CX Fanatics Podcast

110 You Built It Why Haven't They Come?

You followed all the guru's advice and built your sales funnel but . . .
. . no one is opt-ing in.  Worse, no one is buying.  What the heck?  You did EVERYTHING right.  Why isn't this working?  It takes one of two things to get a sales funnel set up:
Either a lot of time
or
A pretty hefty investment.
 
When it isn't working it can be infuriating and leave you feeling hopeless.  Alas, all is not lost.  There are still tweaks that you can make.  In this week's episode, I share the 3 reasons most sales funnels fail. Dive into the entire episode here.
Don't give up on your funnel until you fix these three things first.
20 years of experience in marketing has taught me, everything can be fixed.  That includes your sales funnel.  If your emails aren't performing, no one is signing up for your freebie or you're not selling any products, then this week's episode was made for you.
1. You're too general.
Somewhere along the way you probably bought into the story that broader is better.  Well, in an ultra-competitive world (think the internet) the opposite has proven to be true.  Those who try to help everyone, market to everyone, and sell to everyone, end up serving no one.  Why? Because people are searching for a specific solution to their specific problem.  When you are offering a basketful of generic solutions, they will just assume that you can't help them with their specific problem.  Or worse, they will be confused about what you do and they won't waste time wondering if you can help them, they will just move on to someone who can. In this week's episode, I give you a couple of simple examples, you can check those out here.
2. You are your own best-kept secret.
Oh boy! You've spent hours getting your copy right.  You have just the right image.  You checked and double-checked everything and now you wait. And wait. And wait.  Where is everyone?  Well, here's the thing - no one knows about your awesome new stuff because . . . you didn't tell them about it.  So many times I have worked with clients who have created a new website, landing page, or freebie and they are astounded when the internet gods have not smiled on them and sent them a bushel full of customers.  ***NOT SO SECRET*** >>> There is no internet magician.  If you want people to find your awesome website, landing page, freebie, or whatever you create you have to promote it.  I know it can be hard to "toot your own horn" but you're a badass business owner, get out of your own way, and get your stuff out there. The latest research shows you have to put your stuff in front of people a MINIMUM of 8 times before they ever even pay attention.  So put yourself on repeat for a while.
3. You're not solving a problem.
I alluded to this in number one, people aren't looking for your product or service.  Seriously!  They aren't.  They are looking for someone to end their pain.  Whatever the pain may be.  They want a solution, they want it now and they don't want to have to work to find it.  The easier you can make it for them to understand that you can help them get out of pain, the faster they will move from not knowing who you are to a customer.  But, if you focus your marketing on what you do - you will lose out every time. To overcome losing out on them and their business, solve problems. 
I give you an extra bonus in the episode,
tune in to get the extra tip on how to ensure that your sales funnel is doing EXACTLY what you want it to.  
If you loved this episode . . . 
I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

Why Your Landing Page Isn't Working

You can have the best freebie in the world, but . . .
  . . if no one wants it or opts-in, how good is it really?  Not so good.  If you are struggling with getting people to sign up for your free download, it is costing you more than just email subscribers, it's costing you money and new customers.  If you wonder how all the "other people" are getting traction when you are lucky to get people to visit your website, or if you are wondering why your list isn't growing - this week's Feed U Podcast episode is for you.  I break down the three reasons your freebie isn't working and tell you how to fix it so you can get some traction, increase your sales, and finally reach the people that need you. You can tune into the entire episode here.
Before you even think about running ads, you will want to fix these few things first.
Running ads is a great way to increase traffic to your website and get in front of some new peeps, but if you don't have your landing page and free giveaway in spit spot shape, you might as well fogettaboutit.  This week's episode is going to help you make sure that you are putting your best foot forward - let's dive in. 
1. Your freebie is crap.
It's better that you hear these things from a friend, seriously!  If you are putting something out there that is not useful to your people, they simply walk away.  Leaving you scratching your head wondering, what in the heck?  The reality is, the internet is crowded.  People are smart. Buyers are smarter.  They know giving you their email address has the potential to open them up to endless sales emails. (you wouldn't do that though, would you?). Which means you have to be smarter.  You have to offer something that is SO good, that they can't resist.  A great measurement is to put something out there that your competitors are charging for. Before you freak out and say to yourself "I can't give away the farm for free!" Stop that thought.  Here's the deal.  People pay for processes.  If they could do it themselves, they would have done it by now.  They will pay you for the system to get it done (the less time the better). So giving away a doozie piece of that process is just the thing to get them hooked and wanting more.
2. You want too much info
This one won't apply to everyone, but there are definitely some doozies out there.  People are protective of their info.  The more information you ask them to provide, the less likely they will complete the opt-in form.  The easier you make it for your new lead to say yes, the greater the chance they will say yes.  Adding a checkbox asking for permission to email them for example. Only asking for a name and email address.  Only the first name is even better. Keep it simple, give the relationship a chance to grow.  Do your due diligence in showing up, and building the relationship instead of asking for their social security number on the first date.  That would not only a "no" but a "hell no!"  The moral of the story, less is more.  Ask for less and then as time goes on, trust builds and they will provide you with more info.
3. Where the heck is your CTA?
I can't tell you how many emails I have looked at and wondered, what in the heck was the point of that email?  If you aren't laying out breadcrumbs for your clients to follow in your emails, then don't even bother emailing them.  You MUST have a call to action (CTA) in every single one.  Does this mean selling them your product every time?  Absolutely not!  A call to action can be to gather your newest resource, listen to your latest podcast, watch your latest video, any number of things.  Just keep them moving through the funnel whenever possible.
I give you an extra bonus in the episode,
listen here to get the extra tip on how to increase your sales.  It's a goodie too.
If you loved this episode . . . 
I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

3 Email Sequences You Can Use To Increase Sales

Can I see a show of hands real quick?
How many of you out there reading have set up a single email to deliver your free download and have called it an email sequence?
My guess is that more than one of your raised your hand.
But the reality is that it takes 8 times or more for the human brain to absorb information.
Meaning, if you aren't staying in front of your leads at least 8 times, they have already forgotten about you.
In this week's Feed U Podcast episode, I talk about the 3 most important email sequences you can create in your business.  You can tune into the entire episode here.
Before you start to worry . . .
These sequences are important, but, they don't all have to be set up right this minute.  I know you have a business to run and sometimes marketing takes a back burner.  In the episode, I go into detail about each sequence.  I encourage you to choose which one you think will have the biggest impact on your business today and start there.
Without further ado, here's the short version of those email sequences:
1. The Nurture Sequence
This is the sequence that is your "hey, good to know you" sequence.  It's your opportunity to build the relationship, gain trust, and move that need subscriber into a paid product. You CANNOT do that in one email. It will take some insight into your customer and also some ingenuity.  This is critical if you are growing your list and trying to convert new leads into customers.  Also, leads shouldn't drop off into oblivion after this sequence, strategize where they can go next.
2. The Re-Engagement (break up) Sequence
I talk quite in-depth about the mindset around the break-up sequence in Episode 108, but here's the dealio.  If you have peeps on your list that aren't opening or engaging with your emails, you are paying for those peeps.  Regardless of what you send them.  If they aren't interested, let them go and make room for the people who DO want to hear from you. Holding onto subscribers for vanity is not helping your business. It is MUCH better to have a list of leads than it is to have a list of emails who never buy from you.
3. Cart Abandon Sequence
I  lay down some serious stats in this piece of the episode regarding conversion.  >>>SNEAK PEAK

107 Why Your Marketing Is Being Ignored

Why is your marketing being ignored?
Marketing can be summed up by one phrase, get the right message in front of the right people at the right time.
But, what most businesses do is create one message for everyone. If your potential client is not at that phase of their customer journey, they are going to pass you by like a wooly sweater sale in July.
In this week's podcast episode I share the three ways to stop the scroll, grab the attention of your audience, and get traction with your marketing.
I even threw in a bonus tip to help you narrow down your messaging. You can listen to the complete episode here.
Here are the cliff notes for you:
The biggest mistake most business owners make is trying to create one version of their messaging that applies to everyone.  I spend the first 10ish minutes of Episode 107 explaining the buyers' journey (customer journey) in very simple terms.
There are three levels, learn about those here and only the first level has buyers that are ready to pull out their credit card and buy.  But . . . don't get your dancing pants on yet . . . that's only a conversion rate of 8%.  Which means, you are leaving the other 91% singing in the rain.  We have GOT to go get that other 81 %, otherwise, we are working too hard and constantly struggling to find new customers.
After you figure out where your new lead is on the buyers' journey. . .
Then your marketing traction boils down to 3 simple things.
1. Delivering the right message (in their language) to the right person at the right time.
2. Making sure you stay top of mind, that they know who you are and how to buy your products or services.
3. Standing out from the crowd (read stop being a snooze fest!)
I cover each of those in-depth in this episode, plus give you a bonus tip on how to find the words your audience is looking for (in case you're stuck!). You can listen to the whole episode here.
If you loved this episode . . . 
I would be so grateful if you would share it with a friend and leave me a review over on iTunes so that we can help more people grow their businesses.

The 3800% ROI Marketing Strategy

Which email strategy will give you up to a 3800% return on investment?
If your a frequent podcast listener and you haven't guessed yet, I will be surprised.  If you've tuned into any number of Feed U Podcast episodes, you know I'm a HUGE fan of email marketing done right.  Notice that last part "done right". In Episode 106 of the Feed U Podcast, I lay out some of the latest email marketing stats that will have you salivating.
If you're ready to take your marketing to task, then this is the episode for you.
Email is the best return on investment marketing strategy hands down. In this week's episode, I give you the facts, stats, and tips on how to clean up your email and make it work for you and your business.  Listen to the entire episode here.
First, the facts:
According to this Hubspot Study,
Every $1 spent on email marketing has a return on investment of $38. 
If we compare that to the average cost of a Google ad which is approximately $2 in ROI for every $1 spent (campaign monitor) there is a big difference in ROI. So, maybe $38 doesn't seem like much.  Let's take a real-world example.  If you were to spend $100 on your email marketing using the average ROI you could generate $3800. Now, let's compare that to Google. That same $100 would only generate $200. $200 vs. $3800, I know which I would pick.
73% of millennials prefer business communication via email.
This stat surprised even me.  Millennials being known for their text preferences, who knew that they actually preferred to do business via email? So what does that mean to you? If you are trying to woo the millennial generation, you better up your email game. (more tips on that in the episode)
78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement in the last 12 months.
What does that mean to you? You're not a marketer (or maybe you are). Well, those marketers represent brands and businesses. They work with all types of industries and are giving their perspective based on the success of their clients.  That means you. If it's working for them, it can and will work for you. Let's take note of one VERY important word in that stat.  "engagement".  Not only are subscribers opting in and receiving the email, but they are also in some way engaging with the email.  Translation - they are opening, reading, and or clicking - or all three. Engagement is the key.  If you can get in front of your audience and get them to engage, that is when profit shifts happen.
In Episode 106 several other stats are mentioned, give it a listen to get all the latest email marketing data.
I also give you my perspective on why people are more engaged now and will be in the future as well as 5 hiccups to avoid with your email marketing so that you can gain traction and not steer your subscribers away or toward your competitors.  Tune in to the episode to get all the details.
What did you learn from this episode? 
Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

The Role Seasonal Changes Play In Your Business

The first day of fall brings external and internal change.
But are you aware of the impact that seasonal changes bring to your business and success? We are connected to nature whether we are aware of that connection or not. In this episode, I talk about the way each season impacts us and our business.
If you are making decisions in your business without seasonal alignment and are struggling, this episode may shine some light on why.
The 22nd (when the episode was recorded) was the Fall Equinox. With that comes shifts from outward work to inward connection and reflection. As we move toward winter, our goals and focus should shift as well.
In Episode 105, I discuss the different phases of planning and aligning your business with each season.
Because we are entering in fall, I began with the fall season.
FALL:
During the fall, our businesses and our lives should focus on the harvest.  This will make more sense as we move through the other seasons. But this, as in nature, is the time we gather our rewards for the hard work we produced. Whether that is financial or in recognition. If you notice, many of the awards shows are held in the fall season. In fact, just this past week was the Emmy Awards. I bet you didn't even realize that the alignment of rewards and recognition of the year's worth of work, happened during the fall season. If we focus our business on gratitude, resources, our wealth, and what we need to let go of - we will align with the fall season. Just as nature lets go, leaves falling from trees, gardens dying back to rejuvenate the soil for spring, we also must let go. Make space for creativity and planning and what is to come. Learn more by listening to the entire episode.
WINTER:
During the winter our focus should be toward hibernation, rest, recuperation, and inward reflection. This is the time when we set our goals for the coming year. Allow new ideas to percolate and come to us. Dive into our purpose and the alignment we have with what we want to accomplish on a bigger scale, the scale of who we are as humans.  As the years pass, are we in tune with what we want to leave as a legacy for future generations? Are we moving toward that legacy and the reasons we started our business in the first place? Winter gives us the space (and the darkness with shorter days) to go within, rest and reflect.
SPRING:
If fall is the season of harvest, then spring is when we plant the seeds so that we will have something to harvest. This is the time of putting new ideas into action. Renewing our zest for what we do, what we want to accomplish, and the impact we want to make. It's time to begin plans to launch new products or services. To bring the ideas we have been creating focused on during the winter to the light of spring so that they can bloom forth.
SUMMER:
As we come to the end of this summer we can reflect back on the power of the sun. The warmth it shines, even in offering relief (although temporary) from the Coronavirus. The sun is powerful - and with longer days and shorter nights, we are filled with power.  Power to put the energy into ensuring our well-laid summer plans come to fruition.  It's when we put the action fully into achieving our goals. We are fueled by connection, growth, and accomplishment.  This is when the "big" growth happens for us and our business.  It is the accumulation of what we planned for during the winter and spring. For the low-down on all of the seasons, be sure to tune into this week's episode.
What does this alignment truly mean for your business?
When you are aligned with the seasons, you:
Become more aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you truly want out of life and your business.
You eliminate outside distractions, activities, and focus stealers so that you can truly align with what brings you joy and success. (However you choose to define it.)
You free up your time to focus on your true purpose, and the legacy you are meant to leave.
In the episode, I challenge you to look at the season your business is in and evaluate, just like nature, what you need to let go of so that you can make space for what is to come.
I encourage you to pull out a piece of paper, draw two columns, and label them simple keep and stop. Identify the pieces of your business that it is time to let go of.  This could be relationships, clients, products, services, ways you are spending time, etc. Letting go of them may not mean eliminating them altogether.  It could simply mean outsourcing them or setting them aside to reevaluate in the spring.  The idea is, where will you make space for the new? Because without space, there is no room for the "new" to settle in and find it's way to you.
I would love for you to share what you are letting go of over in the Facebook group so that we can support one another.
What did you learn from this episode? 
Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

The #1 Reason Your Email Marketing Is Failing You

Email marketing can seem overwhelming . . .
And when you aren't having the success you want, it can also be frustrating. But, you could have picked up some really bad habits along the way that are not helping you in the way of email marketing success. This week I share three email experiences, my reaction, and how to improve them in Episode 104 of the Feed U Podcast.
If you're sick of fighting with your email conversion, tune in to this week's episode and learn:
The #1 thing that is causing your email marketing to fail and three important lessons to learn from, so you don't eliminate your customer connection before you even have a chance to build it. Losing your leads before they have even had the chance to get to know you and fall in love with your brand.
In the episode, I talk about the GDPR (which is legal speak for don't add people to your list without permission.)  I also reference this interview Episode with Aidan Durham.  She gives you the entire scoop on GDPR and what it means to your email marketing and your business.
I also give you 3 specific "no go" email experiences that you DO NOT want to repeat.  This episode is short but mighty and you definitely want to tune in to get all the details. I talk about being on the receiving email end from someone who only shows up when they are ready to sell me into something and how yucky it feels to be used for sales and ignored the rest of the time.  
This isn't nurturing, this is straight-up used car salesman territory and there are better ways to grow and build your audience.
I also talk about audience size and how size is MUCH less important than engagement and interest in you and what you do.  You need to listen to the whole episode to get all the details on that.
The second example was from my experience of signing up for a new membership. How the onboarding system went (or in this case, didn't) and how to ensure that providing your new customers a top-notch experience will skyrocket you past the competition.  There were some definite hiccups in this process, and I share them with you here.
Last but not least, I tell you the story about the email from someone I met over 5 years ago and I never asked to be on their list.  (See GDPR note above). This is not only a great way to piss people off (had to be said) but it's also illegal in a LOT of places (all of Europe, CA, HI, MD, MA, NJ, NY, WA, and the list keeps growing.) Protecting personal data is A BIG DEAL.  Just ask Mark Zuckerberg who had to fork out $5 Billion dollars in fines.  This is a PRIME example of what not to do.  Be sure to listen in as I talk you through that example.
That's a wrap for this week.  I would love to hear which email marketing "don't" you've experienced from this episode.  Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.
What did you learn from this episode? 
Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.

3 Ways To Measure Your Marketing Investment

If you are like most business owners . . .
You have invested in some type of marketing for your business that you couldn't track results for.  It's easy to be talked into investing your time and money into Facebook Ads, Google Ads, SEO, and all kinds of marketing that involves posting on numerous platforms.
But, if you are also like most business owners, you don't have any idea whether or not it's working and are too busy to track the ROI.
No one is blaming you, you're busy and are trying to run a business for goodness sake.  This is why in Episode 103 I talk about the 3 BIG ways you can measure what is working and what is not, as well as, share with you some of the best questions I've learned to ask before hiring anyone for your marketing. It will save you time, frustration, and money. So be sure to tune into the entire episode here.
I spend a good chunk of the beginning of the episode talking about something you may not think is very important, but it's critical to succeeding with ANY marketing you invest him.  Your sales funnel MUST connect to every product and activity that you engage in, to market your business. It's definitely worth a listen if you just tune into this part because in my experience THIS single piece is what over 85% of businesses are missing when it comes to their strategy.
Here are the other 3 ways you can measure, tweak, and fine-tune your marketing activities.
1. Becoming aware of your email subscriber opt-ins.
If you do not have analytics set up to track your opt-ins it's going to be impossible to track whether or not something is actually converting.  The beginning of your funnel is your email subscriber in nearly all cases.  But, if you don't check in with your analytics to see if people are opting in, then how will you know if your list is growing?  These can be found in your email service provider (ESP) (like ConvertKit-they are my favorite) or by using a 3rd party system like Lead Pages.  You can also usually find this information by evaluating your opt-in form, I use a plugin called Bloom by Elegant Themes. But you can easily use the form created directly in your ESP. Regardless of how you track, it's a good idea to compare all the entry points to be sure they are consistent with your subscriber growth.
2. Measure traction with our ad account analytics.
Add accounts, and especially analytics can seem overwhelming if you aren't familiar with the backend. But don't let the technology intimidate you.  Learning even the basics can open up a wealth of information for you to understand your ideal customer, as well as, what is engaging them and what is not.  Spending a little bit of time with your ad analytics will tell you the story of where to spend money on ads and where not to. For example, if all of your subscribers are on YouTube, you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on Facebook Ads, you want to spend the money on YouTube. But without analyzing and testing, you wouldn't have this information.
3. Google Analytics is your new best friend.
There is a wealth of information available on Google Analytics if you connect it to your website.  Even if you NEVER run a Google Ad.  It is definitely beneficial to take a high-level look at your analytics on a regular basis (once a month-ish) to see who is visiting your site, how much time they spend, and what brings them there.  I mention the WordPress Plugin Monster Insights as a good tool to use. But you don't have to have WordPress to utilize Google Analytics.
That's a wrap for this week.  I would love to hear what tool you are going to dive into to measure your marketing from this episode.  Head on over to the Facebook group and let me know.
What did you learn from this episode? 
Come and tell me in the Facebook Group. Not in the group yet? Consider this your official invitation to join the Small Business Builders Community in the Facebook Group. Small Business owners unite to feed each other with inspiration, information, experiences, and knowledge.