Stand Out FINAL pdf

STAND OUT

STAND OUT 

A S I M P L E A N D E F F E C T I V E 

O N L I N E M A R K E T I N G P L A N 

FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS 

Aaron N. Fletcher 

TURNER

Stand Out: A Simple and Effective Online Marketing Plan for Your Small Business 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fletcher.

For my wife, Elizabeth: Thanks for who you are, all you do, and how you make me— 

and every being you encounter—feel.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stand Out

viii 

Acknowledgments

CONTENTS 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

VII 

XI 

PART 1: THE STAND OUT MARKETING FOUNDATION 1 

Use the “5M’s” of Marketing to Build a Solid Foundation 

Understand the Basic Online Marketing Funnel 

 

 

PART 2: THE STAND OUT WEB DESIGN STRATEGY 29 

Choose the Right Domain Name, CMS, and Hosting Provider 

Design an Engaging Website That Builds Trust with Your Audience 

Generate More Leads Using Website Conversion Triggers 

 

 

 

PART 3: THE STAND OUT SEO STRATEGY 93 

Google 101: How Search Engines Work 

Optimize Your Website with SEO Basics 

Reach Your Audience Across the Web 

Measure Your Online Marketing Funnel 

 

 

 

 

PART 4: THE STAND OUT CONTENT STRATEGY 199 

Outpublish Your Competition with a Content Marketing Plan 

Write Your Way to the Top with Blogging Basics 

Be Seen Everywhere Using Online Videos

x 

Contents 

PART 5: NEXT STEPS FOR STAND OUT MARKETERS 289 

Get More Referrals, Reviews, and Renewals with Nurture Campaigns 

Become a Digital Citizen and Join the Discussion 

 

 

CONCLUSION 323 

NOTES 327 

INDEX 337

INTRODUCTION

xii 


 

 

WHY IS THIS BOOK FOR ME ?

STAND OUT 

 

 

xiii 

HOW HUGE AN OPPORTUNI T Y ARE WE TALKI NG ABOUT? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 

 

 

 

WHY ARE WE ALL US I NG T H E INTERNET TO FIND LOCAL 

BUSI NESSES, AN Y WAY? 

 

 

Relevance: 

 

1

xiv 


 

 

Interactivity: 

 

 

 

 

 

Convenience: 

 

 

 

WHAT ABOUT US AD V ERTI SERS? 

 

 

Relevance: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engagement: 

 

 

 

 

 

Measurement:

STAND OUT 

xv 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T H E STAND OUT PROCESS 

 

 

 

 

Part One—The STAND OUT Marketing Foundation: 

 

 

mindset,market, 

message, media,metrics.

xvi 


Part Two—The STAND OUT Web Design Strategy: 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Three—The STAND OUT SEO Strategy: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Four—The STAND OUT Content Strategy: 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Five—Next Steps for STAND OUT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H OW TO USE THIS B OOK 

 

not

STAND OUT 

xvii 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPTS: 

 

RESOURCES: 

 

CHAPTER CHECKLISTS: 

 

W H AT’S TH E CATCH ? 

The 4-Hour Workweek The 

4-Hour Body, 

 

 

 

You have to actually do the work.

xviii 

Aaron N. Fletcher

PART ONE 

T H E S T A N D O U T 

MARKETING FOUNDATION

ONE 

USE THE “5M’s” OF MARKETING TO 

BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION 

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or 

 

—Peter Drucker 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

· 

O V ERH AUL Y OUR CURRENT MARKETI NG PLAN

4 Aaron N. Fletcher 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Mindset: how to think more like a marketing-focused 

business owner and understand the need for and value of 

getting more involved with your marketing 

2. Market: how to ensure that you understand exactly who 

your target clients are and precisely what their needs are 

3. Message: how to determine the single most important 

 

from your competitors 

4. Media: how to determine where you are most likely to reach 

 

5. Metrics: how to know which of your marketing efforts are 

 

 

 

 

 

MINDSET

STAND OUT 5 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad Marketing = Bad Internet Marketing 

 

 

 

1. See the need to obtain it. 

2. Create the time to obtain it. 

 

 

BUSI NESS OWNER 2.0: YOUR NEW MARKETI NG MINDSET


 

 

 

 

You are not what you sell! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting. Your. Next. Client. 

But I have “Someone Else” who handles that! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

marketing is the core element of your business.

STAND OUT 7 

The New Marketing Mindset Checklist: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

on in 

The E-Myth 

 

 

 

 

 

MARKET


 

 

 

The Four Steps of Short-Lived Entrepreneurship 

Field of Dreams 

 

 

 

 

that 

 

1. Develop a passion or skill. 

2. Start the business. 

3. Develop products and services. 

4. Find customers to sell these products and services to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. 

2. Ask them what they want. 

3. Build what they want.

The Importance of Identifying a Single Target Market 

STAND OUT 9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Your Message: Create a Target Customer Profile 

 

 

 

Q UESTI ONS FOR IDENTI F YING YOUR TARGET MARKET 

1. What are the demographics of my market? What are the 

measurable statistics that I know about my market such as 

 

are in the area that I service?

STAND OUT 11 

2. How often do they purchase services like the ones I 

 

purchase? 

3. What are the psychographics of my market? What are the 

 

 

4. 

If I have to spend a lot of time with this group will I be 

bored or repelled by its members? 

5. What kind of connection do I have to this market so I know 

it well? Am I part of the market myself or have I been part 

of it in the past? Do I have family and friends that are part 

of it? 

6. 

 

market and talk to them directly. Do I know where to go? 

7. 

enjoy? If I want to stay in touch with the market on an 

ongoing basis then I need to know what this group is 

reading. 

8. Do I understand the problems that my market faces? Will 

my product or service solve a problem for the members of 

this market? 

9. Do I know the language that this market uses? Knowing the 

vocabulary of my market gives me more credibility. 

10. Do I know what attracts this group? How do I let this group 

know about my product or service? What will get their 

attention? 

11. 

 

I align my product or service in some way with them and 

their message?


 

 

 

 

 

MESSAGE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

critical 

 

 

 

 

 

IT’ S NOT ABOUT YOU

STAND OUT 13 

 

 

 

 

—Ready, Fire, Aim 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domino’s Pizza: 

 

 

 

 

FedEx:


 

 

M & M ’ s : 

 

 

 

THE SIMPLE WA Y TO DE V ELOP YOUR UN I QUE 

S ELLI NG PROPOSI T I ON 

 

 

1. What is the primary need of your customers that your 

 

2. 

3. What is the that sets your business apart? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEDIA

STAND OUT 15 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C OMMON PLACES TO REACH YOUR AUDI ENCE ONLI NE 

 

 

 

 

Your Website: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Search Engines: 

 

 

 

 

Social Media Sites:


 

 

 

Online Directories: 

 

 

Multimedia Sites: 

 

 

 

Industry Sites and Blogs: 

 

 

Joint Ventures and Partnerships: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

METRICS

STAND OUT 17 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

K E Y MARKETI NG METRI CS FOR YOUR BUSI NESS 

Measure your online marketing funnel. 

 

 

 

 

REACH: 

ENGAGEMENT: 

 

CONVERSION:


Measure your advertising spending and ROI. 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure your competition. In The Art of War, 

 

 

if you do not 

 

single battle 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C H APTER CH ECKLI ST 

Get into the Right Mindset

STAND OUT 19 

 

 

 

 

Identify Your Target Market 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identify the Best Media to Reach Your Customers 

 

 

 

Measure Your Marketing

TWO 

UNDERSTAND THE BASIC ONLINE 

MARKETING FUNNEL 

“That’s been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than 

complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s 

worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” 

—Steve Jobs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

your entire online marketing program and goals can be 

broken down into three primary phases: 

Reach: 

 

Engagement: 

 

 

Conversion:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BENEFI TS OF US I NG T H E SIMPLE 

O NLI NE MARKETI NG FUNNEL 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simplicity: 

 

 

 

Time Savings:

STAND OUT 23 

Cost Savings: 

 

 

 

Continuous Improvement: 

 

 

 

 

T H E SI MPLE ONLI NE MARKETI NG FUNNEL EX PLAI NED 

Figure 1: The Basic Three-Step Online Marketing Funnel 

REACH


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Search engine rankings: 

 

 

 

PPC impressions: 

 

Email open rates:

STAND OUT 25 

ENGAGEMENT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bounce rate: 

 

 

Time on site:


Page views: 

 

 

 

 

 

CONVERSION 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE:

STAND OUT 27 

 

 

 

 

1. How many leads were generated in a given time frame? 

2. 

 

3. How many of these leads became clients? 

4. 

 

5. 

 

C H APTER SUMMARY 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Understand the Basic Online Marketing Funnel


 

 

 

 

Measure Each Phase of the Online Marketing Funnel

PART ONE: 

PART 


WEB DESIGN STRATEGY 

TWO

THREE 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME, 

CMS, AND HOSTING PROVIDER 

“In today’s information age of Marketing and Web 2.0, a company’s website is the key 

to their entire business.” 

—Marcus Sheridan 

Nationally acclaimed marketing speaker 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

will 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inbound Marketing,


 

The history of the company website began with the paper brochure that was handed out 

at trade shows and stuffed into envelopes for mailing to unsuspecting prospects. When 

the Internet came into play, this same brochure was handed to a Web Designer who 

turned it into a beautiful website. This made sense at the time; brochures were static, the 

Web was new and mostly static, and companies had spent lots of money to have these 

brochures designed. However, having a “brochureware” website is where the trouble 

starts for many businesses today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S IX SI MPLE STEPS TO LAUNCHING A GREAT WEB S I TE 

 

 

Step 1: SELECT A GREAT DOMAIN NAME

STAND OUT 33 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for choosing a greaT domain name 

Use relevant keywords. 

 

 

 

Keep your domain short.


 

Make your Web address easy to type. 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoid using hyphens or weird characters. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save the abstract branding for the big companies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure your domain describes what you do. 

 

 

 

 

Length of time matters! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoid tricks and shortcuts.

STAND OUT 35 

 

 

 

Do not pay “cyber 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: What to Do If All the Good Domain Names 

Are Taken


 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Domain 

Name: 

 

Step 2: R EGISTER YOUR DOMAIN NAME 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WhaT abouT my currenT domain name?

STAND OUT 37 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Use a Content Management System (CMS)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a dvanTages of using Wordpress To build your 

WebsiTe 

 

 

 

 

). 

 

 

 

The Wall Street Journal, 

 

 

 

 

Ease of use: 

 

 

Low cost:

STAND OUT 39 

Support: 

 

Large number of professional themes: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance: 

 

 

Portability: 

 

 

Thousands of free plugins: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT:


Step 4: CHOOSE A HOSTING PROVIDER 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types of WebsiTe hosTing: 

Free hosting 

 

 

 

 

 

Shared hosting

STAND OUT 41 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dedicated hosting 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Get the Best of Both Hosting Worlds 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WARNING:


r ecommended hosTing providers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

) 

) 

) 

 

 

 

Step 5: L AUNCH A BASIC THEME 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. 

 

2. Having this basic site live on your domain name provides the

STAND OUT 43 

 

1. Choose a domain name. 

2. Pick a hosting provider/domain registrar. 

3. Decide which credit or debit card to use and sign up for 

hosting. 

4. 

hosting control panel. 

5. Install WordPress on your new domain name. 

RESOURCE 

 

 

 

 

). 

S TEP 6: DECIDE TO HIRE A DESIGNER OR DO IT YOURSELF


 

 

 

1. Outsource the process entirely. 

2. Do the whole website yourself. 

3. Use a hybrid approach: pick a theme that you can customize 

with some help from a hired programmer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where To find a greaT Wordpress Theme

STAND OUT 45 

Tips on choosing a Theme: 

Use a big-picture perspective when looking at themes. 

 

 

Go with a reputable theme company. 

 

 

 

Look for theme portfolios. 

 

 

 

Popular WordPress Theme Companies 

Studiopress.com: 

 

 

 

 

 

Elegant Themes 

 

Woo Themes 

 

 

 

Themeforest 

 

 

 

 

Free Themes on WordPress.org


 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To a dd a Wordpress Theme To your siTe 

 

 

 

 

Upload the theme from your WordPress Admin Dashboard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use an FTP connection.

STAND OUT 47 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To hire a greaT WebsiTe developer for a 

fracTion of The cosT 

 

 

1. A free or low-cost website that came along with a recent 

 

2. 

an arm and a leg but has yet to generate more than the 

occasional lukewarm lead 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Outsourcing Sites 

Odesk


Elance 

 

 

 

Guru.com 

 

 

 

 

99 designs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiverr

STAND OUT 49 

How to Pick the Best Contractor to Work on Your Website 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check reviews and portfolios. 

 

 

 

 

Start with a small test. 

 

 

 

 

Communicate clearly.


 

 

 

WARNING: Be Aware of Potential Security Risks Associated with 

Outsourcing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

Virtual Staff Finder

STAND OUT 51 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: WordPress Beginners 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Select the Right Domain Name 

 

 

 

 

 

Register Your Domain


 

 

 

 

 

Launch Your Basic Site

FOUR 

DESIGN AN ENGAGING WEBSITE THAT 

BUILDS TRUST WITH YOUR AUDIENCE 

“Bad design is smoke, while good design is a mirror.” 

—Juan-Carlos Fernandez 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

visit go to


 

 

 

 

 

 

F IVE STEPS TO A MORE ENGAGI NG WEB S I TE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: F OCUS YOUR DESIGN AND CONTENT ON YOUR CUSTOMERS 

 

 

and them only. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

define your siTe’s ideal user experience

STAND OUT 55 

 

 

 

 

 

Elements to Consider in Your Overall Website User Experience: 

Overall structure and design layout: 

 

 

 

 

 

Colors: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Messaging: 

 

 

define a clear goal of your WebsiTe 

Through a mission sTaTemenT


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: U SE SIMPLE NAVIGATION 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

law of usability. And the more web pages I look at, the more convinced I

STAND OUT 57 

become. It’s the overriding principle—the ultimate tie breaker when deciding 

whether something works or doesn’t in web design.” 

—Steve Krug, author of 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep it consistent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice Zen-like simplicity.


 

 

 

 

 

Always go wide instead of deep. 

 

 

 

 

 

Use action verbs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use breadcrumbs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home > Blog > 10 Ways to Get Larger Biceps

STAND OUT 59 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: I NCORPORATE SOCIAL PROOF AND TRUST 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

social 

proof. 

 

 

 

 

Testimonials:


RESOURCE: Website Trends: Testimonials Design 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

to Your Site 

. 

 

 

. 

 

 

 

 

Trust Icons: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2: Example of a “Facebook Fan Box” 

used on my blog

STAND OUT 61 

 

 

 

1. Trust by Association. 

 

 

Best Types of Trust Icons to Use on Your Site 

Associations and Memberships: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media Icons: 

 

 

 

Oprah,” 

Social Media and Reviews: 

 

 

 

 

Security: 

 

 

General Trust Icons:


Figure 3: Sakkas, Cahn & Weiss, LLP makes good use of trust logos on their site 

(http://www.sakkascahn.com/). 

WARNING: Avoid Copyright and Trademark Infringement 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Online Reviews:

STAND OUT 63 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a Yelp reviews widget on his WordPress site. 

RESOURCE: The Yelp Bar WordPress Plugin


3. Expert Endorsements: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Client Lists: 

 

 

 

LEARN MORE: 

 

 

Step 4: MAKE YOUR CONTENT HIGHLY SHAREABLE

STAND OUT 65 

social sharing expands online r each 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCEUse the Digg Digg Plugin on Your WordPress Site 

 

) that 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: L EVERAGE MULTIMEDIA


 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Never Publish Text Alone 

 

 

 

 

 

F ORMS OF MULTI MEDI A 

1. Photos and Graphics:

STAND OUT 67 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Free Stock Photo Sites 

 

) 

) 

) 

 

WARNING: Avoid Being Sued for Image Copyright Violation 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Online Video:


 

 

 

Top video hosTing and sharing siTes 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAKE ACTION: Embed a Slideshare Presentation on Your Site!

STAND OUT 69 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: Web Design and Usability Resources 

WebsiTes


books 

Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability 

 

Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? 


 

 

 

 

 


Ensure that the design and content of your website is focused 

solely on your target customers. 

Be sure that your site produces an ideal user experience that 

 

messaging all support this ideal visitor experience. 

 

only the site content that is the most important for your visitors 

to see. Be sure that your navigation elements contain action 

verbs rather than canned phrases. 

Incorporate social proof and trust icons into your site: 

 

 

 

 

 

Make it easy for users to share your content by including social 

media sharing widgets and icons on every page.

STAND OUT 71 

Leverage the power of multimedia by incorporating at least 

 

piece of content.

FIVE 

GENERATE MORE LEADS USING 

WEBSITE CONVERSION TRIGGERS 

 

—Steven Wright 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT IS A CONV ERSI ON RATE?


 

 

KEY CONCEPT: 

conversion 

 

Ecommerce sites: 

 

Online marketers: 

 

 

Social media advertisers: 

 

 

Small business websites: 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Measuring Conversion Rates Goes 

Beyond Your Website 

 

 

 

 

 

F IVE WAY S TO GENERATE MORE LEADS ON Y OUR WEB S I TE

1. Use Landing Page Best Practices 

STAND OUT 75 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 6: An example of a landing page used by Match.com (image source http:// 

match.com)


TreaT every page as a l anding page 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Make Your Web Pages Like Your Landing Page 

Focus each page on a single topic.

STAND OUT 77 

Include conversion elements on every page. 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Provide a Compelling Offer and Call to Action 

 

“Words that urge the reader, listener, or viewer of a sales promotion message to take 

an immediate action, such as ‘Write Now,’ ‘Call Now,’ or (on Internet) ‘Click Here.’ 

A retail advertisement or commercial without a call-to-action is considered incomplete 

and ineffective,” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

elemenTs of an effecTive call To acTion 

 

Who the reader is:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to take action: 

 

 

 

 

Where to take action: 

 

 

 

When to take action: 

 

 

th 

 

Why to take action: 

 

 

 

TAKE ACTION: Write Your First Call to Action

STAND OUT 79 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 5 Real-Life Examples of Fantastic Calls to Action 

 

 

use your calls To ac Tion everyW here you can 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog posts:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online listings: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Use Simple Web Forms to Capture Leads

STAND OUT 81 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measurability: 

 

 

 

Familiarity: 

 

 

Highly customizable: 

 

 

Portability: 

 

 

Types of online l ead forms


 

 

 

1. Simple email posted forms: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Database-driven forms: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To use l ead forms for m aximum conversions 

 

 

Make your forms as short as possible.

STAND OUT 83 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place at least one lead form on every page. 

 

 

 

 

Place your lead forms in prominent places. 

 

 

 

 

Make your form STAND OUT. 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember to include your call to action.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Make the Phone Ring with Prominent Phone Numbers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To double your phone bill in Ten minuTes 

(in a good Way) 

Use a local number.

STAND OUT 85 

 

 

Place the number in the header on every page of your site. 

 

 

Make your phone number larger. 

 

 

 

 

Pair your phone number with a call to action. 

 

 

 

 

 

Track your phone calls. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Say “Hello” with Popups and Toolbars


Popups and lightboxes: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

) 

) 

WARNING: Now Google Hates Popups Too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. 

Web Toolbars: 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Bar

STAND OUT 87 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viper Bar 

 

 

 

 

6. Start Up a Conversation with Online Chat 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-managed live chat:


 

 

 

 

) 

) 

) 

) 

All-in-one live chat solutions: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

 

) 

7. Entice Your Audience with Conversion Magnets

STAND OUT 89 

Figure 7: Example of online chat window used on a website 

F


Types of conversion m agneTs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip sheets: 

 

 

 

 

 

Video: 

 

 

 

E-books: 

 

 

 

 

C H APTER SUMMARY

CONV ERSI ON TOOLS AND RESOURCES 

STAND OUT 91 

 

 

 

 

 

Which Test Won 

 

 


Use Landing Page Best Practices for Every Page of Your Site: 

 

 

 

 

Include a Strong Call to Action on Every Page of Your Site 

 

 

Use Simple Web Forms to Capture Leads 

 

 

 

 

Incorporate Best Practices in Telephone Conversion 

 

 

 

 

Use a Conversion Bar or Popup Lightbox 

Experiment with Live Chat Services

PART ONE: 

PART THREE 

T H E S T A N D O U T S E O 

STRATEGY

six 

GOOGLE 101: HOW SEARCH 

ENGINES WORK 

“If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.” 

—Jimmy Wales


 

 

 

W H EN I SAY GOOGLE, I MEAN GOOGLE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

). 

2. 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 8: U.S. Search Engine Market Share

STAND OUT 97 

SEARCH ENGI N E F A C T S 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A B R I EF HISTORY OF SEARCH ENGI NES


 

 

 

ANATOMY OF A GOOGLE SEARCH ENGI N E 

RESULTS PAGE (SERP) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Search Bar 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE:

STAND OUT 99 

Figure 9: Anatomy of a Google SERP 

2. Paid Search Results 

 

 

benefiTs of using google a dWords


 

 

Immediate results: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measurability: 

 

 

 

 

Ultra-targetability: 

 

 

 

 

3. Organic Search Results

STAND OUT 101 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

local business, 

 

 

4. Google+ Local and Maps Results


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Mobile Use Is on the Rise 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Blended Search

STAND OUT 103 

 

 

4 

Categories of Blended Search 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H OW GOOGLE DECI DES WH O’S ON TOP 

 

 

 

 

 

Google Bit Off More Than It Could Chew—The Entire Internet! 

 

 

 

 

).

STAND OUT 105 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crawling: 

 

 

Indexing: 

 

Ranking: 

 

 

 

Crawling 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT:


 

 

 

Indexing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: 

 

 

 

 

 

Ranking

STAND OUT 107 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relevance: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust: 

 

 

 

 

 

SPAM Filters:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Understand the Anatomy of Google Search Results 

 

 

 

 

 

Understand the Three-Step Process Google Uses to Rank Web Pages

SEVEN 

OPTIMIZE YOUR WEBSITE WITH 

SEO BASICS 

 

art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or without tricks.” 

—Leo Burnett


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to your actual website 

 

1. 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Domain Name and URL Structure:

STAND OUT 111 

 

 

 

 

). 

3. Use of Keywords in the Right Places: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Quality of Your Content: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Quality Score: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Local Search Factors:


7. Quality Backlinks from Trusted Sources: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Social Factors: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Reviews and Citations: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: The Periodic Table of SEO Ranking Factors 

 

 

).

SEO I S ALL AB OUT KEY WORDS 

STAND OUT 113 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T H E ONLI NE B U YING FUNNEL 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Informational Searches 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transactional Searches


 

 

 

Navigational Searches 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Education-Based Marketing Gives You a Jump on 

the Competition

STAND OUT 115 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Understanding the Long Tail of Search 

Wired 

The Long Tail, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The principle of the Long Tail is the opposite of focusing on the top 10-20 

keywords for marketing your website. The “top keyword” concept is reinforced 

by agencies that contract to gain rankings for 10-20 terms, maybe 30. However, 

when studying the referrals from the search engines and the traffic they generate, 

 

their market. 

People tend to focus on the thousands of visitors that come to the site for 

the most popular terms. Most site managers are very happy to see the numbers 

increase for those specific terms, and even happier to see those terms consistently 

ranking well. Conventional thinking applies the 80-20 rule that the top terms 

provide 80 percent of the business, but in evaluating multiple sites, this has 

proved to be the opposite. An important marketing concept known as “The 

Long Tail” is used to describe the hundreds to thousands of keywords and key 

phrases that a website is found for, yet rarely noticed or exploited by owners 

of the website.


Figure 11: The Long Tail

STAND OUT 117 

SEV EN SI MPLE STEPS TO SMALL B USI NESS SEO SUCCESS 

 

 

 

S TEP 1: FIND THE BEST KEYWORDS TO TARGET 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Create Your Huge Laundry List


Category 

Printing Shops 

keyword 

Business Cards 

keyword 

Keywords printing services business cards 

printing shop 

printer services 

screen printing services 

digital printing services 

copy and printing services 

copy printing services 

cheap printing services 

best business cards 

free business cards 

templates for business cards 

business cards templates 

how to design business cards 

business cards design 

design business cards 

Figure 12: A sample “Keyword Laundry List” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. A Simple Brain Dump: 

 

 

 

 

2. Your Customers: 

 

 

 

 

3. Competitors:

STAND OUT 119


Figure 13: SEM Rush 

KEY CONCEPT: 

Keywords. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Remove Undesirable and Irrelevant Search Terms

STAND OUT 121 

KEY CONCEPT: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category 


keyword 


keyword 

Keywords printing services business cards 

printing shop 

printer services 

screen printing services 

Canon printers 

copy and printing services 

copy printing services 

Ink jet cartridges 

best business cards 

business credit cards 

templates for business cards 

playing card shops 

how to design business cards 

business cards design 

design business cards 

Figure 14: Step 2 is about removing irrelevant keywords. 

 

Keyword Tool


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 15: Using Google’s Keyword Tool to measure keyword popularity

STAND OUT 123 

Figure 16: Using Google’s Keyword Tool to download keyword reports 

 

 

 

 

Category 


keyword 


keyword 

Keywords printing services 165,000 business cards 1,500,000 

printing shop 60,500 best business cards 33,100 

printer services 40,500 free business cards 165,000 

screen printing services 2,400 templates for business cards 110,000 

digital printing services 2,400 business cards templates 110,000 

copy and printing services 2,400 how to design business cards 74,000 

copy printing services 2,400 business cards design 74,000 

cheap printing services 1,900 design business cards 74,000 

Figure 17: Step 3 allows you to rank your keywords by popularity.


KEY CONCEPT: 

Word 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: 

Doing Keyword Research

STAND OUT 125 

 

 

later). 

4. Finalize Your Keyword Map 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY WORD RESEARCH TOOLS AND RESOURCES: 

SEOmoz Beginners Guide to Keyword Research 

 

 

 

 

SEM RUSH 

 

 

Market Samurai 

 

 

 

Long Tail Pro


Step 2: USE YOUR KEYWORDS IN THE RIGHT PLACES 

 

 

 

Where To use your TargeTed k eyWords: everyW here!

STAND OUT 127 

On-Page Keyword Deployment 

 

 

 

 

pages 

 

blogs, etc.) 

 

videos on your site 

 

 

Off-Page Keyword Deployment 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is key!) 

 

 

forums 

 

 

Figure 18: Keywords should be used both on your site and wherever else your business 

is listed on the Web. 

Quick Steps to Keyword Deployment 

1. Use Keyword-Rich URLs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

). 

 

 

 

 

2. Add your keywords to your page titles


 

 

 

 

 

Figure 19: Viewing the title of a Web page

STAND OUT 129 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Use the Yoast WordPress SEO Plugin to Make On-Page 

SEO Simple 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Add your keywords to the headings and content of your 

Web pages 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page Headings


 

 

 

 

 

Photos and Videos Are Content, Too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content SEO Checklist 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: USE AN SEO-FRIENDLY WEBSITE STRUCTURE

STAND OUT 131 

 

 

1. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 20: Deep vs. wide website structures


KEY CONCEPT: Use Your Keyword Map to Lay Out Your Site Design 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main 

Navigation 

SEO 

Keywords 

MAIN BUSINESS 

PRIMARY SERVICES 

OR PRODUCT CATEGORIES 

CATEGORY PRINTING SHOP BUSINESS CARDS 

Transactional 

Keywords 

printers 

printing company 

business printing 

business card printers 

cheap business cards 

fast business card 

printing 

Content 

Pages 

Informational 

Keywords 

how to hire a printer 

types of printing 

local vs. online printing 

best types of business cards 

business card design ideas 

what to include on business cards 

Figure 21: Using primary categories in your keyword map for Web page navigation 

KEY CONCEPT: The Importance of Anchor Text

STAND OUT 133 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ensure that your website is fast. 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S t e p 4 : I N S T A L L G O O G L E A N A L Y T I C S A N D G O O G L E W E B M A S T E R 

TOOLS 

Google Analytics


 

 

 

1. 

https://accounts.google.com/NewAccount 

 

online marketing. 

2. http://www.google.com/ 

analytics/ 

account. 

3. 

 

 

 

http://wordpress.org/extend/ 

plugins/google-analytics-for-wordpress/ 

install and manage Google Analytics. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google Webmaster Tools

STAND OUT 135 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

RESOURCE: Using Webmaster Tools Like an SEO 

 

Step 5: LOCALIZE YOUR SEO 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add your localized keywords to page titles and content.


Include your physical location on every page of your site. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Include a Google map on your site. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claim your local business listings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to your Google+ Local page.

STAND OUT 137 

 

 

Get more reviews. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: Local SEO Resources from around the Web 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE SEARCH


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensuring that your website uses a mobile theme or style sheet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ensuring that your business is listed with local directories and 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7: PROCLAIM YOUR AUTHORSHIP

STAND OUT 139 

1. Your photo will show up along with your business in search 

results. This provides a distinct visual advantage and has 

been proven to yield higher click-through rates than text-only 

search results. 

2. 

 

putting an accountable and visible face with the name. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 22: Google Authorship allows author photo and information to show 

in search results.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Understand the Basics of Small Business SEO and the Keyword 

Buying Funnel 

Step 1: Identify the best keywords to use on your site 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Use Your Keywords in the Right Places 

 

 

 

Step 3: Use an SEO and People-Friendly Site Structure

STAND OUT 141 

Step 4: Install Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools 

Step 5: Localize Your SEO Campaigns 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Implement Mobile SEO Basics

EIGHT 

REACH YOUR AUDIENCE ACROSS 

THE WEB 

 

 

—Zig Ziglar


 

 

T H E FOUR PI LLARS OF ONLI NE REACH 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Referring Sites:

STAND OUT 145 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEO LI NK-B U I LDI NG B ASI CS 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 23: Obtaining backlinks to your site from trusted sources 

is still important for SEO.


 

 

 

 

 

 

ALWAY S PUT H UMANS AH EAD OF SEARCH ENGI NES 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOT ALL LI NKS ARE CREATED EQUAL

STAND OUT 147 

Relevance: 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust: 

 

Authority: 

 

). 

 

 

 

B ACKLI NKS B EST PRACTI CES 

 

 

 

Never use software or spammy methods for backlinks. 

 

 

 

 

Diversify your anchor text. 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep links are better than shallow ones.


 

 

 

 

Obtain links from multiple sources. 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Use the Open Site Explorer from SEOmoz 

to Spy on Your Competitors 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Avoid Black Hat Link-Building Penalties

STAND OUT 149 

 

 

 

H OW TO GET TH E MOST OUT OF Y OUR WEB LI STI NGS 

 

 

 

Apply the Funnel to Your Online Listings. 

 

 

 

Reach: 

 

Engagement: 

 

 

Conversion: 

 

Be Consistent. 

 

 

 

 

Join the Discussion.


TOP TEN SOURCES FOR REACHING Y OUR AUDI ENCE 

 

 

1. Friends and Family 

 

 

 

 

 

2 . L o c a l O n l i n e D i r e c t o r i e s 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top l ocal business direcTories: 

Google+ Local 

Yahoo! Local 

Superpages 

YellowBook 

Yellow Pages 

Yelp 

Citysearch 

Merchant Circle 

Topix 

Insider Pages 

RESOURCE: Local Directory Lists and Services

STAND OUT 151 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Local Community and Media Websites 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Social Media Sites


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top social m edia siTes 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Build Your Audience Now to Set the Stage for 

Content Marketing

STAND OUT 153 

SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES 

Knowem.com 

 

 

 

LKR Social Media 

 

 

 

 

5. Industry Websites 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 . N i c h e B l o g s a n d F o r u m s


Social 

Bookmarking 

Sites 

Press 

Release 

Sites 

Article 

Directories 

Blogs & 

Forums 

Photo & 

Video 

Sites 

Local 

Directories 

Social 

Media 

Sites 

Niche 

Directories 

& 

Associations 

Community 

Sites 

Figure 24: An effective visibility strategy should include listing your business 

on several categories of websites. 

1. 

 

 

2. Never leave comments on blogs or forums for the sake of 

backlinks or SEO alone. This will only risk you getting

STAND OUT 155 

banned from these sites and potentially de-indexed from 

 

RESOURCE: Technorati Blog Directory 

Technorati 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Use Guest Blogging to Increase Your Audience 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Social Bookmarking Sites


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top social bookmarking siTes 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

8. Photo and Video Sharing Sites 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top phoTo and video siTes

STAND OUT 157 

 

) 

 

) 

 

9. Article Directories 

 

 

 

article directories are referred to as content farms, which are websites created to produce mass content.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Top a rTicle direcTories


 

 

10. Press Release Sites 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top press r elease siTes 

 

) 

) 

 

PRESS RELEASE RESOURCES: 

 

) 

Great Article: How to Use the Modern Press Release 

)

STAND OUT 159 

Article: How to Write a Press Release That Gets Attention: 

 

 

 

) 

WHAT ABOUT PA I D ONLI NE AD V ERTI S I NG? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C H APTER SUMMARY


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Understand the 4 Pillars of Online Reach 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get the Most Out of Your Online Listings 

 

 

 

List Your Business in the Right Places

STAND OUT 161

NINE 

MEASURE YOUR ONLINE MARKETING 

FUNNEL 

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves 

exponentially.” 

—Karl Pearson, Pearson’s Law


B ENEFI TS OF MEASURI NG Y OUR ONLI NE MARKETI NG 

 

 

Trimming the fat: 

 

 

 

 

Continual improvement: 

 

 

 

 

 

Focusing your energy: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T AKE T H E FIVE -MINUTE MARKETI NG METRI CS 

C OMPETENCY TEST

STAND OUT 165 

1. Where does your site rank on Google for your targeted 

search terms? 

2. 

3. 

 

4. 

5. What is the average value of a new lead? 

6. What percentage of leads convert into sales? 

7. What is the value of a new customer to your business? 

8. What is the lifetime value of a customer? 

9. What is the ROI for each of your sources of leads? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRACKI NG TOOLS USED I N THIS CH APTER 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. A Search Engine Rankings Tool:


 

 

2. A Tool to Measure Web Analytics: 

 

 

 

 

3. A Basic Excel Spreadsheet: 

 

 

 

T H E SI MPLE WAY TO MEASURE Y OUR ONLI N E 

MARKETI NG FUNNEL 

 

 

Figure 25: The online marketing funnel as related to metrics

Step 1: MEASURE YOUR ORGANIC SEARCH RANKINGS 

STAND OUT 167 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To measure search rankings 

Google Webmaster Tools 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEOmoz Rank Tracker 

 

 

 

 

 

Bright Local


Figure 26: An example of Bright Local’s search rankings reports 

RAVEN TOOLS RESOURCES 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure Benchmarks:

STAND OUT 169 

Best Practices: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: MEASURE YOUR ONLINE WEBSITE TRAFFIC 

Google Analytics Overview


WhaT k inds of daTa a re avail able in a nalyTics 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

k eep iT simple

STAND OUT 171 

m easuring your WebsiTe Traffic 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Understanding Common Analytics Terms 

 

 

Browser Cookie: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website Visit: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page Views:


Figure 27: Google Analytics displays valuable metrics within hours of installing the 

application. 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Practices:

STAND OUT 173 

 

 

 

 

 

Demographics: 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 

 

Best Practices: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traffic Sources:


Figure 28: The Demographics Location report is a great way to measure 

 

Benchmarks:

STAND OUT 175 

 

Best Practices:


 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Referring Sites:

STAND OUT 177 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Social Referrals: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

oTher m easures of online r each


 

 

 

Step 3: MEASURE USER ENGAGEMENT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning Visits: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Practices:

STAND OUT 179 

 

 

 

 

Figure 31: The Frequency & Recency report provides useful engagement metrics. 

Time on Site:


 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Pages per Visit: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

Best Practices:

STAND OUT 181 

Bounce Rate: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmarks: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Practices:


 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 32: GA allows you to see which search queries and content resulted in high 

bounce rates. 

oTher m easures of user engagemenT

STAND OUT 183 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: MEASURE CONVERSIONS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

google a nalyTics goals


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Goals to Track Web Leads and Opt-ins 

 

 

 

1. 

complete your form. This will be used to track goal completions. 

2. 

page. Nearly any Web form provider you use will allow you 

 

3. 

4. 

as you will likely use several types of conversion goals

STAND OUT 185 

Figure 33: Using goals to track conversions in Google Analytics 

Figure 34: Naming your goals in GA


KEY CONCEPT: Track ROI by Adding Goal Values 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracking op T-ins and subscripTions 

Figure 35: Setting a 

value for your goals 

provides great insight 

 

sources are generating 

revenue.

STAND OUT 187 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

phone Tracking in a nalyTics


hoW a nalyTics call Tracking Works 

 

Dedicated phone numbers: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamic phone call tracking: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANALYTICS RESOURCES FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

 

Web Analytics 2.0.

STAND OUT 189 

 

 

 

 

 

S t e p 5 : U S E A S I M P L E D A S H B O A R D T O T R A C K Y O U R M A R K E T I N G 

R O I 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Enter Your Analytics Data


 

GA metrics.

STAND OUT 191 

 

New sales: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average order value:


KEY CONCEPT: LCV Is the Marketing Concept of a Lifetime 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lead value:

STAND OUT 193 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor value: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 37: Once you’ve added 

sales and ROI metrics, your 

Marketing Dashboard will 

be complete.


 

 

 

 

NEX T STEPS AND ADDI T I ONAL RESOURCES

STAND OUT 195 

MARKETING METRICS AND LEAD TRACKING RESOURCES: 

Hubspot 

 

 

 

 

 

Reach Local 

 

 

 

 

Figure 38: 

With a few 

small tweaks, 

you can use 

your Marketing 

Dashboard to



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Step 1: Measure Your Search Engine Rankings 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Measure Your User Engagement

STAND OUT 197 

 

 

Step 4: Measure Your Conversions 

 

 

Step 5: Use a Marketing Dashboard to Track ROI

PART ONE: 

PART FOUR 


CONTENT STRATEGY

TEN 

OUTPUBLISH YOUR COMPETITION WITH 

A CONTENT MARKETING PLAN 

“Think like a publisher, not a marketer.” 

—David Meerman Scott


T H E CASE FOR CONTENT: EDUCATI ON-B ASED MARKETI NG 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You no longer need to spend tons of money interrupting your potential customers. 

Instead you need to create remarkable content, optimize that content, publish the 

content, market the content, and measure what is working and what is not working. 

A savvy inbound marketer is half traditional marketer and half content creation 

factory.” 

—Dharmesh Shaw and Brian Halligan, Authors of 

 

 

 

 

is 

 

 

Why Education-Based Marketing Works 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Know 

2. Like 

3. Trust

STAND OUT 203 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B ENEFI TS OF CONTENT MARKETI NG 

 

You get there earlier. 

 

 

 

 

Content can make you the authority in your niche. 

 

 

 

Google loves content. 

 

 

 

 

You get to hang with the big publishers. 

The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FORMS OF CONTENT 

 

 

 

 

Blogs: 

 

 

 

 

 

E-books and Whitepapers:

STAND OUT 205 

 

 

Video: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Podcasts and audio recordings: 

 

 

 

Infographics: 

 

 

 

 

 

Webinars: 

 

 

 

 

T H E STAND OUT CONTENT MARKETI NG STRATEGY


 

 

1. Write an article. 

2. Post it on your website. 

3. 

4. 

5. Conclude that blogging must not work and stop blogging 

forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEV EN STEPS TO B ECOMI NG A CONTENT MOGUL 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: CREATE A CONTENT ROAD MAP

STAND OUT 207 

Figure 39: The Seven-Step STAND OUT Content Strategy


 

 

 

 

Main 

Navigation 

SEO 

Keywords 

MAIN BUSINESS 

PRIMARY SERVICES 

OR PRODUCT CATEGORIES 

CATEGORY PRINTING SHOP BUSINESS CARDS 

Transactional 

Keywords 

printers 

printing company 

business printing 

business card printers 

cheap business cards 

fast business card 

printing 

Content 

Pages 

Informational 

Keywords 

how to hire a printer 

types of printing 

local vs. online printing 

best types of business cards 

business card design ideas 

what to include on business cards 

Figure 40: Use the Informational Keywords from your Keyword Map (Chapter 5) to 

create a great Content Road Map. 

 

 

 

hoW To creaTe your conTenT road m ap 

1. Open your Keyword Map spreadsheet and open a new tab. 

2.

STAND OUT 209 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Use an Editorial Calendar to Plan Your Content


Figure 41: The WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin is a highly recommended 

FREE tool. 

Step 2: PRODUCE GREAT CONTENT 

 

 

 

WhaT is greaT conTenT?

STAND OUT 211 

 

 

 

 

 

The four sTand ouT rules of QualiT y conTenT 

 

 

 

 

 

Do Not Outsource Content Creation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publish Original Content.


 

 

 

Publish Content Often. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check Your Work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: How to Go from 0 to 7200 Monthly Website Visitors

STAND OUT 213 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: PUBLISH YOUR CONTENT


conTenT op TimizaTion checklisT 

REACH : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENGAGEMENT:

STAND OUT 215 

CONV ERSI ON: 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Track Your Content Publishing Process 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: SYNDICATE YOUR CONTENT


Why and hoW conTenT syndicaTion Works 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging Without Syndication 

Figure 43: Most bloggers write a post and wait for results that will likely never come.

STAND OUT 217 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: The Viral Snowball Effect of Social Media Sharing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging and 

Syndication! 

Figure 44: Content syndication gets your content in front of more 

eyeballs, more quickly!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seo benefiTs of conTenT syndicaTion 

 

1. 

 

 

 

2. 

 

 

 

 

a l isT of poTenTial conTenT syndicaTion channels 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social media sites:

STAND OUT 219 

 

 

 

 

Your email list: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article and content sites: 

 

 

 

 

 

Press release sites: 

 

 

 

Video sites: 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo and graphics sites:


Podcasting sites: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: Save Tons of Time Using Automated 

Syndication Tools 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OnlyWire

STAND OUT 221 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OneLoad 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 45: OneLoad helps you manage and syndicate video content. 

Step 5: RECYCLE YOUR CONTENT


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content 

Recycling 101 

Figure 46: Publishing your content in multiple formats is a powerful 

way to increase your reach.

STAND OUT 223 

hoW To r ecycle your conTenT 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Choose which format to start with. Using your Content 

 

 

or infographic. 

2. 

 

3. 

take and repeat step 2 with each additional format.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Times, 

 

Step 6: MEASURE THE IMPACT OF YOUR CONTENT

STAND OUT 225 

Figure 47: Your “Content” report in Analytics is a key tool for measuring which 

 

Which forms of content are working the best?


 

 

 

 

 

 

What content is resonating with my audience? 

 

 

 

 

 

Have my social shares increased? 

 

 

What are the best opportunities for content recycling? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Be Sure to Track Your Content in Search Results

STAND OUT 227 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEARN MORE: Great Content Marketing Resources 

 

 

 

 

 

Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, 

Social Media, and Content Marketing 

 

 

 

Content Rules 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Is Currency


 

Content Rich, 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Step 1: Create a Content Road Map 

 

 

 

content 

Step 2: Produce Great Content 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Optimize and Publish Your Content

STAND OUT 229 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Syndicate Your Content Across the Web 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Recycle Your Content 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Measure the Impact of Your Content

ELEVEN 

WRITE YOUR WAY TO THE TOP WITH 

BLOGGING BASICS 

“Where the Internet is about availability of information, blogging is about making 

information creation available to anyone.” 

—George Siemens 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B LOGS DEFI NED


 

 

SETTI NG UP Y OUR B LOG 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: WordPress Beginners 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: SELECT A BLOGGING PLATFORM 

 

 

 

Hosted blogging platforms:

STAND OUT 233 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stand-alone platforms: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Understand the Difference Between Wordpress.com 

and Wordpress.org


Step 2: ORGANIZE YOUR CONTENT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Practices for Blog Categories and Tags

STAND OUT 235 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_cloudhttp://wikipedia.com). 

COPY WRI T I NG CRASH COURSE: H O W T O 

WRI TE ENGAGI NG CONTENT


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

Write intimate copy. 

 

 

 

 

Keep it light and informal. 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Take Your Readers Down the Slippery Slide

STAND OUT 237 

 

 

 

The AdWeek 

Copywriting Handbook). 

 

 

 

 

T H E STAND OUT B LOG POST TEMPLATE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six Elements of a Perfect Blog Post 

 

 

 

1. Attention-Grabbing Headline


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten headline formaTs To m ake your conTenT 

sTand ouT: 

1. 

 

 

 

2. 

 

 

 

 

3. 

 

 

 

 

4. 

 

 

5.

STAND OUT 239 

6. 

 

 

7. 

 

 

 

 

8. 

 

 

 

9. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEARN MORE: 

 

2. The Introduction and Promise 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. State the problem:

STAND OUT 241 

 

 

2. Point out the risks: 

 

 

3. Reveal the promise: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{PROBLEM:} 

 

 

{RISK:} 

 

{PROMISE:} 

 

 

 

3. The Body Section


m ake your conTenT highly r eadable 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short paragraphs: 

 

 

 

 

 

Clear headings: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bulleted and numbered lists:

STAND OUT 243 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 50: The STAND OUT Blog Post Template 

4. The Supporting Graphic


besT pracTices for using images in blogs 

 

 

 

 

Consistency: 

 

 

 

Relevance: 

 

 

 

 

 

Humor: 

 

 

 

 

Attention: 

 

 

 

 

 

People and Animals: 

 

 

 

Value:

STAND OUT 245 

 

 

 

5 . T h e S u m m a r y 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sum up your content into a concise takeaway. 

 

 

Build social proof and authority. 

 

 

 

 

List additional resources.


{Takeaway}: 

 

 

 

 

{Social Proof}: 

 

 

 

{Additional Resources}: 

 

 

 

 

6. Call to Action

STAND OUT 247 

Types of calls To acTion for blogs 

Asking for feedback: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phone calls: 

 

 

 

 

Lead or opt-in forms: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social shares and Likes:


KEY CONCEPT: How Many Calls to Action Is Too Many?

TEN GREAT B LOG POST I DEAS 

STAND OUT 249 

 

 

 

 

1. Other Blogs: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOGGING RESOURCE: Use Technorati and Google Blog 

Search to Find Similar Blogs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Content Curation:


Figure 51: Searching 

Technorati for “Wedding 

Planning” displays several 

great blogs to draw ideas 

from.

STAND OUT 251 

 

 

 

4. Expert Interviews: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Top 10 Lists:


7. Leveraging Pop Culture: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Ratings and Reviews: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Company Info: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: 

Anymore

STAND OUT 253 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Industry News: 

 

 

 

 

 

N E X T STEPS 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure the impact of your content. 

C H APTER SUMMARY


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOGGI NG AND COPY WRI T I NG RESOURCES 

Copyblogger 

 

Problogger 

 

17 Copy-And-Paste Blog Post Templates 

) 


Step 1: Choose a Blogging Platform 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Understand Copywriting Basics

STAND OUT 255 

 

 

 

Step 4: Use the Six-Part STAND OUT Blog Post Template 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Experiment with Ten Popular Blog Themes

TWELVE 

BE SEEN EVERYWHERE USING 

ONLINE VIDEOS 

 

 

The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand [VoD], Internet, and P2P) will 

 

—Cisco 7 

 

 

 

 

 

 

W HY VIDEO I S SO POWERFUL FOR SMALL B USI NESSES 

 

Great for Reach and SEO:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 52: Using “how to tie a tie” as an example search, the video results STAND OUT.

STAND OUT 259 

Increased Engagement: 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Savings: 

 

 

 

 

Double or Triple the Bang for Your Buck: 

 

 

 

 

APPLYING TH E ONLI NE FUNNEL TO VIDEOS 

Reach: 

 

 

 

Engagement: 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion:


CREATI NG EFFECTIVE, COMPELLI NG VIDEOS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 53: This simple seven-step process will have you creating great online videos in 

a snap! 

Step 1: SELECT THE RIGHT TOOLS

STAND OUT 261 

Video Camera 

 

 

 

 

Webcams 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: The Logitech c920 Webcam 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iphone


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Great Online Course for Making Online Video with 

the iPhone 

 

 

 

 

mini hd cameras 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: The Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera

STAND OUT 263 

Figure 54: The Kodak Zi8 is a great inexpensive HD camera for video blogging. 

digiTal slr cameras


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

microphone 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES: High-Quality Microphones That Will Make You the 

Voice of Your Niche 

For video cameras:

STAND OUT 265 

 

 

 

 

 

Computer audio: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

l ighTing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPTUse Three-Point Lighting for Better Looking Web 

Video 

 

 

 

 

).


Figure 55: By following the three-point lighting system, your 

videos will STAND OUT in quality. 

Key light: 

 

 

 

Fill light: 

 

 

 

 

 

Back light:

STAND OUT 267 

 

 

RESOURCE: The Cheap and Awesome Basic Video Lighting Kit 

 

 

 

 

Editing Software 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Macs: 

 

 

 

 

For PCs:


Optional Tools for Video Creation 

 

 

 

online presenTaTion sofTWare 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keynote 

 

 

 

 

 

PowerPoint 

 

 

 

 

backdrops

STAND OUT 269 

RESOURCE: Fotodiox 5x7BW 5-Feet x 7-Feet Collapsible 

2-in-1 Background Backdrop Panel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WhiTeboard 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 56: Rand Fishkin of SEOMoz.org uses a whiteboard to create 

great video content.


Step 2: O UTLINE YOUR CONTENT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headline: 

Introduction: 

Body: 

Supporting graphic: 

later 

Summary: 

 

Call to action: 

 

Step 3: PRODUCE YOUR VIDEO 

 

 

 

 

l ive-ac Tion video besT pracTices

STAND OUT 271 

Create good composition: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choose clothing carefully:


Figure 57: Example of the “Rule of Thirds” from 

http://www.clickphotodesignsblog.com 

Record in 1080p or 720p: 

 

 

 

Keep it short: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get right to it:

STAND OUT 273 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

creaTing videos W iThouT a camera


Figure 58: ScreenFlow or PowerPoint can be used to make great screen capture movies 

Step 4: E DIT YOUR VIDEO

STAND OUT 275 

 

 

1. Trim intro and outro: 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 59: ScreenFlow and Camtasia make it easy to “trim” your video footage. 

2. Balance audio:


Figure 60: ScreenFlow’s audio editing menu makes perfect sound quality easy to achieve. 

3. Add images and text: 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 61: Adding text and images can really make your videos STAND OUT.

STAND OUT 277 

4. Encoding: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 62: Encoding videos is the last but most important step in editing video. 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE:


 

 

 

Figure 63: Vimeo.com’s online video compression guidelines 

Step 5: P UBLISH YOUR VIDEO

STAND OUT 279 

hoW To upload your video To youTube 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title: 

 

Description: 

 

 

Website: 

Phone number: 

 

Physical address: 

 

Main copy:


Figure 64: Basic settings for uploading a video to YouTube 

Category: 

 

 

Tags: 

 

 

 

Localizing:

STAND OUT 281 

Figure 65: Don’t forget to use the “Video Location” feature when uploading 

YouTube videos. 

Adding a transcript:


 

more visitors. 

RESOURCE: Save Tons of Time Using Video Transcription Services 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

 

 

 

) 

How to Add YouTube Videos to Your Site

STAND OUT 283 

1. 

 

want the video to be on y your site and copy the embed code 

 

Figure 67: YouTube embed codes make posting videos on your site a snap. 

2. 

 

 

 

 

optimize your blog.


3. 

Figure 68: Adding YouTube videos to your website or blog is a piece of cake using 

simple embed code. 

Figure 69: Example of YouTube video embedded on my blog 

Add the Text Transcript to Your Site

STAND OUT 285 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Add a Video Site Map to Your Site 

 

) 

 

 

 

NEXT STEPS: Recycle and Syndicate Your Videos 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Use Quick Videos to Curate Content 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE:


Crush It New York Times 

 

 

 

Figure 70: Gary Vaynerchuk has had enormous success by releasing one video blog a 

day at Wine Library TV. 

C H APTER SUMMARY

STAND OUT 287 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V I DEO RESOURCES 

 

 

) 

) 

) 


Step 1: Select the Right Video Creation Tools 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Create a Video Outline 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Produce Your Video


Step 4: Edit Your Video 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Publish Your Video 

 

 

Step 6: Syndicate Your Video to the Major Video Sites 

Step 7: Recycle Your Video

PART ONE: 

PART FIVE 

N E X T S T E P S F O R 

STAND OUT M A R K E T E R S

THIRTEEN 

GET MORE REFERRALS, REVIEWS, AND 

RENEWALS WITH NURTURE CAMPAIGNS 

 

or service, and that bring friends with them.” 

—W. Edwards Deming


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEAD NURTURI NG EX PLAI NED

STAND OUT 293 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B ENEFI TS OF LEAD NURTURI NG 

1. Automate your marketing: 

 

 

 

2. Save a ton of money: 

 

 

3. Reduce dependency on Google: 

 

 

 

 

4. Get more sales: 

 

 

 

T H E STAND OUT LEAD NURTURI NG PROCESS


1. Implement a lead intake process for hot leads. 

2. Select an email marketing tool. 

3. Set up a basic lead nurturing campaign. 

4. Create a customer nurture campaign. 

5. Follow email marketing best practices. 

6. Measure and test against your email metrics. 

Figure 71: The STAND OUT Lead Nurturing Strategy 

Step 1: I MPLEMENT AN INTAKE PROCESS FOR HOT LEADS 

 

 

 

 

 

someTimes The firsT is The besT

STAND OUT 295 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

l ead inTake process besT pracTices 

Document the lead intake process for your business. 

 

 

 

Never let leads get answered by a machine or voicemail. 

 

 

 

 

 

Respond to Web leads within hours.

Develop a script for inbound leads. 

 

 

 

 

Always add phone leads to your nurture campaigns. 

 

 

 

 

Share the results with your staff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: S ELECT AN EMAIL MARKETING TOOL 

 

 

 

 

 

 

basic email m arkeTing sofTWare

STAND OUT 297 

compleTe m arkeTing auTomaTion sysTems 

 

 

 

 

) 

) 

 

 

 

 

Step 3: S ET UP A BASIC LEAD NURTURING CAMPAIGN 

 

 

1. Email Broadcasts 

 

 

 

 

Content updates:


 

Seasonal updates: 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales and specials: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Sequential Emails 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mini course: 

 

 

 

Case studies: 

 

 

 

 

Drip offers:

STAND OUT 299 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The launch formula: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: C REATE A CUSTOMER NURTURE CAMPAIGN


Referrals 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT LINE:

STAND OUT 301 

 

 

Aaron 

 

 

 

 

besT pracTices for more r eferrals 

Ask right away. 

 

 

Make it easy. 

 

 

 

Provide incentives. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow up immediately. 

 

Track your referral sources.


Launch a referral program. 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Use List Segmentation to Target Your Campaigns 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master subscribers: 

 

 

Leads: 

 

Customers: 

 

Reviews

STAND OUT 303 

hoW To a sk for r evieWs 

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT LINE: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron


 

 

 

 

 

 

Top r evieWs siTes 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

 

besT pracTices for m anaging online r evieWs 

Make it easy. 

 

Never pay for reviews. 

 

 

Go beyond your client list.

STAND OUT 305 

 

 

Respond to both good and bad reviews. 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor your reviews. 

 

 

Renewals 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

r easons To sTay in Touch W iTh cusTomers 

Content: 

 

 

Birthdays:


 

 

 

 

 

Service Reminders: 

 

 

 

Surveys: 

 

 

 

 

Just Because: 

 

 

 

 

KEY CONCEPT: Use Facebook to Reach Existing Customers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

)

STAND OUT 307 

2. 

 

 

 

Step 5: F OLLOW EMAIL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: MEASURE YOUR EMAIL METRICS 

 

 

 

Open rate: 

 

 

 

Click-through rates: 

 

 

Bounce rate: 

 

 

Unsubscribes: 

 

Complaints:


 

 

 

EMAIL MARKETING RESOURCES: 

 

) 

 

) 

 

 

) 


 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Select an Email Marketing Tool 

Step 3: Set Up a Basic Lead Nurturing Campaign

STAND OUT 309 

Step 4: Create a Customer Nurture Campaign 

 

 

 

Step 5: Follow Email Marketing Best Practices 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Measure and Test Your Email Metrics

FOURTEEN 

BECOME A DIGITAL CITIZEN AND JOIN 

THE DISCUSSION 

“Constant interactions with the community help you stay on target and up-to-date with 

latest trends. By actively participating in conversations, you are immersing yourself in 

the digital culture and soaking up valuable information.” 

—Magdalena Georgieva, Blog.Hubspot.com 8 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community: 

 

Consumption:


Creation: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RSS READERS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.m

STAND OUT 313 

 

 

 

Great Sources for RSS Subscriptions 

Competitors: 

 

 

 

 

Industry news and blogs: 

 

Educational sites: 

 

 

 

 

 

News and entertainment: 

 

 

 

RESOURCE—Your RSS Starter Kit: 

 

 

 

Copyblogger 

 

 

Hubspot


MarketingProfs 

 

 

The Smart Passive Income Blog 

 

 

 

Geek-Free Marketing 

 

 

How to Set Up Your RSS Reader 

1. Pick an RSS reader. There are hundreds of RSS readers 

http://www.google.com/reader 

is extremely simple and integrates well with other Google 

and Gmail-related services. 

2. Add sites to your RSS feed. Visit your favorite websites and 

 

 

 

new content. 

3. 

 

to your network of personal and business contacts. 

KEY CONCEPT: Consume Your News on the Go with Mobile RSS Apps

STAND OUT 315 

LEARN MORE— RSS Reader Details: 

 

 

 

 

GOOGLE ALERTS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

How to Set Up Google Alerts 

1. Log in to your Gmail account. 

2. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts. 

3. 

 

wait for the results.


 

KEY CONCEPT: Three Great Topics to Track Using Google Alerts 

 

 

 

PODCASTS, VIDEO, AND MULTI MEDI A SI TES 

 

 

YouTube

STAND OUT 317 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Podcasts 

 

 

). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hoW To geT sTarTed W iTh podcasTs 

 

 

On the original site of the podcaster:


Figure 73: ILoveMarketing.com’s podcasts listed on their website 

On mobile devices:

STAND OUT 319 

Figure 74: The I Love Marketing Podcast listed on iTunes 

Top podcasTs for small business oW ners 

 

 

 

I Love Marketing 

 

 

 

CopyBlogger Radio 

 

 

 

Small Business Big Marketing


 

 

niche blogs, WebsiTes, and forums 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online Forums: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Media Groups:

STAND OUT 321 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 75: If the American Cheese Society LinkedIn group has over 1,000 members, 

it’s likely that your niche has popular groups as well. 

C H APTER SUMMARY



Step 1: Choose an RSS reader 

 

Step 2: Set Up Google Alerts 

 

 

 

Step 3: Subscribe to Several YouTube Channels 

Step 4: Subscribe to Two to Three Podcasts 

Step 5: Join at Least Two Online Forums Devoted to Your 

Business Niche 

Step 6: Join Two to Three Social Media Groups

CONCLUSION 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

reach 

 

engage 

 

convert


 

 

right now 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T H E ROAD AH EAD

STAND OUT 325 

 

 

 

.

NOTES 

Introduction 

 

 

 

 

The 4-Hour Workweek 

 

The 4-Hour Body 

 

Chapter 1 

 

 

 

 

 

The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and 

What to Do about It 

Ready, Fire, Aim


 

 

The Art of War 

 

 

Chapter 2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

Chapter 3 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs

NOTES 329 

 

 

Chapter 4 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Make Me 

Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability 

 

Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? 

 

Chapter 5


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7

NOTES 331 

 

Wired 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8 

 

 

the Forbes 

 

 

 

 

) 

 

)


 

 

 

 

) 

Chapter 9 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inbound Marketing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

) 

Chapter 11

NOTES 333 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook, 

 

 

) 

Chapter 12


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crush It New 

York Times 

Chapter 13

NOTES 335 

Chapter 14

INDEX 

 

 

AdWeek Copywriting Handbook, The 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also


 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also

INDEX 339 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

Content Is Currency 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

Content Rich 

 

Content Rules 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also


 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do about It, The

INDEX 341 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 4-Hour Body 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

4-Hour Body, The 

 

 

 

 

 

Funnel. See 

 

 

 

 

The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do about It 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also


 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Rules 

Inbound Marketing 

 

 

 

 

See

INDEX 343 

 

 

How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Analytics 2.0 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See


 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Tail, The 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

See also

INDEX 345 

 

Ready, Fire, Aim 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and 

Content Marketing 

 

See 

 

 

 

See also 

 

See also 

 

 

 

See also 

See


 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

See also

INDEX 347 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready, Fire, Aim 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

See


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

See

INDEX 349 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook 

 

 

See 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

See also


 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crush It 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wall Street Journal, The, 

Web Analytics 2.0 

 

See

INDEX 351 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See also

352 Aaron N. Fletcher

Beat Your Competition - Increase Sales - Get More Customers in 90 Days 

Online marketing expert Aaron Fletcher shows you how to gain more customers in 

this simple guide to marketing your small business, with quick and easy solutions for 

creating a successful marketing plan. 

In today’s technology-driven marketplace, every small business owner is looking 

for an effective marketing plan to increase online visibility and ultimately grow 

their business. Many have already taken the basic steps in launching a website, 

creating a Facebook page, and maybe even hiring a so-called SEO expert, 

but now find themselves dismayed by the lack of results. In Stand Out, online 

marketing expert and Geek-Free Marketing founder Aaron Fletcher shows every 

small business owner—no matter their skills or budget—how to create a simple, 

proven, and easy-to-follow road map to increase online visibility, bring more 

traffic to their sites, generate more leads, increase profit, and grow! 

Stand Out includes clear, step-by step instructions on how to: 

1. Build a solid marketing foundation using the 5 M’s of Marketing (Mindset, 

Market, Message, Media, and Metrics) and the basic Online Marketing Funnel 

2. Launch a simple but powerful website that creates an ideal user experience 

3. Complete a “Google 101” crash course on understanding search engines 

(SEO), optimizing your website, and increasing your online visibility 

4. Create compelling content that speaks directly to your clients’ needs 

5. Become a “digital citizen,” with tools to help you connect with your 

audience wherever they hang out online 

Aaron N. Fletcher is a small-business marketing expert specializing in 

online marketing, search-engine optimization, Web design, and social 

media. He’s spent his 20-plus-year career in advertising and marketing, 

holding senior-level marketing positions with top media companies 

including Village Voice Media, The Daily Journal Corporation, Nolo 

Press, and Caring.com, taking several of these brands from zero to 

over $10 million in sales through the use of effective SEO, sales, 

and marketing. He is founder of Geek-Free Marketing (www.geekfreemarketing.com), 

helping thousands of small businesses become 

more effective in their marketing through the use of “plain-English” marketing systems. 

$19.95 ($21.95 Can.) 

Business / Small Businesses / Web Marketing 

www.turnerpublishingcompany.com 

Author photo by Steve LaBadessa

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