turn them into opportunities.

In this episode I also talk about the importance of a validation blitz, and knowing all about your potential student’s hopes and fears, and what may be holding them back. I go into step-by-step detail about how to conduct a validation blitz in my Courses That Convert Program. You can learn more about that program and how to get started with an online course with my free Masterclass—“How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.” It’s a fun and comprehensive training that will help you get well on your way to creating your first training!

Also: if you've experienced any of these mistakes or if you've made a big mistake that I haven't mentioned here, I want you to come over to Instagram and DM me.

Check out these highlights:

  • Why your ideal customer avatar needs to be top of mind at all times. [3:48]
  • I changed my mind on pre-selling, and you need to also. [8:25]
  • The four things to do to make sure you get to the finish line with your course. [12:43]
  • What to consider instead of signature courses. [14:42]
  • How I had to enlist a colleague to keep me in check and keep out the fluff. [17:34]
  • The best online courses are taught by the best teachers. What you need to do to become an engaging teacher. [20:40]

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode #206: “The Post-It Content Creation Mini Training”

 

 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_216.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

As entrepreneurs, creating multiple streams of revenue should be our goal. After being laid off from a software development company in the year 2000, today’s guest, Jennifer Allwood,  discovered firsthand how using her creativity and passion could create not one, but six different revenue streams in her business.

One of the things I love most about being an entrepreneur is how we are able to use our passions and creativity to build a business that has many layers to it—and Jennifer has done just that!

So whether you are just starting out building your online business or are already doing amazing things but looking to up-level, you’re going to find lots of inspiration and actionable tips in this interview!

Never Say Never

Jennifer’s first foray into an online business revenue stream was through creating and selling a handful of short videos teaching people how to do fun DIY painting techniques on cabinets and furniture. After just a year, she had earned six figures...from simple painting videos!  

Jennifer was at first confounded to discover she could sell stuff that could be easily found online for free via YouTube videos; yet she also came to understand that people will pay for shortcuts, and they prefer to pay for something from someone they know, like and trust, rather than go searching for something on their own.

That was the beginning of her online business journey. In the years since, she has launched a couple membership sites, teaches others how to run their online businesses, is writing a book, and is enjoying engaging with her nearly half-million online social media followers.

Jennifer admits that even just five years ago she would never have dreamed she would be where she is today! Let this be a lesson to all of us!   

It’s Not About Working Harder: It’s Working Smarter That Makes The Difference

Jennifer works mostly with creatives: painters, artists, makers, DIYers, and repurposers. She says these type of entrepreneurs have a hard time getting past the idea that they don’t always have to trade time for dollars; yet Jennifer teaches them they can share their gifts in a new way by adding revenue streams to their business. The opportunities she identified (which can work for anyone with an online business) are:

  • Info products – ebooks, ecourses, webinars, etc.
  • Affiliate income
  • Sponsored content
  • Membership site
  • Ad revenue
  • Brand ambassadorship
  • Consulting
  • Speaking

Where to Start?

If you are just beginning your online journey, Jennifer suggests you begin with something on the simpler side. Test the waters first, to see what you enjoy doing and what works. She highlighted some great examples from the list above that I hope will inspire you with some new ideas!

What I loved about talking to Jennifer was seeing how strategic she was—even from the beginning, when she didn’t even realize she was being strategic!

If you tuned in and listened to today’s episode, I hope you were as inspired by Jennifer’s story as I was. She was following her passion. She was hustling. She was doing what she needed to do to make things work, and look how it came together for her! I hope the same for you!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_215.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Most of you already know I’m all about list building.

In fact, one of my favorite mottos is “always be list building.” But not everyone knows that an indispensable element of any successful list-building effort is an effective lead magnet—a freebie—that’ll stand front and center and draw crowds to opt-in.

But then the question becomes:

How do I know which type of lead magnet to create?

That’s why you can’t miss today’s episode! I’m sharing the ultimate guide to choosing the right lead magnet for your audience, covering the seven types of lead magnets I think are working best right now.

And what I’m sharing is not only from my experience. I’ve prepared a bunch of examples of lead magnets from some of my good friends and peers—all of them list building pros—and I’m also covering the pros and cons of each, to help you decide which lead magnets are right for you and your audience.

To make it even easier for you, I’ve prepared a freebie with every one of the examples of lead magnets I’m going to discuss in the episode, so you can hear about them, but also see what I’m talking about as clearly as possible.

This episode is brought to you by:

My free Masterclass, The Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan. If you are struggling to get started with list building or if you're not attracting new subscribers to your email list every single day, this is the free masterclass for you!

Check out these highlights:

  • Why it’s only worth it to look at your conversion rate numbers and not anyone else’s. [3:48]
  • The one lead magnet that’s sure to help your audience get to the finish line easily. [6:08]
  • The type of freebie that’ll get your audience saying, “I can’t believe this is free—I would’ve paid for this.” [10:55]
  • Is there a place for video or audio freebies? [13:33]
  • How about challenges? (You know you want to know how to make these lead magnets work—they’re fun!) [16:49]
  • The quick, easy (for audiences to process) and increasingly popular quiz. [20:17]
  • What kind of free courses you can do and how to get them to work as lead magnets. [24:41]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_214.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

My podcast space has always, with a couple exceptions, been a place where I share online marketing tips and strategies...100% my comfort zone! And don’t worry, that’s still my plan for the future episodes, but this year, I’ve made an intentional decision to step out of my comfort zone (or actually maybe a lot with today’s topic!) and let you in on some more behind-the-curtain type personal things. If you listened to episode 210, my 5 Lessons I Learned From Shonda Rhimes, just a few weeks ago, you’ll see where some of the inspiration for this week’s episode came from. For example, speaking my truth was something that I was really inspired to do based on what I learned from Shonda Rhimes, one of my favorite mentors.

Several years ago a well-known podcaster that I love, Jess Lively, shared an episode with her audience with this type of format (I think she called it Things I’m Afraid To Tell You) and the honest and raw truth from that post really hit a chord with her listeners, and I believe that even back then, it created a bit of an “online honesty” movement. She still does these episodes and they’re priceless.

In my opinion, there are far too many people in the online world that have created these “everything is awesome” online personas and it really casts a false light on what’s actually going on behind-the-scenes.

I, for one, don’t want to be looked at by those that follow me as this person that has it all figured out, doesn’t have bad days, doesn’t struggle in both my personal and business life (that’s so far from the truth, it’s laughable.) So, I titled this, “10 Things I’m Embarrassed To Tell You” - and I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed by this stuff, it’s just life stuff -- the real stuff, but when I look at social media, I feel embarrassed because it’s not my highlight reel. Although, as an entrepreneur, I believe that what’s personal is business, and what’s business is personal, and I see my business as my baby. This means the personal and business are bound to blend together, especially with a personal brand, and I wouldn’t be being honest and transparent if I were to just show the highlight reel.

I bet you’d be surprised at how much we have in common when it comes to the types of things that make us feel embarrassed, ashamed, or stupid, but we wouldn’t know it unless we talk about it, right?

Here we go:

1. Sometimes I wonder if Hobie and I made the right decision to not have kids together.

I got married when I was 31 and we thought we would have babies. At that time I had just started building my business and I was incredibly focused. We had a 4-year-old already - Cade (my step-son) was in our life daily - so it felt like I already had a little one. Time flew by, and we just never took the leap and about 3 years ago Hobie got a vasectomy. On the way home from the doctor, I cried -- a lot! But I was just crying because it felt final - I knew I didn’t want to have biological children...so it was just an emotional closing to that piece of our life. I THINK we made the right decision, but sometimes (once in a while) I wish we just took the leap 7 or 8 years ago and went for it. But then at the same moment, I think we made the right decision and that feels fine to me.

2. I work well under pressure so sometimes I let myself wait to the very last minute to finish something, because I know I’ll get it done, however, this causes tremendous stress for my team AND I am not so nice to Hobie in those moments and I hate myself for it.

So, for example, when I’m late getting my slides done for a webinar, and a huge launch is looming over my head, I am super snappy with Hobie. It’s like he can’t even look at me without me saying something that I would regret. It’s the tiny things that set me off because I am stressed and tired. Hobie is a complete champ about it, too, but it’s not fair to him. The reason I’m so embarrassed about this is because I teach people to get stuff done in advance! I’d say 80% of the time I walk the talk, but that other 20% can be NOT fun. Lately, I’ve really been working on not letting anything go until the last minute.

3. I worry about aging because of my online presence.

I hate talking about this one. I am 41 years old...and I see photos of myself when I first started my online business, and I look like a baby compared to now. It’s hard to get older on video...especially when all the old photos never go away online! I wish I subscribed to the “age gracefully” model of thinking, but I don’t. Maybe over time I will, but for now, I am going to fight the battle! So, I pay close attention to my skin: I’m obsessed with LED light and Multi-Wave technology to help stimulate collagen in your skin. Yeah, I do that! Don’t laugh, but it works! I never do this, but I’m going to post links to some of my favorite skincare products below. The ones that I use daily, that I swear by, and that I know are working for anti-aging. I take this stuff seriously! : )

4. I sometimes don't like to tell you that I use a copywriter.

If I do, I’m afraid you’ll feel that you’re not hearing from me directly and then you’ll not feel connected to me. The truth is that I work closely with my copywriters - I have two, Ry and Tarzan, and they’re both really good friends. We text each other a lot, we laugh a lot together, they just get me. They know how I talk, they know how I think, they know my little quirks, and that all comes out in the writing. They actually write like I would write to you if I was really talented in my writing skills. So, yes, I use a copywriter, but it’s still me -- they’re basically an extension of me.

5. I don't always love being the one in the relationship that makes the most money.

It’s too much pressure and creates a weird shift in the relationship. Hobie and I talked about this in episode 161 - Love and Business: How to Make it Work, and he said that he doesn’t like it either. I grew up in a household where the dad went to work and controlled the finances, while the mom stayed home and did the homemaking type stuff...I thought that was how marriage worked. Since my marriage is very different than that model, some of those old beliefs creep in at times and mess with my head.

Also, I sometimes wish Hobie made more money so that if I wanted to take a break, I would have the option to. It’s silly, I know...I really want to make the money and doubt I’d ever actually want to take a big break, but I don’t want to HAVE TO make the money.

6. I’m a fierce competitor and want to be at the top of the charts with my podcast and the #1 affiliate in launches that I do.

I want to win and I really push myself and my team to be on top. The downside of this is that I find myself comparing myself to others that are also in the so-called race and that’s not a good thing to do -- it slows me down and messes up my mental game. Lately, I’ve been asking myself “why?” - why do I want to be at the top? And if I’m honest, it’s my ego more than anything - and that ain't good. So, I’m really examining this area of my mindset and am remembering what I learned from Oprah in the “Making Oprah” podcast: Put blinders on and RUN YOUR OWN RACE!

7. Ok, this next one is super personal …. Growing up I was always afraid of my dad.

He was strict and stern and expected more out of me than I thought was fair. I love him dearly, but he was hard on me. My childhood experiences put some distance between us as I got older. I still have hard feeling about some of my childhood experiences with my dad and I’ve even gone through an EMDR intensive to move past it. (If you don’t know what EMDR therapy is, I’ve linked to it below - it’s incredible and I loved the doctor I did it with, Dr. Mcayla, who I also link to below.)

But beyond my dad and me - here’s the current day truth: Sometimes I see myself being too hard on Cade and I have to pull back because I never want distance between us and I don’t want to make him feel the way I did with my dad.

8. I am embarrassed about my weight and I don’t like to do video because of it.

I talked all about this a few months ago in a 9-minute podcast episode, #179. If you’ve not heard that one, and you like this type of episode, I think you should listen to that one next. I’m bringing up the weight issue here because ever since I did that podcast episode, the feedback from listeners has been amazing. It spoke to so many of you, both men and women, and I’m glad I put aside my embarrassment of talking about it and was honest with you. As for my weight loss journey, things are going well -- slow and steady. I’m making great progress and feeling good and when I have some solid success, I will share the details with you.

9. When I have a big success (like a million dollar launch) I have this weird tinge of guilt thinking I don't totally deserve it - or I struggle with thoughts that it will all go away.

I know it’s about not feeling like I am enough, and let me tell you, it used to be a whole lot worse, but I’m really working on this one because I hate feeling that way. Recently we had an amazingly successful B-School launch and that weird guilt feeling came up for me, but I was able to kill the flame quickly by reminding myself I did deserve it and I am worthy of success. Progress, not perfection, right?!

10. I struggle with letting go, even though I have an awesome team.

I still review every single email before it goes out and I know I need to, and can trust my team, to let go. As I talked about in episode 208, I have an awesome team, and I want them to feel empowered -- they deserve to move things forward without my eye on everything. And if mistakes are made, I need to give grace, because I know that’s how we learn and grow. But man, it’s hard to let go! Especially when everything is in your voice - I am the brand - so I think I hold on a little tighter due to that! But I am working on this one -- baby steps!

So there you have it...a bit of me baring my soul.
The point of this week’s episode was, as I said, for me to be honest about parts of my personal and business life that you might not know about me yet - I really want you to know me. So when you see me out and about in real life, or better yet, come to one of my events in San Diego, you don’t just know the shiny, social media approved side of me. I want you to know all of me - and know that I am just like you in so many ways. That’s when true connections happen… I also really hope that maybe something I said will help you to not feel so alone in what you’re going through, or maybe even encourage you to be more honest and real with your own online community.

And can I just say, Thank you! Thank you for allowing me to feel safe enough to share these types of things here today. I truly love my community -- you all are such a source of encouragement to me!

Have a great day!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_213.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:59pm PDT

 

Today I’m bringing back one of my favorites, Facebook ads guru, Rick Mulready.

The difference is today I’ve got him nervous—because he’s here to share with you what he’s NEVER shared before…he’s taking you behind the scenes and letting you in on his process of how he got to a million dollars in just one year (!). He’s also talking about how he reached that number with a decent (but not monster-sized) list of 17,000 (which once upon a time was 30,000).

You know I love to talk tips, tricks, and strategies, but I also think it’s important to look at how you are thinking, how you are feeling, what motivates you to make certain decisions and how they actually work for you… which is what Rick is sharing today.

Tips and tricks will only get you so far unless you learn to get your head on straight around everything you’re working on in your business. And Rick is ready to get raw and honest and show you the shifts he made during 2017 and the results these changes had on his life and business. Let’s get all of the scoop.

Check out these highlights:

  • Random moment of the episode: my new sauna (I didn’t bring this up myself, but it’s a fun tidbit to hear). [4:40]
  • The offers Rick made in 2017 to get to a million bucks. [8:20]
  • The issue of quantity vs. quality for your business model. [10:46]
  • How Rick changed the way he was thinking about his own email list size. [13:38]
  • Shifting your mindset from a lack to abundance as it relates to your team. [27:55]
  • Let’s get honest: Are you not growing your team because you’re scared to spend money? [32:29]
  • At some point, you might not make it without a team… [37:55]
  • Rick’s awesome email list re-engagement campaign. [42:07]

Random moment of the episode: my new sauna (I didn’t bring this up myself, but it’s a fun tidbit to hear). [4:40]
The offers Rick made in 2017 to get to a million bucks. [8:20]
The issue of quantity vs. quality for your business model. [10:46]
How Rick changed the way he was thinking about his own email list size. [13:38]
Shifting your mindset from a lack to abundance as it relates to your team. [27:55]
Let’s get honest: Are you not growing your team because you’re scared to spend money? [32:29]
At some point, you might not make it without a team… [37:55]
Rick’s awesome email list re-engagement campaign. [42:07]

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_212.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

Today I’m taking a trip down memory lane to my early days—

the first few years when nothing seemed to go as planned and everything that came my way felt like a BIG deal…I’m getting personal and raw and sharing with you what my business looked like when I first started out, the decisions I made to get where I am, and the most significant challenges along the way. (You asked, and I answered!)
More specifically, I’m sharing those things I said “yes” to in the early days—the yeses that got me where I am today, in a multimillion-dollar business with an incredible and engaged audience.

Wherever you are in your own business, you need to know:

The business you have today will look dramatically different a few years from now… but it is the choices you make today—the things you say yes or no to—that will lead you towards where you’ll be tomorrow. And then tomorrow you’ll be able to make different choices, but because you and your business will be in a different place. So here’s a little help to get you to (hopefully) make better decisions...

This episode is brought to you by:
My free Masterclass—“How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.” If you’re thinking about creating your online course or have been for a while and don’t know how to get started, this free masterclass is for you!

Check out these highlights:

  • The most important question I ask myself every time my business hits a milestone or pivots in some way or another. [2:53]
  • Speaking opportunities—yay or nay? [4:55]
  • The time for sacrifices. [7:06]
  • Trading knowledge and experience. [8:49]
  • What to say to coffee chat invites. [11:58]
  • And how they’re completely different than “Can I Pick Your Brain” invites. [13:13]
  • The right way to collaborate with other people. [17:33]
  • And the right way to have other people collaborate with you! [20:14]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_211.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Shonda Rhimes, the creative powerhouse behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, wrote a book a few years ago called Year of Yes that really resonated with me. I’m sharing five takeaway lessons that have impacted my personal and business life in a pretty major way.

First, let me set the scene for you as to why Shonda even wrote this book. Shonda and her sister were in the kitchen getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner way back in 2013, and Shonda was telling her sister about some parties, talk shows, and conferences that she'd been recently invited to, you know, the Hollywood type stuff. She was talking about how she was too busy to do any of it, and without blinking an eye, her sister said something to her that day that became the wake-up call that Shonda needed to transform her “busy life”, and those words were:

Her sister knew that Shonda was hiding behind being too busy to avoid doing things that scared her and would take her out of her comfort zone. Her sister also knew that Shonda had ZERO balance in her life and she was actually miserable. Now, would the outside world have known that she was miserable? No. However, Shonda knew that her sister was telling the truth. She’d been called out and it was the truth.

This brought on an epiphany that something major had to change in her life. She wrote in her book: "This could not possibly be what having it all was supposed to feel like, could it? Because if it was, if this is what I spent all this time and energy working so hard for, if this is what the promised land looked like, what was success ... was what success felt like, was what I sacrificed for ... " And then she trailed off, telling the reader she didn't even wanna go there.

This was her aha moment! And the reason I bring it up here is because I think many of us are working our tails off, hustling to the core, and if we're not careful, we're gonna work ourselves into the ground, and then one day we're gonna pop up and say, "Wait. Was this what I was working so hard for, to feel burned out and overworked and tired?” We’ve got to be really mindful of this. I know we're creating businesses we absolutely love, but just don’t work yourself into the ground, okay?

Before we get into the lessons, I want to ask you two questions:

  • 1. Are you at a place in your life where you’re wondering if all the hard work you’re putting into growing your business is even worth it? Now, hard work is one thing, but being miserable is another. Who wants to bust their butt only to be miserable??
  • 2. Are you ready to make some changes in your life so that you can embrace things that scare you or take you outside your comfort zone? You know, those things that deep down you know would probably make you a happier or more successful person.

With your answer to those questions in mind, let’s dig into the five lessons I learned from Shonda’s book, Year of Yes.

Lesson 1:

In Shonda’s book, she told a story about when she gave a commencement speech a few years ago at her alma mater, Dartmouth. (I’ve included the video for you here, but save that for later when you’re in your pjs and can settle in for 25 minutes.) In her speech she was encouraging the graduating class to be DOers, NOT dreamers. She would say things to them like, “You want to be a writer? Guess what? A writer writes everyday. Start writing.” “You want to travel? Sell your crappy car and buy a ticket and go to Bangkok.”

https://youtu.be/EuHQ6TH60_I

I love this! It’s not that she’s bashing on having dreams, it’s good to dream and have big goals, but if you keep your head up in the clouds, you're going to get nowhere.

Shonda talked about dreaming of being author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Toni Morrison. She said she did a whole lot of dreaming...from her parents’ couch! She then realized, “Wait a minute! Toni Morrison already had that job and she wasn’t interested in giving it up!”

Can you relate?

Have you ever dreamed of being so and so, or having so and so's business? You look at someone else's business online and you think, "I want to be them. I wanna have what they have." It reminds me of that quote, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." Words to live by, right? You've gotta do you!

Now, I've always pretty much been a person that digs in and gets stuff done. I'm definitely a doer. But this lesson about doing instead of just dreaming does keep me motivated and on track in my business. Every single day I take action toward my goals. And if at any time I feel like my head is in the clouds, I've gotta pull it back down and say, "Okay, where's the plan?" And to get really specific, I’d ask myself: Where are the action items for my plan inside Asana?”, the project management tool I use. If I don’t put it in Asana, then I'm just dreaming it.

Where are your action items written down? Your notebook? Your project management tool? Just make sure to get it written down.

Speaking of being actionable and writing stuff down, I’ve got an awesome freebie for you today. There’s an exercise in there that's going to help you take some of these ideas in your head, get them on paper and make them more actionable so that you do more and dream a little bit less.

Lesson 2:

For the record, I'm not going to tell you to find more balance in your life...I feel like that's a cliché. Way easier said than done! But Shonda explains this in a very practical way. In her book, she talks a lot about finding a good personal and professional balance. And when she's talking about it, she not only had a super important big job, but she also had three little ones, and I mean little, at home. I've only got one teenage son, a dog, and a husband, and sometimes I don't even know how I get through it all!

Achieving a perfect balance between work, social, and family is impossible. We all know that right? So perfect should never be your goal. In her book, Shonda dropped a nice little truth bomb when she said, "Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means that I am failing in another area of my life." The reason I love this woman so much is because she tells the truth!

What Does Real Life Balance Look Like?

If you’re a Grey's Anatomy fan, then you will never forget Sandra Oh's last scene. It was epic! (Sandra Oh is Christina in Grey's Anatomy.) Anyway, watching that last scene LIVE was of huge importance to Shonda because, for 10 years, she had put her heart and soul into that character, to develop her and to make her the person that she was. So, it was the last hurrah -- this would be Christina’s last scene before going off the show.

SPOILER ALERT: Shonda wasn't there to witness the last scene!

Why? Because guess what else was important at the time? Her kid's school musical that was going on at the same time. She chose her daughter's school musical that day over something incredibly important at work. Now, this is what real life balance looks like. There's not going to be a perfectly easy solution every single time.

She also admitted that if she was working late on a script for one of her shows like Scandal, she'd probably end up missing bath and story time at home, which if you’re a parent, you know that is an important time. So you see, Shonda doesn't always give up the work stuff for the family stuff, she flip-flops back and forth. She found her own sense of balance, and obviously, the choices were not always easy.

As entrepreneurs, we are no doubt living full lives. And to achieve some sort of balance, there's gotta be some give and take. Yes, there will be hard decisions to make, but it's up to us to make daily choices through a balance type of lens that each of us is going to have to individually define. Your balance only needs to make sense in your world. Even if that looks or feels something like you hopping from one foot to the other to maintain that sense of balance, that's okay.

People always ask me how I keep everything in balance and I got a lot of those types of questions when I recently recorded the 20 questions episode with my husband, Hobie. Well, the truth is, I don't do it very well. My goal is to have that balance, but then I also know it's never going to be perfect, and I need to be okay with that. I have to remind myself that I am the only one that defines my balance. I talk about a couple of examples of this with my son and my husband in today’s episode.

Let’s agree that even though we may be a work in progress, we are making progress in this area. I’ve got a good exercise for you in the freebie I mentioned earlier in regards to defining your own balance. I think you’ll find it an empowering exercise!

Lesson 3:

I could've lumped this lesson into the whole lesson about balance, but I'm not going to, because without clearly defining boundaries for yourself, or sometimes for others in your life, you're going to have a hard time creating any sort of balance that truly benefits you. Think of it this way: boundaries are the framework for your very own definition of balance. Boundaries are just the rules or guidelines to what you will or won't do, and what you will or won't allow.

In Shonda’s book, she talks about some of the most important boundaries she put in place during her “year of yes” and I think these may be some of the very boundaries that you, my dear reader, might need to put into place too. I know I’ve had to!

  • No checking or sending emails after 7:00 p.m. Period. Notice she doesn't say 5:00? She's reasonable. She's an entrepreneur.
  • No working on Saturday or Sunday unless there was some sort of emergency or filming where she really needed to be there.
  • Home by 6:00 p.m. for dinner, so she could eat with her kids.
  • She decided that “no” would be a complete sentence. She wasn't going to feel like she had to give excuses for saying no to stuff.
    ****Oh, my goodness, I am notorious for this one! If I say no, then I feel guilty because I'm a people pleaser. This is definitely a boundary I’m working on getting better at.
  • No hot glue gun or no home-baked cookies.

There's a great part in the book about Shonda attending some school meeting, and a room-mom was telling everyone to bring cookies to some event, and that they had to be homemade. Well, Shonda about lost her mind when that came up. She actually blurted out a profanity in voicing her disbelief. Can you imagine? I would kind of die! No one was going to tell her that she couldn't bring Costco cookies. Let's be honest...we all know that Costco cookies are kind of amazing!

Notice that she wasn't saying that she wouldn't bring cookies to the school event. She just wasn't going to stay up late into the night baking. That didn't work for her. And the other scenario of going to buy the cookies, showing up and being there for her kid, that worked.

Believe it or not, when I read some of the boundaries that Shonda had put into place, I actually felt a sense of permission to do the same in my life. Besides working on “no” being a complete sentence, I’ve also decided to try and take Fridays off and not work on the weekends. Some weeks are better than others, but I would say I get it right about 60% of the time. It helps that my team knows this is my intention, too, so they don’t schedule anything for me on Fridays. My task management tool, Asana, that I mentioned earlier, and my Google calendar are real lifesavers in the areas of boundaries, too, because I schedule work and personal and if it’s not in there, I’m not doing it.
I hope that reading some of Shonda’s and my boundaries will help you to feel a sense of permission, or give you some good ideas, too.
Again, my freebie today has a good exercise for you to complete on setting healthy boundaries, as well as taking down those boundaries you may have in place, but that are not serving you well.

Lesson 4:

I know! This totally sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it!?

Hold on now, just listen to this nugget of wisdom that Shonda shares about having difficult conversations: “No matter how hard a conversation is, I know that on the other side of that difficult conversation lies peace. Knowledge. An answer delivered. Character is revealed. Truces are formed. Misunderstandings are resolved. Freedom lies across the field of the difficult conversation. And the more difficult the conversation, the greater the freedom.”

Ahhhh….Peace, knowledge, answers, freedom. Can I get an AMEN on having a little more of these in our lives!!

You may be thinking, “Sounds good, Amy, but I hate having difficult conversations and I’d just rather avoid them at all costs!” Believe me, I don’t love having them either! AND, I actually think that as women we struggle with them more than men. Ladies, can we just resolve to fix that?!
The main reason I don’t like to have difficult conversations is that I NEVER, EVER want to hurt someone’s feelings. Yep, I’m a people-pleaser, but I know that’s not healthy, so I’m a bit of a work-in-progress over here! : )

One thing I’ve found is that if I can sort of have a loose “canned plan” in place in the event I end up getting into a difficult conversation. In her book, Shonda gives some really great examples of these type of statements that we can equip ourselves with. These are ones that you’d use these when it looks like you need to just draw the line and shut the conversation down, instead of rambling or giving in. So, you might say:

  • “That doesn’t work for me.”
  • “I’m done.”
  • “This isn’t worth it.”
  • “You aren’t worth it.” (Now, this one may just be something you say in your head to give yourself permission to end the conversation.)
  • “No.” (Remember, Shonda says we can use this as a complete sentence!)

It might take some practice, but you’d be surprised at how empowering it can be to break out one of these statements at just the right time!

And, guess what? There’s a silver lining here! The more we engage in difficult conversations, the easier they get.

Lesson 5:

I really struggle with this one! I tell a story in today’s podcast about that struggle. What I love about Shonda is she decided to start taking the compliments that she was getting, like a boss. In her book, she wrote:

"I'm going to say yes to accepting any and all acknowledgments of personal fabulous awesomeness with a clear, calm, 'Thank you,' and a confident smile, and nothing more."

Fabulous awesomeness. I love how she says that. But for myself, I can't even imagine if someone were to give me a compliment and just saying, "Thank you," with a smile. That feels very awkward to me, but in an effort to take a compliment like a boss, I’m going to try and do it going forward, too.

How about you? You on board with me?

Lessons Recapped:

Lesson 1: Don't just dream it, Do it!
Lesson 2: Find your own balance.
Lesson 3: Create boundaries that help you thrive.
Lesson 4: It's good to have difficult conversations.
Lesson 5: Learn to take a compliment like a boss.

So, there you have it! I hope these five lessons I learned from my mentor, Shonda Rhimes, have given you a new perspective on how to live a more fulfilling life and to run your business from a place of empowerment and truth.

Don’t forget to download the freebie I created for you. It’s a worksheet that is going to walk you step-by-step through some exercises that go along with the lessons I talked about today. It's a bit of a journaling type of exercise, but believe me, it will make everything you learned more actionable.

This episode is brought to you by:
Master Class: How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days
www.Amyporterfield.com/courses

 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_210.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

Have you ever thought about creating a physical product to sell online, maybe even adding one to your digital line up?

And if you have, have you found yourself overwhelmed with not really knowing where to start in order to bring that product from merely an idea to something your customers can physically hold in your hands?

As most of you know, my business consists of all digital products and I would say 90% of my audience is the same, but I still get questions, pretty frequently, asking me about creating physical products to include in their existing online business. Maybe you’re at a point where you’d like to add a physical product. Questions like: How do I know if I’m ready to add a physical product to my digital mix? Where would I even go to get started? What kind of physical product could I add to the mix?

Since I get a lot of questions around this topic, but I’m not the expert, I thought, “Let’s bring on someone who is.” My guest today, Lara Casey - founder of CultivateWhatMatters.com, has authored two books, Cultivate, and Make it Happen, and has had huge success in launching and selling physical products online. If you’ve ever heard of the famous PowerSheets, she’s the creator!

Lara is going to talk to us about how she knew it was time to launch a physical product; how she figured out and managed all the details around designing, producing, and fulfilling a physical product. And to keep it real, she shares the ups and downs as she created her product along the way.

When I asked Lara to tell my podcast listeners a little bit about herself, this is what she said: “We’re all about planting seeds and helping women to Cultivate What Matters and giving them the tools they need to plant seeds of growing intentional relationships or cultivating their faith...whatever it may be, specific to them.”

Planting seeds...cultivating...intentional… I love this!

Lara continued, “I’m a mom to three, a grateful wife, and I’m really passionate about helping an instant-results culture embrace the power of little by little progress, instead of perfection.”

Now, let’s dig into the interview!

QUICK SIDE NOTE to those who are coming here from my podcast for the show notes, I'd love to know if you like this longer, more detailed version of show notes? While not everything from the podcast is included here, it's a pretty thorough representation. Please let me know yay or nay and why in the comments below. 

Amy: What are PowerSheets?

Lara: The PowerSheets are our goal planner, and they help you to uncover what matters the most to you, make an action plan and then TEND to that, little by little and take action.

Amy: It’s beautiful! It looks like a planner. Would you call it a planner?

Lara: We get asked that all the time and this is really your day planner’s best friend. We call it a planner because it fits into the marketing realm of being that same type of vein, but it’s more of an action book. We want people to not just plan but start planting things in their lives and to make a mess in this (the PowerSheets).

Amy: What your very first product and why did you decide to create it?

IN THE BEGINNING

Lara: About 12 years ago, my husband Ari was deployed to Iraq, with the Marines. And as you can imagine, at the height of any time of war or turmoil, it can leave you feeling very anxious. And so, this first product, which was Southern Weddings magazine came out of that pain that I was experiencing at the time. As my husband was deployed to Iraq, I sat on my laptop computer alone one night and just thought, "I just really have a deep desire to create beauty in this world that feels so broken," and that sounded like a really grand thing at the time, but it was my real desire.

And so, I got on my computer, and I started mocking up a wedding magazine cover, and I didn't have any formal training or background in this. I had an interest in weddings and started to get my feet wet into wedding planning at the time. I think I bought an ebook that was something like Wedding Planning 101. It was $0.99 at the time.

What it was really about was that I was fascinated with stories of transformation and how even in the gift of a wedding celebration, you could transport people from feeling despair and hopelessness to a place of hope, to a place of thinking about the future.

So, I mocked up this little wedding magazine cover, and I had no idea where it would go from there... I just knew I had to create it. I had this restlessness that I'm sure a lot of your listeners may feel at times. I put it out there to the world, and I thought, "You know what? This is something new and different."

I started a blog at the time. If you would have said the word blog to someone, they probably would have thought about the movie The Blob and had no idea what you were talking about.

Amy: Like the wild, wild West online, when blogs weren't even popular!

Lara: I started a blog to talk about creating meaningful beginnings to married life and started sharing the idea about this wedding magazine. Long story short, it really took off. People were excited about something new and different in the South, not just talking about roasted chicken and tulle at a wedding, but a story and how that story could transform guests' lives.

This is how the first physical product came to be. I used my whole life savings and created a physical print version of Southern Weddings magazine. I, again, had no experience in this. I have a degree in music theater, no background in journalism. I just had this desire to do it, and I figured I'm just going to figure it out. I created the first edition on Microsoft Publisher.

WHY A PHYSICAL PRODUCT?

Lara: There is something to the tangible. I still feel the exact same way today, that I felt 12 years ago -- there's something to holding a product in your hand that has the ability to change someone's life, potentially more than a digital product that maybe they see once and forget about. This physical product is something people could pass on. They could pass it to their sisters, their moms, their best friends...it really started a revolution in the wedding industry. This is back when the only publications that were out there were really big corporate publishing houses. And then, there was me and my cat in the apartment. : )

Amy: What year was this?

Lara: This was 2008. If you fast-forward five years from then, I had a major life change happen. Our marriage was really rocky within that time period, five years later, our marriage started to come back together, and that led to our fifth-anniversary issue of Southern Weddings, being about love never fails. And so, the first shop product that we sold in more of an e-commerce platform ... it was Big Cartel at the time ... was a print that said, "Love never fails." In each of these things we've created have really been born out of a pain point, out of some challenge that I experienced in my life.

But the print was more about how could we get meaningful messaging into people's hands. It was more about the profit of people, not about dollar signs. It eventually became dollar signs, but it started with the heart of, "If we could just get this messaging literally into people's fingertips, we believe that it would have a domino effect and a ripple effect."

CREATING A SOLUTION TO A PAIN POINT

Lara: It was right around that time that our business started to boom. as the heartbeat of Southern Weddings started to really beat with the message of, "Love never fails," people really started to grasp onto it, and I became really overwhelmed with so much work, and I just had my first baby. Our marriage was coming back together, so I was trying to balance and prioritize that. I know you've had so much of that in your story too, Amy. It was like, "How do you do it all?"

And what I realized, the obvious is I can't do it all and do it well, but I can choose to cultivate what matters. And so, right around that time, I sat down at my desk one day, and I thought, "Man, I have all these things," like my facebook page, my Twitter account at the time (I don't even think that Instagram was a thing), "How am I going to tend to all these things and make them grow?" I would come to the end of a year and just get so frustrated looking back and thinking, "I could have made progress on these things if I would have tended to them little by little." So I got really frustrated, and said, "I need to fix this," and I made myself what I called a tending list.

It was just a list of all the priorities, these seeds that I wanted to grow in my life and in my business. Things that I just knew, if I just touched on them a little bit at a time, it would add up. So I created a set of worksheets to help me make progress on the things that mattered, tending to them little by little. It's just like you teach, Amy, about it being focused on action by action.

MAKING PROGRESS

Lara: And that's when my life started to change. I started to make progress on the things that mattered. People started to see me making progress, amidst a lot of mistakes, and I got an email from a publisher who had read a series that I posted on my blog at the time about goal setting and about how I was doing this differently. The publisher emailed me, and that's how I got my first book contract for Make It Happen, and then my most recent one is Cultivate. At the same time, others began to ask me to create this set of worksheets for them too, and it really took off.

Amy: I love these stories, where you create something for yourself and then others want it, and it grows into a business. I mean, how organic can you get, right?

Lara: Yes! We have an unofficial, yet, official office motto that is: If you're not excited about it, nobody's going to be excited about it. So, for us, we have to create the things that we use in our everyday lives, the things that we need, and we just have to trust if we've done our research, and  looked at what the market needs, and listened enough, then other people are probably going to be affected by it too, if we are.

Amy: If you created these worksheets for yourself, did you just put them out there and that's how you knew others wanted them? Did you sell them and then hope that others wanted them? How did that happen?

Lara: It was a lot of both. It was a lot like throwing things to the wind. There weren't any shops around at the time, my friend Lindsay Letters had a shop with a couple prints in it, but there was no one that was really modeling this at the time. So, we were just testing the waters. At the time, I was doing coaching for branding clients, and I tested the PowerSheets out with them in little spurts. We would test it. The content, I tested with the Making Things Happen Conference, which we were doing twice a year (and still do twice a year now).

It was being tested, but it wasn't like a full-fledged test in an e-commerce platform. We just really at the time had to take the risk and put it out there.

Amy: You were creating a solution to your pain point, to begin with, and then your first customers were people in your local community and people who knew you through Southern Weddings and the Make Things Happen Conference who had that same need, and your product was their answer. Perfect!

Tell us what happened from there, as far as you knowing that this was actually going to be a business and not just a one-off order for some friends. For example, did you have a certain amount of workbooks? These worksheets really became a workbook, right?

Lara: Yes, you got it.

Amy: So did you have a certain amount of workbooks that you wanted to pre-sell before you'd produce the product? Or did you place an order that you could afford at the time and then sold online at stores or events? Give us all the details.

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN!

Lara: I designed the first round, which was a loose-leaf set of worksheets. We printed them at a local printer, which is something that I think is very important for anybody that's starting out because you get the joy and the asset of having a relationship with someone who's going to hopefully walk you through that process. We did not speak the printer paper product language at first, and I still feel like we're learning that. We didn't know anything about paperweights or bleed on paper or even what was possible.

I think it's really important to try a local printer first, even if you think you're going to get a better cost somewhere else, just so you can get that education.

We did a very small batch at first, and I think it was like 500 sets of PowerSheets, and that felt like a huge amount for us, at first. I feel very strongly about the power of one, so I thought, "If we could get even these 500 sets of PowerSheets into people's hands,” -- I started to imagine the ripple effect. I hope that's encouragement for anybody that's starting out. Don't compare your numbers to somebody else. Do what you think is best for you right now and just think about the ripple effect.

Amy: What were some of your biggest fears at this point, when you started to put it out there?

Lara: So many things. The thought of just somebody buying something from us was scary. The thought of, do we know even how to do transactions, or what if someone is unhappy with the product? What if this product doesn't create results for other people like it has for us and the people we've tested it with? What do you do about customer service? How do you print labels? I think the biggest thing is that there was so much unknown. The only way that we were going to figure out how to do it well was to do it and to get as much good advice as we could. But at the time, there weren't any resources for shop owners like there are now.

Amy: I love that you put this out there because a lot of my students want the whole roadmap in front of them, and they know I'm a step-by-step girl. So they'll say, "Amy, just give us exactly what we need to do." But if you look back at people that have had major success, they just put it out there, and when an issue comes up, they figure it out, and then there's their process moving forward.

Lara: I think you're right. I think that if I would have had a "plan" to start out with, we would have changed so much about it. Especially with e-commerce or selling a physical product in a retail shop, whatever it is, there's so much testing that happens, and asking yourself, "Is this right for us? Can we make this better? How can we put our unique stamp on this?" So I feel like it's actually an advantage to not know the entire roadmap ahead because you get the freedom to change for the better.

Amy: That's so powerful. Now, in these early days, when you did your first print run, and you've got your loose-leaf pages out there, you didn't do a pre-order, you actually put the money down, and you ordered 500. Did you sell those online or in person or both?

Lara: We sold them online, for the mere fact that we work out of my house. It's a small operation, and that also brought a lot of challenges with it, too. One of the biggest bumps in the road that we've had with production was having a lot of manual labor to do ourselves to package the products. This is not something that our printer at the time could do. We were collating the products by hand, packaging them by hand, stickering them, figuring out how to use the label printer, which we actually did at first. We are grassroots. I remember going to the post office with hundreds of boxes and the post people looking at us like, "Are you kidding me?"

Amy: This is how it's done! I love how you built this, because it is completely grassroots, just starting from something really small and doing all the labor yourself. You really had to just get in there and figure stuff out. Thank goodness the product you created was one to help you keep organized because it sounds like there were a lot of moving pieces!

So many people get to a place of overwhelm in the process of creating their product, whether it be physical or digital, and they just get stuck and make zero progress. It sounds like this wasn't the case for you. You just kept moving step by step even when you didn't have all the answers. Such a big learning moment.

So, you've got your first product out there and it was validated through continued customer demand and sales. How long did you stick with that business model? And when was the next major turning point in your business?

TAKING RISKS AND MAKING PIVOTS

Lara: I love this question because it takes me right back to the point of taking big risks.
One was, at first, our shop was called the Lara Casey shop, and that was just because it was my name at the time that was the heart of the teaching. I was the one creating all the content and all the messaging. But, over the course of several years, we realized that we/I did not want to just tell my story. It was not about me. This product was about other people's stories, and those stories had so much power to them.

So one of the biggest pivotal moments for us was stepping back and making the scary decision to completely change the name of our shop. The crazy part was that things were going really well. Sales were good. Things kept trucking along. We'd had a growth rate of almost 150% every year.

At the same time, this is where you really start to get to, and I don't want to call it magic, but like, the real heartbeat of where I think success comes from is doing things from your core, from your why, and always being willing to take risks for that. So for us, we had this conversation I'll never forget it. We stopped one day, and we said, "You know what? This name is not working. This is not about me anymore. How can we have a name that allows us to give other people the reins and to make it about them?" And so, we went around and around with a lot of different ideas and just kept coming back to why we do what we do, which is to help women cultivate what matters.

We changed the name of our shop from the Lara Casey shop to Cultivate What Matters, and that turning point was like a huge flood for us, because it wasn't about selling a product; it was about teaching people a different way of living and about changing the way that they think, and that's when things started to really click.

It's easy to be complacent. It's easy just to look at numbers. But again, when you're looking at the profit of people, -- like how can we actually affect people's lives in a more profound way -- you're working with a whole different set of rules, and it makes the risks worth it.

Amy: At this point, demand increased even more, right?

Lara: Yes.

Amy: What did that look like? Did you add more products? Did you move from local? Give us all the details.

Lara: One Thanksgiving I was sitting with my family on shipping boxes for Thanksgiving dinner, because my living room was full of boxes, and that was the breaking point. That's when I said, "You know what? I think we have grown to the point where something needs to change."

One change we made was taking the fulfillment away from our hands and putting it into a local warehouse, and that was a scary move because, through Southern Weddings, we have always held to the fact that there's magic in a handwritten note. I would write handwritten notes with all of the first PowerSheets orders. I mean, it would take me days, writing hundreds of notes because of that "power of one".

But, in order to grow with your business, to affect more people's lives, sometimes, you have to let go of some things and choose more meaningful things that you can do on a larger scale. One thing that was really important to us was to have a local warehouse, where we could still have a touchpoint. We could still deliver handwritten notes and I could get my dining room back! : )

As far as production goes, we outgrew our local printer, and the strain of the manual labor really became unsustainable for us. And having so many amazing, sweet friends come to my house to collate PowerSheets on my back porch all the time, it just started to NOT add up. So, we started to look at different options. To give you a little bit of background, we are a debt-free company, which I’m very grateful for and it's something we worked very hard for. So we didn’t take out any loans for this growth. We have embraced this principle not just in our business, but in our lives and what we teach, that it's okay to grow slow.

We have many times had to deal with sellouts, which sounds like a wonderful problem to have -- it's a blessing for sure when a product sells out, but for us, it was by necessity. We only ordered as much as we could. And in being a debt-free company, and in believing that growing slow was really important to us, it took a long time to figure out a better option for production. We wanted to be really intentional about that.

So, fast-forward, during that bump, we started working with a company called Codra. Codra is essentially like a middleman between us — the designer and the shop — and international and US production. We found them through my book publisher, Thomas Nelson, who produce a lot of Bibles and book content like that. I'm telling you this because more than looking for the right price point, and more than looking for the best deal, it's about looking for the right relationship. Because if you're really in this for the long haul, and if you really want it to be a product that is sustainable for the long term, then that relationship behind it has to be, too. All that to say that the team at Codra are our best advocates, and they have found us international partners and even domestic partners - production manufacturers - that have really strong integrity.

This was so, so important to us that the integrity of our product started even at production and went all the way through our customer delight, all the way down to the way we package things, that there was no stone left unturned. So, that was the biggest bump for us, was making that leap of faith to go with an outside production house.

Amy: So now they're being printed in China, but you have a middleman, so you don't have to go over to China and watch them and make sure everything's working properly and all that stuff?

Lara: That's correct. We love them so much because they take such care to make sure that our manufacturing partners are also really taken care of. They are the ones that travel there all the time, and they are there working with multiple clients at a time. It's neat to know that they have such integrity with those relationships, and they're passing that onto us.

Amy: Did you have to get a business loan to move on to this next big step in terms of moving from local to international printing?

MARKETING MATTERS

Lara: No, and I'm really grateful for that. We just grew at the pace that we knew we could sustain, but this is where we had to get really smart. When you reach a certain point, I mean, really at any point in your marketing, as you know more than anybody else, Amy, you've got to get smart about your marketing. You have to have the right data, and that's when it was about four years into our process (we've had PowerSheets for almost seven years now) when we started to really look at the data, and we started to look at our analytics and started to grow our email list and work on these things that we felt like were great benchmarks to knowing. If we could get to those key performance indicators, like having a certain number of newsletter subscribers or whatever those metrics are, that we would feel more confident in making a larger purchase for more inventory for the next one. We couldn't take risks with that anymore or just shoot the wind with a number that sounded good. We had to start looking at the data and making great strides towards that.

Amy: And it can be scary to look at the data. Some of my students say they don't want to look, because they're not really sure what they're looking for, and they might not even want to know the truth if they're being really honest with themselves. So this was something that you did that most people don't do -- you got really knowledgeable about what the numbers told you.

Lara: Yes, and we started with no email list. I remember when our former marketing director came to us, and she's like, "So tell me about your email list." It was like I felt list shame. I was like,, "What kind of list are you talking about here?"

Amy: It happens to us all.

Lara: It does, but I think more so than any numbers, it was about providing helpful content for people...we're not product producers. Like I said earlier, we're seed planters. First and foremost, we're about helping women change their lives and giving them the tools to do that. If we weren't doing that in our day-to-day content, there's no way that product is going to be a long-term thing in their lives anyway.

Amy: To give us a little perspective here, can you share a quick timeline from the printing of your first workbook to where you are at this point in our chat now, producing your product in China?

Lara: 

  • We first started in 2011 - I printed that workbook for myself to use at first.
  • In 2013, we produced the first small batch of 500 workbooks at the local printer for our first customers.
  • In 2014, we bumped up production to about 3,000 (switched from selling them on Big Cartel to Shopify, where we still are today). Printed at the same printing house in the US.
  • In 2015, we sought out a really great international partner through Codra. We do most of our printing here in the US for our accessory products. We use a couple printers: We love Curry Printing, in Dallas, Texas, and then Smart Press is another partner that we use here stateside.
  • But in 2016, that's when things started to change big time. That's the year that we changed the name of our company. And, up until this point, this was a mostly black and white product. And if anybody knows me, I have a very colorful product. This is really one of the hallmarks of our company, is about living your life in full color. And so, we took a really big risk. I remember being so scared to put color in our product thinking nobody's going to like this. It's not neutral enough. We're not going to reach everyone. But when we try to be everyone or everything for everybody, that's when you really miss the magic.
  • Then we put stickers in there, and we started to make goal setting fun, and that became our hallmark. And that's also when we embraced that mantra of, "If you're not excited about it, nobody's going to be excited about it." We changed it from being loose-leaf worksheets to a bound workbook. One of the other big things we did is we started to cut products from our shop. We had grown our shop under the impression that more is better.

FINDING YOUR CENTRAL FOCUS TO PROPEL YOU FORWARD

Lara: Once you really find your niche, and you find what matters, having one central focus is really what propelled us forward. So we decided to make the PowerSheets the main product, with everything else as a support to that main focus and system.

Amy: I can't get over how many great lessons you are sharing! It’s all the stuff that I teach, but you're saying it differently and putting it into a different light, and I'm loving it! So, you shaved down some of your products to get really focused on the one that was really doing well for you, and you knew it was the right fit for your audience.

Lara: Yes, but it was scary because cutting things out makes you feel like you're not going to please everybody. But it had to become more about the impact and realizing that we could make a bigger impact if we could help people make a better buying decision by giving them less to choose from.

Amy: So, now we know the product, but you said accessories -- I'm very curious about what that means. I'd also love to know about your team size, your production site, your warehouse, all that good stuff.

Lara: I love that you encouraged our listeners, too, that this doesn't happen overnight. It's a joy and an honor to be able to share the start of the story instead of just where we are now, because I would feel so intimidated if I just heard the end instead of knowing that it took hard work, and most of these things that were successes were because I made a lot of mistakes on the way.

But, out of all of those mistakes and trial and error, we have come up with a product lineup that, like I said, centralizes on or focuses on the PowerSheets and uncovering what matters to you, making an action plan and then doing something about it. We know there's not a one-size-fits-all program for everybody's life, so we have to be able to customize that for different people. We haven't shared any of this yet, but I'm excited to share here that for the release of our 2019 PowerSheets, we’re going to have four covers for the one-year sets. This is exciting for us because people have always wanted to choose the color that matches their life.

And there's a lot of intentionalities that went behind those covers, too. So, we’ll have four one-year sets of PowerSheets, with one six-month undated set. The six-month undated set was a very intentional decision too. People sometimes find out about us in the middle of the year, and we believe there's nothing magical about January 1st. You should be able to set goals at any time you want.

We also have another cornerstone product, which is our Write The Word Journal, and it's a Bible journal that allows you to just literally write Bible verses, and those have been super popular for people that want to cultivate their faith. So we have seven Write The Word Journals. We also have a new product we just released, which is Write the Word for Kids.

And this is where it gets fun as far as dreaming about if you have a core product, how could an accessory fuel that product? We came up with five different goal guides: a goal guide for parents; a goal guide for friendship and relationships; one for wellness; and one for finances. So if those things are important to you, that's where that supports the main product.

Amy: I like how these extras all support the main product.

Lara: Yes, because if they detract or, here's where it gets technical, if we have a product that felt like it merited its own separate launch and didn't support the other products, we would have a hard time getting people to purchase the main system that we're teaching about in our day-to-day content. It can actually be a distraction in a way.

We also have our Goal Setting Sticker Book, because goal setting should be fun! : )

Amy: Months ago, I wanted to buy the PowerSheets when all my friends were all about them and they were sold out and I was bummed out. Well, the other day, I was lucky to get this nice beautiful box in the mail from you - I was so excited! Thank you for that! I'm embarrassed to say how excited I was about the stickers, but I was. So that was extra fun!

Lara: We often talk about how the stickers are fun, but this is where a researched-backed, data-oriented mindset can help you create a product that's really fun. For us, knowing that there is power in the handwritten word, as opposed to typing something digitally, there's power in marking something that's meaningful for you. And with the stickers, for instance, stickers that say things like “top priority” and “this matters”, there's actually something that happens in your brain when you're putting a sticker on a goal that really matters to you. Your mind starts to make decisions and you start to go through a series of trying to figure out how you're going to do that.

THERE’S NO “I’ IN TEAM!

Amy: Tell me about your team size and the positions you have on your team.

Lara: We have a team of nine women who I'm very grateful to work alongside. Half of them work here in my home office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the other half work remotely.

  • CEO and Visionary: That’s me (Lara Casey). We use our PowerSheets for business, but we also use the Traction model, and that has been really helpful for us, for anybody that is starting to grow a team, Traction and the EOS principles have been awesome to get us organized as far as our team structure, who reports to who, and how all that works really well.
  • Creative Director: This is where we show our small business card. The Creative Director is also our Chief of Staff, so we like to do that when we're small.
  • Director of Operations: Mostly handles the production side of working with our production partners on the products and making sure our fulfillment team is helping our customers to be delighted.
  • Graphic Designer: Helps with both product design and marketing design.
  • Customer Delight Manager: This is a huge position for us. One of the central focuses for us is making sure our customers feel delighted, which is why we don't call it customer service.
  • Content Marketing Manager
  • PR manager
  • Conference Director for the Making Things Happen Conference
  • And we're hunting for a Marketing Director right now. So, if anybody out there is interested, click here.

Amy: I hope that someone reading this is the perfect fit or knows someone who is.

Lara: We want to stay a small team, and even in our 10-year vision, we have plans to hopefully just remain like 12 to 13 people, because we have that agility, the ability to be nimble, the ability to make quick decisions and act on them. The Traction Model was really helpful for us to be able to do that.

Amy: Tell us about your current production method and your new warehouse.

Lara: We just switched to a new warehouse, in Kentucky, through a company called EasyPost. EasyPost is a tech company, so they're very much focused on advancements in technology. They created a software that is also labeled the same thing, EasyPost, but they also do fulfillment now. Fulfillment means that we get our product to their warehouse, and they take care of everything on the shipping side. Our system links in with them through Shopify, and they take care of sending all the orders out. For production, we still use the same people that we've been using for the last three years, which is Codra, Curry Printing and Smart Press.

The reason we chose the new warehouse in Kentucky is there, through the advancement in technology, is a decrease in human error. We have a lot of influxes of launch dates, where we sold far more than we expected to. We had these big bumps, and our current warehouse just wasn't able to handle that without a lot of errors. It has been really helpful to work with the team that does Kickstarter. They do high production for lots of different shops that might have 25,000 products go out on the day, but they can also do our normal day-to-day quantities, too.

Amy: Fantastic! Things happen...you made choices to change things up to make it better, and that’s how your business has grown over the years. So many different changes, but based on needs, wants, mistakes and everything in between.

Looking back. If you knew back then what you know now, what would you have done differently?

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

Lara: I would have owned our mantra earlier of, "If you're excited about it, chances are other people will be too." That really is the best form of marketing that we've experienced: If it’s a product or a piece of content that we need and will change our everyday lives, it's worth taking a risk to put out there in hopes that other people will too. That's where we really get to the power of one. So, I would say, "Take risks for what matters." And then I would also say, "Keep making it better." I am amazed that every year when we start talking about the next year's version of the PowerSheets, or really any of our products, that there are hundreds of changes that get made.

We don't just rest on our laurels. We are making it better through listening to our customer, asking them questions like, "Is this working for you?" Hearing their stories and giving them lots of opportunities to give us feedback. Keep making it better. Never stop growing.

Amy: If you could give my listeners and readers one or two pieces of advice if they're thinking about launching a physical product, what would that be?

Lara: I would say make something that you need. Make something that you know that you will authentically be able to tell people, "This filled a need for me," or, "This filled a need for my mom," or someone that's close to you. It has to have a personal story behind it. People grasp on to the power of story, and they will listen to you if you’re being authentic with them and telling them about your product.

The other thing I would say is, just what we have experienced throughout this whole six-year period of having PowerSheets and 12 years of Southern Weddings, that it's okay to grow slow. You don't have to have the whole plan to get started. Good things take root over time, and little by little, good things grow and they bloom.

Amy: There are so many great little nuggets you’ve shared with us! This has been a real eye-opener for me as well because I've never done a physical product, would not even know where to start, but these lessons you learned along the way are just priceless for anybody thinking of doing a physical product or even just adding a physical product to their online business.

I think your story shows us that there are no shortcuts, but it can really pay off when you come from a place like you did of wanting to serve your customer well and providing them with products that can bring about change.

_______

Ok, my reader, was this interview not just packed with great insight and inspiration?! Head over to www.CultivateWhatMatters.com/Amy to see Lara’s amazing products (and check out that job listing, if they haven’t filled it by the time you’re reading this). When you use that special link, Lara is giving you a special discount because you’re part of my awesome community. Yay for us! And, thank you, Lara!

Also, don't forget to let me know, in the comments below, if you like this longer, more detailed version of show notes. I appreciate your input!

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, How to Create Your Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan. You can get it at http://www.amyporterfield.com/listbuilding. If you are not building your email list every single day there is no better time than right now!

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_209.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

It’s time to talk team!

In the last 6 months, it’s been a staffing bonanza: I’ve hired four of the five full-time positions on my team. And boy, has it been a whirlwind, filled with mistakes, wins, fears and A LOT of excitement.

But through the process, I’ve identified 7 big distinctions to help you build your own team. Now, I’m not saying go out and hire right now! At this point, all you might need is an amazing VA, or a part-time contractor to help you out. I’m tackling this subject as well, so stay tuned.

Building your team—the right kind of team—is essential to the growth of your business, to eliminate some of the stress and overwhelm, to make a bigger impact, and yeah, to make more money! So if you’re a business owner growing your business, this will be a must-listen for you. (44:34)

With the right team on your side, the sky’s the limit!

So, join me as I share with you how I built my “Small, But Mighty” team, and how I figured out what I needed and what I didn’t need. I’ve also got an awesome freebie for those of you starting to build your team virtually—you can get my “7 Make or Break Questions When You’re Interviewing for a Virtual Position” hereLet’s get started!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Check out these highlights:

  • Who is on my team—what each team member does—and when I started building my team. [5:29]
  • Why I wanted local team members (and how I ultimately changed my mind!). [15:26]
  • About those trial periods (yes, they’re a bit corporate, but they work!) [20:39]
  • So, what if they’ve got the skill set but not much of the right personality? [23:34]
  • When it’s OK to hire even if they don’t have all the experience (and what to do). [31:37]
  • My fave hiring tools. [35:17]
  • Hiring a referral vs. hiring from an ad. [37:36]
  • Getting over the fear of hiring [45:07]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_208.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:58pm PDT

My husband Hobie and I had a great time recording this episode!

It was extra special because a couple weeks before recording the episode, I asked my audience to send in questions for me to answer: business, personal, silly, or whatever. The hook was that I couldn't look at any of the questions in advance. Hobie was the only one that got to look at them. He went through all the questions and chose his favorite 20. He said there were a bunch of great questions and that they were pretty hard to narrow down. Perhaps we’ll have a Part 2 at some point!

Thank you to all of my awesome fans for sending in such great questions. You truly are the best!

Well, as you can imagine, I was a bit nervous because I had no clue what was coming at me. I told this to Hobie and he assured me that I was, and I quote, “definitely going to be uncomfortable on a few of them.” Great! Just great!

Alright, I’m going to list out the questions here and give you a bit of a teaser on each one, but I invite you to tune in to my podcast to hear our full conversation (just press the play button at the top of this page). : )

20 QUESTIONS: YOU ASKED AND I’M TELLING
HOW DO YOU FIND A FAMILY AND BUSINESS BALANCE WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SANITY AND FEELING GUILTY? —NATHALIA MELO WILSON
  • My answer has to do with having an understanding husband who speaks up when he needs to.
WILL YOU GIVE IN AND MOVE OR RETIRE TO TENNESSEE? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. —SHANTELL BRIGHTMAN
  • Hobie and I dream of a lake house in Tennessee one day!
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU EVER HAD? ~ TRACY GREEN CAINES
  • Let me just tell you, the mini-pool on the balcony overlooked the ocean! Ahhhh….
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US A CHALLENGING PERIOD IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW YOU GOT OUT OF IT? ~ MYKAO THAO
  • A time when I wanted to wrap Hobie up in bubble wrap every morning. I know the suspense is killing you, isn’t it?!
IF A WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, HOW CAN YOU TELL YOU’RE GETTING IT RIGHT? ~ MICHELLE ONYANGO
  • I actually get into this topic in an episode that airs shortly after this one (it will be episode 210...be on the lookout). My answer in this episode has a lot to do with the happiness of my family.
HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR DOG’S NAMES: GUS AND SCOUT? ~ SPURGEON PERKINS
  • You'll have to tune in to the show to hear how we came up with their names.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR AMY PORTERFIELD? ~ RACHAEL WATSON
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR BUSINESS, OR THE SINGLE BEST THING YOU’VE DONE? ~ AMY WARE
  • Without a doubt, taking the leap to do what I do now!
HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO NOT RESPOND TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS? ~ NIKOLINA ANDRIC
  • I’m pretty good here, but Hobie’s another story. ; )
DOES AMY SHARE THE COVERS, HOBIE? OR IS SHE A COVERS HOG? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. ~ NICOLE WALTERS
  • Hobie shares why he nicknamed me “The Alligator” when it comes to hogging the covers.
WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF SWAPPING JOBS WITH HOBIE FOR 24 HOURS? ~ ERIC UPTON
  • Do you know what my husband does for a living? He’s basically a hero in my eyes, but the job would be tough! Hobie also shares how he’s a bit technologically challenged, which gave me a real laugh!
HOW HAS BEING A WOMAN PLAYED TO YOUR ADVANTAGE OR DISADVANTAGE IN GROWING YOUR BUSINESS? ~ AMBER BRUESKE
  • There’s a mix of masculine and feminine energy that I need to show up with and that can be good and bad in various situations.
WHAT FAMILY ROUTINES OR RITUALS KEEP YOUR FAMILY OR MARRIAGE HAPPY? ~ TARA ZIRKER
  • It’s all about coffee in the morning and going to bed together at night!
IF YOU COULD ONLY DO ONE THING DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD IT BE? ~ AIMEE STONEHILL
20 SECONDS OF COURAGE. CAN YOU SHARE A MOMENT IN YOUR BIZ WHEN YOU HAD TO CALL IN TRUE COURAGE, AND IT BECAME A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR YOU? ~ JANET BECKERS
  •  Changing the names of one of my programs and a recent experience on stage.
IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR BUSINESS FIVE, TEN, AND FIFTEEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? ARE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS CAREFULLY MAPPED OUT AND PLANNED? OR ARE THERE MASSIVE LEAPS THAT CAN'T EVEN ENTER YOUR SHORT-TERM THINKING? ~ ANDY WANG
  • I talk about being a planner, but a shorter-term thinker as far as years down the road.
WHAT MAKES YOUR MARRIAGE WITH HOBIE SUPER SPECIAL? ~ EMILY MYRICK
  • Yes, I thought Hobie was just setting me up with this one, but he didn’t. Let me just say that I feel like the luckiest woman around, with my man!
HOW DID YOU AND HOBIE MEET? AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CONNECTED SO WELL? AND THEN, THE PLOT TWIST IS, HOBIE HAS TO TELL THE STORY FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE. THEN YOU HAVE TO TELL THE STORY FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE. ~ LAUREN TICKNER
  • You're going to want to listen to all the juicy details on this one. ; )
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO FEEL LIKE YOU'VE MADE IT IN YOUR BUSINESS? OR AT LEAST LIKE YOU HAD IT TOGETHER AND WERE THERE EVER ANY TIMES BEFORE THAT POINT WHERE YOU FELT LIKE COMPLETELY THROWING IN THE TOWEL? ~ SHELLY LEVINE
  • Many, many times. The first 2 years I felt like I was going to have to go back to my corporate job, but that sounded miserable.
I COULD REALLY USE SOME ADVICE ON HANDLING LAUNDRY WHILE YOU'RE WORKING FROM HOME. DOES SOMEBODY ELSE DO THAT FOR YOU OR DO YOU JUST WORK AROUND IT? ~ INA COVENEY
  • Did I mention I feel like the luckiest woman around, with my husband?
HOW DO YOU BALANCE GIVING PERSONAL ATTENTION TO YOUR CLIENTS WHILE STILL TRYING TO AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS AND NOT BE TOO INVOLVED? ~ JENNIFER LAKE
  • Believe it or not, my answer has to do with Facebook lives.
IF YOU WERE JUST GETTING STARTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT ARE THE THREE TOP PLATFORMS YOU WOULD FOCUS ON BUILDING AN AUDIENCE? ~ TAMMI HARRIS
  • YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Well, I have to admit, I may have been a little nervous at first, but that was super fun. If there are any Pittsburgh Steeler fans out there, you may want to tune in to the last part of the episode for a good Steelers story.

**********

And that's a wrap! Maybe Hobie does have a future in podcasting after all! 😍

Amy

P.S. If you'd like to hear more from Hobie, listen in to this episode where we talked about how to make love and business work. 

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_207.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:46pm PDT

If you have an online business or an email list that you communicate with, you’ve probably heard the rumblings around the internet about the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (let’s just call it GDPR, shall we?). This new regulation goes into effect May 25, 2018 and in an effort to understand what it is, what it means to online marketers, and what we need to take action on, I’ve invited Bobby Klinck, an intellectual property attorney, to help us navigate all things GDPR. Bobby is not only an attorney, but he is an entrepreneur himself, so he really has his finger on the pulse of what online entrepreneurs need to do to protect themselves.

Let’s dive in and figure this all out!

What is GDPR?

GDPR stands for “The General Data Protection Regulation” a privacy law from the European Union that goes into effect May 25, 2018. Even though it’s a European Union law, all online entrepreneurs need to be paying attention because the GDPR will mean major changes for the way we operate.

What activities are covered by the GDPR?

  • The GDPR applies to the processing of personal data.
  • Processing is a fancy word for, “doing anything with data”. You should assume it covers everything you do with all of the data you collect from individuals from collection to deletion (and at every point in between).
  • Only applies to personal data which is anything that is associated with, or related to, someone who is identified or who you can identify.
  • Identified includes: names, email addresses, physical addresses, and most people agree it includes IP addresses and other info collected automatically (usually collected by Google Analytics).
  • Also includes any type of processing and information that you’re adding to your contact database. This could be information that you collect automatically, through an opt-in or any other collection method. (ex: surveys, quizzes, etc.), or through tagging or segmenting in your CRM database. These activities are included because you are effectively “monitoring” what people are doing.

Who does the GDPR apply to?

  • The GDPR will apply to any relationship or transaction (commercial or free) where one of more of the parties is in the EU. It is not based on citizenship, it’s based on where they are when you are interacting with them.
  • If you are an online entrepreneur or marketer based in the European Union, you must comply with the GDPR across your entire business. The means that if you are collecting data from someone in the US, you still have to comply.
  • If you are an online entrepreneur or marketer based outside of the EU, you must comply with the GDPR when we are interacting with or collecting data from people in the EU.
  • This is where things get complicated! There are some instances where it doesn’t apply if you’re outside the EU .

How Does GDPR Apply to Non-EU Entrepreneurs?

  • A non-EU entrepreneur has to comply when processing of people in the EU.
  • But ONLY if the processing is related to:
    • Offering products or services to people in the EU (paid AND free) - that means a lead magnet counts!
    • Monitoring the behavior of people in the EU (as mentioned earlier)
  • Here’s where the GREY ZONE enters in: People are not sure how the territorial limits will apply. Questions you may be asking:
    • What about people who don’t knowingly collect information?
    • Ex: Facebook Ads: Bobby focuses on people only in the US. He’s not actively trying to attract people in the EU. But when he looks at his list, about 5% are in the EU. He’s not going to refuse doing business with this 5%, so he will have to comply with GDPR when he’s interacting and handling data with this 5% from the EU.
    • What about adding a disclaimer that says you only sell to people in the US?
    • Unfortunately, there are not crystal clear answers to these questions, but let’s dig into the language and details and see how this pertains to you.

6 principles of the GDPR

#1: Data shall be processed “lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner.”

  • You have to be upfront about what you are collecting the data for.

#2: Data shall be “collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.”

  • You can’t collect data without explaining how you are using it, and those purposes have to be legit.

#3: Data processing shall be “limited to what is necessary” for the purpose.

  • You can’t collect all kinds of data on a person if all you need is an email address (like for a lead magnet). You may only collect the minimum amount of data for the purpose you are collecting it for. Once you have collected the necessary data, you can only use it for its intended purpose. (We’ll get into how this affects list-building later in the post).

#4: Data shall be accurate, kept up to date, and corrected.

  • Doesn’t really apply to us. This is more for the Google and Facebooks of the world.

#5: Data shall be kept so it identifies a person “no longer than is necessary.”

  • You should not keep data about people forever if there is no reason to keep it.

#6: Data shall be “processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security.”

  • You have to take reasonable steps to protect the data. We should all already be using SSL certificates and other ways to actually make sure that we’re protecting the data, (Data should be stored behind a secure wall (password collected).

How You Will Need to Change the Way You Collect Email Addresses From Potential Leads In Your Marketing Efforts:

The only lawful basis for adding someone to your marketing email list under the GDPR would be consent, and the GDPR requires that consent be freely given, specific, and unambiguous.

This new standard means we can't automatically add everyone who grabs one of our lead magnets to our general marketing email list.

  • We must get a separate consent to add them to our marketing list.
  • You can't require them to give this consent as a condition for getting your freebie.
  • You have to sell prospects on the benefits of your list to get them to voluntarily sign up (not just as a requirement to get your lead magnet, freebie, or webinar registration).

The new consent standard applies to your EXISTING list. If you can’t show that you have the right kind of consent from people who are already on your list and to whom the GDPR applies, then you cannot email them any longer beginning May 25, 2018


IMPORTANT: Because consent must be specific and unambiguous, someone downloading a lead magnet from you does not equate to consent to be added to your general email list.

The GDPR also prohibits you to ask for consent to add them to the email list. Getting consent for multiple things or in the course of some other transaction is going to be hard. You likely need stand alone consent.

According to the GDPR, you also can’t add a checkbox and prohibit the delivery of the lead magnet if they don’t click the box.

You may not require someone to consent to be added to your email list to get access to your lead magnet. (Someone giving you their email address and you promising them a freebie is a contract under the law and adding them to your email list is not “necessary” as stated in the 6 principles above.)

Ultimately, to be added to your email list, a prospect must specifically and affirmatively agree to be added to your list. And you may not require that they join your list to receive a freebie, attend a webinar, etc. Instead, we have to sell prospects on the value of being added to our list.

The new consent standard applies to your EXISTING list. Come May 25, you cannot email your existing contacts who signed up through a lead magnet.


Can I send a nurture sequence after someone opts in for my lead magnet under GDPR?

It’s not crystal clear, but there’s a good argument for allowing you to send a nurture sequence after someone downloads your lead magnet.

This would be called expanded processing and that is when you take an action after the initial action.

Factors to consider when deciding whether it’s ok, or not, to do expanded processing:

  • The link between the purposes of collection and the purposes for the expanded processing
  • Context in which the data was collected
  • Nature of the personal data (we’re not really collecting sensitive information for a lead magnet)
  • Consequences of expanded processing (the consequence might be getting a few emails from you)
  • Existence of appropriate safeguards (these should be in place no matter what)

How Do I Preserve My Existing List and Get Compliant?

It’s two-pronged: Between now and May 25, you need to build goodwill with your list and run campaigns to get GDPR-compliant consents.

For non-EU entrepreneurs: Start by segmenting your list into two parts:
1) Non-EU subscribers
2) Subscribers from EU and any unknowns (treat them as if they are in the EU)
Many of the email service providers have this functionality or are currently rolling it out.

Why should I segment?:

  • You are going to re-engage with the subscribers from your EU (and those who are unknown) segmented portion of your list before May 25. The results of your re-engagement campaign won’t be great. You want to figure out how you can keep people on your list without getting a new consent.
  • For the non-EU list, you can continue communicating with them just like you have been.
  • If you have people that opted in cleanly to your newsletter, you can probably put them in the “ok” category. These people have given you consent to receive your marketing emails.

How do I run a re-engagement campaign?:

  • BEFORE you send the consent emails, first deliver extra value consistently.
    • Send an extra email a week.
  • THEN send emails asking for consent. Only to those who you have to send to!
    • Make sure that you have a system set up so that when someone does consent, you are taking them off this special “EU-non consent” list and moving them on to a “EU confirmed consent” list.
    • You want to send multiple “consent” emails and make them enticing. Pay close attention to the subject lines! Catchy or blatant subject lines might work well. The challenge is to get people to open the emails.
    • The only goal of the re-engagement campaign is to convince people to give you GDPR-compliant consent.
      • That might be by clicking a link in an email or signing up via an opt-in page. It depends on what your email service provider allows.

Anyone who doesn't give the necessary consent by May 24, should be deleted from your list. Remember, even storing or deleting their info is "processing," so this work needs to be done before May 25, 2018.


Summary of Bobby’s Suggestions to Preserve Your
Existing List and Get GDPR Compliant

Step #1: Build goodwill by delivering amazing value to your list between now and then. I'm talking about going above and beyond the normal value that I'm sure you deliver. Make your content SO good, no one will want to miss the awesomeness.

Step #2: Create your list of targets from whom you need new consents. For entrepreneurs in the EU, this will be your whole list. For entrepreneurs outside the EU, this will be everyone in the EU and anyone whose location is unknown.

Step #3: Run a re-engagement campaign to the list of people who need to provide fresh consent. Sell them on the benefits and do this in your own style. Good copywriting is still key here! You know your audience. You'll want to plan for a series of emails with increasingly dire (and interesting) subject lines to make sure people don't miss them.

Finally, anyone who doesn't give the necessary consent by May 24, should be axed from your list. Remember even storing or deleting their info is "processing," so this work needs to be done before May 25.


For online entrepreneurs, the main impact of GDPR will be in how we build our email list, so let’s take a list on what list-building will look like going forward.


IMPORTANT: Gone are the days of offering a lead magnet and adding everyone who claims the lead magnet to our marketing email lists.


What do I need to do moving forward in my list building efforts to be compliant with GDPR?

Because you have to get stand alone consent to add someone to our list, you either have to go back to the old “join my newsletter” model or use lead magnets and get consent somewhere along the funnel.

  • There’s no question that this consent would be sufficient, assuming you disclose what you will include.
  • But this method never really worked from a marketing standpoint... and there’s no reason to think that it will work now.
  • The “join my newsletter” approach is especially bad for non -EU entrepreneurs who can use segmenting as part of their strategy.

What would a workaround look like?

  • You can use lead magnets to get their name and email and then try to sell them on joining your list at some point in your funnel that you are allowed to have without getting further consent.
  • There are four touchpoints to consider:
    1) Opt-in Page (checkbox or drop-down menu)
    2) Sandwich Page (like a one-click upsell page)
    3) Delivery Email Itself
    4) In the Lead Magnet

Let’s break down all 4 options:

  • Opt-in Page:
    • You can add a voluntary checkbox/dropdown menu on your opt-in page.
    • This would clearly be consent if you do it right.
    • It must be voluntary and it cannot be the default. You can’t force them to agree and you can’t have the agreement as the default.
    • If you are going to do this, try to use a drop-down menu vs a checkbox. That way they have to choose “Yes or No” - so they have to make a choice and you are not forcing the “Yes.” With a checkbox for “Yes”, they can easily miss it and skip it all together (since it can’t be forced!).
  • Sandwich Page:
    • Include a one-click upsell page between opt-in and thank you page that asks them to subscribe.
    • “Hey! One more thing before we finish.” - It’s essentially a sales page for your newsletter.
    • This gives you the chance to sell the benefits of being on your list.
    • They are presented with this option all on its own, so it’s compliant.
  • Delivery Email:
    • You deliver the email as usual that gives them the lead magnet as promised.
    • Include language in the email to sell them on joining your list and include a call to action (example below).
    • Depending on how your system works, either send them to a separate opt-in or use click to segment the list.
  • In the Lead Magnet:
    • Add a paragraph at the end of your lead magnets selling them on your list with a clickable link.
    • This is sufficient consent and it gives them a reminder if they look back at your lead magnet later.

Guidance for non-EU Marketers:

  • Don’t seek consent until after the point that you can segment between EU and non-EU prospective leads. This likely means using only the delivery email and in the lead magnet itself.
  • **If your email service provider is able to show different pages based on somebody’s IP address/country, then do this at the front end (and outlined above). So you would show an alternative page for all outside of the US and don’t bother those in the US.

What is the Role of the Privacy Policy Related to GDPR?

  • Under the GDPR, you are required to inform people of certain information and you have to give them information to get informed consent.
  • And you have to provide this information to the individuals at the time that you are collecting their information. Your privacy policy is the tool you use to meet this requirement.
  • You need a Privacy Policy regardless of whether the GDPR applies. Privacy Policies were always important and they are a MUST in the GDPR world.
  • CA law requires you to disclose certain information.
  • There are hefty fines under GDPR and CA law, so get a policy in place.

What Do I Need to Include in the Privacy Policy?

  • The relevant contact information.
  • What information you collect and the basis for collecting it.
  • What you do with the data (including who else gets access).
  • The visitors rights under the GDPR.

Where Do You Put the Policy?

  • Create a standalone page on your website that includes the policy.
  • Put links to that page in your footer navigation on your website (and on opt-in pages, sales pages, LeadPages, webinar registration pages, etc.)
  • Put a link anywhere that you ask for consent or collect data.

What’s Next?

Check out Bobby’s Free GDPR Training: I’m breaking my rules a bit here because you all know I’ve had a policy for the last year or so of not sending podcast traffic to someone else’s sign up page - I’ve talked about that strategy on my show before. HOWEVER, this information is important and I want you to protect yourself. So I’m making an exception. I want to encourage you to check out Bobby’s FREE mini-training all about the GDPR. The goal of his mini training is not only to make sure that you, as an online entrepreneur, understand the legal requirements but also to give you the tools and practical advice you need to thrive in a GDPR world.

THANK YOU, Bobby, for your time and generosity in helping us understand GDPR. I truly feel I now have what it takes to move forward and implement to get compliant before the deadline! -- Amy

Direct download: OMME_GDPR.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • When you’re looking into creating a course—and this is especially true when you’re just starting out—you’ve got a TON of information to choose from. Maybe you’ve been working on this material for 5 or 10 years, or you’ve been consulting a while and you have a ton of stories, examples and exercises.
  • Getting all of that out of your head can be difficult, to say the least. Whenever I sit down to create a new course (like I’m doing right now) it can be both exciting, and excruciating.
  • Which is why I wanted to bring on Gina Onativia, a content and course expert who is in the trenches every day with her clients, building their courses. Gina has a super practical post-it exercise she’s created to help her clients figure out some pre-details before diving into course creation. I think of her process as kind of like a “prelude” to my own...and I think you’ll find it extremely helpful in your own course creation process.

By the way, if you’re NOT in the midst of creating a course, you can also use this exercise for any type of content creation. AND I want to make sure you download the freebie—which has the exact steps we are going to talk about in this episode. In the freebie, you’ll see a real post-it exercise from one of Gina’s clients that you can use as an example to guide your own process (and I LOVE great examples!). (9:01)

With your freebie at the ready, get ready to dive into your course creation here.

This episode is brought to you by:
In my free masterclassHow to Confidently Create Your First Online Course in 60 Days, I will walk you through all of the pieces it takes to create a stellar online course. Save your spot here!

Check out these highlights:

  • The first area course creators get tripped up when starting out. [8:42]
  • How to start your post-it exercise. (If you’re an office supply junkie like me, get excited!) [9:31]
  • Why it’s so important to know what your avatar is feeling. [13:59]
  • How to brainstorm your overarching steps. [14:50]
  • What to do if you’re stuck. [16:27]
  • The final step: Your roadmap. [19:15]
  • How do I sell just a piece of my course as a standalone? [24:04]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_206.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • The fear of not being good enough is a tough feeling to shake. If you struggle with this fear, I know it can show up way too often. Now, I can’t promise that it will ever completely go away—but I am proof that you can silence that voice A LOT.
  • If this fear comes up for you, then this is the show for you.
  • Today I’m going to introduce you to a powerhouse named Rachel Hollis—an amazing entrepreneur who manages a lifestyle website with almost two million readers each year and over 800,000 actively engaged followers on social media. Together, we’re talking about the pressures that you face as mothers and fathers and husbands and wives and employees, and of course, entrepreneurs.
  • We’re talking do’s and don’ts for entrepreneurs-in-the-making, and specifically, how to break through some of those major fears that we are constantly up against as you put yourself out there on social media, and in videos, and everything else you do to build your online business. (2:25)

Now, if you read the title of this episode and said something along the lines of, “Well, I’m not really sure I can call myself an entrepreneur…,” this is what I have to say to you: If you’re showing up, if you’re building your business, if you’re working hard toward your goals—you are legit! You are an entrepreneur, so it’s time to own it! So, if the fear of not being good enough, or that you’re not doing enough, or that you’re not doing it right, if those fears come up for you, then this is the show for you. Listen in.

This episode is brought to you by:
My incredible and free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan,” where you’ll learn my proven 3-stack system for leveraging the most powerful, “what’s working now” list-building strategies. You can sign up here.

Check out these highlights:

Links mentioned in this episode:

 
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_205.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • One question I get asked a bunch: How do I transition from my 9-to-5 to an online business full-time? What are the exact steps?
  • There are a lot of different ways to get there, but I wanted to bring in one of my students who did it in a less-scary and less-painful way that you can learn from and model.
  • Melissa Norris will share with us ONE roadmap for how she got to where she could quit her day job and live out her dream business.
  • Melissa’s story is filled with amazing insights and a-ha moments that many of you will be able to use for your own journeys—especially if you are interested in investing your time and money into webinars! (25:30)

Now here’s the kicker for today’s ep: Melissa’s business is all about the pioneering lifestyle! I’m talking full functioning homestead with pigs and cattle, grinding your own flour, canning vegetables… things you’ll probably NEVER see me doing (and for good reason!). The fascinating thing is she was able to use the same marketing principles and strategies (that you can use, too) to find her tribe, build her business and quit her day job. So if you’ve been wondering how you can ditch your J-O-B, this episode is the right one for you! Listen here to get Melissa’s step-by-step plan.

This episode is brought to you by:

Free Masterclass: How to Create and Deliver Your First Wildly Profitable Webinar (Even If You Don’t Have a List)

Check out these highlights:

  • Melissa’s incredible story about a full functioning homestead [4:24]
  • The importance of (sustainable) baby steps—and how to find the time to take those first steps. [13:28]
  • The inevitability of having to hustle, at least for some time. [17:08]
  • What scaling looked like after quitting her day job. [23:06]
  • Melissa’s hit “seasonal webinars” and what she learned from them. [25:30]
  • How Melissa runs her membership site. [29:44]
  • A few amazing sales sequence a-ha moments! [37:47]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_204.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • I’ve been an online marketing entrepreneur for a long time now. I’ve worked with thousands of students and have gotten pretty darn good at finding patterns. Specifically, patterns in limiting beliefs and mindset blocks that often stop promising entrepreneurs in their tracks.
  • One common struggle I’ve uncovered A LOT is the fight to stand out when the online world has become so saturated. And here’s the thing—it is tough to stand out. I’m not going to sugar coat it. It can be incredibly frustrating.
  • But I’m here to tell you—sometimes it’s not just about the strategies. Sometimes the key to getting noticed is all about...mindset.
  • And this all starts with one simple truth about every successful entrepreneur... (2:15)

So, in today’s episode I wanted to make sure you take the time to stop and learn how to shift the way you approach a noisy online world, and in turn, get noticed. Because it’s really the way you think that will ultimately set you apart. Tune in now.

This episode is brought to you by:
My incredible, and free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan,” where you’ll learn my proven 3-stack system for leveraging the most powerful, “what’s working now” list-building strategies. You can sign up here.

Check out these highlights:

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_203.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • In the past few years, as Facebook has evolved, I’ve begun to think about Facebook groups in a whole different way. I believe groups—and not pages—are the key to building the kind of communities that allow you to truly connect with and grow your audience.
  • And it’s not just me! Many of my peers are having the same experience in discovering the incredible potential of Facebook groups. One superstar, in particular, is my friend Caitlin Bacher—who has grown her private FB group to more than 30,000 members in 3 years!
  • Caitlin is with me today to answer the question I get asked all of the time with my students: How do I boost engagement in my Facebook groups when I’m starting from zero?
  • Tune in to learn how to make Facebook groups one of your most effective social platforms! And Caitlin shares ALL, including the #1 mistake she sees entrepreneurs make with groups... [6:06]

Yes, I know it sounds like things just got trickier with the Facebook algorithm and the announcement that Facebook is going to focus more on “meaningful social interactions.” But don’t panic! This is actually great news for those of you who are using (or want to use) Facebook groups for your business. There are so many options. From Facebook groups that are tied to your paid content, to free communities that are tied to your bigger messaging and brand. It all begins here.

This episode is brought to you by:
Master Class: How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days
www.Amyporterfield.com/free

Check out these highlights:

  • Why Facebook groups and why someone would decide to do only Facebook groups? [4:14]
  • The importance of getting really good at selling one thing first. [8:55]
  • Everything you need to know about closed free groups. [17:57]
  • Some of the best type of content you can create for your own communities. [28:00]
  • What about Facebook groups created for paid courses? [34:01]
  • Using an email series to boost engagement within your Facebook group. [37:08]
  • How to use the group to help you solve for buyer’s remorse (for your paid content). [39:48]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_202.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • Yes, today’s topic may seem a bit off-brand for me, since to know me is to know that I love love love webinars.
  • However, today I’m mixing things up to present a few different strategies to make money online.
  • I STILL think webinars are the most powerful way you can drive your online business…but I wanted to share 5 ways to make money online that do not include a webinar training and that can set you up for bigger strategies to bring in bigger bucks.
  • Not only am I dishing out several ways you can make money, but I’m also talking about the actual offers you can craft to then promote the strategies I’m sharing.

I am a big believer in baby steps, and you may not be ready for webinars in your business—YET. So I’m going to talk about some simpler strategies you can use in your business until you’re ready to take the “webinar leap.” Let’s start making some money...

Check out these highlights:

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_201.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

It’s the 200th episode! Cue the confetti and champagne! If you have been listening to me since I first aired in 2013, THANK YOU! It’s been 5 AMAZING years and I couldn’t have done it without you!

To celebrate, I have asked some of my closest friends and peers to share quick pieces about something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately…

How do you zig when others are zagging?

How do you “go against the grain”?

When do you take a risk and change things up?

And I couldn’t think of anyone better to tackle this topic than my small group of much-cherished and loved peers. I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I have. Get ready to make some zigs happen for your own business!

If you’re wondering if it’s a right time to “zig” for your business, listen up to my four scenarios to help you decide.

Want a personalized message from me on instagram?
And if you want that new “outtake” of me sharing my personal story of zigging, make sure to 1) take a screenshot of this episode 2) post it on Instagram (feed or stories) and use #200withamy and tag me when you post it. Then I’ll slide into your DM with a link to this clip! That’s right, I will personally DM you...

Here’s a sneak peek of each of my amazing group of peers:

  • Jasmine Star gives us the inside scoop into how she invested a year of heart, soul and money into a launch that got her … an underwhelming amount of students. But then she decided to “knock on some digital doors” ... [12:50]
  • Ray Edwards shares the personal touch he provided for each person who bought one of his high-end programs. [18:25]
  • Pat Flynn starts off with a life-changing story from his childhood, then talks about how giving away a study guide for free became the launching-off point for Smart Passive Income. [20:03]
  • Diane Sanfilippo on why you need to be focused on creating paid content and programs. [26:30]
  • Julie Solomon offers up her own version of “Pitch Perfect” and how she took the initiative to start monetizing her blog. [32:01]
  • Tarzan Kay shares how she broke ALL the rules of launches, and executed a simple (no stress!) promotion that netted her five figures. [39:59]
  • James Wedmore gives us multiple examples of zigging, and asks a series of questions to help you come up with your own different “out of the box” ideas. [45:36]
  • Russell Brunson talks about how one T-shirt helped to reduce his ClickFunnels churn by 23 percent (!)—and build a powerful community in the process. [51:03]
  • Rick Mulready walks his own talk and tries his hand at Facebook Messenger for feedback about this podcast. The results may surprise you—because they surprised him! [56:51]
  • Jenna Kutcher gets real (as always) and tells you why she decided to go completely transparent with her messaging. [1:01:18]

Links to learn more about my special group of friends:

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_200.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

Michelle and I start at the very beginning (including how she transitioned from her 16-year corporate job at Microsoft to creating online courses). Michelle dives into all of the excruciating details of her two failed launches, and also what she did to turn it all around. I think you’ll get a lot out of the strategies, lessons and insights she’s sharing, including how she used my program Courses that Convert to make her own course dreams come true.

Check out these highlights:

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_199.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

If you’ve decided that this year is THE year to master Facebook ads, you cannot miss out on all the juicy details Rick has for us in today’s ep. Some of you know Rick from previous podcasts, and I love having him back because he’s always making sure you’re on top of your game with Facebook AND Instagram Ads. So let’s get started on the five must-areas Rick says you need to be aware of today.

Check out these highlights:

  • Where did Power Editor go? [4:51]
  • How Facebook is updating the potential audience reach. [7:39]
  • Should you keep your audiences separate? [10:40]
  • Budget optimization at the Campaign Level: you want to be ready to optimize this update. [11:45]
  • How to choose between manual and automatic bidding. [15:26]
  • Customizing ads for different placements in both Facebook and Instagram (this one’s brand new). [19:01]
  • Messenger Ads—why Rick thinks they will be BIG in 2018. [25:47]
  • Cyber Monday’s billion-dollar payoff and why keeping the mobile user in mind is super important. [31:22]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_198.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

Marie has this uncanny ability to help you uncover what’s truly holding you back from getting results and on this episode, you’ll be amazed to discover that all of the strategies we’re diving into today require more of you and less of all the tools and gizmos you think you need to succeed online.

And if you let them, these strategies will free you up and open the door to a business you’ve been dreaming of.

WARNING: This one is definitely an “ear-buds episode” (to wear around the kids); Marie’s breaking out the adult language.

Check out these highlights:

  • Why running faster and faster and faster and working harder and harder and harder (like a hamster) will not get you the results you want. [10:00]
  • What it means to show the raw, real you. [12:02]
  • How Marie shook up her longtime video show with a little sumthin’ called Marie Unplugged. [17:23]
  • Do NOT spend a lot of money on that production! [20:46]
  • A real unscripted moment Marie had on the streets of New York. [22:23]
  • Our 24-hour challenge for you. [23:25]
  • Forget Social and focus on THIS instead. [25:05]
  • One of the most underrated and overlooked traits for creatives and entrepreneurs. [35:43]
  • How Marie took her B-School refund rate from 19% to less than 2%. [40:31]

Make sure to check out Marie’s FREE Video Training Series

This is some of the best marketing training out there today (in my opinion!). In Video One Marie covers two burning questions:

  • Where should I focus in my business?
  • How do I know if I’m working on the right things for my business?

Grab video one here now.

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Exploring B-School: 30 Days of Diving Into the Details
For the third year in a row, I’m bringing back my free, 30-Day B-School Pop-up Facebook Group, where I will get laser-focused on my experience with Marie’s B-School program. I’ll share personal business-building stories of how I got where I am today, exclusive live video trainings, and a lot of insights of how I got the most out of B-School. You can request access here.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_197.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • If I know one thing after running hundreds of webinars, it’s this: Connection on a webinar presentation is THE path to higher conversions.
  • With that in mind, I wanted to show you three key strategies that may just surprise you—not because they are advanced, or radically different. They may be surprising to you because they are not the typical strategies you talk about when it comes to boosting webinar conversions.
  • Which is EXACTLY why I wanted to share these three elements with you, so that you can focus on creating true, real touch points with your audience on your webinar, create those deeper connections, and ultimately see better conversions.

As some of you might already know, I relaunched my List Builder’s Lab program with a series of live webinars. And every time I do a series of live webinars I always learn new strategies or walk away with aha moments about how to do things differently or have a bigger impact. And you know me: I’m holding nothing back. Including sharing an embarrassing story of how I blew off advice from Marie Forleo. So let’s dive in.

Check out these highlights:

  • The true path to higher conversions begins here. [2:12]
  • How to get your webinar audience thinking “That’s totally me!” [4:58]
  • The (strong) case for keeping the chat live and open. [8:35]
  • What my team does during live chats to keep attendees engaged. [12:08]
  • How to get the most out of your Q&A time. [14:50]
  • Increasing the trust factor during every presentation. [17:45]
  • Are you asking: At what point in my live webinar do I focus on selling? I’ve got answers. [19:10]
  • The importance of reading between the lines and identifying what your audience SHOULD be asking. [20:18]

This episode is brought to you by:

Free Masterclass: How to Create Your Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_196.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

  • You KNOW you have to create “quality content” for your different outcomes—but how do you make sure that it is relevant and compelling, and the entire process doesn’t feel completely overwhelming
  • Today I’m taking the overwhelm out of getting out weekly material plus creating content inside of your programs and promotions plus everything else you’ve got to think about by breaking down every single part of the content-creating process for you.
  • Introducing: My six pillars of content creation process and how they help me stay focused with every content piece I produce.

When you start categorizing your content and just hone in on one or two things (versus the 30 things on your project plan!), you can do them much more effectively. With these pillars, I want you to know exactly what you’re focusing on for where you are in your business. No more second-guessing on what kind of content you need to engage your tribe, or build up to a promotion. I’ve put it all out there so you can take immediate action.

Oh and by the way, it may surprise you to know that I will often spend more time and energy working on my free content than on my paid content. And there’s a solid why behind that. (19:33)

Check out these highlights:

  • How I create so much content in my business [00:38]
  • The type of content that brings in my ideal customer avatars like bees to honey. [6:48]
  • To freebie or not to freebie? (Or: How to know if my content will work best with a freebie?) [9:07]
  • Content for the masses vs. content for your Tribe. [13:34]
  • Who is social media content really for? [16:50]
  • When to focus most of your content creation time into your free promo content. [19:33]
  • The key lesson for creating paid course content. [25:10]
  • The right time for paid bonus content. [27:45]
  • Why I’m including paid relationship content in my six pillars (and what that even means!). [31:40]

Here's the '6 Pillars SlideShare' I promised in this episode: www.amyporterfield.com/6pillars

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_195.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

When you are building your online business, you’re opening yourself up to a completely different world for feedback (in contrast to say, the corporate realm). And the fact is that total strangers may be giving you “input.” It can be daunting in the beginning, however if you can learn to face this feedback without taking it personal, then you will become that much stronger of an entrepreneur. Let’s check out those tips now.

Check out these highlights:

  • Trolls are the worst, and you have to learn to deal with them. But what about when it’s from your audience, your clients, your students? [5:17]
  • That one time I tried to make up for a “mistake” with a disgruntled fan and how it went very, very wrong. [6:13]
  • How two of my students handled a flood of negative comments… [12:16]
  • Sometimes criticism can actually be really helpful- depending on the delivery. [15:50]
  • What I actually learned after that horrible experience dealing with criticism (and what I do now). [16:44]
  • What about when you want to give feedback? [17:56]

This episode is brought to you by:
Free Masterclass: The Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_194.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

So today I’m digging into masterminds

  • Why you should think about joining a mastermind
  • How you know if you’re ready
  • How to pick a great one

Plus I’ll talk about a big decision I just made to join a mastermind for 2018, why I’m signing up, and who’s coming with me.

By the way—if you know me, you know I’m always looking for inspiration. And a big thing about working with a mastermind is that the group members inspire you to take action, partly because you’re seeing them take action, and partly because you’re in this together, and want everyone to succeed. I’ll even share a specific example of how I inspired one member to get some serious things done for her business. (13:19)

Check Out These Highlights:

This episode is brought to you by:
Free Masterclass: The Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Mastermind/Group Coaching Resources:

Jeff Walker’s Masterminds
Jeff has two—a Launch Club and a Platinum group. Currently all spaces are full; for more information, email support@productlaunchformula.com.

Brendon Burchard’s Masterminds (2 levels)

Rick Mulready’s Accelerator Group Coaching Program

The Course for Completion Mastermind (for course creators)

*Note: At this time both of James Wedmore’s masterminds are full and therefore I am not linking to them in the show notes.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_193.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

As you listen to me figure out what I really want to be as a leader I want you thinking about this for yourself, and how you can implement these three steps and transform your business in the next year. Being intentional about setting my vision for each year has shifted the way I think about my business, and I want the same for you! Let’s start to work those visionary muscles...

Check out these highlights:

  • See how one of my favorite TV characters inspired my theme. [1:54]
  • How this all started with a simple quiz on an airplane ride. [6:58]
  • One person I definitely look up to as the iconic visionary leader. [10:46]
  • How to find your own visionary role model. [13:00]
  • Being real and vulnerable doesn’t necessarily clash with being professional. [13:52]
  • When your image online takes over your real-life identity. And how to prevent it. [17:38]
  • How to actually manifest your vision. [21:22]
Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_192.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

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