Apophenic

Domain scammers have upped their game. I encountered a new variant of the Domain Name Expiration Scam recently. Here's how to spot this new strategy and what to do if you are targeted.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/domain-renewal-scams/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/mwm-itunes Spotify  http://bit.l...

There are only two cases where it really makes sense to run a Facebook Ad. But it cannot be a standalone strategy. Let's look at all the things that need to be set up before you start running ads or boosting posts, so that you don't spend your money on useless eyeballs.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/when-to-use-facebook-ads/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wher...

Let's question the concept of getting a large social media following. Large numbers of "eyeballs" often don't do us much good compared to the tight connections of smaller groups. A counterintuitive approach involves using a Facebook Group, LinkedIn Group, or the group chat features of messaging apps to cultivate an ardent community of supporters.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast...

By treating our marketing efforts like an experiment, we can set metrics, collect data, analyze the results, and then make the necessary adjustments. Here's how to put a simple plan in action to help you get better results from your social campaigns. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/measurement-social-media/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to po...

The algorithms are working against us now. How do we adapt to the new, more restrictive world of social media marketing? Let's do an end-run around the algorithms, and lean into what is still the best part of social. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/rethinking-our-social-media-interactions/ Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcas...

The glory days of social are over. Free organic reach is a thing of the past. What used to work is no longer effective. So how do we respond? Are there still ways for us to use social media to build relationships with an audience without having to pay-to-play? Of course there are. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/social-is-not-what-it-used-to-be/ — Marketing Without the Marketing...

Email marketing is one of the most important tools for any small business. Can we come up with something other than "email newsletter" to call it, though? This has been bugging me for a while, and I haven't come up with a solution - so I thought I'd ask for your help. Send me a reply once you've had a listen! Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/rename-email-newsletter/ — Marketing W...

Your business is at risk if you don't have ownership of one of your most important assets: Your audience. While a Facebook Page is convenient for connecting with customers, what happens when your account gets hacked, deactivated, or deleted? Would your business survive if you lost access to your customers? This happened to a client of mine. Here is her story.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedi...

You can't do good email marketing without maintaining a clean email list. Good list hygiene not only helps you save money, but it also helps you increase your open rate and click rate. Let's look at some strategies for proper email list maintenance, including running periodic re-engagement campaigns.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/list-hygiene-and-maintenance — Marketing Witho...

Automation is key to today's email marketing. In the last episode, I covered some basic automation strategies to get you started. Let's take a look some more advanced techniques for when you are ready to go beyond a basic email newsletter strategy: RSS-based sequences and nurture sequences. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/intermediate-automation-email-marketing — Marketing Witho...

Adding a little bit of automation to your email marketing strategy can help nurture "cold" leads without a lot of extra hands-on effort. Building on the last episode about list segmentation, let's look at the two types of automations that I recommend to clients when they are just getting started: Welcome sequences and follow-up sequences. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/basic-au...

Good list segmentation in email marketing lies at the intersection of what's meaningful to your audience vs. what's important to you. If it's one or the other, it won't work as effectively. There are 3 distinct ways to segment your email list: Segmenting by interest Segmenting by location Segmenting by customer stage Learn about each and how to apply it to your own email marketing strategy. Show N...

What can we do as consumers to help support small businesses while the economy grinds to a halt? While the COVID-19 pandemic will be painful for all workers, none will feel it like small businesses do. The CDC is recommending a two-month halt to gatherings, among other guidelines.* Quoting Cathy Merrill in the Washington Post about the CDC's order: Two months is not a hiatus; it is a death sentenc...

This special episode is about coping with the coronavirus outbreak – specifically for small businesses, solo businesses, freelancers, and creatives. I offer a few particular strategies that might help small businesses survive a prolonged downturn, and make an offer to help people directly with a free strategy session to get set up and running. Show Notes / Links from the Episode Here are the strat...

Content marketing has changed a lot over the past 5 years alone. What used to work is no longer reliable – even when you are putting in the effort. Have you noticed that: Social media is not as effective anymore? Your website traffic is down overall? Even your best blog posts don't get shared as much? People aren't opening your email newsletters as much? Now that content marketing is mainstream ,...

Repurposing content is one of the best ways to get more out of your blog as a small business. But this strategy works best when you start with a clear intention – and some careful planning up front. I lay out my entire process here: Considerations around formats, the planning that needs to be done, and my writing and editing process as well. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/repur...

Building anticipation is a great technique for getting readers back to your site. Producing a blog series is a great way to achieve this. Not only is it good for building a relationship with your readers, but it’s also great for SEO in that it feeds one of Google’s strongest ranking factors. There are two methods that I use regularly in planning and executing a series strategy. Either method can w...

Each post you publish is an opportunity to get found by a future customer. Let Google help you. Optimizing for search is one of the best things you can do for your business blog, and it should only take an extra 5-10 minutes for each post. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of my SEO Treatment Plan.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/optimizing-for-search/ — Marketing Without the M...

What happens a new visitor arrives at your site? Can you make the sale in one visit? Not likely. This is why "getting traffic" is a fallacy . You can have new visitors showing up once… and then leaving, never to come back. Do this over and over, and guess what? The results aren't going to improve. The solution to this is to build a pathway . To guide a new visitor from your very first "meeting" th...

We are obsessed with getting traffic to our websites. I want to challenge that concept, because let's face it - random traffic doesn't do that much for you. Web Strategy 201 is getting beyond just "traffic" as a goal and making your site much more active in the sales process.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/beyond-getting-traffic/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available...

Competition on the Web is tough. You can't just hang your shingle and expect people to show up. A basic website isn't good enough anymore - it needs to function as a PATHWAY for prospective customers. Here's how to make your website carry more of the sales load for you. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/showroom/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you listen t...

Have you noticed that some of the basic strategies behind your website, blog, social, and email marketing have started to lose some of their effect? That's because content marketing is now mainstream, with everyone relying on the same set of tactics. Time to level up with Content Marketing 201. Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/content-marketing-201-beyond-the-basics/ — Marketing...

Participation is a signal. When you are a part of the community that you aim to serve, it shows that you're invested. That it's important to you. That you care. Not only is it a way to develop trust, but it can also help you see emerging trends in your sector.  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/be-a-part-of-the-community/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available wherever you...

"Are you famous?"   Most of us don't have the luxury of being able to answer "yes" to this question. In a world where attention gets more and more scarce, what can we do to overcome this – without being the one who simply yells the loudest or without resorting to cheap stunts?  Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/are-you-famous/ — Marketing Without the Marketing is available whereve...

It's worth highlighting ethical business practices since they are often the exception to the rule. This week's episode breaks from the regular format of the show and presents a story from a good experience I had in a Montréal guitar shop. Let's celebrate the good people in the world! Show Notes : https://controlmousemedia.com/podcast/ethical-business-practices-example/ — Marketing Without the Mark...