Rock Your Brand Podcast

I am fired up because our guest today is one of our very own brand academy members, Octavio. He was stuck for a long time and wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to create his own brand. He was overthinking things and was hoping he would finally have the moment where everything would align perfectly, and things would. He finally made the decision to go all-in even if it wasn’t going to be his brand for the next 20 years. You’ll always have a pivot on your journey. 

 

As a reminder, we are opening up registration for Brand Creators on July 6th. I want to highlight people that are in Brand Creators academy to shire and inspire you and show you what we’re doing on the inside. Head over to brandcreators.com and make sure to download the checklist. Once you do, we’ll notify you when we open enrollment. We only open up four times a year, so stay tuned. Let’s get right to it and learn a few things from Octavio. 

 

Octavio’s Brand Creators Journey 

 

I have consumed content for years, but I’ve been too risk-averse to pull the trigger on anything. One time I even got to the point where I had ordered a product from China, but the order ended up being canceled. Now looking back, I realize it was probably divine intervention. All along, I’ve listed to your podcast and was inspired about the focus on a brand. The approach of Brand Creators seemed so genuine and relatable. 

 

My method is to see it, do it, teach it. When I was building my website, I had the Brand Creator videos open on one screen, and I was doing the task on my website as I went along. 

 

Note From Scott: It’s easy to consume but harder to take action. Without action, there is no result...period. Until you get in the game, you won’t see any results of any kind.

 

The Start of Dad Goes Green 

 

When I started, I didn’t know what niche I would focus on. Eventually, you just have to choose and take action. I choose my niche based on something that I had personally been affected by. In 2015 I got introduced to a coach who changed my life by teaching about proper nutrition and exercise. I knew that it would be a good fit for me, and I want to help as many people as I can to live a healthier life. 

 

The other part of it was that I’m not tech-savvy. I wanted to show my kids by example, that they can do something. You are never too old to pursue your dream or go out and get what you want. 

 

I love being a part of the Brand Creators group and helping other people. I did have a hard time getting in front of the camera at first. It’s scary to put yourself out there, especially knowing that people might judge you. But the main thing I’ve realized is if you don’t put yourself out there in a genuine fashion, you won’t accomplish as much. 

 

Once I did my first video, it made it so much easier. I know more than someone starting out, and all my advice is based on people who know way more than I do. I’m just pointing people to valuable information and am here to help inspire them to get started living a healthier life.

 

I’ve found that I’m creating content all the time now, even when I’m not planning it. Every day, there is an opportunity to turn into an example, blog, or training for my website. I understand when people unsubscribe because I only want people who are genuinely interested in making a change and consuming my content to stick around. 

 

Overcome The Need For Perfection 

 

Perfection is the enemy of getting things done. If you wait until something is perfect, you’ll never achieve anything. When you’re starting out, no one will ever see the first few blog posts for a few months. So you can always go back and make changes. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, and you’ll never get started if that’s what you’re waiting for. 

 

I remember in Brand Creators, we try to be consistent publishing one blog post a week. When quarantine hit, I realized that I had room to do more. Slowly the gears started turning, and I started publishing more blog posts each week. As I ramped up, it got addicting. I enjoy coming up with 3-5 blog posts a week now. I have help from VA’s and good writers. It’s been fun to build-up positive collaboration with the people I get to work with. 

 

I’ve only been doing this for six months, but everything I learned from Brand Creators is super helpful, simple, and it is easier to take action. 

 

It’s been fun sharing my experiences with other people and helping teach them. I want other people to realize that it’s possible and no never lose hope. 

 

Note From Scott: By sharing your story, you’re helping to inspire other people. My goal with Brand Creators is to have a community that is really good at uplifting and supporting each other.  

 

The Power of Keywords and Outsourcing 

 

I always start looking for keywords using Google autosuggest. These are some of the hottest keywords people are searching for. I would do this a day before I went to write or order content. 

 

After 20 blog posts, I discovered a blogpost spreadsheet, so I made a whole list for the rest of the year, and it saved me a ton of time. That way, every week, I knew exactly what I was going to write on. As I have felt more comfortable with writers, I’ll give them more creative freedom. 

 

When I was initially blogging, I was just talking and writing randomly. I had no idea how I was putting the content down on paper. Once I started using an outline, it made it so much easier. Now my writers know my style, and they create the outline (I review), and they do the rest. 

 

I now spend very little time writing content. I just come up with the keywords and checking in with the content writers. I like to check their progress when they’re halfway through, but then they continue with it, finish it up, add images, and it’s finished. 

 

Note From Scott: I wouldn’t recommend ever stopping writing content altogether. Even if you only write a few a week at some point, you can see what happens. It just makes a website seem old if you stop adding new stuff. 

 

Other courses and videos only talk about basic principles. In Brand Creators, we talk about each other’s business and niches. It’s helpful to talk about specifics and get a better insight. It offers a lot of support and encouragement.

 

How You Can Get Started 

 

Make a decision and move forward with something. For me I recognized later on in life that I work best when I’m held accountable by a coach or mentor. Consider putting your money where your mouth is if that will help you take action. For me, it definitely helped. It was worth hiring a true professional to help me take action. 

 

In Brand Creators, the beauty is that everyone comes to the table ready to contribute in their own way, and we all can learn and grow together. That’s why I love being apart of this community so much.

 

It’s Time To Take Action - Final Note From Scott 

 

What an awesome interview from today Octavio. Our community really does support each other and help make each other struggle. We always talk about no matter where you are, you just gotta start and own up to it. You can’t have results unless you get started. 

 

It opens up the opportunity to help each other when we talk about our niches and what we’re working on. I really hope you got a ton of value out of our talk today and have inspired you to get unstuck and get started. 

 

Surround yourself with people who are already doing what you’d like to do. They will help uplift and inspire you for sure. 

 

If you’re looking to be apart of an incredible community, we’d love to have you as part of Brand Creator’s and will be opening our doors on July 6th. 

 

Remember, I believe in you, I’m here for you and am rooting for you.

 

Now its time for you to take action and go rock your brand! 

 

Take-Aways From Today’s Episode

  1. Octavio’s Brand Creators  Journey (7:15)
  2. The Start of Dad Goes Green (15:52)
  3. Overcome The Need For Perfection (25:23)
  4. The Power of Delegation and Outsourcing (33:20)
  5. How You Can Get Started (49:59)



Quote

If you don’t put yourself out there in a genuine fashion you won’t accomplish as much.

 

Direct download: RYB848.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Welcome to this week's edition of our Friday jam session! I'm so glad to have you here. If you want to join us every Friday, head over to takeactioncrew.com to be a part of our weekly sessions, it's one of my week's highlights because I get to hang out with some awesome people and answer some great questions. We're going to start with a topic that I've had a lot of questions asked about this week to get things started.

Digital Product Launch 

A few ways that you can monetize as quickly as possible include 

 

  • Content creation will bring in traffic
  • Pinterest
  • Drive to Our Website
  • Build Your Email List

 

What is the one thing that you're market wants and need right now? Turn it into a digital funnel that can lead to making money a lot quicker. 

 

In order to make this possible, you're going to need a product.n

 

For the people who are currently creating content right now and don't have an email list, let's start here. What are the things that someone needs to know to get a result in helping them with whatever they are trying to accomplish (a guide, cheatsheet, etc.) Reach out to the market to make sure you're creating things they are actually interested in. 

 

Once you do that, you will create blog posts, written content, and videos that address each sub-topic. You're building a product while creating content at the same time. We're basically publishing the product in parts. At the end of it, you can combine all those blogposts, bundle them up, and make an ebook.

 

Word of Caution: Don't just copy and paste your blog posts into an ebook. Always add value. This could be as simple as adding a few screenshots, images, and additional resources. 

 

Now you have a digital asset, and you're ready to launch it.

Launch Runway Timeframe 

 

I created a popup Pinterest workshop and only advertised it for a short time before the actual event. We wanted to help people with that one specific area and knew that we would have people interested. We also wanted to get people that are interested in building their brand so we can invite them to join brandcreators.com when it opens. 

 

Keep in mind that if you have a bigger launch, it'll take more energy, resources, and times if you've never done a launch before always start with a small mini digital funnel to get started.

Identify the One Thing

 

What is the one thing that will give your audience a quick win? 

 

Make sure to do your research and now what people in your niche want. 

 

You can use your free lead magnet to build your email list. On the thank you page, you can introduce them to your digital project and give a discount if they purchase within a certain amount of time. Just make sure that the lead magnet and digital product are closely related, so it would make sense for them to buy it. 

 

I recommend limiting the number of lead magnets that you have on your website to keep things simple. 

 

Over the next six months, you can create additional digital products using your content and then could combine them and use it as an order bump. 

Email List Benefits 

 

Once we've built your email list now, we can talk about launching other products. Giving visitors a quick win will help invite them to purchase your first project. This will help you move fast when you're ready to create new products. 

 

You want to reach out to your email list and ask them what they are looking for in your niche. What are they struggling with or need help with? Once you get some answers, you can create content that helps solve the problem. Always do this with new products to make sure you're always creating content that your audience wants. 

 

Never just assume that you know. Don't ever just guess that something is going to be a good product, actually ask what the market wants. From there, you can create it. 

 

Here is what your sequence should look like. Always make it known beforehand that you have a new product launch coming. 

 

Step 1: Lead by asking a question of what they want to learn or know more about. That will become the product.

 

Step 2: Send an email and let them know that you had asked the audience a question and want to share how you've been able to help solve the product and lead them to your product. 

 

Note: Every email isn't going to be solely focused on selling your product. You'll always include tips and ways to help them that are related to your product. Naturally, lead into it. 

 

I can't stand when I go to read an article, and they want my name and email for me to read the whole thing. Instead, just implement a lead magnet.  

How Long Should You Nurture Your List Before Selling?

 

I would have the free lead magnet, and I would send that to your email list. They'll enter their email address again (they won't be added to your list twice). It'll send them to a thank you email with an offer for your product, and you can always send a follow-up email. 

 

Make sure to give them valuable information in the process and make sure they are utilizing the free lead magnet.  

Paid Memberships 

 

You need first to know exactly what people want and what they are willing to pay for monthly. It would be figuring out what is the solution or the problem that you are going to help solve and, from there, create something free on the front end for a quick win. Then you can lead with your first product, to get yourself rolling.

 

I would recommend never to start with a membership site right off the bat. You want to make sure they are getting everything that you progress. Start with a small sales funnel and build off of it. 

Join In On The Fun

 

If you want to attend one of our live Friday jam sessions, head over to takeactioncrew.com to join us live every Friday at 10 am. We would love to have you! 

 

Remember, I am always here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.

 

Now it's time for you to take action and go rock your brand! 

 

Take-Aways From Today's Episode

 

  1. Digital Product Launch (4:03)
  2. Identify the One Thing (7:51)
  3. Email List Benefits (12:50)
  4. Paid Memberships (20:50)

 

Quote: What is the one thing that you're market wants and need right now? Turn it into a digital funnel that can lead to making money a lot quicker. 

 

Or

 

What is the one thing that will give your audience a quick win? 

 

 

Direct download: RYB847.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Direct download: RYB846.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Hey everybody! I’m so glad to have you here. As a reminder, we’re opening up brand creators on July 6th. If you want to be notified when we open, make sure you go to brandcreators.com. Look for the icon that says “checklist.” Make sure to grab it, and you’ll automatically be notified when we open up registration. 

Benefits of a Digital Product

 

I’ve been known for selling physical products in the past, but you can also make money on digital products too. I’m going to provide you with a simple way to create your own digital product. From there, you could take the same content and use it for blog content and can get traffic from it too, which will save you time in the long run.

 

You can still charge for it if you’ve published it on your blog. You’ll be making it easier for visitors to consume the content, and it’s all in one place, so they don’t have to go search for it all, especially if they want that information in a pdf format. 

 

We did that in one of the products we’ve been talking about for three years. We took some of our past blog posts and turned it into a guide. We sell it for $4.99, and it leads to some additional upsells, which is great. We can make money faster when we’re solely focused on creating a content-based website, and digital products make that possible. 

 

Creating a digital product doesn’t have to be hard, especially when you implement this exact process by creating content and understanding what your market wants and needs.

 

Get Very Clear On Your Markets Wants And Needs 

 

#1 What is the problem or help you can provide to get a result 

 

First off, if you’re just starting and have started the brand growth validation checklist, you have a good idea about what your niche needs. 

 

Create a guide or manual to hand off to visitors. If you have an email list, ask people what they are struggling with or looking for more information about. 

 

If you don’t have an email list, go to a Facebook group and ask people. You can also implement social media if you have a reach there. 

 

A great way is to go into the inside of the community your apart of. You’ll see commonly asked questions that people need content created on. 

 

If all else fails, head over to Google and find common problems that people are searching for. 

 

#2 Create an Outline

 

What is the main thing you are going to help someone with? Create an outline for 5-10 blog posts. 

 

#3 Write The Content As a Blog Post  

 

You can publish one blog post every week, and once you’ve finished, you can compile them into a guide, say five or six blog posts worth. You can include pictures from your blog as well, which will save you some time. 

 

Write the content, stay consistent, get it down, and after a few weeks, you’ll have a guide, you can turn into a digital product. Make sure you get an email signup on the blog sooner than later so you can grow your email list. 

 

#4 Edit & Add Additional Content

 

Maybe you want to add in additional content that isn’t in the blog posts or more pictures.

 

Our Brand Creators playbook was made from six podcast episodes than turned into six blog posts and then turned into the playbook. I made plenty of changes and added stuff to make it more robust before it became the finalized playbook. If you want to check it out head over to brandcreatorsbook.com

 

#5 Create a Good Cover and Format

 

A pdf is super easy to use and create. You could send it over to someone on Fiverr to format and create the cover if you don’t have time. It’s a super easy and affordable way to get it done.  Remember, this is a digital asset that can turn into dollars and turn people into a customer. Even if it doesn’t cost them much, it shows that they are serious and are ready for the next step. 

 

That is the exact formula I have used all the way back to when I was teaching people photography. I’d start with a video, get it transcribed, and then turn it into a book or quick download. It’s always been a super easy and effective method.

How to Promote Your Digital Asset 

There are six ways you can successfully promote your digital asset. Within Brand Creators we will be focusing on this within the next few weeks as it’s a really important part of the process. 

 

 

  • Create a Lead Magnet

 

We’re not going to send people directly to your digital download. Offer a free lead magnet they can download instantly. On the thank your page, they would get an offer or promo code for your digital guide. 

 

Content takes time to get moving, but this can help get things going and adds an asset to your business. 

 

We have a lead magnet to our book, and then a physical product upsell. 

 

  • Post the Lead Magnet on Your Blog

 

 

Create a widget, header, or popup to get people to sign up and get to the thank you page. Even if they don’t buy you can follow up with more tips and send a reminder about your guide later on. 

 

  • Email Your List

 

 

Give them something of value and segment your list in the process. You could also drop a line at the end about buying your guide. 

 

There is a lot you can do with the email list once you have it. 

 

  • Post It On Social

 

 

If you have pages or groups, if you want it sharable, add it to a page. I wouldn’t post this in other people’s groups unless you’ve added value to the group first. Always reach out to the admin first.

 

  • Pinterest

 

 

I like it because I can drop a pin within my board, and someone can find it and it can get picked up by goggle. It can go to a landing page or a blog post.

 

  • Facebook Ads

 

 

They can be really powerful, but you’re going to spend money before you figure out if it’s going to work. It’ll take several tests to figure it out. Test it with a small budget first. If you’re doing paid traffic is you’ll be able to pixel the audience and get their email address. They will also see the thank you page immediately. 

 

The process is fairly easy, and you can do it while you’re creating content for your site. Take time to plan it out and see what you could turn into a digital project. From there, you have an asset you can sell almost immediately. 

Mark Your Calendars!

 

If you want to be surrounded by other brand rockers where we’re sharing learning and supporting one another, you’ll want to be apart of our brand creator’s academy when we open up enrollment on July 6th. You must get the checklist, so you understand where you have these opportunities in your market and brand. 

 

Thanks again for being here!

 

As always I am here for you, I believe in you, and I am rooting for you.

 

It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand!

Take-Aways From Today’s Post 

  1.  Benefits of a Digital Product (3:48)
  2. Get Very Clear On Your Markets Wants And Needs (7:05)
  3. How to Promote Your Digital Asset (17:45)

 

Quote: Creating a digital product doesn’t have to be hard, especially when you implement this exact process by creating content and understanding what your market wants and needs.









Direct download: RYB845.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Welcome to our weekly Friday jam session! This is one of the highlights of my week when I get to hang out with some super cool people. If you want your question answered, become part of our take action crew. It's totally free, and we do it every single Friday. It's time to sit back, relax, and let's jam! 

What You Need To Know About Choosing Social Platforms

I've been asked a lot of questions about what platforms to focus your energy and how to leverage them to your benefit. Here are a few answers to some of those questions, and I hope they help you on your journey to creating a successful brand! 

What Platforms Should You Focus Your Efforts On? 

It's common for people to look at what's trending and see what everyone is gravitating towards. Instead, I recommend answering a couple of questions. 

#1 Use Keywords to Find Proof Your Niche is Being Searched For

Identify where your market is hanging out and consuming content. Start by going to Google and typing in a short keyword from your niche. From there, try the same process using some long-tail keywords. Find out if there content being created. 

From there, you can head over to Ubersuggest and let it tell you what other content is being created using the same or similar keywords. You'll also be able to find websites that successfully implement those keywords and see what type of content is doing well for them and what channels they are leveraging. 

The goal here is to be able to identify the best platform you should start with based on your keywords and what the competition is doing. 

#2 What Platform Are You Confident With and Can Show Up Consistently 

You should never bank on one traffic source. I would focus your efforts on Google Traffic, Pinterest, and Youtube. They are evergreen types of traffic, and you can create an asset, which will be beneficial for years to come. 

Note: On one of our brands, we discovered a post that we created ten months ago that is now starting to take off. It's getting over 2,000 page views every single month now. It takes some time, but it pays off. We identified that there was traffic on Google for that topic, so we wrote about it, and it's now paying off, which is awesome. We can leverage that piece of content to monetize, which is great. So you just need to get started now. 

The perfect formula would take your Youtube video and imbed it into your blog post and create an entire blog post around the content.  

The most important number to worry about is how many people visit your website. Views are not money in your bank account. 

The goal is to plant the seeds and do the work now so you can watch them grow over time. 

Do All Platforms Require The Same TIme A Week?

There is no guarantee. However, when you can be consistent with good content, it's going to pay off. Don't worry about how much you think you need. If you show up consistently, you're going to have content and plant seeds that you can get traffic from and start to monetize.

How To Effectively Use a Blog For Your Business

This week I had a lot of questions about creating blogs and why they are so important. I hope the answers to a few of these questions help show that by creating consistent content, you'll effectively drive traffic to your website and can monetize sooner.

How Many Posts Should I Create a Week?

Commit and Be Consistent. Start with one post per week to start and learn the process and how to batch content and optimize. If you do that, you can build a process and make it go much quicker.

Set a date when each piece of content will be published so you can commit to it, and you'll be able to show up consistently. If you are going to do a video, first upload it to your website and create a blog post around it. You'll embed the video on the blog. This will give you two assets on two platforms and two places they can be searched for. 

Depending on if you know you're not going to show up on video, don't do it. If I were to start a new brand right now, I would start with blog posts and Pinterest. 

Organic Traffic is Key 

When you have organic traffic with diversified traffic streams, you have more control over your business and attention to your traffic.

Ads will take a lot of money to figure out what works and what doesn't work. There will be problems you'll need to deal with, and you'll need to be able to take at least $500-$1,000 to just test. If you do make sure you start by building an email list, so you benefit from the paid ads.

When Should I Expect to Rank for SEO?

Don't worry about the numbers for a few months. It can happen fast, but that is where you go after the long tail so you can rank quicker. 

How Can I Effectively Use Tags On My Blog?

They will not help you rank. Their goal is to help visitors use the search bar. Keep them specific to what people would be searching for on your site and take them to the content that matches. I would say use three to five tags per blog post. 

Will YouTube Videos Show Up In Google Searches?

Yes, you'll start by recording it, upload it to YouTube and add it to your blog as well. You can get ranked for that video in a Google search, which is an added bonus. 

How Long Should Each Blog Post Be?

Don't try to put a certain number of words just to have them there. Question-answer posts are typically 1500-1700 words. As long as you tell people what they need to know and answer their questions, that's all that matters. If you do longer posts, they can be your pillar posts and have other shorter posts that are related and link to it and vs. versa. 

Auto Suggest Is Your Friend 

Go Inside each platform and see what keywords are auto-suggested. Those are the keywords that are getting ranked, and people are searching for the most. 

YouTube Tip: If you are searching for a keyword, and there are some videos coming up, look at the videos with lots of views and low subscribers. They are the ones getting organically ranked and not getting boosted by their subscriber base. 

How a Blog Will Help You Be Successful 

When you're launching a product, it's not really a business. If you're going down that road, I really believe you need to build out your brand so you can get traffic. 

If you're launching a product on Amazon, how are you going to advertise and get sales? Without a blog or website, you'll have to pay for a lot of ads. Try to find a way to get your website and blog up and running so you can drive people to your website and drive more sales to your product. If you're trying to sell one product, you only have one chance to sell them something without a website. 

Once you get the traffic you can turn on an ad network and generate money that way too. 

Focus on Bringing Traffic To Your Site 

Everyone should make it a priority to bring targeted traffic using lead magnets to your website. 

Once we get the traffic, we can do so many things. It's just a slow process, but it's a skill set you can take with you wherever you go.

Once you get going and start to see traffic from content, you can start to worry about monetizing using affiliate offers, both digital and physical.

Ad networks are also one of the easiest ways to start to earn money.

Should I Use Google Ads? 

I would never pay to get traffic to a blog post unless it was a sales page. Google ads are great for selling products, but you need to learn the best way to target keywords. If you want to increase traffic to your blog post, you would have the ads go to a lead magnet and then to your specific blog post. 

Are Backlinks Important to My Site?

It's not important at the beginning and will naturally happen when you create good content. You'll typically get backlinks without even doing any outreach. 

Thanks For Being Here!

As a reminder, we're opening up brand creators on July 6th. If you want to be notified when we open, make sure you go to brandcreators.com. Look for the icon that says "checklist." Make sure to grab it, and you'll automatically be notified. We'd love to have you along for the ride!

If you want to join us on an upcoming jam session head over to takeactioncrew.com and you can join us over there.

Thanks For Tuning in!

  • If you found today's show to be valuable, please share it
  • Additionally, please consider taking a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes.
  • They're very beneficial when it comes to the show's ranking. I can guarantee to read each one of them myself.
  • Finally, don't neglect to subscribe to the show on your preferred app.

“Remember, I'm here for you, I believe in you, and I'm rooting for you! Now it's time for you to take action and go rock your brand”! 

Take-Aways From Today's Post 

  1. What You Need To Know About Choosing Social Platforms (2:20)
  2. How To Effectively Use a Blog For Your Business (15:18 )
  3. How a Blog Will Help You Be Successful (42:30)

Quote: You should never bank on one traffic source. I would focus your efforts on Google Traffic, Pinterest, and Youtube. They are evergreen types of traffic, and you can create an asset, and it'll be beneficial for years to come.

Direct download: RYB844.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today I'm excited to have Jasmine Star on the show. She is known as a business strategist and social media guru. During today's episode, you'll discover that if you think being an entrepreneur is a straight path, you're wrong. It takes time, dedication, and consistency to make it happen. I'm so glad to have Jasmine here now let's get right to it!

Jasmine's New Role 

My husband and I just adopted our daughter four months ago, and I am glowing. In a sense, she chose my husband and me, and it was well worth the wait. We actually only had 24 hours notice to get ready for her arrival, and we couldn't be happier. In the gloriousness of it all, that is how we were able to usher her in. 

From a business perspective, the world hasn't been the same since we brought her home, especially during the COVIDD-19 quarantine. It's a mixed blessing because I get to spend an unexpected amount of time with my daughter, and I couldn't be more thankful. It's been a big blessing. 

Jasmine's Origin Story

Where you are right now isn't the same place you'll be in five years. Back in 2005, I was a first-generation immigrant and college student in law school. It was uncharted territory, but it wasn't in alignment with what I wanted to do. 

After my mom relapsed with brain cancer, it forced me to face head-on that I had depression and remembered that life is short. 

We have moments to change the direction and trajectory of our life. Sometimes pivots are thrust upon on, and other times pivots are given to us as a gift. I had to take a step back to see what I needed to learn. 

The pivot away from law school was difficult, and I fought it because everything was uncertain. I realized that it was a gift to reassess what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a photographer, but I didn't have a camera. My husband and I had been married for a month, and he gifted me with my first camera.

Always bee willing and open to go with the flow and let go. Look for new opportunities that you might not have considered before. 

At the time, my husband worked as a sales rep for a startup company, and it was 100% commission-based, and he had just started the process. His checks were far and few between. I worked part-time at a church, and it was difficult to try and stay afloat. Once his experience in the sales world improved, we had more regularity and stability. In the beginning, it was important for me to understand that pursuing a creative passion was a luxury. I didn't want to put pressure on monetizing my passion too early. 

Jasmin's Shift to Teaching Other Photographers 

For me, I prefer to teach what I know. I'm not a mind-reader and never guess a pivot. I diversify based on what people are asking for. If I see an opportunity and think it's strategic based on where the market is going, I'll absolutely jump at the opportunity. 

My first pivot was deciding to be a photographer, then teaching photographers about photography and then teaching them how to create a profitable business—then pivoted to teaching creative business owners how to create a profitable business. 

I've really created a stronghold on empowering small business owners, and that pivot started as diversification. Pay attention to what questions you're being asked the most. It's a test to see if there is a demand for the questions you're being asked and if people will ask follow up questions. Once you've diversified a few times, you're hedging your bets for the pivot, and it'll make you much more confident over time.

Content Is Key 

You speak your dreams into existence. If you believe you've discovered your highest purpose, you do everything you can to make it come true and don't give up. 

Note From Scott: I was podcasting for five years on eCommerce, Amazon, etc. I had to reposition and decided what I really wanted to be known for long term. I wanted to focus more on brand building. It took time and was risky at first. It's tough because you don't know how it might turn out, but it always seems to work out for the best. 

I've failed far more than I've succeeded, but knowing what doesn't work is the only way you succeed. 

The very first time I pivoted to serving small business owners, I didn't know digital marketing and just knew I had a business online. I saw other people hosting online events and thought I needed to do the same thing. If you compare your new journey to someone else's marathon, who's gone around the track 800 times, you're going to sell yourself short because you don't know all the steps that it takes at the beginning. 

What is the point of creating something if you don't know how to bring it into the world? You'll learn the most massive lessons from the scrappy, cheapest, easy, and low hanging fruit where you start, and you can scale as you go along.  

What Social Media Platform To Focus Your Attention On 

I use a very diversified approach to social media. Personally, I'm naturally drawn to Instagram as a creative storyteller. From a business perspective, my ideal customers are on Instagram, but it will be different depending on what products you sell and who your customer is. If I were going B2B or C Suite, I would be pouring buckets and buckets of attention to LinkedIn. Pick a platform where my dream customer is at and spend a significant amount of time building content for that platform. 

Is Email Dead?

Stop thinking that email is dead. If you're doing the work, cultivating your list, and creating content for your readers, it's a game-changer. We have the most success with our email lists, and we get the most engagement and reach, but you have to nurture your list to make it successful. 

Go Live Every Chance You Get 

I go live any chance that I get, especially in an algorithmic nature it's a powerful mechanism. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you're good, it shows. 

You can't depend on editing or redos, and it shows how you handle yourself. People want to see that you're a real person and that you're authentic. If you do it well, you'll be successful.  

I never do live videos for people who actually watch it live. The power is in the reply. Don't undervalue going live. It'll be a life-changer for your business if you're consistent.

Don't spend all your time focusing on selling. Go live be so consistent before you advertise your product, so when you make a call to action, they get what's happening.

Jasmine's Take Action Moment 

I joined a mastermind class, and before, I had no idea that it even existed. I looked at the price tag, and it was more than the price of the car that I was driving at the time. It was a high level of pressure, excitement, and belief to finally say that I was going to be on me and make it happen. I was ready to commit and knew that it would be worth it, and I would earn the money back.

Note From Scott: Some level of accountability or good mentorship is key to success.  

Find people (not testimonials) who have worked with someone else to see what their experience was to make sure you're working with the best people. 

Make Social Media Your Workout Regiment 

Marketing your business is an active discipline. Your actions must map your aspirations. Just know that when you have these big lofty goals, your actions must map that. You have to be fully dedicated to getting the results that you want, and they will be proportional to your effects. 

The only person who can stop you from doing what you want is you. Show up as you and do your best. Your purpose is greater than your fear, and it has a profound effect. 

A belief is a thought that you tell yourself over and over again. Tell yourself that you are going to find a way to make your dreams happen, and you can get there. You have to believe in yourself to make things happen. 

If you'd like to follow along on Jasmine's journey, you can follow her on social media @jasminestar and her website jasminestar.com. 

Final Word From Scott

What an amazing interview! Jasmine is so real, raw, and transparent. Where you're at right now isn't where you're going to end up. You don't need to have all the answers, and everything figured out right now. 

As you climb, you'll see new opportunities and building your skillset as you go along. Everyone always has ups and downs and face unique challenges. You are not alone! She has pivoted often and makes great things happen even though she's experienced many ups and downs. 

As a friendly reminder, our Take Action Morning Crew gets together every morning at 10 am EST to join us. Visit takeactioncrew.com to join! 

Remember, I am always here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you!

Now it's time for you to TAKE ACTION and go rock your brand! 

Take-Aways From Today's Episode

  1. Jasmine's New Role (4:25)
  2. Jasmine's Origin Story (8:30)
  3. Jasmin's Shift to Teaching Other Photographers (15:01)
  4. Content Is Key (18:34)
  5. What Social Media Platform To Focus Your Attention On (27:40)
  6. Go Live Every Chance You Get (31:40)
  7. Jasmine's Take Action Moment (37:42)

3 Quote Options 

We have moments to change the direction and trajectory of our life. Sometimes pivots are thrust upon on, and other times pivots are given to us as a gift.

You speak your dreams into existence. If you believe you've discovered your highest purpose, you do everything you can to make it come true and don't give up. 

If you compare your new journey to someone else's marathon, who's gone around the track 800 times, you're going to sell yourself short because you don't know all the steps that it takes at the beginning. 

 
 
Direct download: RYB843.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

I’ve talked a lot about evergreen assets in the past and how they play a big part in helping to generate income for your business down the line. Today I’m going to share how one asset we created ten months ago on one of our websites is starting to show signs of traffic and will soon turn into an income-generating asset that we’ll be able to use for years to come. 

My goal for today is to help you learn how to create evergreen products that you can use to grow your own business if you’re on the search for new ways to drive extra traffic to your website and get extra income from your blog and other content stick around! 

Direct download: RYB842.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Welcome to this week's Friday jam session. I'm so happy you're here. This is always one of my week's highlights, and I love spending time with some awesome people and answering some great questions. If you'd like to join in on the fun each week head over to takeactioncrew.com, it's totally free, and we get together every Friday at 10 am Eastern, where I answer your questions about your business. 

 

Today we're going to be talking all about how to use your Pinterest traffic to build out your email list. Now it's time to sit, back, relax, and lets officially kick off this week's jam session! 

 

Can You Drive Pinterest Traffic to Build Your Email List

 

Yes, it's definitely possible to build out your email list using Pinterest traffic. However, it's important to make sure that you're creating the right type of content that targets the right people you want to bring to your website. 

 

Today I'm going to answer this question in detail and go over what it looks like with a few examples. Let's dive right into Pinterest and learn how to make it happen! 

 

When you create a piece of content to put on Pinterest or your website, you always want to make sure that it's specific to the person who is visiting your site or searching for topics related to that content. 

The Power of a Good Lead Magnet

 

When you're ready to create a lead magnet to help drive traffic to your website and encourage people to sign up for your mailing list, always make sure that it's relevant and fulfills a need for someone visiting your website. Think about what type of problem they might be facing if they click on your Pin on Pinterest and go to your site. What type of content can you create to help solve that problem? 

 

The goal of using Pinterest is to create assets that people can save to their own boards to reference later and share with others. When someone clicks on the pin, it takes them a specific webpage on your site related to the topic described on the pin.  

 

When someone gets to your site from Pinterest, a pop-up, or signup where they can get a freebie that will help them solve their problem is a great way to capture their interest. You're giving them something of value, and in exchange, they're giving you their email address. This makes them feel like it's a good trade instead of just asking them to sign up for an email list without giving them anything upfront. 

 

Note: Always make sure to confirm that a visitor wants to receive the freebies and include the word "yes" to make sure they know what they are agreeing to. 

 

Avoid Generic Opt-In Forms 

 

Honestly, no one wants to sign up to be on a mailing list without incentive. If you just ask someone to sign up for your list without anything in return, they won't know what to expect, and chances are they won't sign up.

 

They want a specific piece of content that will quickly help them solve a problem quickly. Consider creating a lead magnet that piques a person's interest and encourages them to signup for your mailing list to get the piece of content. 

 

An opt-in form is a great way to show visitors what they are getting. Make it well worth their time and give them something they can actually use. 

 

Avoid making people have to go through extra steps to give you their information. Keep in mind, the more barriers you create, the less likely they will stick around long enough to sign up. Like I mentioned earlier, always make sure the opt-in is tailored for your specific audience. The problem you're helping to solve on Pinterest should be similar to the content you're offering on your website. 

 

Note: Never ask for a person's last name. For an opt-in form, you just need a person's email address and first name.  

Think Outside the Box 

 

I recommend avoiding using the words subscribe to your opt-in forms. Instead, just say something like "get your free guide" and include a similar phrase such as "yes I want my free guide" at the bottom of the form. 

 

Make sure it's easy to read, simple, and the fonts and colors aren't overwhelming and detract from the content you're offering to visitors.

 

If you're driving traffic to your site, you should always have either an opt-in form on your sidebar or header (using Hello Bar plugin), a pop-up, or embed the opt-in within the content. 

 

Drive visitors directly to your blog instead of an opt-in form so they can have access to all the resources you have to offer. 

 

A Final Note From Scott 

 

I hope you found this Friday, Jam session to be helpful!  

 

You can definitely build an email list on Pinterest, but it shouldn't be your main focus. Instead, I recommend always driving visitors to your blog instead of directly to an opt-in form so they can have access to all the other resources that you have to offer. 

 

As a reminder, if you ever want to attend one of our live Friday jam sessions, head over to takeactioncrew.com to join us. We'd love to have you.

 

Thank you for listening. I enjoyed having you here! 

 

Remember, I'm here for you, I believe in you, and I'm rooting for you!

 

Now it's time for you to take action and go rock your brand! 

 

Takeaways From This Episode

 

1. Can You Drive Pinterest Traffic to Build Your Email List (1:35) 

2. The Power of a Good Lead Magnet (4:45) 

3. Avoid Generic Opt-In Forms (13:45)

4. Think Outside the Box (17:10)

 

Quote: 

Drive visitors directly to your blog instead of an opt-in form so they can have access to all the resources you have to offer. 

Or

When you're ready to create a lead magnet to help drive traffic to your website and encourage people to sign up for your mailing list, always make sure that it's relevant and fulfills a need for someone visiting your website 

 

 

Direct download: RYB841.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today I’m excited to have Amber Mazola on the show. She is the executive producer for the show “The Profit.” If you watch the show, you’ve seen her on the show at times, talking to Marcus Limonus about the businesses that he’s had on the show. We’re going to learn about her journey and how she got to where she is today. She runs a successful business, and we’ll learn about her take action moment and how she made things happen. Let’s get right into it and here from Amber.

Amber’s Unique Path to Success

 

Right out of high school, I started working as a PA in New York. I worked on a show called Cosby, that had Bill Cosby on it. I did all the grunt work like getting everyone coffee, doing runs in the city, and basically anything else that needed to get done. It helped me to learn people skills and how to connect and network with others in the industry. Working as a PA also made me realize that I am never to goo for anything and definitely helped me through my entire career and made sure I never felt like I was better than anyone else.

 

From there, I moved on to being an assistant, and then a writer, and eventually I got into working on unscripted shows. I ended up working on a show called Girls Behave Badly, a prank show where I wrote all the pranks and that I worked on that show for about five years and then decided to go to the unscripted world. At the time, I had no idea that I’d be a producer.

How Amber Became a Producer

 

I loved the creativity and enjoyed being a freelance producer. I would go from job to job, and it made it really exciting. It was fun to meet a lot of new people and work on lots of different projects. At times, I felt that writing was a bit lonely, and I quickly realized that I would rather be interacting, interviewing people, and being in the field.

 

At the time, it never occurred to me that I might own my own business someday. Even though, as I look back now, I was doing a lot of the same things at the time. I had a producer I worked with at E that encouraged me to start my own business and actually helped me along the way at the beginning to make that happen.

 

The Launch of Amber’s Business

 

I put together a pilot for my very first show as a business owner and. It was basically a mini recreation of what the actual show would look like and had to send it to the network to look at it. At the time I was eight months pregnant and had to run it over to the studio because the tape we had originally sent over wasn’t working. They ended up showing it last and it went really well. It ended up being one of the select few that they picked up. It was called Dirty soap and was about soap opera stars from E!. It followed the lives of these gifts and their relationships.

 

It was a crazy time. I had to quickly build a company while I had just had a baby on top of everything else. It’s really important to hire people who you truly trust and make sure you’re not being a micromanager even though it might be hard to let go. You can’t do it all alone and it’s important to have a team that can help get things done.

How Networking and Hardwork Led to Amber’s First Show

As I was a producer working my way up through the ranks, I traveled a lot, worked long hours, and worked with executive producers. During the years, I proved that I willing to do anything and work hard to make things happen. I was also good at working and communicating with the talent on the shows. Being in the business for so long, I worked with the same people and the executives for years. They feel like family and are at other networks now, so it helped me open doors and pitched my ideas.

 

I had a lot of times where it was two steps forward and one step back but I never gave up. My first show was canceled after the first season, and it was hard to move forward, especially after I had just started my business. It was so hard when I was told that it was canceled. I had been on a high and things were going well, and everyone liked what they saw, but the raters were low, so the show couldn’t go on.

 

Note From Scott: You have to work hard to get your foot in the door. In my opinion your network is your net worth and you have to work hard to make things happen.

How “The Profit” Came to Be

 

I had been asked by a producer to come over to CNBC and be a showrunner around the time I had landed my first show. I said no because I had just started my own business and wanted to focus on that. I was told my another producer that if I came over and helped run the show, he would help me relaunch my business.

 

The show I agreed to run was called Treasure Detectives. After it was over, the producer said he had one more show he had that he wanted me to help with. I didn’t want to do it because it was a business show, and I didn’t have as much experience working on those types of shows. He said that’s exactly why he needed someone like me to help create the story around the show and have someone with a different view of things.

 

For the first season of “The Profit,” I was the showrunner. I helped do all the behind the scenes stuff. After the first season, the production company they had been working with didn’t work out, so my company was able to pick up the show. We were responsible for making the entire show happen. We basically took on all the responsibility and was in charge of the pre-production, production, post prediction, and to get the show ready to air.

 

The biggest change we made from season one to season two was traveling to help businesses all across the country. We realized that whatever businesses needed help or the ones that Marcus wanted to choose, we had to go, and it didn’t matter where they were located.

What Challenges Do You Face On The Profit?

 

Because it’s happening in real-time, we don’t stay with one business for more than a couple of days. We go in, and Marcus helps them out, and then we leave and go on to the next one. We make a lot of fast changes, so it’s hard to help the business owners follow through, and they’re not sure what to do when we leave.

 

Marcus is clear on what he wants to be done when he leaves and what he expects when we get back after the changes have been implemented. Sometimes the businesses need money to make it happen, but it’s a challenge when they have to do everything on their own.

 

Another challenge is that Marcus is one person and doesn’t have an assistant, so it’s hard because he has so many businesses that he is running and helping with. He likes to know first-hand what's happening and be the contact person when people reach out to him.

 

It’s also challenging when people present themselves differently on a casting tape than in real life, so when we show up, things aren’t what we expect.

 

My company is in charge of casting for the show. We get applications and have a casting team that goes through thousands of them. We look for certain criteria that Marcus wants and then present the top candidates for him and the network to choose from.

 

How Amber Balances Work & Family

When you have kids, you just have less time to do other things and have select windows to work on things. When I travel, I’m not gone longer than 48 hrs, or I will take my kids with me. I do miss dinner and bedtime a lot because I work late.

 

There is always something that suffers, and it’s usually my relationships. I will say that after the quarantine is over and I’m back to work,  I would say the change I’m going to make is I’m going to get to work earlier and leave at 5 pm so I can have dinner and do bedtime with my kids because I realize just how important family time is.

 

Note From Scott: It’s really important to simplify and get your things in order. If you have a schedule it’s easier to get things done. Family is everything and it’s tough to balance when you’re an entrepreneur for sure because there are always things you could be working on.

 

Amber’s Take Action Moment

If I hadn’t taken a step backward to be a showrunner again after starting my business I never would have had the opportunity to work on “The Profit.”  It got me to where I am today and by taking a step back it led to something great.

 

My advice would be to never give up and dont be afraid of the word no. Keep going to make things happen even.

 

If you want to follow along on my journey you can find me on Instagram @amber_mazola.

Final Thoughts From Scott

 

Thanks for joining me today for my interview with Amber. I loved hearing her story and how she got to where she is today and how she is reshifting her priorities and restructuring her schedule so she has more time with her kids. You can see it’s never easy but as long as you keep showing up and working hard you can be successful while still having a family.

 

It’s interesting to see how people are led by the actions they take. It’ll work itself out in the end as long as you keep taking action. I hope you enjoyed that!

 

Remember, I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.

 

Now it’s time for you to go out and take action. Now go get em!

Takeaways From Today’s Episode

  1. Amber’s Unique Path to Success (6:35)
  2. Amber’s Next Step (11:48)
  3. The Launch of Amber’s Business (15:13)
  4. How the Profit Show Came to Be (27:09)
  5. What Challenges Do You Face On The Profit? (37:35)
  6. How Amber Balance’s Work & Family (44:30)
  7. Amber’s Take Action Moment (50:13)

 

Quote: Your network is your net worth and you have to work hard to make things happen or I had a lot of times where it was two steps forward and one step back but I never gave up.

 

 

 

Direct download: RYB840.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Today my good friend Chris Shaffer and I are talking about how to drive traffic to your Amazon products using Facebook Ads, and we’ll give our honest opinion about when it can be valuable and when it might not be beneficial. Let’s dive right in.

 

Are Facebook Ads Worth It?

This conversation will be focused on talking about making Facebook ads to sell products within the Amazon eco-system.

 

Note: Don’t utilize Facebook ads until you’ve made sure to maximize the resources that Amazon has already provided to you. You’ll end up getting more bang for your buck by taking advantage of using Amazon advertising.

 

When people are on Amazon, they’re on the search to buy something. So when you spend your advertising dollars there, you have more of a chance to make a sale. Whereas people on Facebook aren’t necessarily looking to buy something and it might be difficult to convince them to buy your product from an ad if they’re not actively looking to buy a similar product.

 

There may be times that you can’t make the pay per click platform on Amazon work for you or if you’re at the “point of no return” and have spent all you can advertising on Amazon and it’s no longer leading to sales it might be a good time to look at how you can get external traffic.

 

Keep in mind that Amazon doesn’t necessarily prefer external traffic. It actually converts at a much lower rate if you’re not already optimized within Amazon, and it will negatively affect how you rank organically if you’re conversion is really low from external traffic.

 

Use Facebook Ads As a Secondary Marketing Tool

However, there is something to be said about being on the same playing field as your competition. If everyone is selling on Amazon and using the same strategy and set of resources and tools, it might be hard to stand out. When you add the external side and learn how to incorporate it and make it work, you might just be able to get a leg up from your competition and leverage your rankings.

 

The key is that it’s an addictive piece of marketing. You need to make sure that you have a solid foundation first. The most qualified traffic does exist on Amazon, so exhaust all your efforts there first before paying for additional traffic. You can also use your email list or other free sources, but just don’t pay for any more traffic until you’ve all you can internally first.

 

 

 

Two Ways to Drive Traffic From Facebook to Amazon

There are two main ways that you can bring people to your Amazon product by using Facebook Ads. Although we strongly recommend the second option we’ll cover both.

Sending Ad Traffic Directly to Your Amazon Ad

 

This is usually not a recommended method for three mani reasons.

 

  1. Driving people who are looking at say cat videos to go and buy cat liter can be a tough sell since they weren’t planning to make a similar purchase. This creates a low conversation rate.

 

  1. You’ll never have a chance to talk to any of the people you advertise to again or if they end up going to Amazon and abandon their carts before they make a purchase you have no way of getting in front of them again unless they happen to see your ad for a second time.

 

  1. It’s hard to track what traffic and sales you’re getting from Facebook and where they are coming from. We can look at it from a correlation point of view, but it’ll be hard to see the cost of each sale. If you create a storefront on Amazon, you can create custom URLs and can track how many people purchase your product from the Facebook link. This makes it easier to track conversation rates.

Create Your Own Landing Page

 

ConvertKiit has a great landing page feature, and Giveaway Boost works great too. You can run Facebook Ad for your product and can visitors to a custom landing page. This way, you’ll be able to collect their email address and now have a targetable audience you can reach out to in the future. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to do the task that you want them to complete.

 

By creating a landing page, you’re able to take advantage of all the cool features inside Facebook ads like conversion optimization, which is the secret sauce behind the most successful Facebook ad campaigns. You’ll choose the targeted audience that you’re looking for. You can’t do that if you drive traffic directly to Amazon. You can also go back later and see what other types of products people who bought your product be interested in.

Does It Make Sense to Use Facebook Ads For a Single Product

 

If you only have one product to sell it might not be worth doing Facebook ads. You’ll lose money If you only have one product to sell, it might not be worth doing Facebook ads. You’ll lose money or break even to get data, and it’s a lot of planning to get it to where your product is profitable. Paid traffic makes it hard if you’re just selling one product.

 

If you have a reorder product, it makes more sense to advertise on Facebook or if you have multiple products. You can always send out emails or create ads that feature your additional products for those who have already purchased it with you before. If you lose money on a reorder product during the first sale, chances are you’ll make more when that person purchases again because you’re not paying to get their business the second time around.

 

Note: Always maximize your advertising efforts on Amazon before creating Facebook Ads for your products.

 

You also need to have a good grasp on Amazon pay per click before you move on to Facebook ads. If, for some reason, that isn’t going to work or it’s not doable in your category, then go to Facebook ads. It’s an easier conversion because people are already there looking for things to buy, and there are fewer moving parts you need to worry about.

Learn the Game to Drive More Sales

 

First and foremost, you have to figure out how to market your products on Amazon if you want to make sales. This is the most important part of your business.

 

We always talk about building an email list and creating content because if you can get good at that part of the process, you’ll be in a good position. Your product needs traffic for you to sell. You can drive traffic fast with Facebook ads, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll convert that traffic.

 

You may not make money on your first sale, but if you create content, you’ll be able to make a profit much quicker. Always look at the big picture and analyze what other products or services your customers need and how you can create additional offerings to help them out.

 

The goal is to drive people to a piece of content or product that you can control. Giveaway Boost is a great plugin and gives you the formula to make this successful. You can create a page with an offer that you can control. It’s easy for people to signup and get a coupon code once they have. The best part is you can target those people later and create an email list and communicate.

What to Ask Before Creating Your Facebook Ad

There are a few things you should take into consideration before moving forward with creating your Facebook Ads. Let’s review those now.

How Do You Want to Run the Ads

The most successful approach is to create your own landing page. You’ll also need to establish who your target audience is and decide what offer you’ll give when they come to your landing page. You need to have this all figured out before you can set up your ad and get it ready to go.

 

You could also consider leading the Facebook ad with an informational freebie like a checklist, download, or guide related to your product niche. On your thank you page, you could have a discount for your product. This way, you’re giving something valuable before asking them to buy something. It's an effective marketing tool.

 

Who Do You Want to See Your Ads

If you want to target existing customers, you can download your customer list from Amazon. If you go this route giving a coupon can be effective since they’ve already purchased from you. If you’re not using existing customers and go into broad targeting, it makes more sense to use a giveaway or to provide something an informational freebie and then make the sale on the backend once you’ve cultivated and built the relationship. Always test it to see which works best for your market and brand before making a final decision of what works best in the long run,

 

If you don’t have a business with multiple revenue streams, it’ll be harder to make ads work. You can also offer promotions if they buy more of your product to bring in additional sales. Or start to make content related to your product niche.

 

Amazon Is the Unicorn of Online Sales Platforms

Amazon has made it so easy to put your product on there and start to make money, but it’s not always that easy, especially with Facebook Ads. They do give you lots of features, but it’s not easy to turn it into revenue. Generally, you need to plan for the worst and work towards the best when you’re advertising your new product.

 

You need to work on creating a real business for Facebook Ads to work. You don’t have to create content to create an email list, but we highly recommend it. You need to build your business and not just sell a product to make it a channel that works best for your business. When you have additional people, you can reach out to it’s beneficial and will make it much easier to scale in the long run.

 

 

You can drive as much traffic to amazon as you want, but how do you scale that in a profitable way? Have a bunch of other products or provide visitors wit ha place where they are paying you back with ads or affiliate links that you have on your site.

 

Use the Brand Creators PlayBook to Get Started

If you want to build out a site that has useful content and drives traffic over time, check out our playbook that helps you identify your market on the traffic side and how monetization your business in ways you may not have considered before. To get your copy head over to brandcreatorsbook.com, if you’re just starting this your foundation, it is a great tool to get you started.

 

Be sure to check out the full blog post going over Facebook Ads that Chris has laid out to help you out! Thanks so much for joining us today!

 

As always I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.

 

Now it’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand!

5 Take-Aways From Today’s Episode

  1. Are Facebook Ads Worth It? (3:57)
  2. Two Ways to Drive Traffic From Facebook to Amazon (10:35)
  3. Does It Make Sense to Use Facebook Ads For a Single Product (17:33)
  4. Learn The Game to Get More Sales (22:53)
  5. What to Ask Before Creating Your Facebook Ad (30:04)

 

Quote:  Always maximize your advertising efforts on Amazon before creating Facebook Ads for your products.

Direct download: RYB839_1.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Welcome to another week of our Friday Jam session. This is always one of the highlights of my week. I love spending some time with some awesome people and answering some great questions. If you want to be a part of our Take Action Crew, we go live every single Friday where you can ask me any questions you have about starting your business. To join us, head over to takeactioncrew.com to sign up for free.

Let’s dive right into today’s session. 

Valuable Advertising and Affiliate Info 

This week I had a bunch of questions related to ads and affiliate links and when is the best time to use them.  I'm excited to answer a few of those today, and hopefully, you'll find my answers helpful. 

When to Apply for Affiliate or Ad Programs 

Don't apply too early. You need to focus on getting traffic before you can even consider monetizing your site. Once you get there, you'll have plenty of options. We didn't turn on ads until we had 18,000 visitors to our site for one of the brands we're working on. 

We do have a few affiliates but no ad networks. You'll need at least 10,000 visitors to your site to qualify for an ad network.

 Don’t talk about monetization until you have traffic. 

Start out by writing a few pieces of content, including reviews or comparisons, where you can go back in later and add affiliate links when you're ready. Just get the content written now, and you can do the rest in the future. 

Should I Consider Advertising on My Website

Yes, advertising is great. Over on brandcreators.com, I'm currency only offering private offerings. Our playbook, checklist, and signups for Brand Creators when registration is open again in July. I'm not selling anything else on my site. 

We do have a resources page with all the products that we use that link to affiliate programs.  If you're driving traffic to your site to sell your own stuff, I recommend limiting your advertising to other companies. You'll just need to pick and choose what to include. On a side note, I do run ads on a couple of our other sites. 

Just be sure that any ads you include on your site are of interest to your visitors. 

In regards to affiliate links, you can have a few on your site, and once the traffic is there, people will see the. Keep in mind that the benefits of affiliate links just aren't there when you only have a few thousand-page views. Instead, focus on creating content and wait to get steady traffic to worry about affiliates.

How to Get The Most Out of Your Blog  

When you’re getting ready to start a new website or blog, it can be overwhelming. This week I answered a few questions that I hope will help make it easier to get started. 

What Elements to Include on Your Homepage 

Let people know immediately that they’ve come to the right place. Answer the questions they’re looking to have answered. Always have a lead magnet front and center but also make sure they know they are in the right place and not just in an eCommerce store, so it’s not a turn-off. 

Ask yourself what your visitors are trying to achieve and tell them right up front how you can help. Keep your messaging on brand which will help detract people who aren’t ready to hear your message or not apart of our target market. 

Why You Should Integrate Your Online Store to Your New Blog

Include a tab on your blog that includes access to your shop. Integrate the two as soon as possible, especially if they are in the same niche and go hand in hand. You can always have a separate Shopify store and use a  subdomain, so it still looks like it’s all apart of the same website.

Post Blog Content As Soon As Your Website is Up and Running 

Who is seeing your unpolished blog if you don’t feel like it’s ready? 

Just start publishing blog posts, and you can make changes to your site later. There will always be things you want to change and fix. But to an average person, they’re going to look past those things. Just start getting it running so you can monetize sooner. You won’t get any traffic if you don’t publish any content. There’s no better time like the present to get started.  

How To Come Up With New Blog Content

What are the five questions your market is asking right now? Write “how to” articles that answer these common questions. They are easy to answer and are asked often. 

Create a content tree where you have the main content topic you’ll focus on and branch off from there.

Head over to Google and use the autofill feature to see what is being searched for often in your niche and what keywords people are using. 

Best Ways to Sell Digital Courses or E-books on your site. 

You’ll need to create a sales funnel on your site. It can be as simple as creating a landing page in Convertkit or Gumroad. Keep it simple.  

Build an email list and hop on social to bring people to your website where they can view your digital course or e-book. 

How to Structure an Interview 

I start by asking questions that you, as the listener, will benefit from. Know your audience and what they would want to know.  

Make sure the person you’re interviewing feels comfortable. 

When I interview, I only have a couple of points, including their back store. 

I also ask a few of the questions, like what did they do when they had a business venture fail.

So many people don’t typically share their failures, and I think it’s so important for my listeners to hear about how successful people overcame rejection and discouragement. 

When I interview, I want to know what people do on the days that are bad. And how they kept pushing through. Get really raw and real. Get questions answered that they aren’t usually asked. 

Live Streaming & Video Editing Tips 

I’ve had a lot of questions about live streaming during the past few weeks and am excited to touch on a few of those today. 

Live Streaming Videos on Multiple Platforms

In the beginning, you need to get comfortable and make it easy. Start broadcasting to one platform. You can always add another platform at a later date. The goal is to get a few people watching who you can engage with. Even if you don’t have anyone watching in the beginning, still get started and don’t overthink think it. 

Live streams are not easily searchable on Facebook. Consider streaming to YouTube because it’s saved on the site and makes it super easy for people to search for those videos at a later date. You can always take your YouTube video and upload it to Facebook. It’ll perform better when you upload it directly to Facebook.

Should I Go Live & Stick With The Same Time Every Week

When you do something live there is less structure and it becomes more natural. Just get started and know what you’re going to do upfront.

Commit to yourself and show up the same time every week. This will help people look forward to joining and know when to expect they’ll hear from you. Consider answering questions that show you are an authority in your market. 

How to Crop Videos for YouTube

ScreenFlow is great for Mac users. You can zoom in and even slow zoom on different parts of your video. 

If you’re just starting out consider going to Fiveer and hiring out someone to edit your videos for you! It’s pretty cheap to find someone and will save you lots of time from having to do it yourself if you have a lot going on. 

Too Many Plugins Will Slow Down Your Site

Keep your website very light so it runs faster. You don’t need a bunch of plugins to get started. If your site is slow people won’t stick around. I recommend starting out with just a couple of plugins like Yoast and an optimization plugin that compresses images. 

Always check to see how your site works on mobile.

Why I Don’t Charge More for My Products 

I’ve had a lot of questions about why my products are so affordable. In particular, my Brand Creators Playbook. I use this all the time within Brand Creators. I only charge $4.99 for the playbook. If you buy my book, it shows that you are interested in my content and is a great lead magnet. I also want to help you succeed, and I can reach more people if I charge less.

If you purchase the playbook, I do off a market selection class, but I don’t advertise to anyone else. I actually go in and show you how to go through the process to find if a market is good and show some examples of some that should be avoided. 

My goal is to give people enough content and information to get them started. And if they’re interested they can join Brand Creators when it opens again in July. 

Always give people as much value as you can and don’t be afraid of giving too much. 

The goal is to attract the right people.

Thanks For Tuning In!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Friday jam session. Head over to takeactioncrew.com to join for free. We go live every Friday at 10 am when I answer all your questions. Thanks for being here.

Remember, I’m here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you!

It’s time for you to take action and go rock your brand! 

Take-Aways From Today’s Episode

  1. Valuable Advertising and Affiliate Info (3:50)
  2. How to Get The Most Out of Your Blog (7:13) 
  3. How to Structure an Interview (15:40) 
  4. Live Streaming & Video Editing Tips (9:20)
  5. Why I Don’t Charge More for My Products (41:45) 

Quote

You won’t get traffic if you don’t publish content. There’s no better time like the present to get started.  

Or 

Always give people as much value as you can and don’t be afraid of giving too much. 

Direct download: RYB838.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

This week on the podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Jon Gordon, the author of “The Carpenter” and the “Energy Bus.” Today You’re going to learn all about the obstacles that he faced and how he overcame being turned down by 30 publishers for his first book. He’ll dive into all his failures and how he’s dealing with overcoming tough moments. He’s full of positivity, and I’m excited for you to hear from him, so let’s dive right in. 

How Jon Became The King of Positivity 

 

I consider myself a naturally pessimistic optimist. I always start by focusing on the negative. In fact, I had to learn how to become positive and, after years of practice, firmly believe that somehow, someway we will always get through difficult times. 

 

The worst parts of my life have to lead me to where I am today, so I am grateful for those moments of growth and learning. I had to somehow find hope and have a strong foundation in order to move forward every time things get tough. I didn’t choose positivity, it actually chose me. 

 

As a naturally negative person, I know how hard it but also know that you have the power to overcome the thorns and turn the negativity you’re feeling into something incredibly positive. The people who choose to take a positive approach are the ones who take action, are timeless, and end up getting things done. 

 

I was rejected by 30 publishes when I wrote my first book and it didn’t become a best seller for 5 years after it was first published. I actually started out by doing my own small tour with a few people showing up in every city. 

 

My vision was to encourage and inspire as many people as possible, one person at a time, and I knew that even though I was starting out small, it was still worth it. The goals for my business have changed over the years, but the vision has always remained the same. My motto is “win today.” If you wake up every day focused on winning just for the day, you will create the future.

 

You have to overcome fear and doubt and focus on what matters most. I have found that by trusting in God and encouraging others, I am able to set aside negative thoughts. 

 

No matter how tough things get to continue to work hard, and you will eventually see great success in the future. What you believe in right now will help to determine what you create moving forward.

 

There is a positive and negative dog inside each of us and whichever one we choose to feed will win the fight in the end. I recommend talking to yourself instead of listening. Feed yourself words of encouragement to motivate yourself and keep pushing forward. Being positive doesn’t guarantee that you will succeed but if you focus on the negative it means that you will fail. 

 

Note From Scott: Even the most successful people have challenges. We all face obstacles and have rough days. Whatever you feed your brain, that is what is going to win. Whatever you focus on is going to become your reality. 

Jon’s Take Action Moment 

When I had the idea for my book, The Energy Bus, I wrote it in 3 ½ weeks. Every day I got up early to write, took a break to walk, practice gratitude say a pray and do it all over again. At night I would spend some time editing and brainstorm more ideas for the remainder of the book. 

 

After I finished writing, I found an agent and started to reach out to publishers. I was turned down by 30 publishers, but I didn’t give up. Eventually, it was picked up by a few coaches, businesses, and teachers, and it snowballed from there. 

 

I self-promoted the book and went on tour. There were some cities where I didn’t have scheduled appointments, but I chose to be fearless and just went for it. I wouldn’t be doing the work I do today if I didn’t do all that. I choose to stay humble and hungry, even to this day. 

 

The most successful people never think they have arrived and always want to grow and are always on a mission to make a bigger difference.

How Jon Overcame 30 Rejections of His Book 

I just keep showing and up and doing the work. Don’t let the critiques get in your head, and don’t worry about the response you’re getting now. It takes time to see success.

 

Now in a year or two, if you’re still not getting a response, then it may be time to reevaluate your current direction. For now, just keep going, and you’ll see it start your business grow and hard work pays off. 

 

Instant success just doesn’t happen. If you love what you do, you’ll continue to work at it. Discipline is easy if you really love doing something, so focus on getting better and ask yourself where you want to be in ten years. 

The Path to Success

 

  • Love the process
  • Have a vision
  • Start building it every day 
  • Don’t give up if you don’t get a quick response.

 

How Jon’s Side Hustle Became His Full-Time Career 

My number one piece of advice is not to leave your full-time job until you start to see some success in your side hustle. I owned a restaurant when I first started writing my books. I found one hour a day to write and kept moving forward with my goal. At first, I had to do both so I could keep food on my family’s table. 

 

Make money with your job and make sure you’re dedicating time to building your side hustle every single day. You’ll know when it’s time to make the leap. Even an hour a day will have a huge impact and make that jump-off point arrive even faster than you could have ever imagined.

Ways to Manage Your Side Hussle

 

  • Stay true to who you are
  • Work on your craft
  • Build it
  • Make a commitment to work on your side hustle

 

Note From Scott: It might not be your ultimate passion but you need to be passionate about the process from the beginning 

How Jon Defined His Core Message

I have experienced many ups and downs in my life.

 

I found that every time I talked about positivity and encouragement, I felt energized, and I knew that is what I wanted my life’s work to focus on. At the time, I had no idea that I would write about leadership, but I just jumped, and it led me to all these other things I could never have imagined. 

 

Often times, people think you have to have it all figured out when you start. Just go with your gut, and when you’re on the right path, it will lead to other things. Eventually, it will all come together in time. 

 

Everything prepared me for future ventures, and it’s crazy to see how far I’ve come.

 

I found my calling and purpose around 30 years old and didn’t’ become “successful” in my chosen career until I was closer to 40, so it took a long time to get there. One thing will teach and lead you to the next. Just be patient. 

 

Ask yourself ten years from now what do I want to create, what am I doing and what does it look like? Is it part of my core purpose. Don’t want to waste time ad energy on things that aren’t. 

 

Note From Scott: I went from being Scott the e-commerce guy and selling on Amazon and realized I wanted to be the guy who supports people in starting their own business and living out their dreams. In the past 18 months, I’m worked to shift my trajectory. 

The Carpenter

If you care more you’ll do more and those who care build greatness. Those who focus on excellence and are craftsmen will always do well no matter the economy. You need to focus your efforts to love to serve and care. I wrote my book around those principles. 

Wrap Up With Scott 

 

As we’ve done the rebrand for the podcast, Jon has built what we call a rockstar brand. Someone who is willing to share and help others. It’s about staying true to who you are and always focus on winning the day. Now it’s time for you to go check out his books the “Energy Bus” and “The Carpenter.” Both are must-reads and have changed my life for the better. Thanks again for joining us today. 

 

As always I am here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.

 

It’s time for you to get out there and take action

Take-Aways From The Episode

  1. How Jon Became The King of Positivity (4:38)  
  2. Jon’s Take Action Moment (18:00)
  3. How Jon Got Through 30 Rejections From Publishers (21:21) 
  4. How Jon’s Side Hustle Became My Full-Time Hussle (25:26)
  5. How Jon Defined His Core Message (30:00)

 

Quote from the episode 

 

Being positive doesn’t guarantee that you will succeed but if you focus on the negative it means that you will fail. 

Direct download: RYB837.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

What if I told you that you’re working harder than you need to. What if you could do less while still watching your business continue to grow? Today I’m excited to share how this is possible and how you can start implementing this stragety immediately. I shared this at the Sellar’s Summit a while back and am glad that I’m finally able to share it with you today.

 

Remember, just because you’re always busy doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re making progress. The exercise that I’m going to share with you today will help you to identify what has worked for your business in the past or what is working now and how you can do more of that to keep building momentum.

 

Every day I show up at 10 am EST time with my take action crew. We talk about everything you need to do to be successful in business and life to get massive results. If you’re ready to join us, head on over to takeactioncrew.com and sign up, it’s totally free, and you’ll be able to ask me questions each week that will help grow your brand.

 

If you’re ready to get massive results for your business, let's dive right in!

Moving the Needle Exercise

 

It’s time to reduce, overwhelmed, and grow your business. It’s important to ask yourself lots of questions and take the time to provide thoughtful answers. When we ask ourselves questions, it forces our brain to find the answer that we’re looking for. I’m going to share a few questions you need to answer to help you grow your business.

 

Step 1: What area of your business would you like to grow?

 

Note: Personally, I want to drive more traffic to my site because I want to make more money. If we can get the right people to come to our site from our target market, that is the goal, to get more traffic, it’s time to dig into your data and see exactly where your traffic is coming from.

 

Step 2: There are three parts to this question

 

  1. What has worked for you in the past?
  2. What takeaways and lessons have you learned from the past?
  3. What is your next step?

 

Step 3: Create your plan moving forward and analyze the answers to the prior two questions.

 

It’s much more simple than you might think. But it’s human nature to tend to try and over complicate things.

Do More of What’s Working

 

You can’t do it all, and it’s as simple as that. Instead, focus on doing more of what’s been working for you in the past.

 

As an example, I have a brand that is three years old that;t I’m in the process of selling. As of January 1st, 2020, we had 736,385 page views, including 372,880 new users.

 

We have some good traffic, but I want to increase it every more. We took some time to look at our data to see where the traffic is coming from.

 

Total users coming from Social - 177,514

Pinterest - 107,179 vs YouTube - 594

 

From looking at the data, I am clearly getting much higher traction from Pinterest than YouTube. The experts will tell me to continue to focus on YouTube and try to grow my presence there. However, I should focus on what’s working, and clearly, that is Pinterest. 

 

Always focus on what’s been proven in the past to get you the best results.

 

I have a newer brand that is also showing significant progress from Pinterest. Double down on the areas where we can see the numbers and are getting the most movement. We don’t need to shift our focus to something new until we max out the methods that are working for us now.

Process Break-Down

 

Step 1: What has worked in the past?

 

  • Create pins for each blog post.

 

Step 2: What takeaways or lessons can you learn from your past successes?

 

  • Create multiple pins for each blog post so you have a better chance of having more people see them.

 

Step 3: What is your next step?

 

  • Add pins to old blog posts and hire a VA to scale the process for new posts.
  • Use what has worked in the past and do more of that - Use tunnel vision to focus on what the data is telling you.

 

Step 4: Create a plan & process

 

  1. Make more pins
  2. Add multiple pins to each blog post
  3. Add new pins to Pinterest boards
  4. Evaluate old pins and look at the data
  5. Create more content around the topics that have the most traction
  6. Hire a VA to manage and scale

 

Note: Look for clues - even a small amount of data will help you see what’s working and what you should focus on moving forward.

Round Two of the Exercise

 

Once you’ve determined the number one source of traffic, it’s time to move on the second and implement the “move the needle” exercise again. For our example, the second-highest source of traffic is coming from organic search with over 140,000 new users

 

The goal: I want to grow our Google traffic

 

#1 What has worked in the past?

 

  • Writing articles that answer questions and how-to posts

 

#2 What takeaways or lessons can you learn from your past successes?

 

  • Google takes 3-4 months to index new content in search and send traffic to your website.

 

#3 What is your next step?

 

  • Find more keywords to write about on a regular basis and hire additional writers and content editors to scale the process.

 

#4 Create a plan & process

 

  1. Find the best keywords to write articles on
  2. Post weekly content
  3. Use an email list to amplify progress
  4. Hire a VA to scale

 

Note: Spend 90% of your time working on things that you know work. If you’re able to focus enough time getting those things done you can focus 10% of your time learning and exploring new things that are not proven to drive the most traffic to your site.

It’s Time to Take Action!

After sharing a couple of examples of how to implement my “move the needle exercise,” I hope you can now see the power of identifying what areas you need to focus on to bring more traffic. This will help you overcome the shiny object syndrome. Spending your time focused on things that appear shiny, new, and fun. Instead, you need to look back and see what’s worked in the past and build on that.

 

It’s time for you to apply what you’ve learned today and go and take action.

 

Remember, I’m here for you, I believe in you and am rooting for you.

 

It’s time for you to take action, now go get em!

5 Take-Aways From Today’s Episode

1. Moving the Needle Exercise (1:25)

2. Do More of What’s Working (2:00)

3. Process BreakDown (9:40)

4.Round Two of the Exercise (12:10)

5. It’s Time to Take Action (14:48)

 

Quote

 

“The exercise that I’m going to share with you today will help you to identify what has worked for your business in the past or what is working now and how you can do more of that to keep building momentum.”

 

Or

 

“It’s time to reduce, overwhelmed, and grow your business.”

 

 

 

Direct download: RYB835.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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