The Iconic Google AdSense Check and My 10 Year Journey After
This is the backstory to one of the most epic and iconic pictures in internet marketing. When I cashed this check it was accompanied by a $350 unemployment check. My
The Bots Are Back: How to use Messenger to Generate Leads
Exterminate! EXTERMINATE! Thank goodness nobody is building a marketing Dalek, right? But at the same time, maybe a killer bot might be exactly what we need. 60% of users are used to talking to chat bots. The other 40% just don’t know they’ve talked to a chat bot. Here’s how to use bots on Messenger to bring those leads home. …
Why You Can’t Just Half-It With Your Marketing Plan
Marketing plans are like a pork roast. If you merely stick the pig on a spit over a fire and forget about it all day, you’re going to end up with a burnt mess. So many people treat marketing plans this way, it’s a wonder anyone gets good ROI. Let’s look at how you really treat a marketing plan. Treat …
You Suck at Book Marketing: How Not to Market Your Book Online
I’ve got something to confess. I suck at marketing. Not because I don’t know what I’m doing. I COULD market well. Hell, you could call me a marketing expert by now. But I’m lazy as f**k. I don’t want to spend the time to write my blogs, post on social media, set up the PPC, build the funnels, monitor the traffic, …
Five Essential Gadgets for the Intrepid Digital Nomad
You finally took the plunge. You quit your job. You bagged a few freelance clients and now you’re ready to hit the road. But you’ve never lived and worked on the road. You feel like you’ll be lost without your wired internet connection, your automatic coffee maker and your house plant named George. How do digital nomads cope with life …
Brand Loyalty is Dead. Long Live Brand Loyalty!
Brand loyalty is for grandpa, right? At least that’s what every marketer I’ve talked to assumes. If you’re going to get someone to sport your brand for life, you’d better look to the boomers. But statistics tell us this isn’t exactly true anymore. When we look at the boomer consumers, we see that they’re not being so loyal. In fact, …
Your Marketing Funnel’s a Sieve: Plug It With Video
What if you could appeal to 70% of your niche? Would you invest money in something like that? Who would pass up an opportunity like that? But there are plenty of marketers and businesses out there who invest very little in their video marketing. 70% of business use video to make purchase decisions. That’s a statistic nobody should ignore. But …
Marketing Strategies to Accelerate Your Online Presence
Let me guess. You’re one of the 78% who are dissatisfied with their conversion rates? You feel like you’re shouting into the void. Your landing pages are getting some traffic, but you’re seeing no results. I’m sorry, that must suck. But you know there are answers. They’re right under your nose. Here are some marketing strategies that will boost your …
The Russell Ruffino Guide to Branding and Marketing on Facebook
When it comes to internet marketing and building strategies that work, so people are so good at it, that they actually become part of the marketing and branding in itself. For example, if you wanted to learn about the skyscraper method for creating content and backlinks, you would likely already know of Brian Dean and look up his information when …
These Three Businesses Are Marketing in Unusual Ways
You’re walking down the street and suddenly a zombie rises up out of the sewer. You scream, throw your backpack at the thing and begin sprinting down the street. And then someone cries out, “Watch The Walking Dead this week.” You stop, turn around, and see the zombie waving at you and smiling. You walk back and it hands you …
The Three Pillars of Inbound Marketing
You’ve spent entirely too much on your pay per click campaigns. And what have you gained? Maybe a few leads? You just don’t know what you’re doing wrong, but you’re frustrated. Does this sound familiar? Maybe it’s time to start looking down other alleyways for marketing opportunities. Why not try inbound marketing. Today, most of life is connected to the …
Deep Work vs. Shallow Work
Ding! You’ve got mail! You check your e-email. You reply to that one thing and then you remember that other thing you were going to reply to. One bit of “important” work leads to another and soon half the morning is gone. If you’re a freelancer like me, this means you’ve made no money. Sure, you’ve caught up on all …
The Top Paying Gig Economy Jobs
I was on my way to a writing conference a few months ago when my Uber driver told me how much he generally makes in a weekend. “$800?” I replied, “I struggle to make that in a week sometimes.” But then he told me how much his car payment is. Add on top of that insurance, wear and tear, etc. …
Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Will SEO Fall?
“My dear, SEO is alive an well. But it’s changing as we speak,” replied the mirror. And the mirror would be correct. SEO is a constantly moving target. Some who don’t understand the “science” would go so far as to say it’s snake oil. But SEO is alive and well…if we can keep ahead of Google. We’re spending $65 billion …
What is the Future of Search Marketing?
Search marketing is traditional a bottom funnel tactic. You target paid search terms that catch your leads when their pretty much ready to buy. But what if you could catch people early? What if you could lubricate your funnel with paid search? Today, we’re going to talk about how that’s actually possible. People Don’t Search at the Bottom 95% of …
What Businesses Need to Learn From the Facebook Crash
I thought it was just my internet. Or maybe Facebook was just mad I’d deleted their app and bragged about it. But as it turned out, Facebook’s uptime took a massive hit….all around the globe. This included Instagram and Whatsapp. Ironically, everyone went to Twitter to complain about it. Until then, I hadn’t realized how many businesses rely on Facebook. …