Instead of “performing”, he’ll just pull up a stool and go through a huge list of possible joke variations or ideas. Many flop and fail. The audience might become annoyed or irritated. And some leave.

But that’s not important.

Chris is looking for clues and insight. He’s looking for those few gems. Like a person’s body language or chuckle that let him know he may be on to something. He’ll continue to rework these jokes until he has 9 or 10 to create a show around.

Then he hits the big stage.

Rock’s approach is unconventional. But you can’t argue with his success — as the once high school dropout is among the most successful (and highest paid) comedians of all time.

And interestingly, it’s the same way a major animation studio prepares for it’s next big blockbuster.

What You Can Learn About Marketing from the World’s Most Successful Animated Studio

Pixar is a rare example of a company that grew rapidly, become wildly successful, and yet continue to innovate. Their string of success has been phenomenal since the first Toy Story came out.

They’ve earned an incredible 27 Academy Awards, with 7 of those for Best Animated Feature.

And a lot of their success has to do with the everyday collaboration and creative process. They create elaborate, detailed storyboards as “work in process” and continue to examine every scene or frame from every different angle.

They also go to great lengths to experience their research or “learn by doing”. This includes scuba diving to learn more about the visual aspects of fish in their natural habitat for Finding Nemo.

Pixar has a fundamental belief that it’s better to fix problems during the process while they’re actively learning, then obsess over the initial planning phases and believe they have everything figured out.

And one of the keys to “learning-by-doing” and iterating quickly is to make sure you’re getting constant, reliable feedback in the form of “actionable metrics”.

How to Use “Actionable Metrics” to Learn, Iterate, and Grow

The “Lean Startup” movement has swept through technology companies over the past few years.

Pioneered by serial entrepreneur and Stanford professor Steve Blank, and further developed by Eric Reis, it borrows concepts from other industries like Toyota’s manufacturing processes to improve your chances of success.

And one of the most important concepts from The Lean Startup is actionable metrics.

Many times, companies focus on vanity metrics — things like the number of Twitter followers — that doesn’t necessarily impact or correspond to important parts of your business.

Actionable metrics on the other hand allow you to focus on key business drivers, and simplify how you track or measure results. In most cases, all you need to track are 5-10 basic key metrics. And if you can figure out how to improve those, then you’ll be able to significantly impact your business.

Digital marketing is great because there’s all types of data available to track your performance.

However, that’s also the problem.

There’s too much data. Especially in a world that evolves minute-by-minute.

So how do you make sense of it all?

And how do you take data — raw numbers or percentages — and turn them into insights to improve your marketing ROI?

Start by “Mapping” Your Sales Funnel to Improve Key Business Performance Metrics

Sales don’t materialize out of thin air. So every business has an online sales funnel with key steps or stages.

New visitors arrive at your site, check out a few things, agree to receive more information or make a purchase, and then they might re-purchase or let their friends know.

So if you want to boost your bottom line, then you need to address and improve the stages that come before it.

At the end of the day, you’ll have a waterfall effect that spills over into more revenue and profit (while also costing you less in the long run).

You can start to track these important stages by adding more context to your numbers. Take for example, the old copywriting AIDA framework:

Step #1. Traffic & Awareness: Consumers today see several thousand advertising messages every single day. So the first goal in digital marketing is to get attention. Visits and pageviews are obvious examples of attention. But you should also dive deeper into the individual sources sending you traffic. This is the first step to figuring out how your marketing campaigns or activities are working, because you can compare how much demand or attention they’re generating vs. what they cost you in time or money.

Step #2. Engagement: The “missing link” between new visitors to your website and loyal customers is engagement. So you need to pique their interest, and build trust before they’ll start to purchase (or recommend you to their friends). You can start to gauge interest or engagement by looking at how many pages they visit, how long they stay on your website, and how many of your new visitors “bounce” or leave immediately.

Step #3. Conversions: Last but not least, you need to see real actions or conversions taking place. Because more Facebook fans are nice — but they don’t pay the bills. And people might tell you they like something, but if they aren’t actually opting-in or giving you their credit card information, then it doesn’t matter. So these can be actual sales, or other “micro-conversions” like opting-in to a quote request form or your weekly newsletter.

Of course, once you start tracking all this stuff… you’re still not done.

Because “marketing” isn’t a one time thing. It’s ongoing and recurring and comprehensive.

If you want to improve key business performance metrics significantly over time (like double your revenue in the next year or two), then you’ll need to constantly create new ideas, and experiment to improve on each stage of the sales funnel.

Rinse and repeat.

Because the best insights you’ll get aren’t from your competitors or other benchmarks.

But from comparing your own results over time.

Palm Springs, CA

Palm Springs is a desert resort town located 111 miles east of Los Angeles.

It grew to fame as Hollywood’s elite flocked in the mid 1900s, and has been a popular tourist destination ever since — pulling in a million and half visitors each year.

And I’ve been vacationing there for as long as I can remember.

My parents used to take our family all the time, and it was common to have timeshares or extended stays. My wife and I have continued to go there frequently over the 8 years we’ve been together.

In Downtown Palm Springs, right on Palm Canyon Drive, there used to be a small, independent bookstore called Latino Books Y Mas.

Each trip we would try to stop in at least once, to get a new book to read by the pool. It was owned by a friendly husband-and-wife team, who would always be there to help or make recommendations. He was a retired school teacher, who started the bookstore as a way to stay busy during their retirement.

However on a recent visit, we walked over to the bookstore and discovered it was sealed shut with locks. Not only that, but there was an eviction notice on the door.

I felt really bad. These were nice people and the shop seemed to do reasonably well with a good location. So I jumped on Google and tried to see if there were any stories or updates about what happened.

And I was quickly surprised.

Turns out, it wasn’t money problems after all. They were being kicked out. But it’s because the landlord is planning on a $100 million redevelopment project. So they terminated their lease 2½ years early with only 30 days notice.

And I read all about this in the Los Angeles Times.

Wait a second… doesn’t that seem odd?

Real estate problems and lease issues like this happen everyday.

Why would the Los Angeles Times be covering this story — when it’s located 111 miles outside of Los Angeles and not even in the same county?

Why is this little story getting all this time and attention?

And why is it so important that I’m bringing it up again?

Watch a Young Woman Avenge Her Father’s Death

The hit TV show Revenge premiered towards the end of 2011 with generally favorable reviews (66/100 from Metacritic).

Since then, it’s become one of the biggest new shows on television, and is the highest rated show for ABC since Lost.

It stars a young heroine who returns to her childhood home in the Hamptons to secretly plot revenge against the family and people who were responsible for her fathers murder.

The storyline is interesting enough, and people seem to love it (but let’s be honest — it’s no Mad Men).

But it’s not new…

In fact, this same storyline has been around for over one hundred years.

And it’s popped up multiple times since then in different reincarnations.

Great Artists Steal

“Good artists copy, great artists steal,” is a quote generally attributed to Pablo Picasso.

And while I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, he was on to something.

The plot structure for almost every single popular TV show, movie, or book has already happened before.

In content creation, there are certain plots, storylines or templates that are almost always successful. So they are rehashed, reused, and adapted to give it a contemporary spin that will fit a new specific, target audience.

The TV show Revenge? It’s loosely based on The Count of Monte Cristo, which was finished by Alexandre Dumas in 1884(!).

And what about our little bookstore from earlier? Classic David vs. Goliath.

The Los Angeles Times is covering this story (happening outside of their county) because it depicts a small, independent bookstore — the last in the area! — who is being treated unfairly/unjustly by a big, wealthy property owner.

The tiny, sole proprietorship doesn’t want to give up. This is their retirement and livelihood after all! And the big conglomerate is pushing and throwing their weight around to get what they want.

If you can pick up on a story like this, then you’ll know it’s going to be a hit before you even publish it.

And if you can tie your product or service to it, then (a) people will actually look forward to reading your content, and (b) it will actually drive new business.

Because today, marketing is in the attention business.

The more attention we can get, the more people we’ll reach.

The more attention we can hold, the longer we’ll have to build recognition and recall.

The more recognition and recall, the more direct sales we’ll generate.

And it all starts — and ends — online with content.

Content that interests, persuades, and entertains.

And content that gets your readers to become clients and customers.

If you want to hear more, then click here for a free content marketing video and kit.

And let’s set-up a time to talk about how to use content to generate leads & loyalty.

Here’s what a new CD reminded me about reminding others…

A few days ago I was at a Starbucks trying to fuel up for the morning.

And while waiting for my drink, glanced down at the featured CDs along the counter.

When one of them caught my eye…

And was surprised to find that Dave Matthews Band has come out with a new cd.

So instead of buying it, I quickly pulled out my iPhone and checked my Spotify Premium membership to make sure they had it.

(Remember our discussion about technology disrupting “low cost” companies with legacy cost structures?)

Once I got back in my car, I quickly fired it up and instantly remembered how much I enjoyed them.

During high school and college I used to be a big fan. I’ve probably been to around 10-15 live shows over the years.

But since then I’ve grown up, gotten more responsibilities, started a family and simply forgot about them.

Not that I ever disliked them… or meant to stray away…

Things happen. We’re all busy. So it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks.

(If I didn’t auto-pay my bills, then my electricity would probably be turned off every month.)

This applies to brands, as well as artists.

But this new CD came out, and reminded me of less serious times. I tried to check their tour dates (which is where the REAL money is made for them anyway), but this one is already over and I missed my chance.

The point?

Well… we’re waiting?! (That’s a Caddyshack reference for you movie-buffs.)

I like this artist. I want to willingly give them my money.

But I forgot about them. Not my fault…

It’s theirs.

They never followed up.

There was no “staying-in-touch” after I bought their CDs or attended their live shows. I haven’t seen any other promotions, or updates in my social streams.

I was finally reminded with a new product launch… but it’s too little, too late.

And all it would have taken was a few simple emails.

Because email is the simplest, easiest, highest ROI way to drive new customers, increase engagement and encourage re-purchases from loyal customers (and fans).

Now I don’t like to propose problems without solutions. That’s not my style.

So heres your solution. Get it while it’s hot…

Enter your name and email below to get a mini-course about how to fix these common mistakes:

• Day 1: Why Your Email List is a Marketing Asset (And Why Social Media is a Waste of Time)
• Day 2: How to Get People to Willingly Sign Up for Your Newsletter
• Day 3: Common Design Mistakes that Hurt Click-Throughs, Loyalty & Sales
• Day 4: Why No One Cares About Your Email Content (And How to Fix It)
• Day 5: How to Use “Triggered” Emails + Free Workshop on How to Generate Leads, Loyalty & Sales

According to HubSpot, the median number of unique weekly visitors for a 6-10 person B2B company is about 124, and about 276 for B2C companies.

But that doesn’t really mean anything…

Benchmarking like this gives you an idea, but it doesn’t give you the complete picture.

So here’s how you can find it…

Reverse-Engineer Your Success

How much do you want to make each month?

And how many new leads or customers do you want?

Pick a target, an end goal, and then back it out…

If you want 10 new sales, and your average conversion rate is 2%, then you’ll need 500 visits.

Of course, you’ll probably need much more if you want to grow.

But how are you going to get that many?

How are you going to go beyond the “average” and really use online marketing to increase business?

The answer depends on a few factors (which we’ll cover in my upcoming training workshop).

But here are three website traffic ideas that you shouldn’t rely on…

Idea #1: You’re going to get “free” traffic from Google.

This first myth usually comes down to ignorance.

Because you think you can either (a) outsmart Google, or (b) that traffic will just flow naturally from search engines.

And both reasons couldn’t be more wrong.

Google is one of the most profitable and most innovative companies in the world. They’re leading the way in developing artificial intelligence products that have only been imagined in science fiction movies.

Do you seriously think you, or your $200/month “SEO consultant”, will outsmart them forever?

After a few months, they’ll just release another algorithm update like Panda or Penguin, and you’ll drop from the rankings immediately.

And there are more than 600 million active websites on the planet. So new ones are like a needle in a haystack.

If you build it… then no one will even know it exists!

You can’t wait around, hoping and wishing for traffic. You have to go out and get it.

Idea #2: You’re going to set-up a Facebook page.

Setting up a Facebook page (or any social account for that matter) is a great start.

You can send it to your family and friends to check out. Get a few new “Likes”.

And then… what?

After the initial fanfare dies down… what are you going to do?

Spam your friends and family every single day?

And what happens when Facebook’s EdgeRank kicks in, and you can only reach 10% of those people.

You’ll see a small trickle at best.

Using Facebook (or social media) to send updates and “engage” like this is great. But it’s a terrible way to grow, get more traffic, and grow your business.

Idea #3: You’re just going to use AdWords.

I can’t begin to tell you the amount of times I meet smart people who think they’ll rely only on AdWords to get more business.

Really? Let’s do some quick math…

How much will you be paying for clicks on your ad? (In competitive industries, I’ve seen this as high as $50 per click!!!)

For argument’s sake, let’s say $5.00 because it’s relatively low (and it’s an easy number to multiply).

Now… how much traffic do you need to make a sale?

The average conversion rate for most websites is around 1% (and for new ones, this could be even lower).

So that means you’ll need 100 visits to get one buyer. That will cost you $500.

How much is your average sale? Can you really afford to pay $500 to acquire one customer?

Maybe you’re good at conversion rate optimization, so your conversion rate is 2% and you get 2 customers (at a cost of $250 per customer).

But of course, one customer isn’t enough to build a business.

Let’s say your average sale is worth $500. And you want a target monthly revenue of $5,000 minimum. Now you’ll need to get 10 customers each month.

That means you’ll need 500 visits (at $5 per click and 2% conversion rate), which will cost you $2,500 up-front, every single month.

But wait, it gets even worse for service companies or more expensive products.

Because chances are, you can’t get someone to sign up for your expensive package immediately.

So that means you have to send them to a “Quote Request” form and get them to opt-in. You then have to back out and figure out how many leads you can close. And you’ll have to come up with a Cost per Lead and a Cost per Client.

But I think you get the point…

For most companies, solely relying on AdWords for customers is unsustainable.

It works brilliantly. It’s among the best performing marketing or advertising channels you can find — anywhere.

But on a per customer basis, it’s expensive. And you need a lot of capital up-front to fund your growth.

The Bottom Line

New websites are difficult to promote.

Because nobody knows who you are. And no one trusts you.

They don’t see your brand on TV, or hear about you on the radio.

So getting your first 1,000 or 2,000 visits is incredibly hard, and takes a TON of work.

But if you’re serious about breaking through your plateaus and growing your company, then I will show you how in my upcoming training workshop.

“We’re a small company and we just started using Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest, etc. How many times do I update? How do I reach more people? Or what tools can I use? We need to keep up and not fall behind.”

The problem with this question… is that it’s the wrong one to ask.

And it reminds me of one of my favorite Seth Godin posts…

First, Make Rice

From Seth…

“Fledgling sushi chefs spend months (sometimes years) doing nothing but making the rice for the head chef.

If the rice isn’t right, it really doesn’t matter what else you do, you’re not going to be able to serve great sushi.

Most of the blogging and writing that goes on about marketing assumes that you already know how to make the rice. It assumes you understand copywriting and graphic design, that you’ve got experience in measuring direct response rates, that you’ve made hundreds of sales calls, have an innate empathy for what your customers want and think and that you know how to make a compelling case for what you believe.

Too often, we quickly jump ahead to the new thing, failing to get good enough at the important thing.”

Most productivity and time management systems don’t work because they over-emphasis efficiency and urgency, instead of importance.

It doesn’t matter how good you are shooting at a target… if it’s the wrong target in the first place.

So when someone asks me how to get more Facebook fans, I try to re-frame their question using the “5-Whys”…

How to Dig Deeper and Find the Root Cause

The “5-Whys” is a simple question and answer technique to help you ignore symptoms of problems, and dig deeper to find the root cause. It was developed by the Toyota Corporation in Japan, and it’s used extensively in manufacturing to find and eliminate product defects.

But it’s also a helpful tool to use when you’re analyzing marketing decisions.

Because it will help you avoid making bad decisions, going down the wrong path, and wasting time, money and energy.

So here’s how it works:

“What tool should I use for Facebook?”

• Why? #1: So I can post more consistently.
• Why? #2: So I can reach more Facebook fans.
• Why? #3: So I can get more “Likes”
• Why? #4: So I can build an “audience”
• Why? #5: So I can…?

Using the 5-Whys like this helps you uncover the faulty logic.

In this case, let’s assume you did build an “audience”… now what?

Getting more “likes” or “followers” doesn’t translate into more sales for your company.

More sales so you can grow, hire more staff, make more money, or simply stop working so hard.

Here’s the question you should be asking…

“How Do I Get More Clients and Customers?”

The point of any type of marketing is to increase demand for your services and products.

Figuring out how to do that is like making the rice. It’s boring, it sucks, and it takes time.

Instead we want to skip making the rice, and jump in to Facebook because it’s more fun and you get instant gratification.

The problem with Facebook, is that it won’t build your business.

It’s not a good channel at reliably, systematically, and automatically increasing demand for your services and products.

You can be the best Facebook-er on the planet, and still be broke.

Because there’s a lot more to marketing than updating a Facebook page.

Like what?

• Creating an online marketing strategy that’s systematically turns strangers into loyal customers
• Organizing your website to automatically generate leads and sales
• Using proven promotion strategies specifically for your website’s size and type to reliably get more traffic month-after-month

All of which I’ll be covering in-detail during my upcoming training workshops.

A lesson in copywriting from everyones favorite in-flight magazine.

Over the holidays, I traveled from Southern California (where I live), to St. Louis, Las Vegas, Minnesota, and back to Las Vegas before returning home.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in airplanes.

Which is fine, because I enjoy traveling. I usually read on my Kindle, or try to get some work done on my MacBook Air.

But during takeoffs and landings, you have to put all electronics away.

And that 20 – 30 minutes with nothing to do gets boring. (I can’t just sit around and relax!)

So I open up one of my favorite magazines ever… SkyMall.

If you’re not familiar, SkyMall is basically a catalog of fun, useless products to buy. And they have some strange stuff — so it’s entertaining to flip through when you’re killing time.

But unfortunately, I can’t turn my brain off.

So I start thinking about the products, how much competition they have, possible conversion rates, total reach with such massive distribution in every airplane, etc. etc.

I mean… some of these are interesting, but most aren’t really essential to your life. You may WANT these products, but you certainly don’t NEED them.

(Case in point: the only time I remember hearing about someone purchasing a product from SkyMall, it was an adult-sized, one-piece pajama set… complete with footies.)

Now think about how difficult it is to sell something if you take away the human interaction. That means you’re trying to use a few words, and an image to sell something… when you’re just one product out of a hundred others, and you only have a few seconds to get your point across.

(Kinda like the internet… see where I’m going with this?)

How are you supposed to (1) capture attention, (2) create interest, (3) build trust, and (4) inspire someone to take action with a tiny space, a couple words, and only a few seconds of each person’s time?

Why Selling with Words is So Difficult

Writing is the backbone of online marketing.

Because every word on your website, and each sentence in your email needs to do one thing (and one thing only): sell.

Maybe not overt, aggressive, used car-salesman-type selling.

But it needs to influence, persuade, and seduce potential prospects from the moment they land on a page.

Your writing needs to do all of these things… when most people have no idea who you are and could probably care less about you.

Fortunately, your website and emails don’t have to be “written well”. You’re not trying to win a Nobel Peace Prize, or get an “A” in your old high school English class. (In fact, most of the time you should purposefully go against most writing guidelines.)

You see this mistake all the time…

Websites are filled with huge blocks of boring, jargon-filled text that tries to be “professional”.

But in most cases (especially B2B), you’re just turning people off.

If you turn people off, then they won’t read further and you won’t sell more.

Instead, you need to start using more copywriting that speaks to the hearts of prospects. (Humans are inherently emotional and irrational… so facts and statistics only get you so far.)

Here are two great examples from SkyMall.

Bad Example: “Our Most Powerful Tablet PC Ever!”

Here’s one picture I took while flying over the country:

Notice a few things here:

• The headline emphasis the company (“Our…”)
• It uses vague jargon (“Tablet PC”)
• The sub-head uses more jargon (“Android 4.0″)
• And all the bullets emphasize features

I don’t have any inside information… but I bet the sales of this product are terrible.

It doesn’t resonate with readers, or tell them why they need the product.

Now compare that to this one…

Good Example: “Can’t Sleep? Always Too Hot or Too Cold”?

• The headline describes a common reader’s problem (“Can’t sleep?”) which immediately grabs their attention
• Then the sub-head talks about another common problem (“Always Too Hot…”)
• Now look at the opening line of copy… it’s beautiful. (“Don’t settle for hot sticky nights and poor sleep when you can stay cool, dry and comfortable all night”).
• And it uses a feature to describe a competitive advantage, but then translates it into a benefit. (“… evaporate rapidly so the…”)

This ad is using copywriting to get prospects to emotionally engage and buy in.

It’s not trying to factually talk about the product. Because that’s not why people buy.

People buy because you’re solving their problem, or fulfilling a desire.

How to Use Copywriting to Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Increase Sales

The first rule of copywriting is this: no one cares about you, your company, or your business.

The only thing that matters is your prospect. Who they are, what they do, where they want to go, and what’s preventing them from getting there.

Maybe they have aspirational goals, or maybe they’re trying to avoid pain.

Either way, you need to identify with them and talk about what they’re experiencing.

Frame it as a problem… a huge hurdle or gap in their life.

Talk about common symptoms of that problem, and how it’s a huge burden in their life (whether they realize it or not).

And the only possible solution… is what you’re providing.

You’re the cure to protect them, or the solution to getting a new job, losing weight, making more money, experiencing less stress, or maybe just… feeling better about themselves.

Use concrete examples and vivid language.

And emphasize expected results, outcomes and benefits.

“Your service or product does this, or has that feature, so that the prospect gets this benefit, or that outcome.”

You’ll notice a striking difference in results when you write like this on your website, blog posts, PPC ads, social media updates, and email newsletters.

People start actually paying attention.

They begin opting-in to willingly hear more from you.

They open and click on every email you send them.

They start replying to your emails, and commenting on your Facebook updates.

They begin inquiring for more information, or raising their hands to become a lead.

And they start… buying. In droves.

Because you understand them.

You know what they’re going through, and how they feel.

And they’re confident that you can help them.

If you’d like to experience this transformation in your business, then I can help →.

See what I did there…

And online, you can reach anyone, anywhere, at anytime in the world. That’s a HUGE opportunity.

But here’s the thing…

The average website’s conversion rate for new sales is only around 1%.

So… what does that mean?

Open up your website analytics, and see how much traffic you’re getting on a monthly basis. Then multiply that number by 1%.

That’s how many new customers you can expect realistically on a monthly basis. Now multiply that by your average sales price, and you have at least a basic view of expected sales.

The lesson here? If you want to grow your business, and tap online marketing to fuel it, then you’ll almost always need more traffic. But not just any traffic. You need qualified, targeted traffic that will stick around and show interest in what you’re selling.

And the best source of targeted traffic is through SEO.

But like most valuable things in life… SEO isn’t easy. It’s technically difficult, constantly evolving, and it takes a lot of time and energy to learn.

So how do you get good at SEO, and use it to grow your business?

Here’s how…

A Life Lesson from Two Knee Surgeries

In 2005, during my freshman soccer season in college, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), lateral cruciate ligament (LCL) and hamstring muscles… all at the same time.

I was initially on crutches for a full three months. And then the first surgery re-attached my LCL and hamstring with a dissolvable anchor on the outside of my knee. Then I had to rehab my knee for a full six months before going under for a second surgery to repair ACL.

Here’s how a common ACL surgery goes…

They drill into your shin bone, and cut the middle third of your patellar tendon that runs through your kneecap. Then they wrap it through your knee joint (in place of the ACL), before screwing it back in to your shin.

I went from playing college soccer, in the top echelon of athletes in the states, to… learning how to walk again (twice).

Unfortunately, ACL injuries are fairly common among soccer players. And one of the biggest problems with these injuries is the cost.

ACL surgeries alone usually range from $17,000 – $22,000. There is also the cost of numerous doctor visits, and specialized sports/athletic physical therapy for 6 – 12 months (or in my case, 18 months).

Then you have also sport-related problems, such as the loss of your season, loss of scholarships, being excluded from team activities, getting cut from rosters, and the increased likelihood of more injuries (if) you return.

Lastly, there are mental and long-term issues such as chronic knee problems, mild-depression like symptoms and the increase of osteoarthritis later in life.

And here’s a common misconception about ACL injuries…

Length of recovery has little to do with strength or hard work, it has everything to do with your body’s ability to deal with trauma and “accept” the foreign ACL.

Usually people tear their ACL a second (or third) time because they rush back too quickly, when the integrity of the foreign ACL hasn’t solidified or matured.

How to Achieve Sustainable, Long-Term Success When Starting from Ground Zero

The recommended time length for ACL recovery is somewhere between 6 and 12 months, depending on a wide range of factors.

Most competitive athletes (myself included) try to cut this rehab short. In 1997, Jerry Rice (NFL wide receiver) made a 3 ½ month comeback after ACL reconstruction, only to fracture his knee cap (where the ACL was taken from) ending his season.

After my second surgery, I went through a full year of rehab before being cleared to play. It took a full 18 months before I even stepped foot back on a field.

But almost exactly 24 months after originally getting injured, I played in the National Championship Final and then went on to finish my soccer career without any further ACL problems (and still none to this day).

My recovery was unique, because most people in my situation either get hurt again, or stop playing altogether.

But anyone could have done it.

Here are four ways to achieve long-term success in anything:

1. Time & Patience: The only way to make big, significant changes is through a lot of small actions over time. We’re pre-conditioned to wanting fast results, and instant gratification. But true change rarely happens overnight.
2. Accurate Diagnosis: Most people vastly overestimate their own performance. When something goes right, it’s because you’re talented. But when something goes wrong, it’s someone else’s fault or because of bad luck. But Tiger Woods, the best golfer of all time, still has a coach.
3. Acquire New Skills: Once you have an accurate view of where you stand, you need to try and improve weaknesses, while further mastering your strengths. And often times, what got you here… won’t get you to the next level.
4. Discipline & Hard Work: Finally, nothing else matters unless you are doggedly consistent. Some days will be great, and others terrible. But consistency is the only thing that matters in the long run. You need to grind it out.

And this last one is where most people slip up…

Quick Fixes, Immediate Results, and Making More Money

Let’s be honest…

We all want to make more money.

Whether that means growing your business, or charging a higher hourly rate.

Because money equals freedom. The freedom to do what we love (and not what we have to), to travel, to have more free time, and have less stress.

Time and time again, it’s been proven that stress can kill.

And it’s also been proven that people with more money and control over their future have less stress. (So having more money also equals a happier, longer life!)

Online, you see people promise quick riches and instant results all the time.

Sorry to burst your bubble… but it’s not true.

You want to use online marketing to grow your company and make more money? It’s incredibly difficult. And it takes A LOT of time, energy and money. (It’s not impossible… there’s just no shortcuts.)

One of the best examples of promising quick results in the online marketing world is in SEO. Because SEO is the single best source of traffic for new customers.

So you buy some links, use shady software to spin nonsensical articles, and expect… what exactly?

Do you really think that’s going to outsmart Google?

A billion dollar company, and one of the smartest, most innovate companies in the history of mankind. A company that’s creating futuristic, artificial intelligence products like “augmented-reality” glasses and a driverless car.

Leaving 1,000 blog comments, creating useless Squidoo pages and buying links from sex enhancement websites is not going to outsmart Google.

So how do you get better at SEO?

1. Have patience and know it’s going to take time,
2. Figure out where you’re doing well (and not so well),
3. Learn some new skills, techniques and processes, and
4. Then apply them consistently over time

How do I know this?

Because in one year, I’ve grown FixCourse’s organic search (SEO) traffic over 8,700% (from 71 to over 6,200 visits per month).

No tricks. No gimmicks. No manipulation.

Just a good strategy, and hard work.

Here’s how… →

And in the next few days, some websites lost 50%+ of their traffic overnight.

Companies saw revenues drop instantly by thousands of dollars per month — directly from this loss in search traffic. Some cash-strapped ones even went under.

And according to a poll on SEOroundtable, “94% of Google Penguin victims did not fully recover”.

But this is nothing new.

In fact, it happens every 6-12 months.

Yet companies still try to take the same shortcuts, and use the same quick fixes to get “free” SEO traffic into their website. Or they hire a cheap SEO firm that promises to “GET PAGE 1 RANKINGS IN A MONTH – GUARANTEED”.

These shortcuts might work for awhile. Until Google catches on.

Some reports say Google’s controls over 70% of the search market — a certifiable monopoly. And they get up to 3 billion searches per day.

They can make the rules, and if you break them, then you run the risk of being penalized and banned from the single largest source of traffic (and buyers) on the planet.

And ignorance is no excuse.

If your outsource SEO work to a shady company who takes shortcuts on your behalf, then you’re the one who ultimately suffers when Google updates their algorithm.

So even if you plan on finding someone to do SEO for you, then you still need to know and understand the essentials of what does, and doesn’t work.

You need to know which keyword strategy is proven and sound, and which will hurt you.

You need to know what types of links you need to rank well, and which ones can ultimately bring you down.

And you need to know what trends will give you the best results, and which will most likely be penalized in the future.

Here are 4 common SEO mistakes that will hurt your rankings in 2013.

Mistake #1: Relying on a “Head” Keyword Strategy

Here’s a common SEO practice that people used to use:

• Focus on one or two main, popular keyphrases
• Buy or swap backlinks with exact-matching anchor text
• And optimize only the homepage so your website ranks well for those two popular keyphrases

The biggest problem with this strategy? It doesn’t work. Not anymore.

SEO is more sophisticated today, so you can’t bank your whole strategy on one or two keyphrases.

You’re also competing for big, popular keyphrases against competitors with billions of dollars — so who do you think is going to spend more on SEO?

And people don’t land on your homepage and then buy immediately.

Instead you need targeted traffic and people who are going to buy — not just “good rankings”.

Mistake #2: Over-Optimizing Your Pages and Posts

Years ago, the fastest way to rank for a specific keyphrase was to use it repeatedly on your pages.

So keyword stuffing became popular, and people starting worrying about their “keyword density” per page.

But as more and more people began manipulating the system, Google wised up.

Now if you use too many keyphrases on a page, it signals that you’re spamming.

So at best, it’s not helping you at all. And at worst, it could lead to being penalized and dropping in the rankings.

Instead you need to be more strategic, and focus on optimizing the essential areas to provide the highest ROI.

Mistake #3: Acquiring Easy, Low Value & High Risk Links

Most people go after easy links.

They’re easy to get in mass, and can provide a quick win. You can get these links through article spinning, reciprocal linking, directories, and simply buying them.

The best links are always organic, which means people naturally link to you.

That’s really hard, but it’s also extremely rewarding.

That’s how you get high rankings, more traffic, and a sustainable SEO strategy that won’t change the next time Google updates their algorithm.

Mistake #4: Not Using a Combination of Tactics to Boost SEO

Finally, SEO tactics today can’t exist on their own.

Today you need interesting, engaging content that people will naturally link to. You need social media to make connections, and help spread or distribute your content.

You also need to create a brand, so people search for you by name.

And you need to align your SEO tactics (like the keyphrases you pick) to real business objectives (like increasing leads or sales).

Because that’s the only way to improve your business — and not just “vanity metrics” like rankings that sound nice in a meeting.

Everyone secretly covets social media engagement.

Sure revenue is nice. After all, it puts food on the table.

But social media engagement means people really like you. Having a connected, passionate audience puts you on a pedestal and can create a “Halo Effect” for you (and your business).

One of our most basic human needs is to be loved and accepted by peers. So in our hierarchy of needs, being accepted by others is incredibly important.

(Financially speaking, a business with a strong social media presence will also acquire customers for less, and have a higher lifetime value of a customer. Which means more bottom line profit than those that don’t.)

But here’s the problem…

Social media engagement doesn’t just happen.

And it turns out, you need to do much more than update Facebook 10 times each day.

Here’s why you have no social media engagement, and how to fix it.

Why Your Brand is Your Company’s “X Factor”

The prerequisite to a thriving, financially successful, long-term business is an excellent brand.

A brand is a promise. It establishes expectations, trust, and a reputation. And it stands for all those intangibles that make the difference between a customer returning to buy from you, or going to your competitors.

One of the most distinguishable brands in the world, Apple, was recently valued at $76.5 billion.

Not their product line. Not their research & development. Not their top engineering talent. Not their advertising campaigns. And not their logo.

Just their brand alone is worth more than most companies combined.

This hard-to-define, yet essential quality is the reason people camp outside stores before a product release, and pay top dollar over other similar products.

Start with “Why”

What separates the companies with fans, from companies that compete on price, is that they believe in something bigger than themselves. They believe in a cause, a movement, or a way of doing business.

Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why, says “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

Most businesses start by answering “What” you do. Like selling some type of service or producing a specific product.

Other companies talk about “How” they do it, like your unique selling proposition or positioning statement.

But truly successful and popular companies, like Apple, start with “Why” they do it.

They inspire other people because their brand stands for a bigger cause and movement.

Almost every product or service you can sell today is a commodity.

So you need to realize that people don’t buy your “product” or “service”, they’re buying a solution.

The Most Arrogant Beer in the World

The Stone Brewing Company is the largest brewery in Southern California, and one of the biggest craft brewers in the country.

That’s saying something, because this is one of the most competitive industries in the world. And the regulated, three-tier distribution system in the United States actually works against new entrants.

Last year they announced an expansion plan that includes (among other things), a 18.7 acre organic farm so they can use the best ingredients in their beer and restaurants, and a possible tourist hotel because their brewery is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego.

Imagine that. A small brewery with an 18 acre organic farm and boutique hotel connected to their main location.

Stone believes in a certain way of doing business, and they aren’t afraid to voice their opinions.

They’re unabashedly against light, tasteless lagers (and the people who drink them). And as the scrappy up-start, they’re the complete opposite of the large, stuffy corporations in the industries.

The label on one of their most popular beers, Arrogant Bastard, warns people straight away:

Their social media accounts are no different. Each update is witty, interesting, and slightly arrogant in a funny-sarcastic way.

Sure, beer is fun business. But you’d be hard pressed to find a more dedicated and engaged audience.

And regardless of your taste in beer, you can’t deny Stone’s originality and bold positioning.

Their social media accounts are an extension of their brand. Which sounds obvious. But if it’s so simple, then why don’t most companies do it?

Most companies have no engagement, because people don’t care enough about them.

Even if you’re never heard of Stone Brewery before (and whether you agree or disagree with their philosophy), you already have an opinion.

And that’s the first step to getting people to talk about you. Or interacting and engaging with you in social media.

The Key to a Successful, Long-Lasting Brand

There are more products today than ever before.

More advertisements, more TV channels, and more companies than ever before.

And that means there’s also more competition.

Competition for customers. But more importantly, competition for attention. Because getting your customer’s attention is the first step in marketing. And it’s never been harder to achieve.

When there’s too many alternatives and too much clutter, human brains simply block it all out. So people begin ignoring your advertisements and skipping over your emails.

That’s why one of the most important aspects of your brand is differentiation.

Something that distinguishes you — and helps you stand out — so you’ll “stick” in people’s minds. Marty Neumeier presents 17 distinct ways to differentiate your brand in Zag: The Number One Strategy for High-Performance Brands. The book is based on a simple premise:

When others zig, you zag.

There are a few key ingredients that have to come together to create a successful zag. Because brands are made of several different elements working together. And you can succeed without one of these.

1. Focus: The first step is to focus intently on what it is you actually do. This part consists of a few different elements:

• What do you do? The differentiating idea or purpose (beyond making money). This should be less than 12 words.

• What’s your vision? A concrete vision or future direction and purpose.

2. Differentiation: The second step is to find a unique niche or strategy that will make you different and unique. So what makes you the only ___?

List your competition and shift your strategy away from theirs. Maybe that means creating a new category, so you can honestly say that your brand is the only ____ in this ____ category.

3. Supported by a Trend: Why will your new category be important or popular in years to come?

Trends have the ability to raise and reinforce your brand’s positioning. And they can propel you faster and higher than potential competition.

4. Compelling Communications: What do you call yourself?

This question sounds easy and obvious. But it’s not. The way you talk about yourself and present yourself is essential to true differentiation and zagging.

And it becomes extremely difficult to use consistent messaging which (1) your customers value, and (2) your competitors can’t claim.

This messaging needs to be consistent across touch-points of your brand.

And more importantly, it needs to be clearly understood and communicated to your customers. Simplify your communications to their core meaning, so your points are clear and direct.

Because in a complex world, customers need to put you in a mental box. That’s how they classify and remember who you are, what you do, and how you help them.

If they can’t instantly do that, then they’ll pass you over and go on to the next alternative who can.

And you’ll continue to struggle with social media.

Or worse — be completely ignored.

Email marketing is the most effective tactic for increasing sales during the holidays.

Because it’s been proven to influence repeat visitors the most, and it’s much easier to get these repeat, loyal visitors and past customers to purchase (rather than to acquire new customers).

But most still get it wrong.

And they leave A TON of money on the table. Or worse, completely waste their investment and not see anything in return.

But there’s good news…

Using just a few key techniques will help you see QUICK results in the next campaign you send.

So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Quick Links

This is a BIG article with TONS of useful tips, and I don’t want you to miss any of it. So use these links below to navigate and quickly reference at a later date:

• Tip #1: Plan in Advance
• Tip #2: Think Series, Not One-Off
• Tip #3: Engage Early and Often
• Tip #4: Simple is Elegant (and Effective)
• Tip #5: Prioritize Your CTAs
• Tip #6: Incentivize the Action You Want
• Tip #7: Always Be Testing
• Tip #8: Appeal to Emotional Triggers
• Tip #9: Focus on Benefits & Outcomes
• Tip #10: Headlines, Headlines, Headlines
• Tip #11: Resend to Unopened
• Tip #12: Segment Your Users
• Tip #13: Remove Buying Friction
• Tip #14: Incorporate Viral Hooks
• Tip #15: Be Data Driven

Tip #1: Plan Campaigns in Advance

Impatience is one of the worst marketing afflictions there is.

Because by the time you’re strapped for cash and needing more customers… it’s already too late.

Marketing isn’t advertising — and there’s usually no last grasp, game-winning hail mary that will make a significant impact on your business.

The best marketing campaigns are carefully coordinated and in-sync to deliver the maximum results (e.g. sales) with the least investment (e.g. time, money & energy).

For example, if you want to increase sales and engagement over the holidays, don’t flood your social media channels with “Buy my widget now!” updates on Black Friday.

But start creating holiday content that teases and hints at upcoming promotions. Find partners to cross-promote and help you distribute this content. Then run contests to increase engagement and excitement for the upcoming holiday specials. Finally, use lead nurturing and email marketing to consistently follow-up with people when they do — or don’t — show intent to buy.

Investing in a single, well planned and executed holiday campaign will always have a higher ROI than spamming people the day before Christmas.

And with email marketing, there’s no excuse. Because you can schedule everything ahead of time.

So let’s look at some more practical, concrete ways to do this…

Tip #2: Think Series, Not One-Off

Let’s do some quick, easy math.

If you sent one email to 1000 subscribers, with a 20% open rate, you would reach 200 people.

But if you sent three sequential emails to 1000 subscribers, with a 20% open rate, you would probably reach somewhere between 400 – 600 people (with some potential overlap).

The point is, you should send more emails during the holidays (within reason of course). And if you look at the top shopping days for online sales, then you can “chunk” them into three major ranges:

1. Monday, November 26 (Cyber Monday)
2. Tuesday, November 27
3. Friday, November 30

1. Monday, December 3
2. Tuesday, December 4
3. Thursday, December 6

1. Monday, December 10 (Green Monday)
2. Tuesday, December 11
3. Thursday, December 13
4. Monday, December 17

So instead of waiting to send one email on Cyber Monday, you should build up to it. For example, over the period of a few days, you can use a sequence like this:

• Email #1: Hint or Tease at Upcoming Sale
• Email #2: Announce Sale (Limited Time Only) – to encourage people to take action
• Email #3: Last Chance – to introduce scarcity and compel people to take advantage
• Email #4: Missed It, But Here’s What’s Next… -

Now that’s a pretty aggressive sequence. If you’ve only been emailing your subscribers once or twice a month then you might see more unsubscribes.

So you might want to pick only one of those date ranges to run this type of email campaign sequence.

But learn from the best. Watch any major online retailer, and they’ll be sending you something very similar.

Tip #3: Engage Early and Often

Engagement with your brand is the missing link between strangers and loyal customers.

Creating customer loyalty is one of the driving reasons behind using email marketing and social media in the first place. You want to stay “top-of-mind”, so when someone is in need of your product or service, you’re the first one they seek out.

One of the best ways to ignite engagement is to use a social media promotion.

Use a simple tool like Wildfire to run a holiday contest prior to your big email campaigns. For example, have people submit pictures of their Holiday decorations, or favorite holiday memories.

As an added bonus, you can also get them to submit their email during entry, so you’ll be able to collect new last minute subscribers to add to your list.

Tip #4: Simple is Elegant (and Effective)

The best email templates, especially “transactional” ones, are simple and clear. Because you want people to ultimately click and take action (not just admire how pretty your design is).

If you have tangible products or services, then be more visual and show — don’t tell.

You can (and should) also use “visual cues” to get people to take action. The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas does a great job by using an envelope. And what are you supposed to do with an envelope? Open it! (Or click in this case.)

Tip #5: Prioritize Your CTAs

Here’s a simple rule-of-thumb to remember for your emails:

In most cases, reducing the amount of actions or choices for someone to take actually increases conversions. So try to only focus on one major product, service or offer in each email if you can.

But what if you have A LOT of products or services?

Then prioritize your Call-To-Actions by visually emphasizing (or de-emphasizing) choices. Here’s a good example from Nordstrom:

They use bright, bold colors to grab your attention, large text to focus your attention, and smaller call-to-actions surrounding the main one. This attention to detail helps draw your eyes to the main “Final Clearance” box.

Tip #6: Incentivize the Action You Want

The best way to get people to take action and buy is with an incentive.

However the type of incentive you use depends on your business, products/services, and especially — your customers.

Discounts and two-for-one offers work well for commodities. But not for consultative sales.

Conversely, exclusive content and special access/ convenience work well when you have long sales cycles and complex products or services.

And be careful…

Because if you overuse and rely on the wrong incentive, it will actually hurt your company in the long run.

You’ll attract the wrong type of customer, erode your profit margins, and run your company into the ground.

Tip #7: Always Be Testing

Marketing is part art, part science.

And the truth is that no one really knows what’s going to work best. No one can predict the future.

So you should use the scientific method instead. Come up with a few hypothesis, and then test them.

For example, if you’re going to offer a discount, how do you know what headline or subject line to use? After all, your subject line is one of the most important parts of your email (more on that later).

So should you emphasize: “30% Sale”, or “$60 Off”?

You can run a simple split test on a small percentage of your group, and then send out the offer to the majority of your list with the winning subject line.

Most major email marketing software will allow you to do this. I like (and recommend) Mailchimp, because it’s simply the best service for the price point. And they make this process extremely easy.

Here’s the general process you should use:

1. Pick what you want to test (here, the Subject Line)
2. Choose the sample size you want to test (recommend 10 – 20%)
3. Select the winning criteria (here, the Open Rate)
4. Choose a time frame (you’ll see a majority of the activity within 24 hours)

And here’s what it looks like:

Tip #8: Appeal to Emotional Triggers

Content is the heart of online marketing.

And you need to incorporate copywriting when it comes to the actual words you use. Because something can be written well, or “technically” correct, and still not inspire action.

That means your marketing messages, headlines, descriptions, and Calls-To-Action all need to focus on one of these two qualities:

1. Immense value gained
2. Pain of loss

For example, tests have shown that the word “Subscribe” is one of the worst converting words because it makes people think of commitment or purchasing something.

Instead, try focusing on the benefit someone will receive (e.g. “Get Instant Access”), or the cure for their pain (e.g. “Protect Your Family Today”).

Here’s how you identify those benefits…

Tip #9: Focus on Benefits and Outcomes

Repeat after me: “People don’t care about my company — they only care about themselves”.

This might be obvious, but most companies still struggle with it.

And it’s a huge mistake because your copy (or lack-there-of) has a BIG impact on conversions.

There’s an old phrase that says, “Facts tell, stories sell”. Now apply that philosophy to your own product and service descriptions.

Sure, people want to know what they get. But more importantly, they want to know what it does for them.

For example, how does your product or service:

• Alleviate some well-known pain?
• Protect them from common threats?
• Provide them with a 10X ROI?
• Improve their self image confidence?
• Help them to “keep-up with the Jonses”, or better yet -
• Be an innovator and stay ahead of the pack?

You need to find these emotional triggers that cause people to sit-up, pay attention, and take action.

Because people pay premium dollars for results and outcomes — not widgets and commodities.

Now translate these qualities in your marketing messages. And use them liberally in your email copy.

Think about how much clutter and junk your customers receive every day. Remember that you’re not just competing against direct competition, but also for your customers attention.

Which brings us to the next tip…

Tip #10: Headlines, Headlines, Headlines

Headlines are the Achilles’ Heel of the content you create.

This is especially true for your emails, because people scan the subject lines and make snap-judgments about which emails they’re going to open (and which to delete or hit Spam).

So taking the time to craft a winning headline is one of the best “low-hanging fruits” that will give you quick results.

Because a higher Open Rate means more awareness, which leads to more Click-Throughs, which means more potential revenue.

So… how do you create winning headlines?

Step One: Use the “emotional triggers” we identified in the last tip. What is the ultimate benefit or outcome each email you send is providing them? Remember to make these powerful, because you need to stand out from the competition.

Step Two: Create a few hypothesis and run some tests. We’ve already discussed how to run simple A/B tests for subject lines. But here’s another clue…

Use a URL shortener (like Bitly.com) to give you some click data. Now start testing different headlines with your Facebook or Twitter audience.

Which ones typically get more clicks, and why?

After some simple experimentation, you’ll quickly identify several different “templates” that you can reuse repeatedly in the future.

Tip #11: Resend to Unopened

The average Open Rate for email marketing hovers somewhere between 15 – 30%.

So how do you reach the other 70 – 85% who didn’t open your email? Send it again!

Because unlike Facebook, you can repeatedly reach your email customers for free.

So copy or duplicate your existing campaign. And maybe try experimenting with different headlines that might catch people’s attention this time.

But one final point…

Open Rates actually aren’t very accurate. Email marketing tools use a tiny image pixel in each email. So if someone has images turned off, then the tracking pixel won’t open, and that person won’t register as an “open”.

So your actual Open Rate is generally underreported. Which means there might be some overlap of customers when sending out campaigns more than once.

Tip #12: Segment Your Users

Sometimes it’s easier to send one email to everyone on your email list.

But you’ll often see better results if you can segment your subscribers and send them more targeted emails. Because the more you can personalize each email, the better response you’ll see.

This is obvious if you have different customer segments all together, that may be interested in different products and services.

But you can also take it one step further during the holidays.

If you have multiple locations, or your customers are concentrated in different areas, then use geographic segmenting to send personalized offers.

Everyone should also segment their list based on activity or engagement. So you can send different, targeted offers to people based on their engagement. Or you can simply send more to the people who’ve been clicking on your past campaigns.

If you’re sending a series of emails (like Tip #2), and you see that someone is opening and clicking on almost every single one, then you can feel more comfortable sending them follow-ups, or even special “last-chance” emails. Here’s an example using MailChimp again:

Tip #13: Remove Buying Friction

The main goal of your “transactional” emails are to increase sales. That’s it.

So the email itself needs to maximize click-throughs.

And then you need to reduce the friction that might prevent people from purchasing. Maybe that means reducing the number of steps someone needs to take to buy.

But there’s also a few common attributes that are preventing sales.

We already discussed how certain words can (and do) influence sales. Using the word “Subscribe” is bad because it has negative connotations, while using something like “Get Instant Access” will probably increase conversions.

The same holds true for increasing sales. Instead of “Buy Now”, tell your customers to “Get Started Today” or “Grab This ‘Look’ for the Holidays”.

Another hot button is shipping costs.

If you’re selling physical products, then offer free shipping. According to comScore, 47% of consumers said they would abandon a purchase if they found free shipping was not included. And in some cases, consumers actually value free shipping more than a discount.

Tip #14: Incorporate “Viral Hooks”

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just make things “go viral”.

Sometimes it happens, and other times it doesn’t.

But you CAN try to manufacture virality by incorporating more viral hooks.

One of my favorite examples for tangible products are wishlists. Think about how this works…

You provide users the ability to easily save their favorite products, and then encourage them to share it via social networks or email.

For example, I never buy my wife clothes as a gift. I have a good idea of her style, but don’t feel confident enough to pick out something she would like.

But if she created a wishlist at her favorite store, and emailed it to me, then I probably would buy that because it’s easy and convenient (and men like easy and convenient gifts).

How can you incorporate viral hooks into your emails, that actually gives someone the reason to share it?

Figure that out, and you can start turning your customers into marketing ambassaders.

Tip #15: Be Data-Driven

Finally, the best online marketing is data-driven.

Which is refreshing, because you can put aside conventional wisdom, best practices, and political egos. All you have to focus on is what works, and discard what doesn’t.

But how do you know what’s working — or more importantly, why it’s working — if you aren’t tracking? (Or worse, tracking the wrong things.)

Shameless Plug: You can watch a video on this exact topic by becoming a PRO member today.

So… do you know:

• Which of your marketing channels are most profitable?
• Which are your best, most loyal customers?
• How much you can afford to spend to acquire new customers?

Because tracking Open Rates and Click-Throughs is a good start…

But you also need to have a firm grasp on the things that count — like what’s driving revenue.

For example, if you sell services, then you need to make sure your CRM, Sales, and Email tools integrate seamlessly. Personally, I use FreshBooks for invoicing and accounting because (a) it’s awesome, (b) it’s simple, and (c) it integrates extremely well with other tools. So I can automatically keep track of where my leads are coming from — and how to improve my marketing accordingly.

If you sell products online, then you can use Mailchimp’s tool called eCommerce360. With it, you can track individual visits from email, track order information, and assign values to your subscribers.

Now you know which emails are generating revenue, and which aren’t.

But it doesn’t really matter which tools you use.

What matters is that you’re using simple techniques to accurately track where you’re doing well, where you’re falling short, and how to improve.

Then you can make good, informed marketing decisions that will actually work and pay for themselves in a matter of no time.

Conclusion

Countless studies have shown that email marketing is the best marketing channel for repeat visitors.

But in my personal experience working with clients in a variety of industries, it’s also the most underutilized. That translates into opportunities wasted, and money thrown down the drain.

So use these 15 tips as a guide, and think about how to apply them to each and every email you send this holiday season.

Because if you can master a few of these simple techniques, then you’ll begin to quickly see HUGE improvements.

But at the end of the day, it’s all about taking action. Choose one or two of these tips, set aside one uninterrupted hour, and get down to work. Measure, rinse, and repeat.

Or invest in yourself to get help and accelerate your business growth this holiday season.