The Agents of Change Digital Marketing Podcast

Why does someone buy from you? Why do they visit your website? Click on a link? Fill out your contact form or pick up the phone? If you understood what makes visitors at your website tick, you could greatly increase your conversion rates and generate more business. To help us understand our site visitors more, we’ve brought in Andy Crestodina, strategic director of Orbit Media, to share some amazing neuromarketing tactics that will directly improve your business’s bottom line. http://www.themarketingagents.com/75

When most people think about Instagram, they think about sharing over saturated moments of their life with friends. When marketers think about Instagram, they think about a popular social media platform where they can share pictures and quotes…in picture form. Today we’re going to be talking with John Kapos—aka Chocolate Johnny—who’s going to dig a bit deeper into the platform. He’ll share how he uses not just photos, but the comments, hashtags, direct messages and group messages to build awareness and loyalty for his product. If you want to uncover the secret power of Instagram, this episode is for you. http://www.themarketingagents.com/74

There’s no question that video is a critical marketing tool, from raising our online visibility, to improving our SEO, to driving more qualified traffic, and generating leads and sales. But not everyone has an unlimited budget for Hollywood-level production values. How can you create engaging, effective videos with a limited budget and with limited time in the day? Well, we brought in the DIY Video guy himself, Caleb Wojcik, to share his secrets on how you can build your business with video, without breaking the bank. http://www.themarketingagents.com/73

In this week’s episode we’re going to be focusing on what you can do to improve your own search engine visibility by getting more inbound links. To do that, we’ve brought in an expert on inbound linking, Brian Dean from Backlinko.com. If you want higher search engine rankings and more inbound links and traffic, be sure to listen in! http://www.themarketingagents.com/72

You know that Pinterest can increase online visibility and even improve a company’s search engine optimization. You know it can drive tons of qualified traffic. So why aren’t you using it? Maybe you feel it’s not right for your business—either because you’re b2b or your in the service industry. Or maybe you feel like there’s just not enough time in the day. Well, today we’ve got Pinterest marketing expert Vincent Ng to share with you how Pinterest can work for any type of business, how you can get started on Pinterest, and even how you can manage your time on Pinterest. If you’re looking for more traffic and want to generate more leads, you’ll want to hear what Vincent has to share about Pinterest. http://www.themarketingagents.com/71

Are you looking for new ways to find new customers and clients? LinkedIn is a powerful tool for prospecting, especially for B2B companies. In this week’s episode we’re forgoing the typical Q&A format, and I’m going to be sharing with you some of the best ways you can find new prospects, warm cold calls, and build your sales process using LinkedIn. http://www.themarketingagents.com/70

This week we’re talking to Mike Ambassador Bruny about how to build your own brand, whether you work for yourself or are part of a bigger organization. He’ll share with us some of his own techniques and tools that will help you get recognized both online and off. http://www.themarketingagents.com/69

How would you like to write proposals that generate business? What if you had a blueprint for writing proposals that got your prospects to buy from you 80% of the time? Well, our guest this week, Jason Swenk, has a process that will help you do just that. So if you’re looking to close more of the business you propose to your ideal customers, you’ll want to check out this week’s show. http://www.themarketingagents.com/68

Do you ever struggle in your business with what to do next? Where to put your focus? Or do you find that your marketing efforts are missing the mark? If so, you probably need to create an avatar for your business. Today we’re going to talk to marketing and podcasting all-star John Lee Dumas all about Jimmy—the avatar for his Entrepreneur on Fire podcast. You’ll discover how to create your own avatar and greatly increase the effectiveness of your own marketing. http://www.themarketingagents.com/67

Have you ever considered writing a book to help grow your business or build your brand? But you’re still just thinking about it? Well, that’s something you and I have in common, which is why I asked copywriter and ghost writer Julie Ann Eason to come on the show this week and help us get our books written, published, and read! If you know that a book can help you get paid speaking gigs, generate business, and build your brand but you haven’t written it yet, this episode is for you. http://www.themarketingagents.com/66

How’s your conversion rate? Are you getting enough of your site visitors to sign up for your email newsletter? Download your white paper? Fill out your contact form? Well, to help you up those numbers and increase your conversion rate, I invited user on boarding expert Samuel Hulick to this week’s episode to share with us some of his techniques to get more people on board with what you have to offer. If you want to turn more visitors into prospects and customers, you’ll want to hear what Samuel has to say. http://www.themarketingagents.com/65

As Google looks to deliver more relevant results and as more of us use mobile devices for search, local SEO is becoming more and more important to businesses looking to generate more leads and business. In this week's episode you’ll learn how to make sure that your site appears as a top result when your ideal customer turns to Google...or Siri. Andrew Shotland is an expert in Local SEO and he'll share with you what you need to do to optimize your site for local search. http://www.themarketingagents.com/64

Having a list of opt-in email subscribers is critical to all businesses, but how do you start one from scratch? What are some of the techniques that will get your site visitors to give you their email, and how do you keep them engaged? How often do you educate, and how often do you sell? What's the role of auto-responders in email marketing? All these questions and more will be answered by marketing expert Daniel Faggella in this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast. http://www.themarketingagents.com/63

Every day we use our phones. We use them to get directions, check the weather, catch up on sports or news, make calls, play games, take pictures, check emails, tweet, Instagram, Faceook, check out a website…the list goes on and on. Yet as business owners we’re so often immobile in our attempts to be mobile friendly. So today I invited Jamie Turner, mobile marketing expert, to share his secrets for how YOU can get started with mobile marketing and start reaching more of your ideal customers. It’s not that difficult, and with today’s conversation, you’ll have a blueprint on how to begin. http://www.themarketingagents.com/62

Twitter is a powerful place to build influence, attract more of your ideal customers, and drive qualified traffic to your site. So why aren't you taking advantage of it? In this week's episode, Mark Schaefer, author of four best selling marketing books including the Tao of Twitter, shares with us some of the best ways to connect with more of the people who will build your business. You'll walk away with an understanding of how to use Twitter lists, how and when to use Twitter ads, and how to uncover your best customers with Advanced Search. http://www.themarketingagents.com/61

Many small businesses overlook speaking opportunities as a way to reach new audiences, engage prospects, and generate more leads and sales. In today's episode we talk to Hugh Culver who has been helping speaker succeed with a framework for amazing presentations. Learn what to do, and some deadly mistakes that will destroy the trust your audience has in you. http://www.themarketingagents.com/60

Facebook used to be a magical place where small business could reach and engage an audience for free, but lately it's just become a nearly empty auditorium where only a fraction of fans can even see our posts. Is it still worth using Facebook as a platform? To answer that question, and see how we can get more out of our Facebook investment, we bring in Facebook expert Rick Mulready. http://www.themarketingagents.com/59

Have you ever wondered how many people actually click the paid ads on webpages? Just ask a company like Google who counts around 97% of their revenue from paid ads. Learning how people search on the web is key to building a successful business. By choosing the correct ad words and using “high commercial intent queries”, you can target the specific type of people who want to buy your product, increase your “click thru success rate”, and grow your business. Larry Kim is the founder and CTO of WordStream, and provides internet consulting services as well as leads a team that develops and sells software for search engine marketing automation. He is the guru of helping businesses cherry pick the best keywords to target ads that fit exactly what they’re selling. http://www.themarketingagents.com/58

Do you feel that Instagram is fun little app for taking pics, adding cool filters and sharing with your friends, right? But what if you could turn that mobile app into a lead generation machine, attracting tons of passionate customs? Well, Sue B. Zimmerman did! And in today's episode she's going to share with us just how she did it, and how you can do it too, no matter WHAT business you're in. http://www.themarketingagents.com/57

Pandas and Penguins and Hummingbirds - oh my! The world of SEO is ever changing and evolving. We are a world that searches in question form, not just with simple keywords. Google is constantly upgrading their algorithms to determine a website’s relevance. As a result, you need to stay up to date so that you, like Google, can anticipate a searcher’s needs. Mobile accessibility is also key in separating the big dogs from the rest of the pack. Today we talk to Search Engine Land's Monica Wright who will share her strategies for creating content that ranks well and attracts your ideal customers. http://www.themarketingagents.com/56

Using Facebook to help build your business brand is more than just getting “likes” on your page. But how do you take those “likes” and turn them into a true business asset? By using 6 key elements when setting up your Facebook business fanpage, you can actually use this social media platform to drive engagement, capture emails and generate sales for your business. These elements have returned an incredible increase in conversion rates, which in turn means more revenue for your business. Nathan Latka, CEO of Heyo, has become the “go to” guy for Facebook fanpage building. He’s devised a 6-step matrix for helping businesses double their email lists with Facebook campaigns and contests. These lists then become an asset that these businesses have no matter where they go in the future. http://www.themarketingagents.com/55

You know that content is important to building your business, but you're not sure how to start, or which content is right for your audience. In this week's episode Jon Wuebben shares his secrets for creating content that makes a difference for small businesses. http://www.themarketingagents.com/54

Building an audience is critical to your online success. That's why we're talking to audience hacker Jonny Andrews, who's going to share his three step process for building an audience. A lot of this week's episode is going to be around building an audience for a book launch, but even if you have no plans to write a business book or the next great American novel, you're going to get tons of great information out of today's episode. http://www.themarketingagents.com/53

If you've ever felt limited in your revenue opportunities in your business, you'll want to check out today's episode. Jon Goodman was a top rated personal trainer who quickly reached his earning potential. After all, there are only so many hours in the day and only so many clients you can handle. Jon turned to Internet marketing and created new ways to generate income and scale up his business. Along the way he learned fascinating techniques on how to influence influencers and a unique approach to blog comments. You'll definitely want to check out Jon's journey, and use some of his techniques to grow your own earning potential. http://www.themarketingagents.com/52

Did you know Google Hangouts and Hangouts on Air (HOA) can help you build an audience and increase your online visibility? Or help you build valuable relationships when you're not face-to-face with someone? If not, then you're not alone. A lot of small businesses don't know how to use Google Hangouts or even how they can connect their existing Google Plus page to YouTube. By setting up a Hangout in Air and sharing your broadcast of the video, you can boost engagement and find more ways to interact with your audience. This week we have the Hangout Helper, Ronnie Bincer, to share how you can take your business to a whole other level with Google Hangouts. http://www.themarketingagents.com/51

One of the best ways to get recognized as an expert in your industry is through personal branding, and with social media, you can accelerate and share your brand faster and wider than ever. The Franchise King, Joel Libava, stops by this week to talk about personal branding, the importance of building your own platform, and the challenges and opportunities that franchisees and small businesses see in social media. http://www.themarketingagents.com/50

Have you noticed that you're not getting the reach or engagement you used to with your Facebook business page? You're not alone. Lots of businesses and non-profits have noticed they only a fraction of their fans are seeing their updates. Like it or not, the only way to reach your intended audience on Facebook is to use targeted Facebook ads. But don't worry! Facebook advertising expert John Haydon is here this week to walk you through the do's and don'ts of Facebook advertising so you can make the most of your advertising dollar. http://www.themarketingagents.com/49

Are you a freak? Don't be offended by the question. I am, and so is today's guest, Chris Brogan. Today we're talking about freaks and how we can run better businesses. Chris always delivers great content, so I'm sure you'll get a lot out of today's conversation. http://www.themarketingagents.com/48

Visual content is one of the most powerful ways we can engage our audience, tell our story, and drive traffic to our website. Whether you're using infographics, photos or illustrations, you can instantly connect with your ideal customer if you're using the right images. In this week's episode, we talk with Donna Mortiz, who shares her secrets of creating amazing images and infographics that will help build your business. http://www.themarketingagents.com/47

For years, blogs were heralded as the most important tool in a business's online marketing toolbox. But still many small businesses struggle with content, time, and showing any type of real results. Does a business blog REALLY help generate leads and sales for a business? It does, if you do it right. And in this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast, Marcus Sheridan, the Sales Lion, shares how blogging helped save his company. If you've never heard Marcus's amazing story, you'll definitely want to check it out. And even if you have, you'll want to check out the great tips and advice that he offers in how you can turn your own blog into a tool to help attract more of your ideal customers. http://www.themarketingagents.com/46

Have you ever looked at a product online, like a pair of boots, only to see those boots follow you around the Internet wherever you go? Visit NYTimes, and the boots are there. Check out your FB newsfeed and those boots are there. Go to your favorite blog and those boots are there. In fact they follow you around until you succumb. That's called retargeting, and it's within the grasp of everyone and every small business. In today's episode we're going to chat with Nick Unsworth who's going to walk us through the process of setting up our own retargeting campaign. http://www.themarketingagents.com/45

There's been a lot of speculation about Google Plus lately, Google's social media platform that ties all the different Google properties together. So we brought in Google+ expert, Martin Shervington, to discuss whether G+ should still be part of a small business's marketing plan. He has tons of great information to share with you, and I probably learned as much in this interview as I have in any other interview we've done yet! By the time he's done, you'll be ready to fire up your Google Plus and give it another ride. http://www.themarketingagents.com/44

Social media is all about relationships. However, too many brands and small businesses don't spend the time required to build those relationships. Entirely focused on ROI (Return on Investment), they completely ignore the possibilities of ROR (Return on Relationships.) To talk about ROR, we brought in Ted Rubin, who co-authored the book Return on Relationships. Ted is the most followed CMO on Twitter according to Social Media Marketing Magazine; one of the most interesting CMOs on Twitter according to Say Media, #13 on Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers, 2013, and number #2 on the Leadtail August 2013 list of Top 25 People Most Mentioned by digital marketers. There's some great advice in this interview to help you not just REACH more of your ideal customers, but how to ENGAGE them. http://www.themarketingagents.com/43

Do you attend networking events only to come home with a handful of business cards but no real leads? If so, you'll find help in the new book Networking is NOT Working by Derek Coburn. This week, Derek shares with us how he got out of the networking event rut and instead created an insanely powerful networking group that creates leads, business and loyalty…and how you can, too! http://www.themarketingagents.com/42

If you're like most small businesses, you've seen your Facebook reach and engagement plummet recently. That's due to changes Facebook recently made. Is it even worth being on Facebook anymore? Is it worth your time and resources? To answer that question, we're going to speak with Mari Smith, possibly the most recognized Facebook marketing expert on the planet, to uncover what you can be doing to improve your engagement and generate more leads from Facebook. http://www.themarketingagents.com/41

With the search engines providing more personalized results, and everyone carrying a mobile device around with them, Local SEO (search engine optimization) is more important than ever for small businesses. In this episode, Local SEO expert , Nathan O'Leary of Mainely SEO, breaks it down for us. He shares how you can make small changes to your website and directory listing to get big results, and take on your biggest competitors! Drive more qualified leads to your site and build your business by optimizing for local search. http://www.themarketingagents.com/040

Networking is how we make connections, generate referrals and build our business, whether online or off. However, the very thought of networking chills some of us to the core. How can we get better and get out there to make these connections? And which offers a better ROI for small businesses? To find out, we brought in Susan Baroncini-Moe, author of Business in Blue Jeans, who knows her way around a conference and social media. http://www.themarketingagents.com/39

Today we talk to two members of the Social Media Club at Catherine McAuley, an all-girls Catholic high school in Maine. What we uncover is not just how to market to teens and tweens, but how to use social media to reach and engage any audience, regardless of their age. http://www.themarketingagents.com/38

This week we talk about something that is critical to your online success: your email list. While social media gets all the attention, your email marketing is what drives traffic, leads and sales for your small business. That's why we asked Heather Jackson of Constant Contact about how we can build our list, get our emails delivered, opened and read, and most importantly, how we can generate more business from our email list. All that and more in this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast. http://www.themarketingagents.com/37

Sometimes you can have everything in place: you've got a website, your active on Facebook and other social media platforms, you've got an email list, but things still aren't clicking. Is your mindset to blame? This week, we bring in Jeremy Frandsen from Internet Business Mastery to talk about the importance of mindset to your success. Jeremy's been wildly successful helping entrepreneurs create the life they want to live, and he's here to share some of his best secrets with you. http://www.themarketingagents.com/36

WordPress isn't just a blogging platform, it's a publishing platform. And with the right plugins, you can multiply the reach and power of your WordPress website and blog. However, many small businesses don't know which WordPress plugins are worthwhile and helpful. That's why we asked Syed Balkhi, web marketer and tech guru in this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast. http://www.themarketingagents.com/35

Guest blogging--when done right--is a great way to get in front of a new audience, create engagement, drive traffic back to your website and build your business. But how do you get these guest blogging gigs, and how do you make the most of them? In this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast, Kristi Hines stops by to share how she got started in guest blogging and how it helped her reach a wider audience. http://www.themarketingagents.com/34

Do you find social media marketing overwhelming? Do you wish there was an easier way to create, promote and measure your social media marketing? This week, Andrea Vahl, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies and social media consultant and speaker, stops by to share some of her favorite tools for speeding up your social media marketing. http://www.themarketingagents.com.com/33

How would you like to have influential bloggers in your industry share your blog posts with their audience, driving quality traffic to your site? Awesome, right? Well, in this week's episode, Michael Stelzner of the Social Media Examiner shows us step by step how to make this happen. http://www.themarketingagents.com/32

Jaime Tardy is the founder of The Eventual Millionaire, a weekly podcast where she interviews millionaires on how they got where they are. Today she joins us on the other side of the mic to talk about how she used her podcast to build and engage an audience, build her career, and ultimately land a book deal. If you've been looking for ways to market your business through content, but don't like to write or blog, this is the episode for you. http://www.themarketingagents.com/31

In this episode we talk to Laura Fitton from Hubspot--aka @Pistachio--about how you can use inbound marketing tactics to generate more online leads. Laura talks about how to best use Twitter, Facebook, and other inbound methods to build your list and grow your company. http://www.themarketingagents.com/30

Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine does a great job using social media to engage their fans and attract more people to ski the mountain. Today we talk to their Director of Marketing, Ethan Austin, on how they use social media to engage their audience and build their business. You'll hear great tips and be inspired to take your business to the next level. http://www.themarketingagents.com/29

Membership sites allow you to create a community around your business or passion, build a loyal audience, and create a recurring revenue stream for additional profits. In this week's episode of The Marketing Agents Podcast, Stu McLearen, founder of Wishlist, stops by to show you how you can get started with your own membership site. You'll discover the benefits, how to get started, and how to build your own membership site. http://www.themarketingagents.com/28

There are two major hurdles that most small businesses struggle with when it comes to their marketing…online or off. One is technical, and the other has to do with the fear of communication. In this week's episode, Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing helps us overcome both of these hurdles. Plus, we talk about how to develop effective knowledge-based products. Be sure to check out this action-packed episode! http://www.themarketingagents.com/27

A great way to reach new customers, establish your expertise and build your business is public speaking. Whether you are already doing presentations, or the very idea makes your stomach lurch and your heart go cold, you'll want to listen to this week's interview with Pat Flynn. Pat's a great public speaker who will walk you through the process of preparing to give presentations that will engage your audience and bring you business, whether your goals are lead generation or paid speaking gigs.