feelin the xmas love

We are on the cusp of a new year, and that means one thing for most people; self examination. While there is no logical reason to choose this time of .

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My Favorite 5 Posts, Podcasts, and Videos of 2018!

Here's the can't-miss content for SPI in 2018! I'll give you my top five in each category: Smart Passive Income Podcast sessions, AskPat episodes, YouTube videos, and blog posts.

My Favorite 5 Posts, Podcasts, and Videos of 2018! from The Smart Passive Income Blog.

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#1693 How to be successful when your technology is early

Joining me today is a founder who saw mobile happening back when most people didn’t see how far it could go. But it was painful for him to see into the future. Arish Ali is the co-founder of Skava, a versatile e-commerce platform for retailers. He launched it, built it up into a success, sold it and we’ll find out what happened next in this interview.

Arish Ali is the co-founder of Skava, a versatile e-commerce platform for retailers.

Sponsored by

Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.

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ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.

If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.

More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

from #1693 How to be successful when your technology is early

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Profile picture of the author Kay King.

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Hello Everyone

Buy a new *method* "system" "product" "process" every week and don't implement anything you learn from your first or subsequent ... [read more].

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LavetteObregon

LavetteObregon is a LavetteObregon of Warrior Forum. Check to see what LavetteObregon is saying about Internet Marketing.

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Episode 8: What is Your Money Story with John Assaraf

One of your longest relationships in your life is with money. But have you ever really thought about how you interact with money?

John Assaraf joins Roland this week to pose the question, what is your money story? Once you figure out what your money story is, you will be able to better your financial relationships and standings.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• What a money story is and why you should know yours
• How your perception of money can impact your financial standing

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

John’s Website
John on LinkedIn
Traffic & Conversion Summit

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Business Lunch with Roland Frasier? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify or Stitcher.

The post Episode 8: What is Your Money Story with John Assaraf appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

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#1692 The $60M marketing channel you’re probably ignoring

Joining me today is an entrepreneur who has a marketing hack that many today wouldn’t even consider. She sends out postcards. Joy Gendusa is the founder of PostcardMania, a lead generation company that focuses on postcard marketing for SMB’s. I’m fascinated by this company and wait until you see how big it is.

Joy Gendusa is the Founder of PostcardMania, a lead generation company that focuses on postcard marketing for SMB’s.

Sponsored by

Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.

---

ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.

If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.

More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

from #1692 The $60M marketing channel you’re probably ignoring

ibongdatv

ibongdatv is a Mr of Warrior Forum. Check to see what ibongdatv is saying about Internet Marketing.

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Episode 30: Ross Paquette, Chairman & CEO @ Maropost on Using Business Technology to Support Your Customers

Ross Paquette has built a $160 million-dollar SaaS company, and he is here to let us in on his secret: he bases everything on his customers.

Ross explains how service and support has remained the foundation of his company since day one. He tells us how he is able to continuously adapt in the ever-changing marketing industry, why he’s currently focused on single customer view, and his 4 cornerstone pieces of advice for new entrepreneurs.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• How focusing on service and support can help your own company grow
• How the Maropost team stays on top by staying creative and continuously focusing on where product offerings will be in 24-36 months
• The future of AI in single customer view to help companies better understand customer personas
• The fundamentals of sales and marketing companies, regardless of size
• Ross’ advice for new entrepreneurs: putting systems in place, investing in a higher-level solution, adapting quickly, and investing in people early

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Maropost
Ross on LinkedIn
Ross on Instagram

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The DigitalMarketer Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, or TuneIn.

The post Episode 30: Ross Paquette, Chairman & CEO @ Maropost on Using Business Technology to Support Your Customers appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

from Episode 30: Ross Paquette, Chairman & CEO @ Maropost on Using Business Technology to Support Your Customers

DigitalMarketer Bloopers & Hilarious Outtakes of 2018

2018 was a year of massive content creation at DigitalMarketer. From our products to our Facebook and YouTube channels, we’re creating content on different platforms, in different mediums, each and every day.

But… we tend to goof… a lot.

And with the year coming to a close, we thought we’d take a look back at all our “finest” moments behind the camera.

So sit back and join us for our best outtakes and hilarious screwups…

Did you enjoy DigitalMarketer’s 2018 Blooper Reel? Want more content like this? Subscribe to the DigitalMarketer YouTube channel and get notified when we publish new videos!

The post DigitalMarketer Bloopers & Hilarious Outtakes of 2018 appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

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Episode 7: The Power of Questions with Ryan Levesque

If you are struggling to figure out what your customers want…

Just ask.

Ryan Levesque, CEO of the ASK method company, talks with Roland about how finding million-dollar products is all about asking the right questions. He explains how to use quizzes, surveys, and segmenting to find the most profitable products. He also says how to use the customer’s answers to create customer personas for your target audience in order to grow your business.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• The 3 questions to ask a customer: What is your biggest frustration? How much time have you put into trying to solve it? How much money have you invested in finding the solution?
• How the length of the answers you receive from these questions tells you what product to focus on
• Why you should be focusing on testimonials and social proof

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The ASK Method
Ryan on LinkedIn
Bucket.io
Choosethebook.com
Ask: The Counterintuitive Online Method to Discover Exactly What Your Customers Want to Buy, Create a Mass of Raving Fans, and Take Any Business to the Next Level

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Business Lunch with Roland Frasier? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify or Stitcher.

The post Episode 7: The Power of Questions with Ryan Levesque appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

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What is the right price for a promotional article/video?

I think that some bloggers ask too much for a paid post, maybe taking advantage of inexperienced clients that that are not able to evaluate the right ...

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Episode 181: Best of Perpetual Traffic 2018

This week, we dove into the archives of Perpetual Traffic to find some of the best moments of 2018. There are clips from our 6 favorite episodes of this year, with links out to the originals. These episodes can help you hone your paid traffic strategy and prepare for the new year.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Episode 158: How Molly Pittman Generated 157,362 Leads from 1 Facebook Campaign
Episode 160: Not Getting Conversions with Facebook Ads? Follow These 11 Steps
Episode 166: Why Facebook Traffic is NOT Your Problem
Episode 174: New Facebook Ad Structures to Implement Before the Holiday Season
Episode 145: How to Amplify Your Ecommerce Business Using Facebook Ads
Episode 143: Cambridge Analytica: What You Need to Know

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Perpetual Traffic? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, or TuneIn.

The post Episode 181: Best of Perpetual Traffic 2018 appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

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How to Start a Blog When You’re Not an Expert: 11 Ways to Make it Work

SPI 351: The Ten Hardest-Hitting SPI Episodes of 2018

Let's close out 2018 strong: Listen to ten clips from ten of the most impactful and actionable SPI episodes of 2018!

SPI 351: The Ten Hardest-Hitting SPI Episodes of 2018 from The Smart Passive Income Blog.

from SPI 351: The Ten Hardest-Hitting SPI Episodes of 2018

Build a Facebook Ads audience for Dog Beds

Hello I am working on a project, any ideas to build an audience for people who would be interested to have Orthopedic dog beds for heavy do.

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What would be the best approach to get more traffic to my one product website?

Hello guys, I have a product that extends Microsoft Excel with the features to connect to a database and automatically create forms for data.

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I'm getting tired of Paypal...

PP is just getting to be too much of a hassle lately. I live outside the USA and trying to do anything like linking a bank involves hours sp.

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Goals for 2019. Which ones do you have?

All new construction begins with a PLAN. There is a clear vision, a picture in the mind of the finished product...and a blueprint to follow to make it ...

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Hello, New to this forum!!

Now just a little information. You can find topics you like, in the other sections of the forum here. You are currently in off topic section. That type of stuff ...

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Save Your Business from the YES Monster: Learn How to Say NO Effectively (FS299)

When should we say no to opportunities? How do we balance saying yes and no to these to our advantage? What are the tips and tricks for making the right choices in business?

We all have constant chances to say yes and no to things, whether in our business or personal lives. Here at Fizzle, we have noticed the huge impact that making the right choice in these situations can have on your trajectory, specifically your ability to say no.

In this episode, we break down the particulars of this somewhat challenging question. We really try to get through when it might be a good time to refuse or turn down a request or offer. We look at it from the perspective of different types of entrepreneurs and help you to build a model that suits you.

We also talk about tips and tricks, a decision making frameworks and the evolution of your business and psychology. There are a number of factors that have to be constantly juggled and reassessed and we are here to help you with work all of that out!

For all this and more, join for another great episode!

Subscribe (how to)   iTunes   Overcast   Pocket Casts   Stitcher   Google Play   RSS  

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Key Points From This Episode:

• The task of learning to say no gracefully. [0:04:04.3]
• Different entrepreneurial responses to business opportunities. [0:06:39.6]
• The effect of saying yes and the dilution of follow through. [0:10:17.2]
• Feeder fish mentality and valuing your own time. [0:16:35.2]
• Corbett and Chase’s early partnership in this context. [0:21:41.7]
• The balancing of your limited time and saying no to your own ideas. [0:26:01.4]
• What to say yes to, what to say no to. [0:31:25.8]
• Frameworks, matrices and strategies for making decisions. [0:34:58.3]
• Switching your default answer to no and maintaining empty space. [0:39:40.2]
• Leaving gaps for reflection and intellectual refreshment. [0:44:35.6]
• Tips and tricks for saying no effectively and gracefully. [0:49:45.3]
• Don’t be a donkey! [1:01:52.2]
• And much more!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• Chase’s Special LA Event – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-revenant-process-jan-31st-feb-3rd-2019-tickets-52378590775

•  Fizzle — https://fizzle.co/
• Fizzle Try 5 — http://fizzle.co/try5
• Rover — https://www.rover.com/fizzle
• Elizabeth Gilbert — https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/
• Courage and Clarity — https://www.courageandclarity.com/
• Steven Covey — https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits.html
• Ram Dass — https://www.ramdass.org/
• Mark Twain — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-Twain
• Seth Godin — https://www.sethgodin.com/
• Aiden Fishbein — https://twitter.com/megafishbein
• Corbett Barr on Twitter — https://twitter.com/CorbettBarr
• Chase Reeves on Twitter — https://twitter.com/chase_reeves
• Fizzle Sparkline — https://fizzle.co/sparkline
• Fizzle Goals Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/goals
• Fizzle Journaling Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/journal
• Fizzle Essentials of Web Design Course — https://fizzle.co/library/essentials-of-website-design-for-business-builders
• Fizzle Website Tune Up Curse — https://fizzle.co/courses/tuneup
• Fizzle Roadmap — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/small-business-roadmap-1-clarity
• Start A Blog That Matters Course — https://fizzle.co/start-a-blog-that-matters
• Fizzle 80/20 Copywriting Guide — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/writing-copy-for-web
• Fizzle Toolkit — https://fizzle.co/toolkit
• Fizzle Craft + Commerce — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/craft-commerce
• Fizzle Project Management for Entrepreneurs — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/project-management-for-entrepreneurs
• Fizzle Hosting — https://fizzle.co/hosting

from Save Your Business from the YES Monster: Learn How to Say NO Effectively (FS299)

PatrickNash

PatrickNash is a New Warrior Member of Warrior Forum. Check to see what PatrickNash is saying about Internet Marketing.

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TraceymKinnon

TraceymKinnon is a Warrior Member of Warrior Forum. Check to see what TraceymKinnon is saying about Internet Marketing.

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How to verify google site?

Hi, let me ask you a problem, now that I want to add a google site to google web master, as usual, it has an HTML to verify the ownership of.

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I'm Sam, New member and Happy to connect with Real Warriors...

My friends say I am a computer geek which I also second on their statement. I do not have bunch of friend due to selective socialization I do (not a ...

from I'm Sam, New member and Happy to connect with Real Warriors...

How can I raise my rank of moz?

... and most of all, don't worry about your MOZ score - it's a metric that MOZ made up that is not used by any search engines for ranking purposes.

from How can I raise my rank of moz?

The world's most powerful MRI machine

AU is not a very forward thinking country, as a whole. Do you know that when a chunk of Skylab crashed in the Outback, the AU government sent ...

from The world's most powerful MRI machine

blalbiotech1

blalbiotech1 is a New Warrior Member of Warrior Forum. Check to see what blalbiotech1 is saying about Internet Marketing.

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It's Cookie Monster Day

My cookie monster 'partner' will be here next week from the Air Force for a few days - we'll hold off on making 'buckeyes' till he can help. Those are his ...

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Then Write Your Own Paycheck. (Copywriter Training)

When you can write copy, you can create killer sales and marketing campaigns, and make yourself a nice chunk of money. Maybe you'll even become ...

from Then Write Your Own Paycheck. (Copywriter Training)

Ipl 2019 Auction

Hello, I am a digital marketer and I am looking for a niche to get into. I want to do marketing in the Real Estate industry and I was wondering .

from Ipl 2019 Auction

[Done for You] Tech-Free Email Marketing

We have a local shop and we are planning to promote it via email ... We can set up a strategy call where I can show you how it works and also answer ...

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australianproperty

australianproperty is a New Warrior Member of Warrior Forum. Check to see what australianproperty is saying about Internet Marketing.

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Episode 6: Supercharge your Instagram Strategies with Sue B. Zimmerman

Growing your following on Instagram, and more importantly growing your engaged following, can seem like a mystery at times. But Sue B. Zimmerman joins Roland today to share a formula that will set you apart and supercharge your Instagram strategy.

Sue will teach you why a good Instagram post has its roots in great video and blog content, and how your engagement on your own posts can really boost the engagement of your followers.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• The ideal length for an instructional video
• Sue’s content path, and how this splintered path gives you the most bang for your content buck
• Why posting on Instagram doesn’t stop once you’ve posted, and how to use engagement to grow your following
• How Sue uses her personal and business Instagram accounts differently

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Sue’s Website
Sue’s Instagram

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Business Lunch with Roland Frasier? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify or Stitcher.

The post Episode 6: Supercharge your Instagram Strategies with Sue B. Zimmerman appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

from Episode 6: Supercharge your Instagram Strategies with Sue B. Zimmerman

#1691 How to use influencers to build your company

Today’s guest has had such a turbulent life I can’t understand how he’s still smiling. He did well with real estate then BOOM—he lost it all. He started over again and got into weed. He got into legal trouble. Had to start from scratch again. Then he got into makeup of all things and he’s back on top. Dhar Mann is the founder of Liveglam which is a subscription makeup club.

Dhar Mann is the founder of Liveglam which is a subscription makeup club.

Sponsored by

Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now.

---

ActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results.

If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign.

More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint
Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

from #1691 How to use influencers to build your company

Customer Success: Even a bear-loving biologist can become an entrepreneur

Imagine yourself deep in the rainforest of British Columbia. Among the ancient forests and deep fjords, you find yourself immersed in a menagerie of bears, wolves, whales, and a collection of forest-dwelling creatures reminding you that you’re miles away from the concrete jungle. It’s rare enough to be surrounded by such natural beauty, but what you really don’t expect to find in this Canadian paradise is a wildly successful entrepreneur.

You’re more likely to stumble across Bigfoot than an actually-made-it business builder in these parts. That’s exactly why Tim Irvin’s story is so amazing.

But, on the other side of the coin, it’s the same old journey of a regular person successfully building a business around something they care about. Grab a hearty snack and get cozy. This’ll be a fun one.

The Unrelenting Itch

Tim Irvin was a conservation biologist. After more than 10 years working in the wilderness conducting wildlife research and working as a wildlife photography guide, he secured a job with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. He figured it would be a good idea to finally “go where the decisions are being made, to have a greater impact on wildlife conservation.”

…or so he thought…

This new government job provided a great set of learning and growth opportunities. As time went on, the itch to be out of the cubicle and back in nature became harder and harder to deny. After years of placating this itch, enough was enough; it was time to get scratching.

“It just didn’t feel like the right fit for me. Spending my days in a cubicle just wasn’t exciting…and I needed more excitement.”

The First Leap

In a whirlwind, Tim pulled the trigger and quit his job to pursue that new and exciting thing. He just didn’t really know what it was going to be yet.

A friend recommended The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss which introduced him to the world of the entrepreneur. He started reading and learning from people like Ramit Sethi and Think Traffic (now known as Fizzle’s blog, the Sparkline). Finally, he felt his wheels start turning.

And as they say, the rest is history. Tim tried the very first idea that came to mind and became a relentless success machine churning out victory after victory after victory.

…right?

Well, not exactly.

The Shiny Objects

Tim’s path looked exactly like almost every entrepreneur: messy.

He jumped around from idea to idea without gaining any traction.

“I really wanted to do something that was my own—to have some autonomy—but I was really struggling to figure out what that thing would be and how to do it.”

It took trial, error, and considerable time immersed in all the new concepts he was learning. And then, the revelation: The answer lay right at his feet.

“Tim, you’ve got more than 10 years of experience guiding trips in this extraordinary part of the world where people actually want to go. You already have all the experience necessary to execute the trips. You just need to figure out how to attract people and get them to hire you instead of somebody else.”

The X-Factor

He quieted the noise blaring from the passive-incomers, million dollar launchers, and “hustle-your-face-off” social media personalities. Tim realized he didn’t need a shortcut or a scheme of any sort to serve as his “unfair advantage”. His experience was his x-factor.

A seed of confidence and clarity began to sprout.

With enough time and effort, he was able to see some results building a referral business connecting travelers with tour guides. It seemed like a good opportunity and fit his experience. He was able to get his idea off the ground and start making a little money.

The Administrative Reality

Tim had found a bit of traction and his business was beginning to levitate. But once again, he was sitting behind a desk, bored. Answering emails paled in comparison to the thrill of leading adventure seekers on trips, coming face to face with bears and soaking in the wild beauty of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Tim found himself wondering what he could do to find that elusive entrepreneur lifestyle that he kept hearing about and was desperately seeking. This dissatisfaction started the shiny object spiral and the traction began to slip.

The Beginning, Again

Remaining the constant learner he stayed open and observant always looking for opportunities and new skills.

He recalls taking a note while watching a Fizzle course:

“I’m committing myself to the value of the execution of my ideas more than the ideas themselves.”

This sparked a cascade of insights highlighting the importance of action.

“Don’t be excited about your own ideas. Who cares about your ideas? It’s how you execute that matters.”

He began to notice a shortcoming in the other tours offered in the Great Bear Rainforest. Most guiding companies would spend a day or two trying to find a rare subspecies of black bear that is actually white. Known as a spirit, or Kermode, bear there are perhaps only 200 in existence. Nature lovers and wildlife photographers dream of seeing one with their own eyes. But one day searching is simply not enough. Might there be some people who would rather spend several days focusing on finding these fantastical furry friends?

“I saw a little niche nobody was really filling. And I already knew the very best person to partner with – a local Indigenous man, named Marven Robinson, known as the “spirit bear whisperer,” who is also the gatekeeper to the best spirit bear photography locales.”

White Grizzly Bear
Photo Credit: Caters News Agency
Tim Says: “I know this bear. We call him Boss.”

The Final Experiment

Tim got to work on his experiment. He asked Marven if he could bring a group of photographers to his community for a week and co-lead a spirit bear photography tour with him. With Marven’s approval Tim managed to fill a tour of six travelers—effectively proving that people were, in fact, willing to pay for this niched idea! It was a win-win-win. The guests had the experience they craved, Tim was back in the field doing what he loved, and Marven had a new group of people spending money is his community.

“This was a real breakthrough, but I didn’t have any idea how things would snowball from there.”

Now, success didn’t exactly explode overnight for Tim. There was still a long road ahead of him, but this time it felt different. He was able to revive a part of himself that he deeply cared about in his “guide persona.” He found that gear of motivation few of us know exists until we find that thing that truly excites.

The growth was steady, and Tim continued to learn and add to his entrepreneurial toolkit year over year. As it turned out, Tim and Marven had complementary skill sets and knowledge that has made their partnership more successful than either of them could have been on their own. With more work, the demand for their tours just kept growing and gushing testimonials from clients poured in.

The Tipping Point

“It kept growing beyond what I had imagined was possible and I had a really hard time even keeping up with it.”

What had begun with the intention of a fun side gig had now grown into a thriving tour business. It now provides unforgettable adventures to nearly 100 people per year, generates enough revenue to support Tim’s family and has provided a major boost Marven’s business too. Tours are sometimes selling out a full year in advance!

The momentum Tim has built in his business has allowed him to begin bringing on assistant guides. Most importantly, by partnering with Marven his business is supporting local employment in Marven’s community, while putting a value on intact ecosystems and wildlife populations. This is something Tim cares about deeply.

“This business is providing for my family but it is also helping to support wildlife conservation and sustainable economic development in a remote Indigenous community of 200 people.”

Reflecting back on his journey and the years of trial and error, Tim has identified the most valuable learnings and hard-earned wisdom that helped him get over his roadblocks:

The Key Insights:

• “Treat business ideas as hypotheses. As a scientist, this resonated with me. Let’s test this and see if this thing has any traction. For me, that was a huge first step.
• The Defining Your Audience Course really helped me realize that you have to identify if your potential customers are willing and even able to pay. I realized that some ideas wouldn’t work because they weren’t able to pay.”
• Join a mastermind group. Period.
• Really nail down and get to know yourself personally. What is the particular thing you have to offer that makes you unique and figure out a way to explain that to the world really concisely?
• Partner with the right people and join forces with a focus on generosity and how to serve your community.
• If you are totally new, ease into it. Do not jump in with both feet without a financial safety net like I did. You might win, but chances are you’ll lose. Keep your job and tinker on the side until you have some traction before you take the leap. Financial stress can paralyze creativity and damage relationships.
• Now I’m able to just see more opportunities. Where are people’s pain points or desires? How can I fulfill that need? It has changed the way I think. It’s my frame of mind. I see entrepreneurial opportunities.”

The Here & Now

As Tim continues to evolve, he frequently reflects on how far he’s come.

“I left a secure job with a good salary behind. There were some really lean years afterwards that were hard on me. I just didn’t feel a lot of possibility in my life at that time and I got pretty depressed about everything. Things are really different now. I still feel scared sometimes, but just five years ago I was really scraping by, living hand-to-mouth and saving nothing.”

Since his first year in business Tim’s revenue has grown by 2,500%. He’s far from the end of the road and has more opportunity in front of him than ever before.

“This venture has changed my life profoundly. Now I feel so much more alive and life is full of potential. I am supporting my family doing something that I care about, while making positive contributions to nature and other people. That feels good, and I can see so many ways I can create even greater mutual benefit.”

With this attitude things will escalate from here. Though maybe the path was a bit winding, Tim stayed committed to his vision and found both his calling and his identity. In the process he solidified the truth behind a hope he had early on:

“Anyone can be an entrepreneur.”

from Customer Success: Even a bear-loving biologist can become an entrepreneur

Video Editing Software?

Any suggestions for a user friendly video editing software? I want something for creating vacation videos from pics and videos and music added in.

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Episode 29: Rachel Miller, Organic Traffic Strategist @ Moolah on Building Your Business on Conversations

How do you turn a tiny audience into a sustainable business?

Conversations.

And this week’s guest, Rachel Miller, is an expert at making those conversations happen.

We talk with Rachel to find out how to create a 6-figure business using the power of conversation and a small Facebook audience. We’ll walk through 2 case studies, explain how to speak your audience’s language, and examine why organic traffic should not fall by the wayside once you use paid ads.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• How you can build a community from the ground up and foster it into a thriving business
• Why you still want to pursue organic traffic on Facebook even if you are using paid ads
• Rachel’s 4 predictions for Facebook in 2019 and how marketers can use these upcoming changes to grow their business
• How conversations with a tiny audience can create a sustainable business

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Rachel’s Website
Facebook Page Strategies Facebook group

Books by Rachel:

The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments: Awesome Things To Do With Your Parents, Babysitters and Other Adults
101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever!: The Entertainment Solution for Parents, Relatives & Babysitters!

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The DigitalMarketer Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

iTunes not your thing? Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, or TuneIn.

The post Episode 29: Rachel Miller, Organic Traffic Strategist @ Moolah on Building Your Business on Conversations appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

from Episode 29: Rachel Miller, Organic Traffic Strategist @ Moolah on Building Your Business on Conversations

How Digital Marketing Will Change: 17 Predictions for 2019

The move into 2019 also comes with a shift in digital marketing.

We sat down with 17 experts to ask how the digital marketing landscape will change in the new year.

Read on to learn the digital marketing predictions for 2019, what new technologies and trends are on the horizon, and how you can prepare. Plus, hear the tactics the experts are exploring and planning to implement in 2019.

Ralph Burns, CEO of Tier 11

There’s a big change on the horizon in Facebook marketing.

At Tier 11, we specialize in growing businesses faster than they could on their own using the 2 most powerful advertising platforms on the planet, namely, Facebook and Instagram.

As a result, we do a ton of testing on these platforms. Thanks to our intimate relationship with Facebook, we’re typically among the first companies to try out new features and ad formats to deliver better results for our clients—oftentimes as a beta before the rest of the world.

Pretty. Dang. Cool.

And what I’m about to share is one of the most exciting new changes to come along to Facebook in some time.

But before I explain what it is, first let’s set the stage for why it’s so important.

If you do any advertising on Facebook, you know that mobile traffic is taking over. These days only about 1 in 3 people use Facebook on a laptop or desktop, compared to over 95% who access Facebook on a smartphone:

This is nothing new—mobile has been on the rise for years now.

But while mobile accounts for more and more traffic, it still lags behind desktops in terms of conversion rates. And a big reason for that is due to slower load speeds on mobile devices.

This is a problem because the longer it takes for your page to load, the lower your conversion rates will be:

And it’s even worse if your website isn’t mobile-optimized. Don’t even get me started there.

But recently, Facebook has taken a big step toward solving this problem with their introduction of “Facebook Instant Experiences.”

Facebook’s Instant Experiences aren’t actually new—they’re really just a revamped version of the old mobile Canvas ads. But while Canvas ads never really caught on (for one thing, they were hard to use), Instant Experience is already proving to be much, much more user-friendly and much more effective for advertisers.

With Instant Experiences, you can create a super-speedy equivalent to a landing page that will load directly inside of Facebook. You can add just about anything you want to Instant experiences, like photos, videos, lead ad forms, and any kind of pixel you want. (The Facebook pixel is automatically added, but you can also embed pixels for Google Analytics, Hotjar, etc.)

Here are a couple examples of what Instant Experiences can look like:

Notice how high-end and professional these can look? And even with all those images and videos, Facebook claims that they still load up to 15x faster than a standard mobile website.

So, what does this mean?

It’s a better experience for users who don’t like to wait, and it will result in higher conversion rates for advertisers.

It means that in 2019, you’re going to start seeing more and more Facebook ads that take place entirely on the Facebook platform. Instead of clicking an ad and being sent off of Facebook and onto a website, the ad will trigger an Instant Experience.

This is a win-win for everyone involved. It’s a better experience for users who don’t like to wait, and it will result in higher conversion rates for advertisers.

And unlike Canvas ads, which were challenging to build, Instant Experiences allow you to take advantage of templates.

Look at how easy it is to get started. First, check the box next to “Add an Instant Experience”:

Then choose the template that best fits your goals. If you want to acquire new customers, for example, start with the Customer Acquisition template and customize it from there.

Eventually, the day will come when it’s common practice to buy products and services directly inside a social platform. You’ll be able to embed a “Buy Now” button inside your Instant Experiences, allowing people to complete their purchase using a service like Google Pay or Apple Pay—all without ever leaving Facebook.

This is a big deal to Facebook since they’re always looking for new ways to keep people on their platform. So, you can bet they’ll continue to develop these Instant Experiences to make them more sophisticated, easier to use, and more effective.

Amanda Powell, Acquisitions Manager of DigitalMarketer

SEO is ever-changing. And there’s no doubt that constant algorithm changes and updates keep us on our toes.

For instance, in March 2018, you may have noticed mobile-first indexing started to roll out. And Google started indexing sites based on the mobile version of their website.

In 2019, mobile search will continue to stay relevant.

But for 2019, I have 3 main predictions for SEO that go beyond mobile that SEOs and marketers should keep an eye on…

1) Voice Search

Yep. We’ve officially welcomed robots into our homes and now interact with them regularly. This is important because, according to comScore, it’s estimated that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020.

And in case you didn’t know, 2020 is basically ONE YEAR AWAY! I think it’s safe to say that it will need to be a pretty big focus for SEOs in 2019.

What does this mean for optimization?

It means search strategists need to focus on long-tail keywords and conversational language.

Voice search will also be exponentially more important for local businesses since 46% of voice search users look for local businesses on a daily basis. Alexa just got a whole lot more real.

2) Video

Video is already breaking through the search results by way of rich results on a daily basis. Here at DM, video has actually been a huge driver of our organic efforts this year. Videos like this one…

Video traffic is even predicted to be 82% of ALL traffic by 2022.

What does this mean for optimization?

Transcripts will be extremely important, so Google can see the text of your video content to crawl.

You’ll also need to make sure you start optimizing your videos just like your landing pages—include keywords in the title, and description and make sure the subject matter of your video is relevant, of course.

3) Featured Snippets

One of the big scares this year for SEOs was when Google removed all links from specific queries (see here).

While the blue links were eventually added back in, it was a big insight into the future of organic search.

Google is trying to give the people what they want. Search engine algorithms want to serve users the most relevant results.

So even though the Google test isn’t active anymore, it does show that they were testing to see if it could serve only exactly what a user wanted.

What does this mean for optimization?

This means it’s more important than ever to strive for the position zero on Google.

Any content you create should be rooted in intent. And it’s becoming increasingly more important for your content to not only be informative but also useful.

Overall, 2019 is going to bring some big strategy changes when it comes to SEO. Content creation needs to be more intentional and optimization will need constant updates. But that’s the fun of SEO, it’s constantly changing, which keeps things interesting!

Mike Rhodes, Founder & CEO of WebSavvy

Most people are probably expecting me to talk about upcoming changes to Google Ads. And I would, except that I’m currently under an NDA with Google not to talk about forthcoming features.

So instead, I’m going to step back and speak more broadly about the general digital marketing trends that I see happening in 2019. And those trends fall into 3 main topics:

1) The Way People Search Is Changing

Voice search is going to continue to rise next year. It’s estimated that by 2020, 30% of all searches will be made without a screen. (And ComScore puts that number even higher, at 50%.)

This will have huge implications, in particular for SEO.

Over time, this is going to have an enormous impact on retail shopping and ecommerce.

Right now, any time you perform a search on Google, you get a screen with 10 or so organic results (plus the ads). This means that 10 companies all get a shot at your attention.

But voice search often returns only a single result. Which means the vast majority of voice searches will go to the top-ranking site for a given search term.

This is still an evolving technology, so things are bound to change. But it’s definitely something to keep your eye on in 2019.

Another change that’s on the horizon is visual search. Google Lens is a new technology that allows people to search based on images, rather than text.

For example, you can just take a picture of your friend’s shoes with your phone and Google will show you a bunch of similar-looking shoes… with a buy button underneath each one. Over time, this is going to have an enormous impact on retail shopping and ecommerce.

 2) The Way People Interact Online Is Changing

The way we interact with each other, and with businesses, is also changing.

In 2019, we’re going to start seeing a lot more hyper-targeted personalization on websites and in business communication.

For example, email marketing is getting smarter. More and more companies are starting to use machine learning that will track your online behavior on their website and use that data to send more personalized, more relevant emails.

Another big change coming next year is a significant increase in the use of chatbots for marketing. This is another way companies are adapting to deliver faster, more personalized communication and, ultimately, a better user experience for consumers.

3) Our Expectations Are Changing

As technology evolves, so do our expectations. And the biggest expectation that more and more of us have today is speed.

Basically, we want things to load fast.

The main place where this is still an issue is on mobile, where load times can still be frustratingly slow for some people. As a result, you can expect to see Google pushing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in 2019.

Here at WebSavvy, we became the single-largest user of AMP in Australia in 2018 when we moved a large number of client landing pages from regular pages to AMPs. When we did, we saw surprisingly good increases in both our load times and our conversion rates.

So, if you’re not already using AMP, I recommend you do so now.

You can also expect to hear more about Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in 2019. Google will be pushing this technology to help promote apps that are fast, reliable, and engaging. If your business has an app, it would definitely be a good idea to look into PWA.

So, to summarize, here’s what I think we’re all going to start seeing more of in 2019:

• More video. This applies to ads in general, and specifically to YouTube. Next year you’re going to start to see a greater variety of ad types on YouTube, making this a more versatile and effective advertising platform.
• Influencer marketing is going to continue to grow, and I think you can expect Facebook to make a strong push toward finding a way to generate revenue from it.
• Retail stores will close in record numbers, and Amazon will overtake Apple in terms of market cap. (If I were a betting man, I’d put my money in Amazon stock.)
• Expect to hear more about machine learning, deep learning, and AI.

Speaking of that last bullet point:

AI is all about prediction. It’s our way of training machines to make better and faster predictions about all sorts of things. (What ads are we most likely to respond to? What search phrase are we most likely to be interested in? What shows on Netflix are we most likely to want to watch?)

Our job as humans will be to add judgment and creativity to the mix to help guide all of this machine learning in a productive direction.

And as these predictions become faster, cheaper, and more accurate, this will lead to an increase in the need for—and the value of—human judgment and creativity.

In other words: as the machines begin to do more of the boring stuff, our job as humans will be to add judgment and creativity to the mix to help guide all of this machine learning in a productive direction.

So, I also recommend making sure creativity is a large part of what you do. And if it isn’t, you might want to start moving in that direction in 2019.

(NOTE: Before you launch your marketing campaign, you need to know who your ideal customer is, where they are, and what they will buy. Download our FREE proven Customer Avatar Worksheet now and get clear on who you’re selling to.)

Kathryn Aragon, Founder of Kathryn Aragon Media

In 2019, content marketing will become more balanced and realistic.

For years, content marketing has been hailed as king of all digital marketing strategies.

But in the last few years, we’ve reached a saturation point. Content marketing isn’t new or exciting. The mere act of publishing a blog post doesn’t help you rank and won’t help you sell more products.

As we enter 2019, I see more businesses admitting this, much as content strategist Jacob McMillen does in this post from November 17, 2018:

I started taking a similar approach early in 2018. Clients would ask me to promise bold business results, such as doubling their traffic or raising profits by some percentage. I’ve had to tone down their expectations—as Jacob calls it, “unselling” some of what content can do.

It’s not a popular move, but it needs to happen because it’s the only way we’ll be able to make content work in the future.

So, what does it mean to “unsell” content marketing?

It means being more realistic:

• Page one on Google isn’t a guarantee, especially if you’re in a competitive industry or going after a keyword that’s owned by hugely successful brands
• A better blog doesn’t usually deliver higher profits
• Traffic and engagement are trending down, not up, for most blogs

I see 2 reactions as brands accept the reality of these trends…

Some—the ones who are looking for easy buttons—will quit content marketing. Others—the smart ones—will understand the need for balance.

Content marketing isn’t dead. It isn’t a waste of time. It’s just changing. Again.

You see, content marketing has been around for centuries. It will continue for at least as long. As technology and society has changed, we’ve simply changed how we do it.

Source: CMI

Entering 2019, we’re at a pivot point. What’s been working isn’t working anymore, and even top content marketers are struggling to get the same results they used to get.

To fix that, we’ve raised the bar so high, it’s almost impossible to meet.

In the last year, I’ve seen pure exhaustion among content marketers. Yet they’re scared to slow down. They’re afraid of losing the engagement they still have.

In 2019, businesses will realize that content marketing isn’t the end-all of digital marketing. It’s just 1 strategy, and instead of carrying all the others, it should integrate with them.

Then, realizing this, businesses will start to relax. They’ll understand that publishing less often could actually increase engagement levels—because their followers won’t develop banner blindness toward their content.

So, what’s the strategy moving forward?

Start with your business goals. Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve in 2019.

Then think about the tactics that are most likely to deliver the results you’re looking for. Don’t rely on just 1 channel or marketing tactic. Instead, integrate them.

Look for efficiencies you can exploit.

For example, if you always run a major campaign in spring, plan your content to support that campaign. But don’t increase your editorial schedule. Slow it down. Write one well-optimized blog post a month leading up to your campaign. Pull from those posts to create a collection of graphics, memes, and quotes for social media. And use them to create a few Lead Magnets and create your funnels.

Finally, pay close attention to your numbers. If any content strategy isn’t working, don’t hesitate to give it up or change it or completely reinvent it.

In 2019, content marketing won’t be about publishing more. It will be about publishing more strategically. For some brands, that will mean publishing less. For others, it could mean breaking some of those best practices we’re so addicted to. For all of us, it will mean thinking outside the box.

Here’s what WON’T change…

Quality, authority, and authenticity will continue to matter.

You need to be relevant. Don’t get entrenched in the way you’ve always done things. Your audience is changing. You need to be aware of social and technological trends that are behind these changes—and adapt.

Copycatting doesn’t work. Discover your own strengths and your own brand personality. Then create content that expresses your own uniqueness.

Stories will continue to get results. People don’t want to hear all about you and your products. They want to hear real stories that engage them on an emotional level, that make your brand seem more human and accessible.

Neil Flinchbaugh, Founder & Digital Copywriter of NWF Digital Copywriting

As a digital copywriter, it’s part of my job to keep a close eye on how businesses are communicating with people online. And based on some of the recent changes that have happened over the past 2 years or so, I think we will see a big shift start to happen in digital copywriting next year.

In 2019, copywriting is going to take a BIG step toward becoming more personalized and conversational.

I’m specifically referring to copy written for the newest and fastest-growing online marketing medium, which is messaging apps. Check out this blog post for an explanation of just how fast Messenger Marketing is growing.

While Messenger Marketing is relatively new on the scene (Facebook didn’t open the Messenger API until April 2016), many marketers are already predicting that it will overtake email as the dominant communication channel within the next few years.

And when you compare the 2 mediums, it’s not hard to see why. Messenger is blowing email out of the water in every engagement category we’ve got:

Most Messenger Marketing in the US right now is done via Facebook Messenger. But both WhatsApp and iMessage will be following suit and opening up their APIs as well—increasing the reach of this medium even more.

So, if messaging apps really are going to overtake email as our #1 communication channel, how is that monumental shift going to affect the kind of copy we write to appeal to our customers?

First, let’s get this out of the way: the fundamentals of great copywriting WON’T change in 2019. Or in 2020, or 2021. This is true because the people you’re writing to are still human beings, and human nature isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

That means you still need to craft a killer message that speaks to a compelling desire in your audience. You still need to appeal to powerful emotions, trigger a sense of urgency, and back up your claims with social proof and other credibility-boosters.

So, the underlying message behind your sales copy is going to stay the same.

But the medium you use to communicate that message is changing, and that means the WAY you communicate that underlying message is going to have to change too.

And the biggest fundamental shift that’s happening with Messenger Marketing is that instead of talking AT people (the way we do with most other marketing mediums), you’re going to have to start conversing WITH them.

This means we’ll have to start doing a few things differently…

1) In 2019, Copy Will Be Delivered in Shorter Chunks

If you take a minute to scroll through your text messages, I’m betting you won’t see a lot of big paragraphs or long explanations. Most messages are a single sentence long. And you probably don’t send more than 3 or so messages at a time without waiting for a reply.

These are the same kind of short, succinct messages we’ll need to use when writing copy for messaging apps.

After all, most people use Messenger on their phone, where screen real estate is limited. Only a few paragraphs will fit on a phone screen at a time:

And that screen space just about cuts in half once you open the keyboard:

This is why, when writing for Messenger, you have to be ruthlessly concise.

You need to pare down your message to the absolute essentials and avoid overloading people with too much text at once.

REMEMBER: you don’t want to force your users to scroll up to see the beginning of your message. That’s a bad experience.

Now, if you have a longer message—something that requires several hundred words or more to deliver—for the love of all that’s holy, don’t just paste it inside of Messenger.

Instead, ask the user if they want to learn more about the topic. If the answer is yes, either embed a video or insert a link to a blog post on your website.

And speaking of asking questions…

2) In 2019, Copy Will Ask More Questions & Take Better Advantage of Branching Logic

Remember that conversations are a 2-way street. You can’t just yap on and on and on without giving the other person a chance to speak, or else they’ll quickly start to ignore you.

And in Messenger Marketing, the best way of getting the user’s input and feedback is by asking questions and giving the option of several quick replies. Here’s what that looks like:

This guitar chatbot makes it easy for you to specify what aspects of guitar playing you’re most interested in—which keeps you engaged with the bot because it forces you to tap a button to continue.

It feels more conversational.

But engagement is only a piece of the puzzle here. There’s another, deeper benefit to asking more questions…

3) In 2019, Marketing Messages Will Become Much More Personalized

As we begin to ask more questions in our copy, we’ll inevitably start to learn more about our audience. Asking questions is an easy way to get a quick idea of which topics your customers are most interested in.

And with that knowledge comes the ability to deliver more relevant, personalized content.

To go back to the example of the guitar chatbot, let’s say User A tells us he’s interested in Soloing. And User B tells us she’s interested in Music Theory.

You can save this information and use it to make sure that User A gets content related to Soloing, and User B gets content related to Music Theory. This will…

• Reduce your unsubscribe rates
• Improve your click-through rates
• And most importantly, keep your users happy

It’s the same idea we already use today to segment our email marketing campaigns. But because the engagement rate on Messenger is so much higher than it is for email, we have even MORE potential to learn about our customers and deliver more personalized messaging.

And we can apply this technique to sales messages, too (not just content). For example, if you were selling an all-inclusive guitar playing program, you could write separate versions of that sales copy to appeal to each of those different interests.

So, User A would get a marketing message that focuses on how this program will help him to be a better soloist. And User B would get a marketing message that focuses on how this program will help her to master music theory.

The catch to all this is that in order to deliver this personalized content, we’re also going to have to start using more branching logic in order to take advantage of this personalization.

So instead of writing just a simple message that we deliver to everyone, businesses will need to craft multiple messages that are custom-written for each of their customer avatars.

It’s more work and will involve creating more copy and content to accommodate all these avatars, but the improved user experience and conversion rates will be well worth the effort.

Most importantly, it will help to give your users the kind of highly responsive and personal-feeling communication that they’ve come to expect.

Sunny Lenarduzzi, Founder of YouTube for Bosses

My biggest digital marketing prediction for 2019 is that YouTube will dominate as the king of long-form video platforms.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking—hasn’t it always been the dominant force in long-form content?

Well, with Facebook making a massive video push over the last couple of years and Instagram introducing IGTV, there has been competition.

But, facts are facts! Not only is YouTube the social platform most used by US adults (73%), but when it comes to long-form video, 33% of total view time on YouTube is attributed to long-form content.

And as YouTube continues to compete with traditional TV programs, the algorithm is rewarding long-form content for increased watch and session time on the platform.

Not only do you build a loyal audience, but your audience is actually paying attention to your content.

And as a creator myself, I know that if you combine long-form content with a consistent schedule, you are guaranteed to create a loyal audience. I like to call it “The Oprah Effect”—if you give your audience an exact time and date to tune in, they will be there.

YouTube, unlike other platforms, has a massive advantage when it comes to attention. Instead of a “scroll” mentality, viewers make time in their schedule to sit down and watch their favorite channels on YouTube.

So, not only do you build a loyal audience, but your audience is actually paying attention to your content—as opposed to being distracted by a million other posts on other social platforms.

People come to YouTube with the intent to watch videos—unlike other platforms—and binge watch them for long periods of time.

Other platforms will continue to try to compete, but YouTube is still the go-to video destination on the internet. And I’m seeing more and more business owners migrate over to YouTube as a valuable source of brand building and lead generation.

(NOTE: Before you launch your marketing campaign, you need to know who your ideal customer is, where they are, and what they will buy. Download our FREE proven Customer Avatar Worksheet now and get clear on who you’re selling to.)

Josh Turner, Founder & CEO of LinkedSelling

LinkedIn’s recent rollout of “Objective Based Advertising” is going to make it even more powerful and people are going to be flocking to LinkedIn ads.

For years, LinkedIn’s advertising platform has played second (or third) fiddle to Facebook and other social media advertising platforms.

But in the past 10 months, they’ve been getting their act together and rolling out features that are helping advertisers more easily generate and track conversions.

I don’t expect a major reduction in the cost per click in the next 12 months—LinkedIn charges a premium for their audience—but what we’ve been seeing in our internal and client campaigns is a significant decrease in our cost per objective.

What is an “objective” in this case?

What I’m referring to is a higher leverage buying opportunity—a booked sales appointment or a requested sales appointment.

With LinkedIn’s ability to now measure conversions and therefore allow you to invest in the campaigns that are getting the best results, you just need the right objective for the platform.

Those who simply just copy over a Facebook ads campaign to LinkedIn are setting themselves up to struggle.

By focusing on simplifying the path to your funnel objectives and letting your high-ticket prospects cut to the front of the line in your LinkedIn campaigns, you can see a significant increase in conversions.

And the word is starting to creep out as more and more advertisers start experimenting with the high-ticket audience that LinkedIn provides.

Those who simply just copy over a Facebook ads campaign to LinkedIn are setting themselves up to struggle. For LinkedIn, the smart move is tailoring your ads to get prospects into a higher-leverage opportunity sooner.

From the changes and direction we’ve seen them heading in for the past year, my prediction is that LinkedIn continues to build out more marketer-friendly features in 2019 and becomes the most popular network for getting sales appointments for B2B businesses.

(RELATED: The 5-Message Sequence: A LinkedIn Marketing Strategy that Generated $101k+ in 9 Months)

Rachel Miller, Organic Traffic Strategist of Moolah

Content won’t matter if there isn’t a conversation to accompany it.

Last year, we saw a giant leap in the importance of conversations in the social media algorithms. The more person-to-person interactions a brand received on social media, the greater the results were of that content performing well BOTH organically and in paid media.

But not only did conversations increase the placement of content into users feeds, it also increased sales.

I predict this trend will only become stronger through 2019.

Posting videos or getting your audience to watch/read your content is not going to be enough. You will have to foster conversation as well as consumption.

And while we have seen a drastic increase in ad spend for “stand-alone” campaigns (as pictured below)…

…campaigns that are fueled by community and conversations with your audience are growing exponentially. And without any ad spend.

Brands who don’t focus on conversations are risking becoming obsolete since their customers will just have those conversations elsewhere.

We want our users to take action on content. These actions begin as a micro-conversation—a like, a heart, a fast reaction. And they work up toward a conversation. And ultimately, a sale.

Ted Prodromou, Executive LinkedIn Coach of Search Marketing Simplified, LLC

2019 is the year LinkedIn finally hits the mainstream.

Here are some reasons I think LinkedIn is ready to break out:

The Microsoft effect is starting to happen.

In 2016, Microsoft purchased LinkedIn, but we haven’t seen many changes until recently. At the end of November 2018, Microsoft briefly surpassed Apple (and Google) as the most valuable company in the world (over $770 billion) and monetizing LinkedIn is an easy way to increase their bottom line. For years, I’ve been saying LinkedIn is leaving billions on the table and it looks like Microsoft is finally seizing the opportunity.

Add to this that Facebook is reeling from bad publicity, and people are closing their accounts because of the negativity and political divide.

For a while, it seemed like I could post a cake recipe on Facebook and it would turn into a political attack by both sides. One side would blame Obama or Hillary’s email and the other side would blame Trump for one ingredient they didn’t like in the recipe. I took a few breaks from Facebook this year because of the political attacks out of nowhere. Facebook is under attack by the politicians around the world because of the way they handled the fake news attacks and Facebook isn’t responding fast enough.

For years, running Facebook ads was a great way to generate low-cost leads. But as more businesses jump into the game, ad prices rise. So it’s not as cost-effective for many businesses. Also, as people leave Facebook, your target audience may shrink.

I’m seeing a lot of chatter in many marketing groups and forums that big marketers are finally seeing the value in LinkedIn. This is good news and bad news because we all know once marketers see an opportunity, they pummel it until it’s dead.

LinkedIn is growing, but very slowly.

For years LinkedIn was adding 2 new members per second, but it’s slowed significantly. In April 2017, LinkedIn claimed they had 500 million members, and today, they are hovering around 590 million.

I have always said I prefer quality over quantity and LinkedIn is by far the highest quality community out there.

Content marketing on LinkedIn is absolutely crushing it right now. CEO Jeff Weiner announced last year that he wanted LinkedIn to become the largest content platform on the internet and LinkedIn members are responding. Thousands of articles are being published every day and native video is really taking off.

And to top it off, LinkedIn’s algorithm is constantly being tweaked to get the right content in front of you. It seems like every time I log into LinkedIn, I see subtle changes in the dashboard and mobile app.

LinkedIn is 100% committed to creating an amazing user experience and they are finally making it happen.

Sue B. Zimmerman, The Instagram Expert of Sue B. Zimmerman Enterprise

In 2019, Shoppable Instagram will continue to grow and venture into shoppable services.

With over 1 billion Instagram users—500 million using Instagram every day—and over 200 million users using business profiles daily, it makes sense shopping on Instagram has exploded over the past year.

With a tap of your finger, you can go from looking at something you admire to the storefront making a purchase.

This is a huge bonus for businesses in general and even bigger for small businesses with smaller budgets.

Previously, accounts would need to direct a customer to their bio to allow them to shop, i.e. requiring an extra step for action OR pay for ads to get a direct link.

Initially, shoppable posts rolled out with shopping tags in posts in March 2018. And recently (September 2018), Instagram has expanded to shoppable tags in stories. The process is the same; connecting a business page to a catalog on Facebook, which means only products are able to be sold, not services.

With the expansion of shoppable products in stories and the success Instagram has had for being a place where people go to shop, 60% of Instagrammers say that they discover new products on Instagram and 72% of users have made a purchase from something they have seen on Instagram.

We foresee shoppable services having the same success as products.

Businesses who have service products—like spa services, coaching, nutrition programs, online programs, business downloads, and eBooks—will all be able to have a seamless buying opportunity just as products have on Instagram.

(NOTE: Before you launch your marketing campaign, you need to know who your ideal customer is, where they are, and what they will buy. Download our FREE proven Customer Avatar Worksheet now and get clear on who you’re selling to.)

Brad Martineau, Co-Founder & CEO of SixthDivision

The past few years have been big on marketing automation and marketing funnels. And while funnels have their place, the way we understand and use them to reach new customers is going to take a BIG step forward in 2019.

I see 3 big changes coming down the road.

Funnels Are Not Enough

The first change is the growing awareness that funnels, by themselves, are not enough.

They don’t give your users the kind of experience that will make them fall in love with your brand. They’re too isolated. They involve only bits and pieces of your company rather than giving people a holistic experience of everything you have to offer.

The difference between a funnel and a customer journey is like the difference between a single subway line and a citywide public transportation system.

Instead, the world is moving toward creating more cohesive customer journeys.

The difference between a funnel and a customer journey is like the difference between a single subway line and a citywide public transportation system. The customer journey (the public transit system) includes multiple funnels (subways lines), and it provides a way of combining those funnels together to help move people not just from point A to point B, but also to point C, D, E, F, and so on.

To put it another way:

Now that marketing funnels are becoming more common, companies are starting to take a bigger-picture view. They’re starting to engineer ways to move their customers through multiple funnels. To sell them multiple products. All with the goal of maximizing revenue and providing a better experience for the customer.

And speaking of customer experience, here’s the second big change coming to marketing automation…

It’s All About the Customer Experience

Over the past few years, a lot of marketers have attempted to simply “throw up a funnel,” with varying degrees of success. In many cases, the marketer puts all of their focus on the funnel itself, rather than the messaging in the funnel or the product/service that funnel is promoting.

Well, that is not going to cut it in 2019.

Funnels are no longer new.

And it doesn’t matter how sophisticated your funnel is—people simply aren’t going to convert if you don’t spend the time to…

1. Create something people want
2. Explain it to them in a way that’s clear and compelling
3. Do it all through the delivery of an experience that your prospects and customers will connect with

And last but not least, here’s the third change that’s coming.

The “Client Journey Architect”

In 2019, we are going to start to see a new skillset begin to develop in the marketing world: the “Client Journey Architect.”

Right now, most marketing departments are divided in half between…

1. The visionary—the founder or leader who decides the direction the company is going to go
2. “Digital drywallers”—the people who actually put that direction into action

Well, this Client Journey Architect will sit right in the middle of these 2 groups.

In a nutshell, the Client Journey Architect will be the person who implements everything I talked about earlier.

They’re the ones who take all the disjointed, disconnected funnels and products in a company and piece them together into a more cohesive whole. Taking a bunch of solitary subway lines and turning them into a fully integrated transportation system that can take people anywhere they want to go.

That will change the landscape and economy of digital marketing because architects will be in demand at a premium and digital drywallers will become commoditized and have to level up or price down.

Nathalie Lussier, Founder of AccessAlly

In 2019, the trend toward personalization will continue, and more sites will be using visitor data to decide on the right calls to action.

I see this playing out across a combination of tools in a tech stack…

• From advertising platforms like Facebook to help segment people
• To email automation tools like ActiveCampaign to manage the different segments via tags
• And website-specific add-ons like RightMessage and AccessAlly to personalize the website experience itself

An example of personalization at work is special offers triggered by specific on-site actions, like in the image below. Notice how the copy changes depending on the user’s relationship with you…

Or, let’s say someone completes a short quiz and based on their answers they get a special discounted offer that lines up with the needs expressed in the quiz.

Or, after visiting a specific blog category, there’s a follow-up email sequence that sends them more of the same content—without the need to opt-in again.

The technology for this type of personalization and “on the spot” segmentation and offer promotion is here. It’s just a matter of using it strategically and making sure it comes off as beneficial to the end users.

Russ Henneberry, Digital Marketing Consultant, Author, & Speaker at RussHenneberry.com

As click costs from paid Google and Facebook traffic continue to rise and artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms continue to make more and more decisions about the audiences you are targeting, 2 things will happen…

1. An Increasing Need to Get the Fundamentals Right

With AI handling more and more targeting options, the edge will slide to those who understand how to craft a great offer and articulate it well to prospects.

In other words, this is a good time to brush up on your copywriting skills.

(RELATED: Perpetual Traffic Episode 34: 14 Elements of Persuasive Ad Copy)

2. A Renewed Interest in Organic Traffic

Earning traffic from search marketing and social media is an organic (read: slow) process.

But it’s worth it for many reasons including the fact that it reduces your “Cost Per” metrics.

In other words, if you buy 1,000 clicks from Facebook for $2 a pop and get 200 leads, your Cost-Per-Lead (CPL) cost is $10. If you add 1,000 clicks from organic search and your numbers remain the same, you’ve just cut your CPL to $5.

My recommendation is to not stop your digital advertising campaigns but, instead, supplement paid traffic with low or no-cost traffic from search and social.

Shannon Goodell, Social Media Manager of DigitalMarketer

Instagram continues its rise with nearly 1 billion monthly active users and 400 million Stories users.

It’s become one of the most popular social channels. People are flocking to Instagram to escape the negativity of other platforms (Facebook and Twitter, in particular).

Here at DigitalMarketer, we consistently get more positive feedback on our Instagram posts than on all other platforms.

And in 2019, Instagram will become an even bigger player for brands.

People, especially the younger audience, go on social to be educated, entertained, and inspired. And Instagram is the perfect channel for just this. Each image posted on Instagram gets 23% more engagement than on Facebook.

Facebook (Instagram’s parent company) realizes that they must focus on Instagram to succeed.

So Facebook continues to release new features focused on monetization and making marketers’ lives easier with Instagram. These are some of the features that were released just this year; a large portion of them with a focus on improving the Story experience:

• Add clickable profile usernames and hashtags in your bio
• Anti-bullying features
• Type modes and new fonts within stories to add personality
• Adding GIFs on Stories
• Mention stickers to tag account in your Stories
• Shoppable Stories and posts
• New shopping features for customers
• Repost Instagram Stories
• Re-share Instagram posts to Stories
• Stickers in Stories
• IGTV
• IGTV previews in Stories

And Instagram isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

As you can see above, the big emphasis in 2018 has been on Stories. In 2019, that will only continue (and grow).

Given this focus on Stories and monetizing them, I believe there will be even more ways to connect with your target audience through Stories. At every stage of the Customer Value Journey.

(NOTE: Before you launch your marketing campaign, you need to know who your ideal customer is, where they are, and what they will buy. Download our FREE proven Customer Avatar Worksheet now and get clear on who you’re selling to.)

Oli Billson, Founder & CEO of Oliver Billson Marketing

Here are 4 predictions I have for 2019 that’ll help you stay on the cutting edge so you can make enormous strides in your business.

Prediction #1:  Mobile Marketing Will Provide Huge Opportunities for Businesses Who Embrace It in 2019

According to comScore, the average American adult (18+) spends 2 hours and 51 minutes on their cellphone every day. They also found mobile device adoption rates are increasing at a huge rate, surpassing 80% in 2017.

This gives you ample opportunity to capture the attention of your target audience on devices they use so frequently in their lives.

We are already taking advantage of this trend here at NextLevelBusiness. That’s why we engineered the Phone Funnel Framework™ that allows us to connect with prospects via the devices they have in their pockets: their cellphone.

The Phone Funnel Framework™ follows several steps…

…which you can learn more about from these podcast episodes:

• Perpetual Traffic Episode 150: 3 Facebook Funnels to Drive More High-Ticket Leads
• Perpetual Traffic Episode 170: Drive More Conversions from Facebook Messenger Using “The FSMC Formula”

If you haven’t made the shift toward focusing more on mobile marketing in your business, I highly recommend you do so. It’s a trend that will continue to progress in 2019 and beyond.

PREDICTION #2: Prospects & Customers Will Crave More Authenticity & Human Touch from Businesses in 2019

Advances in marketing automation have allowed the average business owner to grow and scale their business and make better decisions.

However, these advances have made marketing more “impersonal” to their target audiences and have eroded relationships with long-term customers.

Sure, you can implement automation to perform basic tasks. But you should implement a personal touch whenever it is possible so prospects don’t feel they’re interacting with someone hiding behind a computer.

The challenge, though, is how to scale adding a personal touch to your marketing communications without taking a lot of your time. We solved this problem by using bonjoro.com to make personal, short videos for our customers so they don’t feel like just a number by sending.

Here’s an example of one of those videos:

The best part is these videos aren’t fancy. I just take out my iPhone and record a quick video to teach an important point or congratulate them for taking an action.

This is much more personal than sending emails. It also shows our customers that we do care for them, which boosts the chances they’ll stick around.

Of course, nothing beats taking a second and writing an old-fashioned handwritten note to clients who act on one of your offers, or a long-time customer who has been buying from you for a while!

PREDICTION #3: Behavioral Marketing Will Help You Cut Through the Clutter of a Crowded Marketplace in 2019

Gone are the days when you can have a big email list, send the same generic message to all of them, and expect the same level of response you may have achieved 5 years ago.

It’s now more powerful to serve unique and specific content and marketing messages to prospects and customers based on their prior actions.

Why?

Because most of your prospects/customers see the same marketing and sales messages over and over. And they’re on other people’s mailing lists and they get their marketing messages as well, so they’re swamped!

So, you need to cut through the clutter by delivering more uniquely tailored messages that match their previous actions.

That’s why robust marketing automation software like Infusionsoft is critical for most businesses. It allows you to segment user based on their previous actions automatically.

It also allows you to track which emails and promotions they’re clicking on and buying, respectively, so you can get an accurate picture of what your prospects and customers REALLY want.

PREDICTION #4: Social Proof Needs to Be More Specific & Robust in 2019

Social proof is extremely important when it comes to marketing. Prospects and customers want to see that other people have had success getting the result they desire from using your product/service.

The problem is most businesses don’t have enough social proof, or the proof they have doesn’t match their target demographic.

An example is a consulting company who is trying to target lawyers, but all the social proof they have on their website is from dentists.

The solution is to collect reviews aligned to specific buyer personas (a.k.a. customer avatars).

For example, if you’re a business who serves chiropractors who are making under $500K in revenue, then you need to have testimonials from that demographic.

Also, make sure your social proof is results-based and specific. Too many marketers have general “feel good” testimonials that don’t talk about a specific result.

To conclude, I believe 2019 will bring amazing opportunities for businesses who take these predictions to heart and adjust accordingly. That way, you can put your business ahead of the game in the new year and beyond!

Mary Kathryn Johnson, Founder & CEO of Messenger Funnels

For the last few years, in-demand professional copywriters have become extremely talented at generating long-form story copy that draws us into the worlds of their clients and gets us to trust and participate in the adventure.

I predict a very successful sub-set of professional copywriters will emerge over the course of the coming year. And that is the chatbot copywriter.

Creating good chatbot copy is an art designed to create a participatory adventure for the subscriber.

We have all heard of the conversational marketplace and the need to become conversational marketers in the new age of chatbots, AI, machine learning, and personalized marketing. But as with every new high-converting process, even the early adopters who do things poorly make money.

Many chatbots today contain copy derived from emails broken up into chunks and delivered in Facebook Messenger. Chunks of long-form story email copy are passive, and they simply tell a story in short bursts.

Creating good chatbot copy is an art designed to create a participatory adventure for the subscriber. It is designed to get subscribers to interact and participate in a journey. It is active.

As more marketers and business owners start using chatbots on Messenger, and eventually WhatsApp, iMessage, and Twitter, copywriters who are talented at generating…

• Interactive
• Engaging
• Short-form story copy

…that draws us into the chatbot worlds of their clients will be in high demand!

In 2019, I predict that a new copywriting industry will be born.

And these early adopters who generate consistent revenue for their clients through their chatbot copy will become the new copywriting experts for the next decade and will drive the value of the conversational marketplace.

Dennis Yu, CTO of BlitzMetrics

Smart businesses will focus on vertical video in 2019 to drive awareness, consideration, and sales.

Just like you and me, consumers are too smart for ads. So they cherish the “man on the street” style of authentic, iPhone-captured video.

The Nike’s of the world will create high-production pieces, but even they are generating 1-minute videos to distribute on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Snapchat.

But my prediction is not an argument for more UGC (user-generated content), which is often done poorly and randomly.

Smart marketers will create “authentic-looking” videos in triggered re-marketing sequences. That means:

• Vertical videos that work in a sound-off environment—using captions, simple visual effects from free phone apps
• Stories instead of testimonials—to show people as humans who are multi-faceted and vulnerable, instead of yes-bots who all uniformly shill about your products and services
• Sequenced content instead of a content calendar—viewers of Video A on Facebook get retargeted into Video B on another channel, and vice-versa
• Many public figure pages instead of a brand monolith—to boost posts from figureheads that your audience respects, entertaining instead of just selling
• Smarter attribution instead of “conversion rate”—the more mid-funnel content you have, the greater the “assist” of social to drive search traffic, chatbot to email, etc.

All this means that you must measure the flow of traffic not only down your funnel but across your channels, such that your marketing is an X*Y grid.

Your customers are moving down and across this grid, as you prioritize which boxes in this giant game of tic-tac-toe.

I predict that most marketers will fail to grasp the power of 1-minute videos because…

• They don’t believe it will work in their vertical
• Don’t believe they have the resources/time ($1 a day and 1-minute video)
• And can’t measure the ROI (needs attribution tools like what Facebook now offers)

This is your opportunity to leap ahead of your competitors.

(NOTE: Before you launch your marketing campaign, you need to know who your ideal customer is, where they are, and what they will buy. Download our FREE proven Customer Avatar Worksheet now and get clear on who you’re selling to.)

The post How Digital Marketing Will Change: 17 Predictions for 2019 appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

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