Rainmaker Rewind: How to Book Engaging Podcast Interviews

According to The Showrunner hosts Jerod Morris and Jon Nastor, there is one path that stands above all others as the simplest way to build an audience of responsive and loyal listeners.

It's a path that removes the burden of constant content creation, places you at the forefront of a brand, and harnesses the power of experts and their audiences.

This path is an interview-based podcast.

In this week's episode of The Showrunner, Jerod and Jonny thoroughly discuss the essential steps necessary to book engaging interview guests for your podcast - from tips about finding guests, to crafting your pitch to increase the odds of getting a “yes,” and all the way to tools you can use to make the process simple and effective.

Listen, learn, enjoy …

Here are two more episodes you shouldn't miss this week:

Brian Clark and The Side Hustle Show host Nick Loper dive into the details of monetizing a blog, what it's like to start a blog today, and what it means to be “unemployable.”

Elsewhere:

Brian Clark on The Side Hustle Show

Sonia Simone has a short episode for you this week, honoring the life of Prince and sharing some ideas about leadership, community, and building something that matters.

Confessions of a Pink-haired Marketer:

Leadership, Categories of One, and Purple Rain

And one more thing …

If you want to get my Rainmaker Rewind pick of the week sent straight to your favorite podcast player, subscribe right here on Rainmaker FM.

See you next week.

The post Rainmaker Rewind: How to Book Engaging Podcast Interviews appeared first on Copyblogger.

Why the Right Images Are so Important For Your Blog

Photos and illustrations can make your blog post much more appealing. Make sure to pick or create the right image for your blog post so you'll stand out!

The post Why the Right Images Are so Important For Your Blog appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

8 things I learned in 7 years writing for The Next Web

Today is my final day writing for The Next Web before I embark on something new. Late May will mark seven years since my first ever article was published. It was about the launch of Google Wave, and thankfully my career here outlived that once hotly-anticipated piece of technology. I've learned a lot in my time here so here are eight lessons I'll take with me into the future. 1. Tech PR is a mess When I started writing for The Next Web, I was looking forward to working with PR companies. When I previously wrote a personal blog, I'd get emails about…

This story continues at The Next Web

SearchCap: Bing Ads updates, latest Windows 10 release & the Jelly relaunch

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

The post SearchCap: Bing Ads updates, latest Windows 10 release & the Jelly relaunch appeared first on Search Engine Land.



Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

The MIN7 is a beautiful speaker handmade from recycled wood - but it's about $500 too expensive

As far as looks are concerned, the MIN7, by Minfort, is one of the most beautiful speakers I've ever laid eyes on. Each model is handmade using recycled hardwood from old furniture. The solid wood panels and natural tone is the perfect accompaniment to my home office and it carries with it significant bulk (it weighs 26 pounds) that makes it just feel as if it were sculpted by the hands of fine wood-workers. The case features multiple inputs and a really nice pair of gold-plated RCA cables which give you multiple configuration options. In addition to wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi…

This story continues at The Next Web

The 5-Step Process that Solves 3 Painful Writing Problems

I once asked the Copyblogger community to name their biggest writing challenges.

From the many responses, a pattern developed:

• How to get started


• How to cut the fluff


• How to finish

These three issues are really symptoms of the same painful problem, which boils down to not clearly understanding what you're trying to accomplish with your writing. Don't worry … it's a fairly common ailment.

There's a five-step process you can work through that will help clarify your objectives, which leads to greater clarity in your writing.

This method also helps you kick-start any writing project (and finish it) with only the necessary elements, because you'll know exactly what you're after and how to make it happen.

Step #1: Begin with the end in mind

The most important step in the process happens before you even write a word.

You must understand your objective for the content.

You have an idea, but what's the goal? From a content marketing standpoint, you're usually seeking to educate or persuade (often both, and as we'll see in the next step, they're actually the same thing even when intentions vary).

Having a “great idea” and sitting down to write can often lead to a half-finished train wreck.

What's the “why” behind the idea? Figure this out first, or move on to another idea.

Step #2: Identify questions

Okay, so now you have a goal in mind - a mission, if you will.

What's standing in the way of your mission?

The obstacles you face are the concepts your audience does not understand yet, but must accept by the time they're finished reading. These are the questions you must answer before you can achieve the goal you've identified in Step #1.

In copywriting circles, we say an unanswered question (an objection) is a barrier to buying.

With education, an unanswered question is a barrier to learning. Education is persuasion (and vice versa) when you realize this fundamental truth.

Step #3: Write the headline and subheads

With your goal in mind and the questions you must answer identified, now you start to put things down on virtual paper.

Some people open a word processor during Step #2; I do everything up until now in my head. Do what works for you.

What promise are you making to your audience with this piece of content? What will you teach them? And why should they care? That's your working headline.

Then, each of the major questions you must answer to achieve your mission (and the promise your headline makes) becomes a subhead. Your subheads don't ultimately have to be phrased as questions, but this technique helps you compose a focused draft.

Take some time to decide if a particular question is its own subhead or part of the content below a subhead. It's simply outlining at this point.

Step #4: Fill in the blanks

Want to write lean copy?

Answer the questions designated by each subhead, and answer only that question.

Do not digress. Do not go off on a tangent.

Just answer the question. Do it as simply and clearly as possible.

Step #5: Now … edit

If you've followed these steps, you're not likely suffering from fluff.

Rather, you might find that you need to add more details or rephrase for clarity.

This is also the time to refine your language. Experienced writers can often pull the perfect turn of phrase in some places of a first draft, while in other places there are opportunities for better, more precise word choices.

Finally, review how the piece of content turned out:

• Does your working headline still reflect the fulfilled promise?


• Does your opening keep the momentum going?


• Can you revise the headline, opening, and subheads so that they are even more compelling?

Over to you …

Everyone's approach to the writing process is different. This process works for me, and I wrote this article fairly quickly using the process as a demonstration.

What works for you?

Any tips you can pass along that might help your fellow content marketers?

Let us know in the comments.

Are you a writer who wants to become a Certified Content Marketer?

We open our Certified Content Marketer training to new students periodically. Click the button below to find out more.

Join the Copyblogger Writers List

Editor's note: The original version of this post was published on October 6, 2011.

The post The 5-Step Process that Solves 3 Painful Writing Problems appeared first on Copyblogger.

Focusing mobile marketing on the consumer

Review and improve your UX on mobile using the Smart Insights  RACE Planning Framework

Should we be focusing our mobile marketing activities on the device, or the consumer?

Allow me to rewind the clock, briefly, and explain why this matters:

Back in 2004, when I got started in mobile, our expectations about a great mobile customer experience were blinkered by the capabilities of the handset. Nokia dominated the handset market, with 9 of the top 10 best selling handsets that year - some came with a colour display, most provided polyphonic ringtones, (very) basic games, and desktop tools.  But no camera, no Bluetooth.

The 'mobile internet' was a tedious affair delivered on a smaller screen, accessed via an even smaller keypad, over patchy 3G coverage, using WAP ('Wireless Application Protocol', or 'WAP is crap' for short).  Hats off to the brands that tackled mobile then - usually focussing on smart uses of SMS and location-based marketing - and made the most of a technically challenging mobile world.

Fast forward to 2007: Steve Jobs launches the first iPhone and transforms the whole game.  Massive full colour touchscreen, only one 'button', triggering a revolution in internet browsing on the mobile, and the launch of the now ubiquitous native app. Intuitive, quick and easy customer experience takes centre stage.

Excuse the trip down memory lane.  Here's the point. Today's mobile device – whether a tablet, smartphone, hybrid or watch – empowers us to control so many parts of our lives, day and night. A minority of brands provide an exceptional customer experience – using predictive analytics to deliver automated, opted-in, highly targeted, personalised, time and location sensitive content which improves our lives.

So our expectations of the customer experiences we should get from all brands are set sky high. But in reality, the vast majority of brands still fall far short of delivering flawless experiences across the customer journey.

RACE Planning Framework to improve your mobile marketing

I'm using the Smart Insights RACE Planning model to point out areas for improvement at each stage of the customer lifecycle as a business or brand uses mobile to get closer to its audience.

Source: Smart Insights | Burn The Sky

Reach stage

Among the many ways to deliver reach and drive awareness for your mobile target audience – including display ads on other sites and apps, SMS calls to action on traditional media, social channels - let's look at search.

Search is absolutely critical to the first phase of your mobile customer journey.  Two 'tipping point moments' are worth noting.  First, Google estimates that 50% of mobile experiences start with search, either through typing, through visual recognition (e.g. Google Goggles) or audio recognition (e.g. Google voice search, Apple Siri).  Very quick, very easy.

Audio Search..

Hands free remote control

For some time now, Google has been displaying a 'Google box' at the top of search results that highlights what Google believes to be the best results for your search, or the best answer to your question. Now, the Google box will also display a carousel of news results that can be scrolled sideways to see the latest news on whatever topic you searched.

Second, industry estimates predict the majority of spend, organic traffic and paid clicks from smartphones and tablets will surpass traditional desktop/laptop search activity in 2015.  This is where brands should take full advantage to improve the customer experience.

Try testing all Google's Adword extensions.  Since posting this Smart Insights blog with tips on maximizing your returns from paid search we're seeing retail, travel and utility businesses see conversion rates surge by +40% with click to call and site link extensions.

There's also the latest developments in mobile SEO with Google labelling sites mobile-friendly and threatening to reduce the ranking of those that aren't in mobile from the 21st of April.

Act stage

Speaking honestly, the most advanced media companies, gaming operators and omnichannel retailers admit that their customer journeys are not 'joined up'. Are you directing your search traffic to mobile-optimized landing pages, with continuity in the offer type, price point, tone of voice, time and location of the search event?  Do your emails and affiliate promotion follow this pattern?

Once on your site, mobile users in 'fight or flight' mode. If the page loads in 3 – 4 seconds, provides a thumb friendly welcome which is easy to view and navigate, game on.  If not, your mobile customers are likely to close the browser and seek a path of less resistance.  Like a mobile friendly competitor. On average, mobile site bounce rates still exceed 70%.

Slick navigation and fast page load times are rewarded with conversion – both on site, and in-app.  Think about all the ingredients to ensure they're getting exactly what they're seeking.

John Lewis mobile marketing

John Lewis estimates 30% of mobiles users with a poor first time site experience will never return. It's uncluttered site is quick and easy to navigate, focuses on clear product shots and prices, and prominent ratings and reviews.

John Lewis Price Match

John Lewis Ratings and Review

Convert

Talk to leading mobile payments specialists or retailers and you'll hear the same stats.  Over 90% of mobile transactions fail in the check out area.

Having reviewed over 20 retailer mobile sites in the past 9 months, the check out pages are almost always the weakest link on the journey. Why?

I'd argue there are two main reasons. Either the check out process includes too many stages, which allows more likelihood of poor connectivity to curtail the process. And / or the on-screen navigation is not clear.

Leovegas.com mobile strategy

Leading players in the gambling sector are setting the standard here.  The check out section of www.leovegas.com is worth a look as registration, deposit and bonus taking are all very well executed.  It's easy to see where I am in the process, with on-screen guidance on password requirements (show and hide option is really helpful), plus post code lookup to save inputting full address details. The 200% welcome bonus is added to my deposit immediately.

Clear, easy reg. process with show / hide password feature

 Verification via SMS code, post code look up

Prominent welcome message with free spins offer

Selfridges, which launched its new mobile site in Q4 2014 ahead of peak trading, devoted the majority of development time and resource to the check out.

3 steps for mobile navigation

Whether you're a new shopper registering the usual personal details or an existing customer logging in with email and password details, 'Your secure checkout' is very clearly navigated with three easy steps – numbered for easy navigation.

• Step 1 - Delivery: Simply add your delivery address, which offers post code look up and a drop down list where you will find your house. If like me you weren't too keen on the £4.95 delivery charge, go for click and collect.  There you'll find Selfridges' easy to order but equally steep gift wrap service with a personalised message.


• Step 2 – Payment: Quick and easy payment options.  I see the usual suspects – Visa, Mastercard, PayPal listed.


• Step 3  - Order confirmation: Again, quick and easy.

Engage

Whilst the majority of time and effort is devoted to the first three phases of the customer journey, I'd argue that the biggest prize awaits the brands figuring out the smartest loyalty programmes.

With few exceptions, this area presents the greatest challenges for businesses, underpinned by the same problems:

• No comprehensive view of the customer relationship across all platforms (mobile, digital, offline).


• Inconsistent analytics and lack of detailed customer insight.


• Fragmentation of the business into silos so no owner of the customer relationship.


• Key elements of data missing to enable real-time trigger based marketing.

The common element that crops up consistently is a lack of co-ordinated data strategy – in particular the development of a single view of the customer relationship.

Get it right, and the rewards in developing and fine-tuning loyalty programmes are clear.   We often default to the pure-play digital giants as examples of best practice. I find it quicker and easier to buy from Amazon's 1-click app as the products recommended, the in-app navigation, access to reviews, and delivery process and feedback loop exceeds the customer experience I get on any other device.

Is that the signpost to the promised land, or the hallmark of all customer-facing brands, whatever the handsets being used?

Key takeaways on mobile optimisation

• A small number of businesses delivering exceptional mobile customer experience drives high expectations of all businesses.


• Use enhanced mobile search tools to harness the mass migration from PC/laptop to smartphone/tablet search.


• Ensure continuity and consistency of search activity on landing pages.


• Design slick navigation and fast page load times to achieve higher conversion.


• Develop a frictionless mobile check out process to reduce cart abandonment.


• Invest in a clearly defined data strategy to deliver a single view of the customer relationship.

We'd welcome your feedback on this post.  For an assessment on your mobile customer experience, email me - rob@burnthesky.com

The State of Mobile Marketing 2016 [Infographic]

Showing the huge impact of mobile marketing across web, social, display and email

The rapid rise of smartphone and tablet adoption has affected almost every aspect of digital marketing. The impact ranges from the most recent Advanced Mobile Pages to Google's smartphone search results through to the lower conversion rates on smartphones, use of social media on mobile and ensuring that our emails are mobile-friendly.

In our latest infographic with JBH Marketing, we've brought together all the most important changes in a single infographic to highlight the areas needing attention. The tipping point has now been passed, and large sites like Google and Facebook are now seeing a considerable majority of their traffic coming from mobile devices.

The Local SEO Agency's Complete Guide to Client Discovery and Onboarding

Posted by MiriamEllis

[Estimated read time: 6 minutes]

Why proper onboarding matters

Imagine getting three months in on a Local SEO contract before realizing that your client's storefront is really his cousin's garage. From which he runs two other “legit” businesses he never mentioned. Or that he neglected to mention the reviews he bought last year. Worse yet, he doesn't even know that buying reviews is a bad thing.

The story is equally bad if you're diligently working to build quality unique content around a Chicago client's business in Wicker Park but then realize their address (and customer base) is actually in neighboring Avondale.

What you don't know will hurt you. And your clients.

A hallmark of the professional Local SEO department or agency is its dedication to getting off on the right foot with a new client by getting their data beautifully documented for the whole team from the start. At various times throughout the life of the contract, your teammates and staff from complementary departments will be needing to access different aspects of a client's core NAP, known challenges, company history, and goals.

Having this information clearly recorded in shareable media is the key to both organization and collaboration, as well as being the best preventative measure against costly data-oriented mistakes. Clear and consistent data play vital roles in Local SEO. Information must not only be gathered, but carefully verified with the client.

This article will offer you a working Client Discovery Questionnaire, an Initial Discovery Phone Call Script, and a useful Location Data Spreadsheet that will be easy for any customer to fill out and for you to then use to get those listings up to date. You're about to take your client discovery process to awesome new heights!

Why agencies don't always get onboarding right

Lack of a clearly delineated, step-by-step onboarding process increases the potential for human error. Your agency's Local SEO manager may be having allergies on Monday and simply forget to ask your new client if they have more than one website, if they've ever purchased reviews, or if they have direct access to their Google My Business listings. Or they could have that information and forget to share it when they jump to a new agency.

The outcomes of disorganized onboarding can range from minor hassles to disastrous mistakes.

Minor hassles would include having to make a number of follow-up phone calls to fill in holes in a spreadsheet that could have been taken care of in a single outreach. It's inconvenient for all teammates when they have to scramble for missing data that should have been available at the outset of the project.

Disastrous mistakes can stem from a failure to fully gauge the details and scope of a client's holdings. Suddenly, a medium-sized project can take on gigantic proportions when the agency learns that the client actually has 10 mini-sites with duplicate content on them, or 10 duplicate GMB listings, or a series of call tracking numbers around the web.

It's extremely disheartening to discover a mountain of work you didn't realize would need to be undertaken, and the agency can end up having to put in extra uncompensated time or return to the client to renegotiate the contract. It also leads to client dissatisfaction.

Setting correct client expectations is completely dependent on being able to properly gauge the scope of a project, so that you can provide an appropriate timeline, quote, and projected benchmarks. In Local, that comes down to documenting core business information, identifying past and present problems, and understanding which client goals are achievable. With the right tools and effective communication, your agency will be making a very successful start to what you want to be a very successful project.

Professional client discovery made simple

There's a lot you want to learn about a new client up front, but asking (and answering) all those questions right away can be grueling. Not to mention information fatigue, which can make your client give shorter and shorter answers when they feel like they've spent enough time already. Meanwhile your brain reaches max capacity and you can't use all that valuable information because you can't remember it.

To prevent such a disaster, we recommend dividing your Local SEO discovery process into a questionnaire to nail down the basics, a follow-up phone call to help you feel out some trickier issues, and a CSV to gather the location data. And we've created templates to get you started...

Client Discovery Questionnaire

Use our Local SEO Client Discovery Questionnaire to understand your client's history, current organization, and what other consultants they might also be working with. We've annotated each question in the Google Doc template to help you understand what you can learn and potential pitfalls to look out for.

If you want to make collecting and preserving your clients' answers extra easy, use Google Forms to turn that questionnaire into a form like this:

You can even personalize the graphic, questions, and workflow to suit your brand.

Client Discovery Phone Script

Once you've received your client's completed questionnaire and have had time to process the responses and do any necessary due diligence (like using our Check Listings tool to check how aggregators currently display their information), it's time to follow up on the phone. Use our annotated Local SEO Client Discovery Phone Script to get you started.

No form necessary this time, because you'll be asking the client verbally. Be sure to pay attention to the client's tone of voice as they answer and refer to the notes under each question to see what you might be in for.

Location Data CSV

Sometimes the hardest part of Local SEO is getting all the location info letter-perfect. Make that easier by having the client input all those details into your copy of the Location Data Spreadsheet.

Then use the File menu to download that document as a CSV.

You'll want to proof this before uploading it to any data aggregators. If you're working with Moz Local, the next step is an easy upload of your CSV. If you're working with other services, you can always customize your data collection spreadsheet to meet their standards.

Keep up to date on any business moves or changes in hours by designing a data update form like this one from SEER and periodically reminding your client contact to use it.

Why mutual signals of commitment really matter

There are two sides to every successful client project: one half belongs to the agency and the other to the company it serves. The attention to detail your agency displays via clean, user-friendly forms and good phone sessions will signal your professionalism and commitment to doing quality work. At the same time, the willingness of the client to take the necessary time to fill out these documents and have these conversations signals their commitment to receiving value from their investment.

It's not unusual for a new client to express some initial surprise when they realize how many questions you're asking them to answer. Past experience may even have led them to expect half-hearted, sloppy work from other SEO agencies. But, what you want to see is a willingness on their part to share everything they can about their company with you so that you can do your best work.

Anecdotally, I've fully refunded the down payments of a few incoming clients who claimed they couldn't take the time to fill out my forms, because I detected in their unwillingness a lack of genuine commitment to success. These companies have, fortunately, been the exception rather than the rule for me, and likely will be for your agency, too.

It's my hope that, with the right forms and a commitment to having important conversations with incoming clients at the outset, the work you undertake will make your Local team top agency and client heroes!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

Cornerstone Content Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Cornerstone content is vital for both seasoned bloggers and anyone launching a brand-new website because it can help you accomplish many of your content marketing goals.

Goals like:

• Getting links to your website


• Finding new readers


• Attracting subscribers


• Ranking in search engines for competitive keywords


• Highlighting archived material

But what exactly is cornerstone content?

Watch our short video for cornerstone content

With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.

Here's our video for the definition of cornerstone content:

Animation by The Draw Shop

And for those of you who would prefer to read, here's the transcript:

Online, cornerstone content is the basic, essential, and indispensable information on your website that answers common questions, solves problems, entertains, educates, or all of the above.

The key is creating compelling content that's worth linking to and then finding ways to get the word out. A page hosting cornerstone content helps readers by pulling all of your content about a specific topic together in one place.

You'll often link to your cornerstone pages in your everyday content because they help define common topics you talk about on your website.

Each cornerstone content page is a home for related content. It groups basic, essential, and indispensable information onto one page.

Cornerstone pages let you highlight your most important archived content. They also help you attract links, get subscribers, and increase traffic.

And that's the goal of every profitable website.

Share this video

Click here to check out this definition on YouTube and share it with your audience. You'll also find 11 additional Content Marketing Glossary videos.

Additional cornerstone content resources

More in-depth cornerstone content education can be found in these articles:

• Your Cornerstone Content Blueprint: Answers to 9 Common Questions


• 11 Essential Ingredients Every Cornerstone Content Page Needs [Infographic]


• A Practical Approach to Using Powerful Cornerstone Content on Your Site


• This Simple Illustration Explains the Difference Between a Cornerstone Content Page and a Blog Post


• How to Create Cornerstone Content That Google Loves

Learn more from the Content Marketing Glossary

We'll feature the other videos soon, but if you don't want to wait, you can watch all the videos now by going directly to the Content Marketing Glossary.

By the way, let us know if you have any definitions you'd like us to add to the glossary! Just drop your responses in the comments below.

The post Cornerstone Content Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video] appeared first on Copyblogger.

Microsoft blocks Google Chrome & other browsers from Cortana in latest Windows 10 release

Microsoft says blocking third-party browsers & search providers improves user experience and is in keeping with how competitors act with their own digital assistants.

The post Microsoft blocks Google Chrome & other browsers from Cortana in latest Windows 10 release appeared first on...



Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.