#youtalk

Step Up Your LinkedIn Game

Hey guys, it’s Mike! I’ve got Trent here with me and today, we’re going to talk to you a little bit about LinkedIn. Trent has been doing some great stuff on LinkedIn lately and we’re going to disprove some rumors and teach you some tips.

Mike: The first of which people tell us all the time: my customers are not on LinkedIn. People say that way too often. Trent, what’s your take?

The Facts

Trent: It’s blatantly false. I actually just made a LinkedIn update earlier last week. It’s just not true. There are 260 million LinkedIn users logging in each month. There are over 100 million logging in each day. So 60 million users are senior-level influencers, basically people that would buy products, services, goods, whatever it might be, and 40 million of them are in “decision-maker positions.” So, when we’re talking 60 million plus 40 million, that’s over 100 million people that are actually going to be in a place to buy whatever it is you’re selling.

There are 87 million millennial users of LinkedIn, as well. I know there’s a lot of rumors about millennials, that they’re lazy pieces of crap, whatever…

Mike: No!

Trent: No, not us, of course, everyone else though. But really the important part of millennials is that they’re making purchasing decisions now. And they’re going to be making purchasing decisions over the next five, 10, 15 years. So, as much as you might detest the smartphone generation, if you will, they’re going to be your customers and now is the perfect time to reach them, especially on a platform like LinkedIn.

Of that 87 million that we talked about, 11 million are already in decision-making positions. That’s probably going to double and then triple over the next five to 10 years. Google actually did a research study along with Forrester identifying that nearly half of all B2B researchers for decision-making purposes are millennials already. So again, that’s a place you have to hit.

So now you might be thinking, “Okay, that’s great. LinkedIn is awesome. But tactically, why am I supposed to use LinkedIn?” Besides the fact that your target market might be there, the idea behind LinkedIn is it’s a place to build trust and authority. People don’t buy things from strangers. There’s a reason why only about one percent of cold calls are insert, and of those, it takes eight to 10, sometimes 12, touch points, in order to get your target buyer on the phone.

Mike: I’m guilty of that.

Mike: Sup, guys!? This is #WeBuildWednesdays episode 19: How Google Thinks About SEO. For today’s episode, I brought in Eric, our Director of Search Marketing. I kind of need an expert for this one because we’re getting a little bit ingrained with the SEO stuff and Eric knows it a little bit better than I do.

How Google Thinks About SEO

Mike: You’ve probably heard agencies say all the time that they’re Google Premier Partners. We are and we’re very proud of that, don’t get me wrong. But a lot of times, there’s a little bit of compensation that comes along with being a Partner. There’s an assumption that you know what’s going to happen with SEO prior to it actually happening and that’s a little bit of a misconception. So, I’m going to turn it over to Eric here and he’s going to go over that with us.

Eric: Yes, that’s what a lot of companies will do. They’ll say they’re Premier Partners and people automatically think they have the inside scoop. But the issue with that is they don’t share anything about organic SEO. You’re kind of in the dark when it comes to that. Even when they release updates, they’re still not telling us what those updates are about.

It’s important to know that the only time we know exactly what’s happening is if you follow Think with Google, follow their search leads on Twitter, and follow some of their knowledge bars online. And that’s really the only time you’re actually getting the inside scoop, which means basically anyone can get that information.

Mike: Yeah, and with that, Google recently released a blog post on Think with Google, and the title was something along the lines of “What Google Thinks About SEO.” We’re going to break it down for you.

So, number one on that list is that for big results, you want to start small. Eric, what does that mean for us?

Start Small for Big Results

Eric: When you go into a website, you don’t need to be changing everything instantly. Start small and see what happens as you make those changes. So, there are four things that Google focuses on. First is Fast. Make sure your site is responsive and as fast as possible. Next one is Integrate. You want to make sure that when a user comes to your site, their experience is great. They won’t have trouble trying to find out how to contact you. Next is being Reliable. Make sure that your site is loading right away. You don’t have any 404 errors or website issues. And make sure you don’t get that downosaur. For those who don’t know, the downosaur is as soon as you go to a website and you see a downosaur instead of a website, that’s the game. So, no, as fun as that is, it’s not great for a reliable experience for the consumer. The last one is Engagement. You want to have something on your site that stands out from the rest that keeps people coming back. It’s beautifully designed, easy to navigate, and the experience feels natural.

Mike: All right, number two, don’t be scared of changes; embrace them. What does that mean, Eric?

Embrace Changes

Generate Leads Via LinkedIn

What’s going on, guys!? This is #WeBuildWednesdays episode 18. I’m your host, Michael Norris. This time, we have a special VIP guest. I’m in the Arizona office for the first time. This is Wilbur You, our fearless leader, and today, we’re here to talk to you about LinkedIn Lead Gen.

Build a Network, Identify Prospects

Michael: So, Wilbur actually has been killing it on LinkedIn lately. He’s been posting about our rebrand and all kinds of stuff. As we’ve mentioned in some past episodes, LinkedIn is one of the few places left where you can really get some good organic reach and because of that, we’re capitalizing on it right now while we can. So, I’m going to turn it over to Wilbur just to talk a little bit about LinkedIn and what he’s been doing and then we’re going to talk a little bit about our solutions and what we can do to help you.

Wilbur: Thanks, Norris. Well, just to kind of give you a little background, I’ve used LinkedIn my entire career. I put all kinds of different jobs up and all that stuff, but I never really used it for leads or for selling anything, just for getting the name out there. And recently, Norris came to me and was like, “Hey, you need to use LinkedIn because it has the best organic reach.” So I was like, “Alright, we’ll let’s put together a game plan.”

So we did, and I started posting on it on a daily basis. And I can tell you, just from my network alone, I probably get five leads a day, so it’s been a huge impact. It might not be just, “Here, we need a website. Build it for me.” It’s more of like, “Hey, I have someone that owns a company that needs marketing.” And then it’s a soft reach into that company.

We get a lot of opportunities also. And yes, I do get a lot of sales pitches and things like that, but we do get a lot of insight from people that are doing the latest trends or whatever, so we can kind of keep up with the trends that way. And then we’ve also got a lot of publicity reach with it. So, a lot of people are hearing more about us, but they’re also reaching out, saying, “Hey, we can do a feature with you?” or “Hey, can we get you on this podcast?” or whatever it is, so it’s been really great.

Since I’ve been starting to test it, I started having some of our sales reps test it, as well, and it’s working really well. So, I know recently—and this is not a sales pitch—we just started offering LinkedIn lead gen packages for businesses and business leaders in their respective industries and it really does work. And it’s not something where you have to spend 10 grand a month to get leads, which can be great, but if you don’t have that type of budget, using your organic network is huge and LinkedIn lets you do that.

We used to do a lot of Facebook advertising. I used to post a lot of things on Facebook or Instagram or whatever it was, but that’s really more for your friends or family and things to see. On the LinkedIn network, during the day, everyone is checking LinkedIn, and seeing what’s new and what’s going on, and if you can stay at the top of their head, I mean, it’s huge.

Michael: Yeah, and it’s funny. I mean, you mention it. If we were to suggest this to people a couple of years ago, they probably would have looked at us like we were crazy. I mean, we wouldn’t have suggested a couple of years ago, you know? The game has changed and Facebook’s crazy oversaturated and you can build your personal brand on LinkedIn if nothing else.

Wilbur: It’s the only market where it’s not pay to play. I don’t even have the upgraded version of LinkedIn. I’m not even paying on a monthly basis and even that is only $60 a month, but just organically, I’m getting four or five leads a day. It’s unbelievable.

What’s up, guys!? Happy Wednesday and welcome to episode 14 of #WeBuildWednesdays. This week’s episode is “Why is my website traffic not converting?”

Why Is My Website Traffic Not Converting?

Well, let me give you three reasons why your website traffic might not be converting. I’m going to take you through two different examples: one is a pretty good website and the other one is not so good. You’ll be able to tell which is which, trust me. I will say I’m a little bit sick today, so if my voice sounds off or if my voice cracks or anything, just don’t make fun of me in the comments…

Bad Content

First up: one reason why your website traffic might not be converting could be bad content. Content is very important and there are way too many websites out there where it’s kind of unclear what they do. Maybe they offer data management services or they have a knowledge center or something like that. But people don’t necessarily know what that means unless they dig into it, and guess what: we have limited time. We’re not trying to dig into stuff to figure you out. So, be clear. Be crystal clear about what you’re saying, tell people exactly what it is that you offer, and quit trying to get fancy and cute with the terms you use. It’s bad for SEO if your page title is like that. No one is searching for that kind of stuff and no one knows what you mean.

Bad CTAs

A second reason why your website traffic might not be converting is because you might have bad CTAs or have no CTAs at all. CTA stands for “Call to Action” and it’s a button on a page that stands out. You can see this especially in the “Request a Quote” button right here. They also have a phone number at the top. Those are good CTAs. They stand out, have a contrasting color from the background, and they’re not red, which is the international sign for “no” or “stop.” CTAs like that are very important and you’re going to need them to be big enough that they stand out from the background.

No Social Proof

What’s up, guys? It’s Mike Norris, and this is #WeBuildWednesdays.

Before we even get started, I have a confession for you. Normally, I knock these out with one take, super-smooth sailing, very easy… I’m on take six right now. Clearly, I am having a rough morning and I don’t know what it is. I think I might have had too much caffeine. I don’t really know, but I am here for you and we’re going to knock it out. This is episode 8 and today’s question is, “Why is my blog underperforming?”

Why is My Blog Underperforming?

This is a common question. Generally speaking, everyone kind of has an idea of what blogging is, as it’s been around for a while. There are some misconceptions that are out there and some outdated tactics, but for the most part, the biggest thing is that there’s a lot more competition today. A lot more people are blogging. It’s the same with SEO: there are a lot more people doing it than who used to be doing it, so it becomes more difficult and you need to find additional ways to stand out from the crowd.

I have for you three “do’s” and three “don’ts”. We’re going to go through those today, and we’ll start with the “do’s”.

The “Do’s”Do Stick With It

The first “do” is to stick with it and that’s the biggest thing. You’re not going to see results overnight and you’re not going to see results right away. Sometimes, you can take two or three years before you really start seeing any traction with your blog, so that’s really something that you have to stick with. It’s really something you have to keep on doing. You can’t give up quickly because if you do and come back with a new strategy, revamp everything from the ground up again, you’re probably going to end up starting from scratch and it’s never going to work for you. Stick with it and stay on it.

Do Provide Value

The second thing is to always provide value. This is, by far, the number-one thing that you have to do to stand out in today’s world: provide value. Do not just blog to blog. Do not blog because you need to get a blog out every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and that’s the way you’ve been doing it. Do not blog just to put something out there. Blog to give someone actual, real value that they can take home and do something with because, guess what, no one wants to read your blog if you’re regurgitating information from a half-assed version that already exists somewhere else online. You need to actually combine new ideas together or take old ideas and combine them in a new way and provide some actual, real value to people if you want to stand out.

Do Multimedia, If Possible

How Do I Get More New Business?

Boring #WeBuildWednesdays Intro

What’s up, guys? It’s Michael Norris, back with episode six of #webuildwednesdays. Can’t believe it’s round 6 already. This thing is going fast.

The Buying Cycle

Today, I want to talk to you about generating new business, which is something that we all want to do, I’m sure. But before we really get into that, I want to back up just a second and talk about the buying cycle. So, for those of you who aren’t familiar—HubSpot’s got some really good resources on this, if you’re interested in digging in—the buying cycle essentially has three stages. Of course, there could be more, depending on your industry, where you’re at, and what source you’re reading.

Awareness, Consideration, Conversion

HubSpot breaks it down with you more, but essentially, there are three statuses, the first being awareness. After awareness comes consideration, after consideration comes conversion. Obviously, conversion’s where we all want to get. A lot of advertising strategies will focus mainly on this conversion part right here. Google search ads do this a lot. You’re catching people in the moment who are looking to make a purchase at that exact time and that’s a great strategy if you have more of a limited budget. With a limited budget, you don’t really have too much spend to focus on during that awareness stage, but this is really what drives that growth over a long period of time.

Generating Awareness

So how do we generate awareness? What is the awareness stage? Well, to put it simply, it’s pretty much just people figuring out who you are, that you even exist, and that they have a problem. It’s making them become aware that you’re out there and you have a solution to this potential issue that they’re having. Whatever it is, whatever you sell, whatever your service it is that you want them to know about. That’s awareness.

Traditional

Now, how do you go about making them aware? You need to get yourself out there and in any place possible, especially where your potential consumers are. There are a few really good sources for doing this. Obviously, you can go the traditional route, which includes billboards and radio. Those are going to reach a lot of people and get a ton of impressions. Streaming audio is another good way to do this, too.

Google’s Solutions

But as far as the solutions that we really like to see here, Google has rolled out some amazing new features with YouTube and Google Display. You can even combine those with your Google search ads so that when people who have previously seen your display ads search for things on Google, they will then also see your search ads. You can put them in the same audience and then determine if they clicked on your search ad because they originally saw your display ad or your YouTube ad. Conversely, you can make it so that people who have searched for a particular term on Google are then put in a custom audience segment, and those are the people that see your YouTube ad.

Focusing On Impressions

Something to note is that these are not really looking at click-through rates. You’re not really checking your cost per click; those are gonna be very low, but those really aren’t the KPIs you should focus on. You should focus on impressions. It’s important to make sure that those impressions are going to the right people because, let’s put it simply: not all impressions are created equal. Obviously, it’s good that everyone knows who you are, but you really want your target market to know who you are more than anything else.

So, what I recommend is that if you’re really trying to get your new business in the door, the first step, and really the number one thing you need to do, is generate that awareness.

Summary

Use Google Display. Programmatic is another great one. Try it on YouTube, and geofence conferences where people are at. That’s another strategy we’ve been employing from which we’ve seen some amazing results. But really, just get your ads out there. Really cheap, simple ads that get in people’s faces and make them remember you.

Boring #WeBuildWednesdays Outro