Top Marketing Strategies Podcast

EMD's are every marketer's best friend - right? Say what? Never heard of an EMD? Well whether you've heard of them or are even an experienced marketer using EMD's, this episode has got a ton of golden nuggets on how to leverage EMDs for all they're worth and rake in more traffic, more leads and, most importantly, more sales. There are a lot of approaches to using EMDs - some are purely tactical and others quite strategic in nature. We discuss the various approaches as well as give you some advice on things you should be careful with in your business. In this episode we also have some great content in the Pick the Brain segment. It's all about understanding conversion numbers and metrics that are common place in the industry so that you know how you're doing in comparison. It's always tough to know if your numbers are good or not, this will give you some baseline metrics that will help. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We define what EMD's are and how to effectively use them We talk about various EMD strategies as well as the various TLD domain names We discuss what to do when you can't find the exact EMD you're looking for Should you use hyphens in your domain names? Should you use EMD's as a feeder? or a primary site domain? Don't forget: it's about getting the phone call Troy talks about a quick story about relevant local marketing tactics How you can make sales without someone even visiting your site We talk about using a tracking service for phone numbers for local marketing This is a strategy but also a tactic as well - make sure you understand the tactical issues involved How to use EMDs as feeder sites to grow your base We discuss search volume questions related to choosing your EMD names We give some tips for using Google's Adwords External Keyword Tool Mike discusses the many ways to skin a cat - lol We talk about an upcoming case study that we're running on ranking an EMD We talk about ranking quickly and realistic expectations We talk about the various benefits of EMD tactics We discuss what it means to be on page 1 in today's mobile environment Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com. That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We answer the callers question about what to expect in terms of numbers for conversions in your advertising This was a great question and we get it all the time. How do you know if your conversion numbers are "decent" or "great"? What are some of the baseline metrics for email open rates, email click thru rates, squeeze page conversion rates, and upsell conversion rates? Well, we dive into all of that in this week's episode. Action Items from this Episode Go out and find some EMDs that could help your main site Setup a small feeder EMD and start experimenting with this tactic for more traffic, leads and sales Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Check out our new TMS Store - we've even got some cool new T-Shirts!  

Everyone's a Social Marketing expert these days and about every other article written seems to be about the latest and greatest social marketing tactic d'jour. So what's our take on all of this? Well, it will likely surprise you a bit... Not only do we not claim to be Social Marketing mavens, but we also choose to instead redirect the conversation entirely and discuss what we feel is more important in the social arena - social engagement. We even reveal some very "unsexy" but useful forms of social engagement that most people overlook and take for granted. In this episode we also talk about Google Authorship and how you can use it wisely to improve your organic search presence as well as some other benefits that we discuss in the podcast. Enjoy! Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We're candid about our usage of Social Marketing Social Engagement and Social Marketing are NOT the same thing We talk about how you cannot possibly be a specialist in everything We discuss and define what social engagement is We talk about the three approaches you can take towards social engagement We suggest that you focus on your strength We discuss whether you should pay a firm We encourage you to focus on building relationships not on marketing so much Mike chokes on a chicken wing We talk about some other important forms of social engagement that most people miss What about commenting on the website/blog - is that a form of engagement? We've created our own forms of custom social engagement - our Brain Dump We don't claim to be social experts We transition into Google Authorship We talk about the three reasons for using Google Authorship We discuss both Yoast SEO Plugin as well as AuthorSure plugins We talk about how to use Authorship to enhance your organic presence We talk about why Google wants you to use Authorship We define AuthorRank and discuss its coming role in organic search We wrap things up by talking about engaging your audience Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We answer the callers question about how to use multiple Google+ accounts with various niche affiliate sites We talk about the reasons why you would and would not want to use multiple Google+ authorship accounts and answer the callers affiliate marketing related questions on the subject. Action Items from this Episode Go out and define your realistic social engagement plan Get Google Authorship setup on your site - if you don't use Yoast SEO Plugin, you can get the FREE AuthorSure plugin Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Yoast SEO Plugin AuthorSure Plugin TMS Content Writers - If you need help getting more content to your site, check out our services - blogging, curated content, product reviews and large authority content - we've got you covered.  

Linkbuilding, link building and more LINK building - isnt' that all that SEO is? Stop, rewind, take it back a few paces - we've got a very different perspective. The fact is that SEO is a lot more complex than simple linkbuilding, despite what you may have heard, and if that is what you've been fed then you're eatin' some poison fruit. In this episode - continuing our Top 10 Marketing Strategies of 2013 - you'll get the straight scoop on linkbuilding as well as learn what we're doing and get some great free resources you can check out as well. Enjoy! Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We talk in-depth about link building and SEO - are they the same thing? What is "inbound marketing"? Mike dives into his lipstick on a pig analogy (you've been warned) We answer the "why" behind SEO - why should you do it? SEO or listing your business in the Yellow Pages - how different is it? What type of traffic converts the best? Is organic traffic free? Easy? We discuss the difference between link building and SEO Why link building has gotten such a bad rep Onsite and offsite link building Do you still need link building? Using link building to market your site Why SEO traffic still converts the best Building links for authority Understanding the benefits of organic traffic vs paid Diversifying your links Naturalizing the look of your links Why quality matters when it comes to link building We discuss the different forms of link building Taking a multichannel approach to link building Why it's so important to go where your users are Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We answer the callers question about getting started with paid traffic and PPC When you realize that SEO is just one of many forms of traffic and that it is probably the least controllable form of traffic, the notion of focusing on paid traffic generation becomes very alluring. We talk about this and give our take about the best way to get started. Action Items from this Episode Go out and find 3 new resources for traffic and links every month Create a video and leverage the content into as many sources as possible and syndicate it out Check out the FREE SEO case study Resources Applicable to this Episode SEO That Works Today - FREE 90 minute case study on SEO with full disclosure and downloadable slides Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource CPA Quantum - See our review of this product here on the site Wunderlist app for task management - FREE app compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and supports sharing as well Audio Speed Ripper and Video Speed Ripper - Super cheap apps to speed up the playback of audio from both audio and video sources so that you spend less time listening to your audios (and videos) The TopMarketingStrategies.com Store - If you need help getting more content to your site, check out our services - blogging, curated content, product reviews and large authority content - we've got you covered.  

The next installment in our Top 10 Effective Marketing Strategies for 2013 arrives today and it's an "odd duck". In fact, I doubt that most marketers would consider site performance and security to be a marketing strategy - but it is. Your site's speed has a much bigger role in your marketing than you may think - and not just in how well it ranks within Google either. Don't get fooled into only thinking about Google traffic - the most important thing to remember is to value your user's experience and impression of your site and SPEED has a lot to do with that. Likewise, security has everything to do with trust and how well your site is trusted can have a great deal of influence on your rankings as well. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We talk about the two major benefits of site performance Why site performance and speed can impact your rankings Site speed and the user experience How poor site performance can actually tank your rankings We talk about S3, CDN and caching We talk about the hosting options available - from shared plans, VPS, Cloud based hosting, dedicated hosting, to fully managed hosting Which hosting service is right for your site? How security can affect your rankings We tell you what we use and why Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We talk about how you should and how you shouldn't use Fiverr.com when it comes to SEO Fiverr.com is a great site for getting cheap services. But does it make sense for SEO work? Should you use it on your site? Is there a way you could benefit from Fiverr.com without risking your site? We talk about all of that and more. Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Building Authority Sites - Although not referenced in the podcast, Building Authority Sites is a full-featured course that is very content centric and will help you build the authority and footprint of your site for expertise positioning and increased traffic and revenue ArticlesOnTap.com - If you need help getting more content to your site, check out our services - blogging, curated content, product reviews and large authority content - we've got you covered.  

Guest blog posting - isn't that old school? Yes, it is - but it works and works well especially in this post-Panda era of SEO. Mike and talk about this and many other strategies for how to use guest blog posting and leverage it in your marketing strategy as we continue our series on the Top 10 Marketing Strategies Today. We talk about how and why guest posting has become so popular again in 2012 and is once again a very important marketing strategy. We'll also talk about some of our personal experiences with it and the results we've obtained. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We define guest blog posting Getting your name out there through guest blog posting How guest blog posting can boost relevant traffic to your site Diversifying your traffic sources The impact of guest blog posting on your rankings through authority back links We discuss authority by association Opening up new opportunities through relationship-building How to get your first guest blog post out there How to approach other blogs for a guest blog post Using video to stand out against other potential contributors Why guest blog posting is more important than ever before Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We talk about using Google Analytics vs. other 3rd party analytics systems such as GetClicky.com After getting hammered by Penguin and Panda, a lot of people want to ditch Google Analytics in favor of GetClicky and other popular 3rd party analytics. But does it really impact your site or your rankings? Is making the switch really worth it? Will you really be hiding your information from Google by switching? Find out on this week’s Pick the Brain, and make sure you subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Action Items from this Episode Get out there and get started doing Guest Posts Identify the top guest posting candidate sites in your niche (make sure to look at their PageRank and linkcounts and see if they really are a strong authority site worth having a link from) Begin the process of guest posting, start slow, but get started Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Building Authority Sites - Although not referenced in the podcast, Building Authority Sites is a full-featured course that is very content centric and will help you build the authority and footprint of your site for expertise positioning and increased traffic and revenue ArticlesOnTap.com - If you need help getting more content to your site, check out our services - blogging, curated content, product reviews and large authority content - we've got you covered.  

In this episode we continue our series on the Top 10 marketing strategies today and explore the role of fresh content in your marketing efforts. There have been a lot of changes this year in SEO and Google's algorithms, but the need for quality unique content has always been there. But is it enough to just have quality unique content? Or do you need to have "fresh" content as well? We talk about this in-depth in this episode and also give you a lot of suggestions on how to create that content as well. UPDATE: The Top Marketing Strategies podcast is now LIVE in iTunes - subscribe here. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We talk about whether or not we actually need fresh content We discuss the various algorithm updates targeting fresh content We talk about what to do if you've already got great rankings with stale content We discuss the need to write for your readers, not for Google We point out the importance of user engagement and the role that fresh content serves It's not just about rankings - it's about engagement Content is not just "writing" - we talk about the multi-channel content options you have We give you a bunch of examples for how to come up with ideas on what to write about We discuss using random thoughts and blurbs to engage and get fresh content out there We talk about opening up a bit to your audience and letting them get to know you We discuss how you can use product reviews to create additional content for your site We talk about all of the benefits of fresh content including long-tail keyword rankings,  keeping your readers engaged, creating more exposures and marketing opportunities, enhancing your social presence and building out your site authority and footprint We talk about how you can be an authority by having a voice and having something to say We discuss how you can leverage outsourcing intelligently to boost your content creation Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We talk about whether or not you should create a generic or branded domain name We get this question all the time and so we wanted to take some time and give you our take on how to select a domain name that maximizes your options. Do you create a generic domain? Do you create a product specific domain name? Or do you go the individual/personal branding route and use your name for the domain name? We discuss all of these options and give you our take. Action Items from this Episode Publishing frequency depends on your niche and your readers - find what works for you Find some creative ways to create more content without creating more work leveraging a multi-channel approach Find a way of leveraging video in your content creation Get your content into more channels and more social circles Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Building Authority Sites - Although not referenced in the podcast, Building Authority Sites is a full-featured course that is very content centric and will help you build the authority and footprint of your site for expertise positioning and increased traffic and revenue ArticlesOnTap.com - If you need help getting more content to your site, check out our services - blogging, curated content, product reviews and large authority content - we've got you covered.  

This week we dive into a series of podcasts. The "what's working today" topic which we will explore in detail over the next several weeks of podcasts. In this episode we start with Content Curation - a very effective approach for content marketing that is both effective and easily outsourced. Just as we were about to publish episode 3 we saw that iTunes approved our podcast and it is now live. We never got the notification email that we were expecting, so it was a "pleasant surprise". All in all it took about two weeks to get approved - not bad. UPDATE: The Top Marketing Strategies podcast is now LIVE in iTunes - subscribe here. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We define blog curation We discuss how to use Google Alert to find newsworthy items in the web that are relevant to your blog We talk about how to curate the quotes from that content that you want to use We discuss how to cite the sources of the quotes while not overpromoting the source We look at the general rules and guidelines to follow in blog curation We talk about the importance of adding value to what was quoted Example on how to add value to content Need to limit the number of quotes/outbound links Curating videos, images and infographics We discuss the major benefits of blog curation How citing or linking out to quality sites can be beneficial to you Importance of choosing high quality sites to link to Development of good relationships with the other site owners Getting reciprocal links from those sites Enhancing your image as an expert Growing your content base in your site How blog curation helps you in outsourcing content Using a particular section in your site like "In the News" for your blog curation Our Pick the Brain Segment To submit your question to Mike and Troy, go to AskMikeandTroy.com.  That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. We can't promise you that your question will be featured on our "Pick the Brain" segment, but you never know! It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We discuss what types of linkbuilding are safe for 2013. We get this question all the time and so we wanted to take some time and give you the low down on some safe and effective linkbuilding strategies that you can't go wrong with. BTW, we'll be covering these in much more detail in the weeks to come in our upcoming podcasts, so make sure you subscribe to our podcast here in iTunes so you don't miss an episode! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crBLWv5C9B0&rel=0 Resources Applicable to this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Building Authority Sites Mike & Troy's Diverse SEO packages  

This week starts off a series of podcasts. The "what's working today" topic leads into a Top 10 list of the most effective marketing strategies today and starting with episode #3 we will dive into each of those Top 10 in much more detail over the next few weeks. We figured this was a great way to start off the new year - with clear guidance on how to be most effective with your marketing. Episode two has arrived. I wish I could say that we've got this down to a fine oiled process - LOL - but that's okay, we're having fun! We hope that you are enjoying it as well. If you are, please do us a favor and leave a review and rate the podcast inside of iTunes and tell us what you think! UPDATE: Now LIVE in iTunes - subscribe here. Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode A quick review of what used to work in SEO We talk about the false myth of ROI and SEO We define the mantra for 2012 SEO We talk about generic, naked and branded anchor text We discuss the importance of keyword derivatives and LSI We discuss the importance of diversification in anchor text Diversification rules the day in 2012 Why you should diversify your link sources as well What does it mean for a link to be helpful We introduce the concept of defensive link building Diversifying you traffic sources Reducing risk in your business Levering the easiest source of traffic you can control Diversifying your income source Diversifying your monetization source How to 2x or even 10x your income on a site The Top 10 marketing strategies that are effective today Our Pick the Brain Segment We're underway on AskMikeandTroy.com - it's still a bit "rough" but it is functional - so use it! That will tie into this "Pick the Brain" segment where you'll be able to submit questions to us for possible inclusion on the podcast. It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address!   In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We discuss buying Facebook Likes - should you? will it get you in trouble? Isn't it against the Facebook Terms of Services? Well, you don't want to miss this little gem because it's an awesome trick we've been using for a long time and many people are simply not aware of how simple and easy it is to get tons of valid and legit likes for your posts - and for cheap too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbCkKLSFbFY&rel=0 Action Items from this Episode Examine the monetization strategy of your site and look to improve it Make sure you're diversifying your traffic sources & link sources Take action, don't just "learn" - do! Find your passion and stick with it Don't be afraid to try new things Stay focused in your business Learn to use "the 30 day project" concept to keep you focused Resources Mentioned in this Episode Our Insider's Club Our new AskMikeandTroy.com resource Mike & Troy's Diverse SEO packages Facebook Promotions  

It's official - we've finally got off our butts and released the Top Marketing Strategies Podcast! We know we've been talking about this for awhile, so now it's time to put our money where our mouth is and put it all on the line. We hope you enjoy it! Now the way the process works is that we have to have the first episode live before we can submit to iTunes for approval, so it's not up there just yet, but should be very soon. Also, the first couple of episodes will come at you all pretty quick, but after that, we'll settle into a weekly publication cycle. The reason for that is that an "empty" podcast of just one episode looks pretty desolate and you really can't begin to market it until you have some content there, so we want to focus on getting a few episodes done quickly before we settle into a weekly routine. We've already received questions from people about how the podcast will be different from the Insider's Club or if it will just be the same content. Well, you know us, we love to over-deliver and give a ton of value. So, initially we were gonna make the podcast a segment of the weekly training webinar. But, after further review (sorry, in an NFL mood), we've changed it all up! Each podcast will be all new and entirely unique content from the Insider's Club - no overlap at all. And the podcast is FREE so make sure and subscribe and keep up with the latest and greatest. Lastly - please make sure to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and leave us a comment and feedback on the podcast - we'd love your reviews! Listen to this episode now Listen, download or read - your choice... ...or subscribe to the non-iTunes RSS here In This Episode We extend a warm Welcome for our first podcast We discuss what happened in SEO this past year and what events in 2011 and before really led up to all of this SEO carnage We talk about how it's time to crawl out of your cave and get back in the game We talk about the need to get back to basics in your SEO campaigns We discuss the distinction between linkbuilding and marketing We then talk about the lessons learned and how to apply them today Quality versus quantity is always a big debate and we tackle that as well We talk about the new opportunities as a result of this years changes EMD's are also a big part of the opportunities and we talk about them as well Mike shares his thoughts about getting on the phone Troy shares his thoughts about content creation and schedules Our Pick the Brain Segment This is another brand new segment that we are introducing. The Pick the Brain segment of the Podcast will also be published out to YouTube as well on our main channel and organized as a sub-channel there (playlist). The point of the Pick the Brain segment is to answer direct questions from YOU are followers, readers and subscribers. In the next few days, we'll be launching the AskMikeandTroy.com site that will allow you to submit your questions to us for possible inclusion in upcoming episodes of our Podcast or, who knows, we might even turn them into an entire webinar training session if they really strike a nerve. It all depends on YOU - so make sure an get involved and go to AskMikeandTroy.com and submit your questions that you'd like us to address! In this Episode's Pick the Brain Segment We discuss Panda Recovery - should you bother? is it worth the time & effort? Mike and Troy both share their advice on whether to rebuild an existing penalized site or creating a new site. There's a lot of candid advice here from both of our perspectives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRlVrikC3zY&rel=0 Action Items from this Episode Get on the phone and get personal with your clients Get a hold of your content creation schedule Reassess your linkbuilding campaigns and make sure they are diverse Reassess your business for diversification in general - remember the worst number is "1"