Welcome to the 12th episode of our 'Thinking the Unthinkable' series. Today we shall be squirming in our seats as we talk about whether 'Affiliate marketing is disingenuous'. Affiliate marketing has never been our thing, but with making content there has to be some way to pay for the time. Certainly we have earned some commissions from it via our individual content. I think it fair to say we have struggled with it and here we are questioning whether it is a necessary or unnecessary evil. Is it a useful way for WordPress product owners to make some additional income? Perhaps you think that it's a sleazy way for marketers to hype products which they don't believe in? Maybe it's both, or neither! Have a listen to the podcast, and then leave is a comment.
So you're in the business of selling WordPress websites? If you are in that business, then I can guarantee you that there's more money to be made than just getting the site done and then moving on. Today it's all about the upsells that we might offer. We go through a list of things that we've tried in the past, some of which were profitable and easy to do, others of which were hard and lost us money. It's a lottery to be honest! Things that one person excels at, others might be loathed to do. Website hosting, email hosting, design, custom development, social media, content creation, SEO, optimisation... I could go on. In fact, I (we) do in the episode today. Have a listen and then head over to the post and leave us a comment.
In today’s world there is no difference between “digital” and “physical” products insofar as the transactional engine of your website is concerned. While it may have been true in the past that certain products like EDD were focused on capabilities for those who sell digitally licensed subscription software, that is no longer a factor, as the capability exists for WooCommerce to do everything. Since WooCommerce is one of the most popular plugins in the entire WordPress ecosystem, why “wouldn’t” anyone use it for all purposes? And that's what the podcast is about today, a plugin called LaunchFlows which will help you supercharge your WooCommerce store. Go listen...
Having a newsletter is one of the best ways that you can communicate with an audience. In fact, I'd go as far as to say, that it's the best. There's no third-party platform involved. You are communicating with people who have signed up, and therefore really want to get your content. But, it can be a dull job keeping the content flowing. Today we learn about a SaaS platform which might just make that job a lot less painful. I've started to use it and it's shaved hours out of my week. Go listen to the podcast today to find out more...
Marketers rejoice! WP Landing Kit is a plugin that you've wanted for ages and ages and now you have it! It allows you to point all of your domains at one WordPress install! You can then control all of your landing pages from one WordPress install, meaning that you save time on updating it and you can use successful page templates with ease. You might not immediatley see the utility of a plugin like this, but after listening to the podcast, you'll realsise that it's a genius idea. Jason Schuller is on the podcast today to talk about how it all works and how you can use it. Go listen...
Today we chat with Jason Resnick, a seasoned WordPress pro, who has been working with WordPress and eCommerce pretty much when it all started out! We're talking today about 'word of mouth' marketing. Now, most people when asked about word of mouth will probably see this as something that happens organically, something that you don't really have all that much control over. After all it's happening in situations largely outside of your control. You can offer a great service and hope that people are going to mention your name when they get asked the question... 'Who would you recommend to build my WordPress website?', but it's little more than hope, right? Jason explains why it's a little bit more than this in this weeks podcast...
This episode is all about trying to make some kind of impact... how you can actually get people to notice what it is that you're doing and make them want to care about it, enough perhaps to become your client. So for this people really need to know what it is that you do. Not for a myriad of things that you might be interested in doing, but the core things that you do well and that are profitable for your business. Alongside all of this is the need to have some kind of emotional impact as well, something that really resonates with your clients. We go into all of this in the podcast, so why don't you have a listen...
This episode is looking at who we think our idea WordPress clients might be and where we might find them. There's more to this subject than meets the eye! for a start, when are the people who we're trying to engage as clients actually receptive to our messages? It might not be at the times that you think are suitable. Perhaps they work late into the evening, or the team is dotted all over the globe? In terms of the who, this can be really hard - trying to work out exactly who we are going to target and therefore the kind of messages that they're likely to resonate with. Should we push towards word of mouth, or perhaps use social media channels to get some traction? What should those messages sound like, controversial, a debate, riding a common theme? It's all in the WP Builds podcast this week...
So many places to post your marketing messages and so many forms that they can take. What options are there and are any more useful than the others? We're taking another dive into the 'Watertight Marketing' book by Bryony Thomas, and exploring an area that neither David or I (Nathan) are particularly experienced at. We go over as many ways as we can think of for getting your (or your client) messages out there and think about what they might look or sound like. It's a surprisingly long list and it's changing all the time. What looked cool 3 years ago, might look foolish today and the platform of choice seems to change with alarming regularity! Have a listen to us chat this all through on the WP Builds Weekly WordPress Podcast.
Creating content on your WordPress website that attracts people can be hard if you don't have a plan. Miles Beckler has a system to create content that people want to read. It's a simple system too. It might be something that you've implemented in the past, but it might be completely new to you. The approach is about creating content that you know that people are searching for, and for that you need a keyword tool (see the show notes).From there you write content that you are certain that people are actually going to want to read. You make it the best that you can, and you get better and faster at doing it. The beauty of this being held within WordPress is that it's going to be around for years to come and you can alter it should your data show that's it's in need of a tweak. You're not going to get rich over night, and that's not the point, but if you're willing to engage with Miles' process, you might find a new and interesting way to get paid. Fun listen...
You know how this goes... You have an inbox and it's overflowing. You have almost no time in the day to deal with nonsense, but you do read your emails... some of your emails. But which ones? Which emails make the cut and get opened and which ones fall by the wayside, their only purpose in life was just to add a tiny amount to the carbon footprint? Building WordPress websites, you need to advise your clients about ways that they can interact with their customers or audience. They need to have a little understanding in terms of how they can market to the world. Perhaps you're not the person to teach them all of this, and yes, there might be people out there who are heaps better at marketing than you are (this is certainly true for myself and David), but that should not stop you thinking about this subject and offer your clients some thoughts as to what might work, and certainly what does not work anymore. Check out the podcast to hear our thoughts on this...
Why should your WordPress website clients have any confidence in your ability to actually build and deploy their website? After all there are so many competitors to choose from. Is there any way that you can turn disbelief into belief? In another exploration of the 'Watertight Marketing' book we discuss this subject. Perhaps you've been using testimonials and turning them into case studies. These are easy to do, and no doubt quite effective, but how on earth do you actually get your clients to give up their precious time to provide then to you? Are you best just asking them directly or should you have them on some kind of 'website launch' sequence which guides them towards this? Are you going to tell them what to say or just leave it up to them, knowing that they'll miss out most of the things that you really need. It's a really difficult subject and one that both David and I feel that we need some help with!
How do your WordPress website clients 'try before they buy'? What can we do to trust our services and try them out before they part with their money. We share some ideas about that. Because, in the real world, we want to try out all-the-things before we buy them. Shoes, clothes, phones... most things. But was can't allow customers to try out the finished website before they are to sign the contract... we'd be broke. But perhaps there are some other ways that we can build up the trust that they need to have in us, ways that won't break the bank for us, but offer meaningful value to the clients and slowly, but surely edge them closer to the ultimate goal... the building of their new WordPress website. Join David and Nathan as they discuss what might be possible...
This discussion is another based on the book Watertight Marketing by Bryony Thomas which gives us 13 areas where we (or our clients) could be leaking potential business. With this series, we are working our way up an imaginary funnel starting first with our existing customers (Leak #1), then our on-boarding for leads (Leak #2) Now we are looking at Leak #3 – No emotional connection - Your brand or reputation – what kind of people are you? All of the elements above come together to really sum up what your company is about. It’s what will determine how it feels to be a customer of yours. It is what builds your company's reputation. This happens over time, but there are some foundations you need to lay. And those are what your company looks and sounds like.
Join Nathan Wrigley as he discusses Jim Galiano’s new course with the man himself! Get the course here: 80323-wpbuilds.mystagingwebsite.com/link/jim/ “A Solopreneur’s Guide to Starting, Building and Marketing a Successful Digital Agency” This course is designed to teach you how to…
This is a little mini-series based upon the book 'Watertight Marketing' by Bryony Thomas. This is about that time in the client / project lifecycle when they (the client) have made some kind of commitment to use your products or services, they might even have signed a contract, but you've not delivered anything yet. It's a time when they can still 'get away' from you. Yes, you might have a contract in place whereby you can insist that they are obliged to give you this or that, but honestly, have you ever enforced this, or is it better to just let them walk away and save yourself the legal fees and headache of trying to get them to pay up what they owe you? David calls this 'The Welcome Window'. You think that you have them as a client, but it's still possible for things to go wrong...
This episode is really about keeping the WordPress clients that you already have. What's the old phrase? Don't leave money on the table? Well, that's certainly the case for many of us. This is another episode in our mini series and it's all about trying to get as much value from and to the clients that you already have. Perhaps you build sites and then just move on not making use of the rapport and connections that you've made. Surely though, our existing clients are the ones that know us and what we do best. They have trust in you and what you're able to offer. So today we explore what we've done to foster these client relationships and David has some great ideas about what he's doing with his own agency. Well worth a listen...
This discussion is about marketing, and it has a very click-bait title! It’s probably safe to say that we are not experts in marketing and certainly not marketing funnels. Nevertheless we thought we would chat about this and why we might need to get better a digital marketing for ourselves and clients and where WordPress could help with that. What's different about this discussion is that really is an introduction to a series of discussions we will have based on a book called Watertight Marketing by Bryony Thomas. Listen to this episode to find out more...
In this episode of the WP Builds WordPress podcast we chat to Hahna Kane Latonick. She has a background as a software engineer but decided some time ago that what she really wanted to do was to help coders and developers to run their businesses more successfully. We all know that running a business is not the same thing as being a great developer and so Hahna is here to give you the guidance and support that you might need to both at the same time.
This weeks WordPress news - Covering The Week Commencing 3rd June 2019
When you sell your WordPress websites to your clients, do you push the logical or the emotional? Do you talk about technical details or how easy and beautiful it will be? It's so easy to go down the route of the technical details, the SEO and caching that you'll put in place - this will all be good, but maybe your clients want to hear about cool it's going to look and how it's going to make people stop and marvel at the design. David has a problem and we try to solve it...
Do you post your content to multiple social platforms? If you do, I'm almost certain that this task is a little bit on the dull side. Is it isn't it? It takes time and is repetitive. Social Web Suite is a WordPress plugin that hooks into your social media accounts just waiting for your to publish something. As soon as you do, it gets to work making the social media posting nightmare evaporate - it does it all for you. Check it out.
Email marketing is usually the domain of expensive SaaS apps. Well, not any more. With the Groundhogg WordPress plugin you can automate all-the-things from inside your website! It's got lots of customisation options and works with a visual builder, just like the services that you're currently using. Adrian comes on to tell us about how it all got started and how the plugin works and what scenarios it might be useful for...
Phil Singleton is one of those guys who seems to do 15 things all at once, and doing them really well. His background, like many of us is not web design and development. He started in finance and insurance and hated it. Now he's an SEO specialist with a projects under his belt. We chat about the fact that SEO has changed over the years and what strategies you can employ with your WordPress website clients to ensure that their sites rank well, as well as being able to pitch SEO as one of your services.
In this discussion episode with David and I, we discuss an idea called "The Magic Email". It's a really simple email that you can send to get something... anything back from a client who has gone AWOL. Simply, the email is designed to be deployed with the minimum of effort from you, but in return you'll get clarity if the email is replied to as well as if the email is not replied to! It's 17 words long and brings up some interesting points...
WP Builds Newsletter #44 - WordPress marketing, image optimisation and a super detailed image
I don't know you, but I know for an absolute fact that I'm hopeless at marketing. I'm not very good at it and it find it really hard to do, or to get excited about. It's a something that I've struggled with for a long time. I'm lucky in that I have enough work (right now) to keep me going and it comes my way largely through word of mouth. Because I'm a study in mediocrity, this is fine by me; I have not needed to market too much to keep my head above the water. But I'm hoping that you're not as satisfied with mediocre, as I am - you're a get-up-and-got type aren't you? You want more out of life than I do? Well guess what, you're going to have to market yourself in order to get, because you can be sure that competitors will.
The SaaS app that you use on the WP Builds website to enter the competitions is called Viral Loops and today we have Savvas Zortikis on to speak about it.The idea behind viral marketing is that you offer something that people want and you ask them for their email in return. Well, that's all pretty standard stuff that we've all known about since 1995! The word 'viral' is used here because of the fact that your entrants are encouraged to share your offer because if they do, they increase their own chance of winning. The more you share, the more you're likely to walk away with the prize.
In this episode we are joined for the second time by Mike Killen who runs Sell Your Service. Last time he was on the WP Builds podcast, he talked about how to create funnels to assist you with your marketing goals. He made the process seem to simple! Well, I think that his experience on the podcast went to his head, because soon after we'd ended the call we started to talk about his new idea - Beaver Funnels. This is his game changing plugin that allows you to leverage the awesomeness of the Beaver Builder Page Builder and use it to create point and click funnels.
Today we have Kim Doyal, aka The WordPress Chick, on the podcast. I don’t think that it’s entirely possible that you’ve not heard of her before if you’ve been in the WordPress space for any length of time! She a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm and has been pushing put content at a breathtaking rate day after day, year after year. Does she ever sleep, no! Is she great, YES!
Whatever I do on the internet these days, I seem to be being followed about by Mike Killen, the guest for this week. I see his face everywhere, posting here, in a sponsored post there, I cannot get away from him. The reason for this is that a) he’s really got an understanding how how to be on my radar with his products and services b) he’s just so damn handsome, so I cannot miss him when he does appear.
How do we introduce Jim Galiano? Galiano (you need to say that like you’re Robert De Niro), New Yorker accent, grandfather in the boxing business, connections with entertainers. We know what you’re thinking… mafia support... Jim is an online consultant and author who started years ago and has loads to share.
In this, episode 9 of the WPBuilds podcast, David Waumsley and Nathan Wrigley discuss the topic of promoting a web design business. Being the non-experts that they both are, they do some of the things that they talk about. Most of the ideas are things that they’ve heard about, but don’t do!
