Non-Fiction Authors: Should You Self-Publish Or Go Traditional?
If you’re an expert, as some point, if you haven’t already, you may write a book, and one of the first questions people ask at this point is whether to self-pub or go with a traditional publisher. Each option has pros and cons, and ultimately I would recommend you do both in your career, but here’s how to figure out whether your next book should be self-published or not. The Pros of Traditional Publishing It gives you credibility, because people know you’ve been vetted. People believe you’re credible and your idea is good. They’re willing to risk their time and […]
How I Beat the Internet Marketing Odds and You Can Too
I want to tell you a short story about how I beat impossible odds and ended up a thought leader with a fair amount of brand fame… and how you and your company can do that too. Back in 2004, I was like a lot of people: just an untrained guy who wanted to have his own business doing something he was good at that would help other people. I wanted to get enough consulting clients to get paid and do my part bringing home the bacon. But I struggled because there were so many blogs and competitors out there. […]
20 Free Cowbell Principle Excerpts!
The Cowbell Principle went to #1 bestseller in three categories and #1,209 overall on Kindle! Buy it today for just $2.99 on Kindle. Anyone can read a Kindle on most major smartphones, tablets and computers with their free apps- click to get yours. We’ve partnered to get 20 key excerpts out there for you to read for free. Take a look and read one! We’re super grateful to know so many amazing authors, speakers, entrepreneurs and bloggers… those below are both amazing people and generous, too. 10 Critical Rules for Brainstorming – posted on Aweber.com’s blog by Lynette Young Analytics And The Limits Of Knowledge – on […]
Why Was This FB Post Shared 14,539 Times?
Facebook old-timers [I’m looking at you Dennis, Barry and Jeremy!] remember when we got Facebook page likes for less than one cent apiece. Of course, that was before we all got cynical about the value of Facebook fans. Are they worthless? That’s another debate for another day- and my short opinion on that is that they are still valuable, but shouldn’t be your #1 priority. Don’t worry- the post we’re going to talk about is below, but first… See that chart of ads below? Cost per post engagement ZERO. That’s not an error. It says zero because it’s less than $0.01. Now, […]
Thank YOU For Preferring The Word Funnest
This post is just to thank you guys for loving most the headline that used the word FUNNEST. You’re my kind of people. All three of those headlines are in an equal number of tweets on Twitter- one of them it roughly 6x more effective. I am tempted to start a kickstarter campaign to get funnest made into a real approved of word by the superunfun grammarian snobs. snobarians. if that’s really a good idea let me know. THE 5 UPSHOTS LESSONS TAKEAWAYS for you utilitarians, are: be unique. make up words. the coolest people do this. evidence: me. do […]
How To Write Copy & Content That Sells
Successful digital marketers test a lot of ideas. Which means they come up with a lot of ideas. Then have the discipline to go through multiple tests. It requires both creativity and organization. Conversely, we’re pretty much screwed when we get writers block, only have bad ideas, or get seduced into writing for engagement rather than sales. What Are Your Marketing Molecules? These days in digital marketing, we have several very similar things: Facebook or AdWords ads (10-12 words, <=90 characters) Blog post headlines (8-10 words) Corporate elevator pitches (up to 75 words) Unique selling propositions (18-22 words) Email subject lines (3-12 words), and […]
5 Ways Facebook Can Save An Entrepreneur From Business Failure
The Top 2 Causes of Failure for Entrepreneurs Are… Lack Of Funding: If you don’t have enough running capital for 3-6 months of startup, you’ll probably go out of business before you’re profitable. Lack Of Sales: If not enough people are buying from you to keep going, you’ll have to shut down. You need money, honey. A Lack of Sales typically is caused by one of two problems: No One Knows You Exist: A lot of businesses feel invisible. You can’t sell if you’re invisible. You need more awareness- more publicity- more buzz! And of course, maybe we’re exaggerating. Some people know […]
How To Get More Customer Referrals With Facebook
Here’s a clever way to boost your sales by getting more recommendations to prospects from your current customers… The research tells us that recommendations from friends are one of the most persuasive sales strategies out there. Think about it in your own life: are you more likely to check out a new make of car because some Brian Carter dude recommended it, or because your best friend recommended it? Hopefully you answered “my best friend” even though the research tells us that Brian Carter is ridiculously influential :-) How To Make Friend Referrals More Effective And Palatable All you need is: An email list of […]
Podcast: The Shocking Truth About B2B Facebook Marketing
Always alotta (I say that’s a word) FUN to be on Kathy’s podcast! Because she’s another business mind who loves to do improv. Therefore, this will both fill your cranium with small explosions of insight AND entertain your limbic system- let’s just say it’ll make your limbic system do “the limbo”. Why Is Facebook A No-Brainer For B2B Marketing? Why Do Facebook Ads Beat The Freaking Pants Off Linkedin Ads? What Are The No Brainer Lead Gen Strategies To Combine With Facebook? How Do You Use Facebook To Crowd-Source Product And Service Ideas- To Save A Ton Of Money And Heartache? What […]
How I Got 9x As Many Email Signups from Hello Bar
If you’ve read my post The Surprising Way I Tripled My Email Signups, you already know that going for the emotions, and using a little bit of humor can help differentiate you and get you more email subscribers. I’ve been playing with Hello Bar recently, which is another way to make sure you can contact your website visitors again and again, increasing your pageviews and website visits. Hello Bar is a little horizontal bar at the top of your website that asks people to opt into your email list. It integrates with a ton of emarketing marketing services- in my case, Aweber. […]