Best Podcasts: Online Marketing Made Easy

Best Podcasts for Small Business Series

In a previous post, I listed 6 podcasts, that I liked best, for small business website owners and managers.  Let me share why I like listening to Amy Porterfield’s podcast:

Online Marketing Made Easy Amy PorterfieldOnline Marketing Made Easy

Amy has a great background working for Tony Robbins and Harley Davidson, her first job out of college.  For Tony, she had roles as Content Manager and then managing large marketing campaigns.  That must have been an awesome experience! She has nearly 75,000 Likes on Facebook.

She’s easy to listen to, kinda reminds me of Giada De Laurentis on Food TV, and the podcasts are well organized and professionally produced. She’s the most corporate of the 6 and that’s fine.

But it’s not just what she teaches, (we’ll get to that below) it’s how she presents herself. Totally trustworthy and committed in a world of info-marketing snake oil salesmen.  Her values:

  • Hard work, but you have to be able to throw it all away for love and family
  • No drama
  • Acceptance – no judgment lives here
  • Wearing my heart on my sleeve
  • Embracing what’s next
  • But mostly, that social media should be something you enjoy, not dread.

Want more? Wiley asked her to write the book, Facebook Marketing All-in One for Dummies. I have that book and highly recommend it!

What I Learned

The Online Marketing Made Easy podcast has tackled a range of subjects, including email, YouTube videos and obviously Facebook.  Like so many, she advises you to accommodate mobile users, who have become a majority of Internet users. “47% of people who have to pinch or zoom will not return to your blog.”

Here are my biggest takeaways: Continue reading →

Best Podcasts for Small Business

Learn how to manage a profitable website and have some fun too!  We all consume information different ways for different reasons.  I try and read about 20 books a year, attend a half-dozen conferences and subscribe to several magazines to learn how to build, market and manage profitable websites for clients and my own projects.

I look at blogs that are recommended in social media, but I just don’t stay up with subscriptions like I should.  There is only so much time… I can increase my efficiency (and ROI) by combining tasks like listening to podcasts while driving or getting a powerwalk in.

Over the past couple of years, these have become my favorites, for the information they share and the manner in which it is presented.  For small business owners and entrepreneurs, you may find that these podcasts cover a very good range of information.

I’d also like you to share your favorites in the Comments below! I will be writing about each of these in future posts.  I will share some of my biggest aha moments from each. Stay tuned!

Best Podcasts for Small Business

Best business podcasts: Amy PorterfieldOnline Marketing Made Easy: Amy Porterfield

Amy is the author of “Facebook Marketing All in One for Dummies” and is probably the most ‘corporate’ in her approach. Her information is solid.

She has leveraged her experience with Tony Robbins and her stint at Harley Davidson to develop products and webinars that show how to monetize your online marketing and blogging efforts using her own tested lead generation strategies.

Topics include “how to successfully launch and promote a new program, grow your email list, get more leads, build your authority, turn your customers into raving advocates OR simply find the time (and mindset!) to rock your social media and content marketing.”

If you’re interested in promoting your products and services using webinars, Facebook advertising, a variety of social media platforms, an online course, video marketing, or content creation, then you too will find her podcast beneficial.  And she seems like the nicest person in the world!

She began by scripting her podcasts and then talked about advice she had received to work from outlines, which I prefer.  Her guests are great subject matter experts.

(Click here for my Online Marketing Made Easy review)

Best podcasts for small business Internet marketingFreedom Ocean: James Schramko & Tim Reid

The intro says “James makes millions on the Internet. Tim has millions of questions.” This is one of my favorite podcasts for the really good information on website strategy and marketing, but these two Aussies are fun to listen to!

“James Schramko has created a life of freedom for both himself and his family thanks to mastering (seriously mastering) all there is to know about internet marketing.” ‘Timbo’ Reid has learned well from James and has even come out with his own podcast – Small Business Big Marketing – and coaches and speaks to entrepreneurs around the world.  Put them together and it’s like listening to Gilligan and the Skipper!

James quickly rose as the most successful luxury car salesman in Australia, but he wanted more control and income (who doesn’t?) as he turned to the Internet to somehow replace his paycheck.  The Freedom Ocean podcasts sometimes refer the the steps he took in developing several online businesses.  He also serves up generous portions of what’s working now, which is quite valuable in a business dominated by changing algorithms, tactics, platforms and strategies.  All very valuable to online entrepreneurs and businesses.

(Future link to some of my biggest takeaways from the Freedom Ocean podcast)

*Bonus Podcast! James can also be heard on SuperFastBusiness podcast.

Best marketing podcasts for small businessMarketing Con Queso: Justin Brooke & Michelle MacPhearson
“The only podcast that makes marketing ‘mo easy and less cheesy‘!”  Their tagline is technically wrong as ‘con queso’ means WITH cheese, but there is nothing cheesy about the content they share.

I’ve known Justin for several years and attended a couple of his live conferences. He is wicked sharp when it comes to developing website traffic, has worked with some of the great marketers you could ever imagine and he has a great personality.  He and his wife Chaunna, also a very savvy online marketer, used to have a weekly online TV show – The Tuesday Tackle – which was fun and informative.

Podcaster Justin Brooke

These guys are thinking about the cigars they enjoyed near the pool last night.

The fun continues with Justin and Michelle MacPhearson, who I have followed for some time and bought some of her products, as well.  She contributes much of the “how to” information that is beneficial to online marketers.  She’s savvy on social media, website traffic and content marketing.

*Bonus Podcast! Check out Michelle’s podcast, “The Michelle MacPhearson Show: Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business.”

(Future link to notes from the Marketing con Queso podcast)

I Love Marketing podcast with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson
I Love Marketing: Joe Polish & Dean Jackson

Joe and Dean are solid marketers who are well respected by some of the titans of marketing. Joe made a name for himself teaching the carpet cleaning industry how to promote their services. Dean focuses on realtors.

This podcast covers a very wide assortment of marketing techniques, including offline, and that’s one of the reasons it’s on this list of best business podcasts.  I like the idea of a “before,” “during,” and “after” for any marketing campaign.

One of the things they’re most known-for are the “8 Profit Activators,” which were initially discussed in episode 31.  Great insights there!

This is the only podcast that I have any complaints about and they are:

  • The fidelity is not great, apparently because their sampling rate is lower than just about everyone else.  The problem is exacerbated by them not always speaking close to the mic.  So the show is sometimes hard to hear.
  • The description of the show always begins with “The one about…” which means you can’t read as much as you would like.

I can forgive those complaints as the information is really good.

(Future link to some of my favorite insights from the I Love Marketing podcast.)

Best lifestyle podcastTropical MBA: (Formerly The Lifestyle Business Podcast)  Dan Andrews & Ian

It’s all about entrepreneurship and Lifestyle Design, but with a slightly different perspective.  These guys primarily operate out of Asian countries and take advantage of lower labor costs, but working in areas where tech talent is plentiful – a lifestyle that probably appeals mostly to young single men.

While they focus on helping people create and manage location-independent businesses, the approach and information is useful to those who run location-dependent businesses!

One of the first things that attracted me was the idea of creating a business to support a lifestyle, rather than deciding what your lifestyle would be depending on your circumstances.  Dan and Ian discuss a wide range of topics, often sharing insights that come from two products they create and sell; portable bars and high-end cat furniture.

But the also discuss important issues, such as entrepreneurism, bootstrapping and ethics.

They have over 200 podcasts and 1 million downloads.  The podcast comes out every Thursday morning.

(Check back when I drill down and share some of the best content from the Tropical MBA podcast)

best podcast for passive incomeThe Smart Passive Income Podcast: Pat Flynn
7 million downloads is a testament to Pat’s popularity.  He makes money online several different ways and he shares the results of all income sources on a monthly basis.  In between, he has great information, often interviewing a guest.

He freely shares all of his online business and blogging strategies, income sources and killer marketing tips and tricks so you can be ahead of the curve with your online business or blog. Listen to this podcast and you’ll learn how you can create multiple sources of passive income, which should appeal to just about all of us!

Learn how he banks a six-figure salary while working only a few hours a week. Automation, outsourcing, crowdsourcing, search engine optimization, building authority and trust, niche sites, social media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Podcasting, eBooks, online courses, affiliate marketing, getting things done and everything that works (and doesn’t work) to help you better understand how to crush it with your online business.

(My biggest aha moments from the Smart Passive Income blog are coming soon!_

As I review my suggestions above, It’s clear that these are great podcasts for business; from the techniques shared by Amy Porterfield, James Schramko, Justin Brooke and Michelle MacPhearson to the lifestyle or entrepreneurial efforts of Pat Flynn, Dan & Ian to the comprehensive insights you find from Dean Jackson and Joe Polish.  I thank them all!

What are YOUR favorite podcasts for business?

What Social Media Questions to Ask

How to Create a Detailed, Goal-Oriented Social Media Strategy

If you’re considering adding social media to your digital outreach, you probably have at least a few questions as you begin to create your strategy.  Everyone’s strategy will be different depending on target audiences, which social platforms they use and how they react with them.

There are no definite answers either.  In question #4 below, “What are the best social networks for small business?” simply cannot be answered. The most effective social media platforms depend on how well they are implemented.

Asking, “What are the best social media strategies…” or “What are the best social media techniques…” for small business?” cannot be answered without some testing.  Much of it depends on how social is implemented by the business.

Social Media Questions to Ask

Entrepreneur had a good list of questions for entrepreneurs and SMBs in this article:

1. What should my company aim to achieve with social media?
2. Who should set up and maintain my company’s social media accounts?
3. Should my company have a presence on all of the popular social-media networks?
4. What are the best social networks for small businesses?
5. How often should I post new content on my social networks?
6. What types of content should I post on which social platforms?
7. Should I use social media to provide customer service?
8. How can I convert social-media followers into customers?
9. How can I measure the success of my social-media marketing efforts?
10. What is the biggest mistake to avoid?

For consultants and coaches, it might be useful to know what social media questions clients will likely have.  Michael Stelzner, best-selling author, public speaker and social media consultant, commissioned a study that simply asked, “What question about marketing with social media do you most want answered?” From that study here are the top 10 questions your clients want answered regarding social media marketing:

  1. What are the best tactics to use?
  2. How do I measure the effectiveness of social media?
  3. Where do I start?
  4. How do I manage the social balance?
  5. What are the best sites and tools out there?
  6. How do I make the most of my available time?
  7. How do I find and focus my efforts on my target audience?
  8. How do I convert my social media marketing efforts into tangible results?
  9. How do I cohesively tie different social media efforts together?
  10. Does social media marketing work, and if so, how effective is it?

Two respected sources with different advice on the questions you should consider for your social media strategy.  I will add a couple more questions to ask:

  • Who should be implementing our social media marketing?
  • What social media policies should we put in place?
  • How can we determine the ROI of social media marketing?

And just like there is no definitive strategy or list of platforms to use, there is no absolute list of the questions you and your team should be asking.  Both sets of 10 above should be considered and prioritized.

Then as you begin implementation, monitor your objectives and revise your strategy as needed!

What other social media questions would you add to this list?