October 2016 – Interent Marketing Voices

How One Successful Digital Entrepreneur Stays Entertained by Her Business

Sarah Morgan may rub some people the wrong way with her dedication to naps, her casual approach to online interaction, and the occasional curse word in an email. But make no mistake: she’s serious, works hard, and has found a way to create a lucrative digital business that keeps her, above all, entertained.

In this 30-minute episode, Sarah and I discuss:

How she went from corporate job and circus performer to thriving digital entrepreneur
Why she won’t apologize for cursing, naps, or walking her dear old dog
The joy she felt in the moment when she realized she was making more as a digital entrepreneur than she had been at her corporate job
The work habits and discipline that help her get work done and keep moving forward
Her failed Photoshop course — and what she learned from the experience
Why hanging out in her communities (on her couch) fuels her why

And much more — including my rapid-fire questions at the end, in which Sarah shares how Simon Sinek, The Real Housewives, and the opera have influenced her career.
Listen to this Episode Now
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Want to Sharpen Your Writing Skills? Try This Fun Challenge

Does this ever happen to you?
You read something from one of your favorite writers — maybe it’s a blog post, or a scene from a novel, or an essay on Medium.
You’re caught up in the words. The way that writer spins and turns the language, shaping what you see and feel as you read.
And once the reading spell is broken, you think …
Dang, I wish I could do that.
Experienced creative workers — writers, painters, musicians — know how to make it look easy.
But when we try our hand … it’s harder than it looks.
We all want to get good at things
Maybe you want to master the art of creative storytelling for your content. Or you want to start off your content with that satisfying “Bang!” that gets people to keep reading. Or you would just really like some more shares and links.
“Enjoy the process” is fine advice, but it’s even nicer when the process leads to real improvement. When we get better at what we’re doing. When we start to have more impact.
I find this quote by Jeff Olson both intriguing and depressing:
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.”
My friend and genius dog trainer Susan Garrett has tweaked this to:
“Successful people make a game out of what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.”
For the chronically immature (like me), this is an especially useful insight.
Some things about business are hard.
Some things about content marketing are hard.
If you can

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[Last Day] Get in Digital Commerce Academy Before Doors Close

One final note to let you know that the doors close to Digital Commerce Academy later today at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
We’ll reopen to new members in 2017, and when we do, the annual price will be $400 higher than it is right now.
So start your Academy membership today — because the low price you lock in now will be the price you pay for the lifetime of your account, no matter how much we raise it in the future.
Find out what your DCA membership will include and get started today.
Then our proven practitioners of digital commerce can help you build the digital business of your dreams without squandering time and money, stumbling to find the right path, or making unnecessary mistakes.
Sound good?
Join us today.
P.S. And yes, you get our standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
So lock in the current price today, and then spend the next month exploring the Academy to make your final decision on whether it’s right for you.
We think you’ll decide it is. Find out for yourself:
http://digitalcommerce.com/academy/
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WishPond: Cost, Competitors, Community, & More [VIDEO & PODCAST] One Last Tool

Is your digital business efforts in need of a tune-up or major overhaul? If you’re ready to get your sales, marketing, and service machine up and running, you’re going to need just the right …
The post WishPond: Cost, Competitors, Community, & More [VIDEO & PODCAST] One Last Tool appeared first on The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan.

Ready to Sell Your Products or Services? We’re Here to Help

Hey there — welcome back to the Copyblogger Weekly!
So, I’ve been known to lean a bit toward the “kumbaya” side of content marketing. (“Kumbaya” meaning, “Let’s all join hands and sing songs about our feelings!”)
But I have bills to pay, just like you do. Selling is an integral and important part of business. And content marketing is as much about marketing as it is about connection.
This week, we’ve got some content to help you unapologetically, effectively — maybe even joyfully — sell some stuff.

On Tuesday, I was tickled to see Beth Hayden riffing on a presentation I did at our live event in 2015, cracking open the three essential elements your landing pages need to make more sales.
Yesterday, we revisited a classic Brian Clark post on how to motivate audiences to buy. He has some fascinating insights into what we really mean when we say we “sell from emotion,” and about the emotional states that prompt us to act.
And The Showrunner podcast this week dives into how to use empathy (very kumbaya) as a map for creating the products and services your audience will love (very pragmatic). Which is really what we’re all about.
Digital Commerce Academy closes to new students on Friday
Quick reminder that Digital Commerce Academy (DCA) is going to close to new students on Friday, October 28 so we can put all of our focus into developing some killer new courses for our members.
Don’t worry, DCA will be back … but not

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Cool-Headed Advice for Keeping It Together Just Before Your Book Launch

Having a powerful launch is important, but it isn’t everything. “The biggest danger to an author,” says Jeff Goins, “is spending all their energy on a launch.”
Publishing your book is the first step in a long game. A published book isn’t urgent, so authors need to get out there, start banging the drum, and keep on banging it for a long time post-launch.
The trait that separates authors who succeed at getting their books in front of their intended audiences, and those who do not, comes down to perseverance.

In this episode Jeff Goins and Pamela Wilson discuss:

Jeff’s last-minute, pre-launch mindset tips
Compelling arguments for why the long game matters more than the launch
Why you should never underestimate the power of people’s awareness of your book
The reason it’s imperative to keep talking about your book long after the launch is done

Listen to this Episode Now
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How to Motivate People to Buy

If you’re in business, someone’s got to buy something for you to make money.
At least last time I checked.
And if you’re sick of hearing that people buy because of emotion, well then … that would be a strong emotional response to a logical assertion, no?
But I hear you. Over and over you’re told that people buy according to emotion, and it seems not to make sense when it comes down to selling your products and services.
Maybe that’s because you’re thinking about emotion in the context of feelings rather than motivation.
And that would definitely be confusing, because it’s not feelings you’re after. In fact, provoking feelings can kill the sale instead of prompting it.
Nothing more than feelings … (fail)
Feelings are magnified, messy, and often misunderstood forms of emotion, and that makes playing with them potentially dangerous. What we’re trying to do is motivate people to do something very specific (buy) … not get them to weep, fly into a rage, or jump for joy.
This may be why so many people doubt that we make purchase decisions via emotion. We don’t always detect a strong feeling when we reach for our wallets, so we must be acting from a purely logical standpoint, right?
Not likely.
You simply justify your existing desire to purchase with logic. You’ve already decided you want it. It’s still possible to talk yourself out of it, but the motivation to buy was put in place while your logical brain was making other plans.
In

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How Bestselling Sci-fi Thriller Author Blake Crouch Writes: Part One

International bestselling sci-fi and thriller novelist and screenwriter Blake Crouch took time out from his busy schedule to talk to me about his mind-bending new book Dark Matter and adapting his work for both film and TV.
The hybrid author has penned more than a dozen novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages, and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications.
In addition to having his Wayward Pines trilogy adapted into a #1 hit TV show by FOX, Blake wrote the screenplay for his latest novel, Dark Matter, for Sony Pictures. He also recently co-created Good Behavior, a TNT show based on his novellas, starring Michelle Dockery (set to premiere November 15, 2016).

His novel Dark Matter was described by the NY Times as an, “… alternate-universe science fiction …. countdown thriller in which the hero must accomplish an impossible task,” and bestselling sci-fi author Andy Weir called it, “An exciting, ingeniously plotted adventure about love, regret, and quantum superposition.”
If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.
In Part One of this file Blake Crouch and I discuss:

The power of self-publishing for a traditionally published author
Why in-depth research is so crucial to writing believable fiction
The importance of outlining for a bestselling author and screenwriter
How the right soundtrack can boost your creativity

Listen to this Episode Now
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3 Interviewing Skills Every Company Must Embrace with Their Video Marketing

With more and more companies embracing video marketing, the skill of in-house interviewing (from one employee to another) is becoming more and more critical. But, as you might imagine, this type of skill varies wildly from person to person. Here at The Sales Lion, we’ve been doing more and more video with clients, and…
The post 3 Interviewing Skills Every Company Must Embrace with Their Video Marketing appeared first on The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan.

Build Landing Pages that Convert with These 3 Smart Steps

It was May 2015, and I was sitting in the audience at Rainmaker Digital’s Authority Rainmaker conference in Denver, Colorado.
Sonia Simone was about to give a presentation called “Dr. Evil’s Guide to Landing Page Design and Optimization,” and I was excited to learn from one of my personal copywriting heroes.
At the time, I was familiar with certain landing page “rules” — like writing compelling headlines, testing different button colors, and eliminating distracting design elements — but other than that, writing the copy seemed like some magical activity.
But that day at the conference, Sonia broke down the entire landing page creation process into a few straightforward steps.
I had an epiphany in the middle of her talk as she gave us guidelines for writing landing pages, including the three main goals your landing page should accomplish.
Read on to find out about Sonia’s three steps and how to use them to create landing pages that convert.
What is a landing page?
Before we go over Sonia’s guidelines, let’s do a quick refresher on the term “landing page.”
A landing page is any page on your site where traffic is sent specifically to prompt a certain action or result.
The goal is to persuade your prospect to take actions like:

Sign up for a free account
Opt in to receive a free autoresponder course
Sign up to download a free report
Join your paid membership site
Buy your product
Purchase a consulting package

First identify the singular goal of your landing page. Once you’ve got that, you’re ready

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