The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan » Website Design/Ideas

How to Be Your Own Webmaster and Unleash Your Entrepreneurial Spirit Again

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:53:45 +0000

I got an email the other day from a client that made me smile. Here it is:

Marcus,

Check it out man! I’ve turned my home page from two columns to three columns and now the layout is perfect. I’m getting good at this stuff man!!

Jason

Ahhh yes, my client Jason is now experiencing what I call ‘The Paintbrush Effect’.

The Paintbrush Effect

What is the paintbrush effect?

Well, look at it like this: Most business owners are artists when it comes to their field. They know how to talk about, teach, and present their product/service extremely well. For years, they’ve been deeply involved in their chosen field, and for this reason, they literally exude knowledge and ideas.

But the problem with today’s world is most of these same business owners are handcuffed. The area where they are able to best talk, teach, and present is their website. It is, without question, the ‘great digital art room’.

Sadly, most are locked out of this room. They can only peer in the window while someone else (aka webmaster) paints what should be their canvas with their vision.

Years of Frustration

I used to be one of these onlookers. For seven years, off and on, I attempted to learn web design and failed. Unlike my friend JK Allen, who was able to master CSS on the side and start his own web design business, it never came for me. Spending hours in an effort to learn Dreamweaver in 2005 was a disaster. I seriously would have been more successful attempting to master Chinese.

But the clock was ticking. With each day, I saw more and more consumers were headed to the web to do all their research. My frustrations mounted. I can remember well looking at my dull website, with its dearth of content, and having one idea after another of things I needed be doing and adding, yet they never seemed to happen.

But again, I was locked out of the art room.

This all changed though, as many of you know, when I discovered Hubspot in March of 2009 and learned about CMS (content management system) technology.

The Power of Content Management Systems

For those of you unfamiliar with what a CMS does, it allows web dummies like me to do the majority of my own web design/content without the help of a webmaster. In other words, one doesn’t need to be a coder (for the most part) to build pages, add forms, paste in videos, etc.

Or, to state it even more simply, one can now hold the paintbrush and produce their own art—hence ‘The Paintbrush Effect’.

I can remember well the day in 2009 when I was given this brush. After years of making calls to a webmaster to cross my T’s and dot my I’s, the power was now in my own hands.

At the time, my pool company’s site consisted of about 20 pages, and there was little to speak of in terms of traffic, leads, etc.

But fast forward to present and everything has changed. The site is now 750 pages and generates massive amounts of leads through content, SEO, and some solid inbound marketing.

The Future of Web Design

In today’s rapidly advancing world, CMS technology has never been better. Where there used to be only a handful of platforms to choose from, now there are many, with the most popular being WordPress, which has a mountain of sub-platforms (like Thesis, Genesis, and Headway) falling under it. But WordPress and Hubspot are just two of what has now become hundreds of CMS platforms, all having their own pros and cons, depending on the end user. (Note** For those interested, I’ll soon be doing a WordPress vs. Hubspot article.)

For those of you interested in seeing how easy it is to build a page with a super simple CMS (like Hubpsot in this case), watch how quickly I was able to build a quality landing page on my swimming pool site with this video, with no coding involved:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s cool is this is just the beginning. As tech advances, more and more average Joe and Jane business owners like me, who are ‘non-techies’ but would like to be, are going to be able to hold the paintbrush and create masterpieces when it comes to their site, much like digital cameras have done for the photo industry.

Taking Charge

When it comes down to it, as entrepreneurs and business owners we do what we do because we like control. We want to be in charge of our own destinies.

For the first part of the web explosion, this ability to ‘take charge’ was ripped away from most of us. Literally, the ‘paint brush’ was snatched right out of our hands.

But the time has come for all of us to start painting again. Just like my ecstatic client Jason, who is by no means a ‘techie’, we can all benefit from this technology and get back to doing what we do best—CREATING.

The Challenge:

So here is the challenge: If you’re a small to medium sized business owner/marketer and you feel like you’re completely ‘locked-out’ of your website, do something about it.

Switch to a CMS.

Take control.

Allow your creative juices to run wild.

And be an entrepreneur again.

Trust me, the feeling is magical.

Your Turn:

I’m curious to know your thoughts on the future of web design and user ‘control’. Do you see it as I do, a world in which most biz owners handle most of their design, or do you think webmasters will always hold the majority of the cards (focusing on small biz here)?

Also, for those of you using CMS technology, tell me about it. Is there one you think is the most effective for ‘non-techies’? For WordPress users, what theme do you feel best fits this need?

As always, your thoughts, questions, and comments matter, so feel free to leave them below.

7 Reasons Having a Twitter Feed in Your Sidebar is a Really Dumb Idea

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:25:30 +0000

It’s official: Twitter feeds and sidebars are the worst couple since Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphreys.

(Yes, I’m serious and no, I’ve never actually watched the show.)

I say this because last week I invited anyone on my newsletter list to send me their website URL and I would reply with a very quick analysis of their site’s biggest weaknesses.

45 minutes after the email was sent, I had about 25 responses already in my inbox.

Did I bite off more than I could chew? No, but after 40+ websites and 5 hours of analysis, I was able to see dozens of different industry sites and also some very disturbing trends (more on that in the coming weeks), with one of the worst offenders being mind-boggling Twitter feeds (aka ‘Steams’ and ‘Timelines’) that kept popping up in the most inconvenient of places.

Waiting for the Twitter Magic

But hey, I get it, I really do. 2 years ago, when I started with inbound marketing, I heard all about Twitter. That was when I, like many businesses, opened up an account (for my swimming pool company), put a Twitter ‘follow me’ button on our website’s sidebar, and waited for the magic to happen.

After 30 days of almost no results, I got the grand Idea to put my real-time Twitter feed in the sidebar instead of just the simple ‘follow-me’.

Again, no dice. No leads. No prospects or customers ever mentioned it. Very few people followed. It was an utter fail.

You see, the sad reality is that too many people have drunk the Twitter Kool-Aid and grossly overestimate its value when it comes to web design and conversions.

Here’s why:

7 Reasons Why Putting a Twitter Feed in Your Sidebar is a Really Dumb Idea

1. That’s Prime Real-Estate!!!: When it comes to the web and conversions (converting a visitor into an actual lead), proper placement of call-to-action buttons, forms, etc. is a huge deal. For example, with most blogs and websites, great calls-to-action (like newsletter subscription buttons) are on the upper right side of the page in the column area or located just after the main content itself. Notwithstanding, many businesses have taken up this prime ‘conversion’ space with tweets that almost never lead to ‘action’ from a visitor. Think about it for a second: Would you rather people read one of your tweets or have them give you their email address and contact information?

2. People Don’t Know What the Heck Twitter Is: That’s right. It’s easy for someone who uses the platform 24/7 to think the entire world is on there, but the fact is they’re not, and it’s not even close. Heck, 90%+ of the twitter accounts ever created aren’t even actively being used.

Do some industries see a very high amount of active users on Twitter? Yes, that may be true, but they’re almost always marketing and social media niches, not average Joe business owners and consumers. In fact, a large majority of the world still can’t look at a Twitter stream without getting completely confused with the odd culture that’s found therein. Again, this is just how it is.

3. Four-Week Old Tweets Make You Look Lazy: Here is what was really bad about most of the Twitter streams I saw in the sidebars—They were practically dead. Some had not even been updated for 2 or 3 months! Think about the impression a visitor to your site gets when they see you don’t even take the time to update your account (assuming they even know what it is).

4. There are a Thousand Better Options: Free eBook? A powerfully written report? What about a webinar sign up, or a list of popular blog posts, or even your newest Youtube video?

Here is the thing my friends: People come to your website to learn. They expect to be fed. They expect to receive answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. This is the essence of inbound and content marketing.

You can either give this to them through clean content (in a variety of forms), or you can imagine them reading your tweets and being so enthralled that they beg for your business immediately. I don’t know about you, but I’ll choose the power of great content any day of the week.

5. Why Send them Away?: This one is a no-brainer. If you’re sharing content on your Twitter stream that’s linking to another website, and someone actually clicks on that link, you’ve now likely lost them. Or, at the very least, they’re now pretty darn distracted.

Although there are proper occasions to link to other articles from your site, this is certainly not one of them.

6. Clutter is Bad: That’s right, too much of anything is a bad idea, and this is especially true when discussing Twitter and sidebars. Derek Halpern of Social Triggers has done a phenomenal job of discussing this issue of sidebar effectiveness in detail, but the fact is, simpler sidebars with less choices have higher conversion rates the majority of the time.

7. What’s the End Goal?: Right now, you should be able to look at every page of your website and make one simple statement: The main goal of this page is to……

This being said, if anything doesn’t align with your goals, you drop it. Yes, that’s right, just let it go. Once you truly understand your goals, especially on an individual page basis, the clarity of design and layout will be clearer than ever. You’ll better know the calls-to-action, photos, and content that lends itself to success, and you’ll also be able to intelligently ignore the ‘social media checklist’ that grows longer each and every day.

I’m Not a Twitter Hater

Some of you right now are thinking I’m anti-Twitter. This isn’t the case. I love the medium and appreciate its capabilities and potential.

But just because you and I love something doesn’t mean it makes business sense, especially when it comes to website design and conversions.

Your Turn:

I’ve been brutally honest in my opinion here with respect to Twitter streams/feeds in sidebars and now I’d love to hear your frank thoughts on the matter as well. Should they be there? If so, why? If not, why? Would you add anything to my list above? C’mon, share your thoughts everyone.

Download your FREE copy of my 230 Page Inbound and Content Marketing Made Easy eBook now and start reading in 60 seconds!

How to Build Links to Your Website Without Selling Your Soul to the Devil

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:55:22 +0000

Link Building Definition: The process of attracting inbound links to your website, which in-turn drives more traffic to your site and also tells Google and the rest of the search engines that your stuff is awesome.

I’ve been utterly surprised how often I’ve been asked lately about link building.

“Marcus, how did you build so many inbound links to your site??”

“Marcus, is there a quick way to build inbound links to my site?”

“Marcus, did you pay someone for all those inbound links you have?” (Arghhh..)

Alas, if we would just stop making all of this SEO stuff way more than what it is.

Currently, my swimming pool website has thousands of inbound links coming back to it. But to be honest, kind of like my Klout score, I don’t care.

In fact, I’ve never spent one second of my inbound and content marketing life (that would be about 1100 days and counting) looking for ways (other than via content) to build inbound links.

Seriously, it’s a waste of energy. (Again, see KLOUT)

It’s also sucks your focus in the wrong direction.

Link Building Shortcuts

This will sound very sacrilegious to many. As you’re reading this, there is an SEO somewhere in the world calling me an ‘idiot’.

But I’m fine with that. I’ll let the SEO play with link building ‘tactics’ while the rest of us produce great content that builds more and more momentum with every new blog post.

And while I’m at it, here are my top 7 link building phrases that make me want to vomit:

Buying Links
Trading Links
Exchanging Links
Automatic Link Building Tools
Link building directories
‘Link Building on Steroids’
‘Link Building Gurus’

If You Play With Google Fire, You Get Burned

Think about it for a second—Do you really think Google and the rest of the gang aren’t getting smarter and smarter every single day? Of course they are. There will come a time when search engines will be able to identify fake links, farmed links, worthless links, etc from a mile away.

This is also why I’ve never understood why certain people freaked out over Google’s Panda Update. Seriously, why would anyone be upset that Google is getting better at what they do?

When Panda came out, people that had built their links through awesome content got rewarded.

Others that had been working for years to ‘game the system’ and take link building ‘shortcuts’ shot down the rankings or even got penalized by Google.

Great content is the ultimate ‘Anti-Panda’. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Google loves delivering it to their customers, and their customer (that’d be you and me) love reading it.

And that’s where the links start to build.

Again, no science here folks. But no shortcuts either.

But to add further light to this subject, I’m going to show you 4 methods of producing awesome content that will legitimately attract valuable links to your site:

1. Talk About Other Companies in Your Industry:

As Dale Carnegie once said, “There is nothing like the sound of one’s own name.” This principle has remained true since the beginning of time. In fact, to add to the phrase, one might say, “There is nothing like the sound of hearing one’s company named.”

I wrote this article at the beginning of 2011 and it casually discussed 4 companies I was paying attention to in the swimming pool industry and why. Today, 11 months later, here are the quick stats of the piece:

307 Inbound Links

6,791 Page views

But not only that, all those inbound links is what has lead to much higher search ranking results. For example:

2. Compare Products, Companies, Brands, etc in Your Industry

Consumers love nothing more than comparing one brand or product versus another. But most of the time, Google doesn’t have a lot of great content to give folks when they type in these types of ‘vs’ or ‘comparison’ phrases. Here is an example of a very successful one on my swimming pool site:

Since this article was published, its stats are:

189 Inbound Links

20, 506 Page Views

As you might imagine, with so many inbound links the search rankings are exceptional:

3. Answer Questions Others in Your Industry are Afraid to Answer

I’ve talked about this principle again and again and again, and the one I most often point to is ‘pricing’ and ‘cost’ related articles. For example:

In about two years time, this page has garnered:

124,200 Page Views

1,529 Inbound Links

Again, with so many inbound links, the keyword rankings are off the charts. Here are just a few of the phrases the article ranks for:

4. Great Guest Posts on Powerful Sites with Purposeful Keyword Goals

Although I don’t think guest posting is nearly as effective as producing great content on your own site for inbound links (I’ve never done a single guest post in the pool industry), it does have benefits, especially in competitive fields. For example, I recently did a guest post on Social Media Examiner. The post took me hours to write, but because the site is so highly ranked, and gets in front of so many eyeballs, I knew it would be very worth it and the few inbound links coming to my site from that post would also have great SEO value.

But just doing a guest post on a great site like SME is not enough. The link(s) you use to send folks back to your site should have a definitive purpose in terms of your keyword goals. For example, because I want to rank on the first page of Google at some point for the very competitive phrases ‘Inbound Marketing’ and ‘Content Marketing’, the anchor text (words used in the inbound link) are directed towards that goal, as you will see here:

No More Shortcuts, Just Great Content

So there you have it my friends, 4 ideas for generating truly powerful inbound links to your website. As I’ve stated many times before, the key to all of this is being willing to think, talk, walk, and write for consumers. It ain’t about you or me. It’s about their questions, their needs, and giving them the information they’re looking for.

Your Turn:

Link building is certainly a debatable topic, and this article is not the exception to the rule. Do you fall into the camp that I’m in, and say the only focus should be on great content, or do you feel that other link building methods are effective as well? Also, what are some other content strategies you’ve used successfully to build more inbound links to your website?

Download your FREE copy of my 230 Page Inbound and Content Marketing Made Easy eBook now and start reading in 60 seconds!

The One Key to Becoming a GREAT Content Marketer (Video)

Marcus Sheridan — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:24:21 +0000

As you’re all aware, I spoke at Blog World last week and it was a tremendous experience. The wonderful Marlee Ward was kind enough to record the session for me and so I plan on showing certain video segments over the coming weeks.

In today’s short video, I want you to see how a simple paradigm shift in the way you create content can open up unlimited possibilities.

The fact is, the best content marketers are the ones that can not only think like a consumer, but are willing to address EVERY question a consumer might have.

Whether it’s about pricing, problems, competitors, etc– becoming great at content is knowing how to tackle these subjects.

But the big point that so many forget or don’t understand is this: Just because you address a consumer question, doesn’t mean you’re specifically giving them an answer.

Don’t know what I mean by that? Guess you’ll just have watch this 2 minute video below as my friend Jim in the audience has a complete paradigm shift when it comes to addressing the subject of pricing on his website.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Your Turn:

I have one simple question for my fellow bloggers and content marketers this morning: Is there any question a consumer asks that can’t be addressed in some way on your website?

As always, thanks so much for your support and especially your kind birthday wishes last week.

Download your FREE copy of my 230 Page Inbound and Content Marketing Made Easy eBook now and start reading in 60 seconds!

Forgetting Labels: My Crazy Journey from ‘Pool Guy’ to Web App Developer

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:20:42 +0000

We all label ourselves. I do. You do. It’s just what we do.

I used to be a ‘pool guy’. That’s what kids called me when they opened the door and screamed to their parents I had arrived. Yeah, they couldn’t wait for ‘pool guy’ to show up. Kids aren’t dumb. They know commerce from an early age, and the ‘pool guy’ at the door was a very, very good sign.

Heck, if I had a dollar for every time someone has called me ‘pool guy’ in the last 10 years I’d be able to write a book called ‘The 4 Minute Work Week’…but I digress, right Falchetto?

It Ain’t My Thing

Technology has never really been my thing. I spent hours and hours about 7 years ago trying to learn how to design a simple web page. But I stunk at it. In fact, computers have kicked my butt since day 1, even that stupid Commodore 64 over 25 years ago.

I don’t know why this has been the case, but that’s just the way it has been.

In late 2008, when I realized that the whole world of business and marketing would soon be strictly an online venture, I was desperate to understand web design, at least somewhat.

So I again gave it a go. Dreamweaver was the task this time.

But I failed, bad. It was like learning Chinese.

Thank You Captain CMS

About 6 months later, I stumbled upon Hubspot and their CMS and my whole world changed. For the first time, I started seeing that technology was catching up with dummies like me. Content Management Systems were the wave of the future. Average Jane and Joe, without being Techie/Coder types could finally be their own webmaster with just a little bit of practice.

It was one of the most exciting times of my life, without question.

In fact, it was like I had been an artist for years, with a canvas in front of me, yet no brush to work my magic.

With the advent of web design for dummies, I finally had my brush. I could now create.

And create I did.

Change Begins

Within a matter of 12 months, my swimming pool company’s website went from 20 pages to about 400. Our web marketing began to dominate its industry. Business boomed.

And as for me, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Looking at my analytics each day was thrilling. Watching that snowball grow from a small flake to a huge mass, rolling down a mountain and growing by the second, was simply exhilarating.

Despite my ‘technological deficiencies’, I now saw myself differently, and this blog became an extension of that new found vision.

And with it, the ‘pool guy’ started become the ‘inbound marketing guy’.

In a matter of months, one label was shed, another was born.

The Magic of Content ‘Tipping Points’

Then came the beginning of 2011. One night, as I was happily sitting at my kitchen table and comparing all of my leads vs. leads-turned-customers from 2010, an epiphany hit me like a ton of bricks.

To make a long story short, I noticed a simple pattern, and it was this:

If I could get a lead (someone that filled out a form on my website) to view at least 30 pages of my website, I would close said lead about 80% of the time assuming I went out on a sales appointment.

Although these numbers may sound insignificant to most of you, to me it was groundbreaking, as the swimming pool industry average is around 15%.

Once I knew that 30 page views was a magic number, or content ‘tipping point’, I developed my whole sales process around this simple truth.

In other words, I worked doggedly to make sure prospects read 30 pages of our site before they had a sales appointment. And what were the results?

Well, to state it briefly, 2011 has been far and away our best year ever as a swimming pool company. We’ve broken all records in sales, closing rates, profits, etc. We even are booked-out until the beginning of 2012 with pools to install. It’s amazing. And it all came down to a simple ‘tipping point’.

A Simple Idea

When I realized the power of content tipping points, I started to teach this principle wherever I could. Soon, I found my hypothesis was correct—every industry, niche, and product has a content tipping point (Actually, there are multiple, but that’s for another day). Companies just need to figure theirs out and then they can be off to the races.

Once, when I was presenting this idea to a group of people at Hubspot, one of their great employees, Mark Kilens, made a simple yet forehead-slapping statement to me:

“You know Marcus, this would really make for a great App.”

And that’s when my brain started turning. “My goodness, I could create an app that would tell companies their content tipping points!”

Being a Hubspot client and coach, I decided to use their platform as my first testing ground. Within days, I hired a developer, gave him the vision, and we were off.

Weeks later, the Hubspot ‘Tipping Point App’ was born.

And then I gave it away to their 5000+ customers, for FREE.

Some folks thought I was nuts for not charging for such a tool, but I didn’t care.

This app for me was like Franklin’s lightning rod—a gift to society.

Now granted, my little app is in its initial phases. It will be further developed, added to, and then rolled out to other platforms (like WordPress hopefully).

But for now, I’ll just enjoy a new label:

Marcus Sheridan, Web App Developer

Our Potential is Boundless

The older I get, the more I realize that we have no clue as to our potential. We think we’re not ‘meant’ to do certain things. We feel we weren’t dealt the right cards to be this or that.

What a bunch of poo.

Not to be cliché, but I honestly believe our potential is boundless. Why do we self-impose limits? Why must we stop short of the gifts and talents that are deep within each and every one of us?

Fact is, there’s no reason why, none at all.

I’m done with the labels. I see my potential as unlimited. And I’m sure as heck not afraid to admit that to myself. It’s there, so why not embrace it, right?

But I’m not special. You and I were created by the same hands. We’ve all got magic within.

Now let’s go find it, shall we?

Your Turn:

I have one major question to ask of you today my friends: What is a talent that you have today that clearly was not a ‘talent’ you had earlier in your life? How did you develop it? And what are you doing presently to dig deeper and continue to find the greatness within?

As always, I’d love it if you’d share. I’ll answer, and you may just enjoy the ride.

PS: If you haven’t gotten my 230 page FREE Inbound Marketing eBook yet, whatcha waiting for??!

photo credit

Is Derek Halpern Wrong? The Debate of Web Sidebar Design and Conversions

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:28:47 +0000

Before we jump into this incredibly important question of website side-bar design and conversions, let me just say that I’m a big fan of Derek Halpern. As those of you know that read this blog regularly, I’ve praised him in past articles and think he clearly has one of the great minds in the internet marketing arena. Simply put, the guy produces, and there is no arguing that, which is also why the likes of Chris Brogan and Pat Flynn have sought his advice when it comes to optimizing a website to maximize conversions. At the same rate though, I felt prompted to write this article because although Derek’s methods will fit many online business models, they don’t necessarily apply to everyone (as I’m sure he’d agree), which is why I felt the subject needed further thought.

In his excellent article “The #1 Conversion Killer In Your Web Design”, Derek says:

Murder Clutter… Before It Nukes Your Conversion Rates

Look:

With widgets, plugins, social media profiles, and other junk like that, it’s easy to overload your website with a bunch of garbage you don’t need.

And worse, when you do just that, your conversion rates PLUMMET.

The simple solution is to DITCH the baggage, and focus on what you NEED visitors to do to grow your business.

In most cases, you need visitors to subscribe to your email list or buy your stuff, and that’s what you should focus on.

Related posts? Twitter feed? 10 million social media profile icons? Badges?

“Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”

Great thoughts from Derek here. Really. Not only do I love his writing style but his point is a very valid one—too much stuff can/does hurt conversion rates. And as far as the effectiveness of badges on the sidebar, I’m sure we could spend hours debating the merits of that one, but I think the key question is actually this:

What’s your definition of a conversion?

For some folks, a conversion might be capturing someone’s email so they are now part of your ‘list’. But for others, ‘lists’ may not be the end-all.

For example, in the coming weeks, I will be spending more time building my list to promote my new inbound marketing/Hubspot newsletter, but never do I expect this list to be the main focus of TSL in terms of how I monetize this site. More on this in a minute…

In the same article, Derek goes on to say:

But it’s not practical to ONLY include a call to action in your sidebar. You need a little bit more:

Every blog sidebar needs:

an opt-in form (at the top of the sidebar)

links to resource pages (preferably right under the opt-in form)

links to popular articles

Anything else is a potential distraction.

By no means do I think Derek is necessarily wrong with what he is saying here. In fact, just as I said before, I think in the majority of cases, based on most people’s goals, he’s absolutely right. But for me, when all is said and done, the goals of this site are:

1. Build an incredible community through the ‘personal’ feel and interaction of the site.

2. Raise awareness of my speaking services so companies hire me to come out to their place and rock and roll their marketing world.

Speaking

My third priority is the list building side of things, but it does not trump 1 and 2, which is my my sidebar also reflects a different goal than does Derek’s. For example, when it comes to achieving goal #2 of this site (speaking services), my sidebar is the catalyst to make this a reality.

For example, right now I’m showing a ‘I’m Speaking at Content Marketing World’ badge. The reason for this is simple: I want to speak at more events and this badge is a social proof to others that (hopefully) makes them think: ‘Marcus is speaking at one of the most impressive marketing events in the country, maybe I should have him at my event too.’

Further on down the page, you’ll notice a YouTube video of me speaking at a marketing seminar. I will be frank in saying this video alone has benefitted me tremendously on a monetary level. Currently, over the next 6 months, I’m scheduled to be a paid speaker at 6 events, and many others are in the works. Although I’ve always had ‘speaking’ as a service here at TSL, it was not until I posted that video on the sidebar a few months ago that the calls and emails started coming in. Simply put, there is no better social proof than that of video, and I think just about every sidebar should include one, especially if you’re looking to be a paid speaker. Another great example of this is Jason Falls. Check out his site to see how he leverages his side bar to garner tons of speaking opportunities.

Finally, you’ll notice just below the video scrolling testimonials of my web coaching and speaking services. Again, this just lends itself to the #2 goal of this site.

Community

As I mentioned above, the #1 goal of TSL is to build community by creating a ‘personal’ feel between me and my audience. There are diverse ways in which to accomplish this (one of which is taking the time to genuinely answer every comment that comes through these parts) but again, the sidebar reflects these goals. Although I could take a minute to discuss the social media widgets and why I want them there, I’d like to turn your attention to the bottom right of this page, The Sheridan Clan.

Every month, certain articles that do well here on TSL get clicked and read thousands of times. But most pale in comparison to the number of clicks the photo gallery gets of The Sheridan Clan, which usually gets clicked about 10,000 times each month. Heck, even the phrase, ‘The Sheridan Clan’ is now branded. People all the time ask me, “How’s the clan Marcus” or “How’s the Sheridan Clan doing Marcus?”. Is this phenomena due to the fact that people are obsessed with my family and simply can’t stop clicking?? No, of course not, it’s a simple reflection of the #1 goal of this site—Create community with a ‘personal’ feel. And I ask you, is there anything more personal than family?

To close this article, I want to reflect back to the question I asked earlier?

What’s your definition of a conversion?

The catch to this question is that if you don’t know the main goals of your site, conversions really don’t mean a thing. But once your goals are clearly defined, then you can start to develop your sidebar to match said goals.

So to answer the question stated in the title of this article, ‘Is Derek Halpern Wrong?’, I’d say the answer is NO—assuming your goals are to build your list. If that’s your goal, then I’d suggest you adhere to his clutter-free methodology, because like he said, the numbers don’t lie.

But if you have other goals and priorities, makes sure you consider those too as you look to maximize optimal web design.

Your Turn:

OK, we’ve got a great opportunity here folks. What’s your take on sidebars? Is less more? Do you like badges? How about social media buttons? What are the goals of your site and how does your sidebar reflect them? And finally, why do you keep looking at my kids? (Just kidding ) C’mon friends, throw your thoughts in, because this is a topic that affects all of us.

Transparency and Inbound Marketing: The Greatest ‘Sales Technique’ of the Information Age

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:43:51 +0000

I got into a nice little debate yesterday with my good friend Danny Brown over at Gini Dietrich’s site, Spin Sucks. You see, I wrote a guest post there entitled ‘5 Reasons You Should Discuss Pricing on Your Company Website’ and as I’d hoped, it sparked great conversation and debate on both sides of the issue (you really should check it out btw).

<Marcus Tangent Alert***> Speaking of ‘debate’, I don’t think we see enough of that in blogs (See Davina’s virtual love fest post). I love it when people don’t agree with me yet still act civil. For example, in the article I wrote earlier this week about some of the best blog header designs on the internet, Gini Dietrich and Shonali Burke both didn’t like my choices. In fact, Shonali was the first to comment, and gave me the immediate ‘thumbs down’. I was thrilled. Seriously. But that’s a whole other discussion and now I’ll get back on topic

In this debate with Danny, of which many other folks chimed in, the key word that kept coming up again and again was ‘Transparency’. You see, I firmly believe that transparency, combined with great inbound marketing, is the greatest ‘sales technique’ in the world today. And no, I’m not exaggerating one iota.

The Age of Sales Techniques is Dying

There was a period in my life of about 5 years when I read just about every book on ‘selling’ that was ever written. I couldn’t seem to devour enough of the subject and my natural tendency to ‘be the best’ lead me from one book to the next. But all of this stopped a couple of years ago when I started to undergo a complete paradigm shift regarding my approach to selling, and it happened when I truly started to understand the principle of inbound/content marketing.

Frankly, I don’t think most people really understand inbound marketing from a contextual standpoint. Seriously. They don’t get it. Heck, many make it out to be a ‘science’ way more complicated than it really needs to be. As for me, I see it in these simple terms, and if you never remember another thing I say here on TSL, please just remember this:

If your customers have questions, it’s your duty to answer them….with utter transparency.

Got it? Good.

The entire reason my swimming pool website is the most popular of its kind in the world, and the entire reason it generates more leads than I could ever possibly handle, is because it follows this simple aforementioned statement.

That’s why if someone asks me a question, I go write an article about it.

“How much does a fiberglass pool cost?”
“Who shouldn’t buy a fiberglass pool?”
“How do fiberglass pools compare with concrete pools?”
“Do fiberglass pools look cheap?”
“What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
“Who are your biggest fiberglass pool competitors?”
“Who makes the best fiberglass pool?”
“Are fiberglass pools ugly?”
“Are fiberglass pools too small?”
“How does ‘Brand X’ compare to ‘Brand Y’?”

The list of questions goes on and on, but with each one, upon hearing it, I wrote about it. 400 brutally honest articles later, it’s a consumer’s best friend—The voice of the fiberglass pool industry.

All this with no Google keyword grader, no expensive SEO consulting analysis, nothing.

Just listening and writing, that’s all it is.

But transparency goes way further in the sales process too. Whenever I set up a sales appointment with a prospect, one clear point is always made, and it usually sounds a little something like this:

“Mr. Customer, the entire reason I’ve spent countless hours writing articles and creating videos about fiberglass pools is because I care about consumers like you. I want you to be educated. I want you to be informed. This is also why the purpose of my visit to your home is not really about teaching. I’ve already done that and I expect you to take advantage of the tools I’ve given you. The purpose of my visit is to help you choose which pool and options, price them for you, and then earn your business at that time. In other words, I’m there to sell you a pool. Sound Good?”

Almost always, after a few second of surprise, the prospect says “Ok Marcus. That sounds great!” As you might imagine, this then leads to an incredibly productive sales appointment and very high ‘closing rates’.

Is Anyone Else Sick of ‘Sales Techniques’?

I’ve always been bothered by the fact that selling involves one sales technique after another that eventually leads to one closing technique after another that eventually leads to one ‘no’ (from the prospect) after another that eventually leads to more ‘resolve concern’ techniques after another that eventually leads to a ‘yes’…or ‘no’. Crazy, huh?

I now prefer to skip all that junk and simply give great content, make sure the prospect does his/her homework, and then reach a natural conclusion—either we’re a good fit or not.

Do you realize how many consumers are simply looking for a voice they can trust? People are so jaded with tricky semantics and silly sales processes (especially online) that all they want is for someone to be straight with them.

Why Not?

So I say why not? Why not be brutally transparent with your approach to business? Why not be the voice of your industry? Why not address issues that no one else has the bravery or guts to talk about? And why not earn the trust of all those around you in the process?

Your Turn

So what’s your take on all this? Do businesses need to be more transparent with their content and approach? Or should we not try to fix something ‘that isn’t broke’? Whether you have just a thought or a diatribe, I’d invite you to jump in below and say what’s on your mind.

The 13 Best and Most Powerful Blog Header Designs on the Internet

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:54:26 +0000

Over the past few days, I’ve looked at hundreds of websites and blog headers. I started with Brankica Underwood’s incredible list of 199 blogs you should be reading and worked my way from there. And as I looked around, the more I realized this sad reality—Most blog headers fail to induce any emotion and connection with the blog, and it’s a shame.

Why is it like this? I’m not sure really. I guess folks think that content will save the day. But with a gabillion blogs out there, each calling for one’s attention, you’re kidding yourself if you think you can take a cheesy header and expect it to help you, your brand, and your website’s success.

Like my friend JK on Hustler’s Notebook once said, ‘Don’t fool yourself. Looks matter.’

And boy is JK right. A blog’s header is the first impression a new visitor gets when coming to a site. From the get-go, it says whether you’re a serious player in your field or simply ‘dipping your toes in the water’.

Shortly after I started TSL in late 2009, I knew I wanted a header that would be different, memorable, and represent my brand. Not being a graphic guy myself, and not having loads of excess money lying around at the time, I bit the bullet and hired a professional designer to create the TSL header that you see today.

Some of you may think the header on this site is great. Other may think it stinks. Either way, I’m OK with diverse opinions, but one thing is for sure—it’s memorable. Oh, and if you’re wondering, it cost me about $300.

Is that a lot of money? To some, yes(it was for me at the time). For others, no. But if your blog is meant to garner money for your business, why in the heck wouldn’t you drop a few dollars to create a more professional and memorable feel?

All About Feelings

You may be wondering what makes a blog header ‘great’. Well that’s a dang good question, and I’ve narrowed it down to this simple question:

How does it make you feel?

Yeah, sure there are many other qualities that are important (some of which I’ll mention below) but when it comes down to it, feelings carry the day. Is it warm? Cold? Professional? Classy? Happy? Boring?

The list of ‘feelings’ go on and on but one critical component is the ‘personal’ feel one gets from a header. And when I say ‘personal’, I mean in particular an image of the blogger.

Stop Hiding

I’m always amazed how bloggers will name a website after themselves and then not even show a personal photo on the home page, much less the header. The way I see if, if someone’s brand is their name and they’re trying to make a living from their site, this age of social media and ‘trust’ requires one’s face to be prevalent. (More on this in the coming weeks)

So that’s what this article is about. It’s a list of the 13 best headers in the blogosphere. And although it goes without saying, this is simply my opinion, and if anyone would like to mention another header/blog worthy of recognition, please do so in the comments section. Here goes:

The 13 Best Blog Headers on the Internet

Ana Hoffman, Traffic Generation Cafe

Why it rocks: Ana’s personal touch and feel to her header are awesome. The image of her face is pensive and professional, and the cup of coffee integrates her goal of ‘community’ and relaxed discussion regarding her topic of internet traffic.

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Dave Ursillo, Lead Without Followers

Why it rocks: I briefly met Dave at Blog World New York this year and at the time I had no idea who he was or what his blog was all about. But as soon as we met, he gave me one of his business cards and immediately I was impressed with the personal branding of its design, as well as his mission statement. Shortly after this meeting, I took a moment to visit Dave’s site and was struck by his excellent header design– personal, relaxed, and message driven. Dave Ursillo is an excellent example of someone who understands personal branding and the power of simple imaging.

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Mark Schaefer’s {GROW}

Why it rocks: Mark’s is one of the few blogs on this list that does not include a personal image on the header but it certainly does leave one with two main impressions: professionalism and creativity.

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Adam Baker, Man vs Debt

Why it rocks: Adam has created quite a community around his excellent blog, and his header is a perfect reflection of his style and brand– A happy guy who travels the world with his wonderful family and manages to experience financial peace in the process.

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John Aguiar, Money Dummy Blog

Why it rocks: Although John’s could almost be considered a ‘double header’, I think it’s easily one of the best in the business. Not only does it have a professional and sleek feel, but it’s quite personal with John’s photo and loaded with calls to action—from all his social media buttons to his Free Blogging course, this header is an example to anyone trying to do it the right way.

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James Chartrand, Men With Pens

Why it rocks: When it comes to a professional design that is simple yet powerful as they come, the Men With Pens header is just that. Ever since entering the blogosphere 2 years ago, this design has always been one of my favorites.

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Pam Lawhorne, The Social Maven

Why it rocks: I love Pam’s header. It’s personal, professional, classy, and really represents Pam’s brand well. The color scheme (black and white with the light blue integration) is also a perfect mix and feel.

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John Falchetto, Expat Life Coach

Why it rocks: When John Falchetto went to Bonsai Interactive recently for a new site design, I’m not sure he knew how his header would end up, but this much I do know: He’s dang happy. As an expat life coach who has clients literally all over the globe, John’s header shows the vastness of his client geographic reach and also manages to integrate a personal photo that is clean, confident, and representative of a man who knows how to help those that are abroad.

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Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income

Why it rocks: Is there anyone online that doesn’t like Pat Flynn?? Over the course of a few short years, Pat has developed one of the most successful and profitable blogs in the world, and his header (which is more a ‘double’) does a tremendous job helping new visitors know where to start, know more about Pat, and clearly see what the site is all about.

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Jay Baer: Convince and Convert

Why it rocks: Not only does Jay Baer have one of the best social media sites on the web, but his header is top notch as well. It’s great because its message is simple, the personal photo is excellent, and his book offer is a perfect call-to-action that’s impossible to miss.

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Pamela Slim’s Escape From Cubicle Nation

Why it rocks: I was first introduced to Pamela Slim when I heard her on BlogcastFM, and since that time I’ve been very, very impressed with her blog. As for her blog’s header, it fits her style perfectly— simple, relaxed, personal, and professional.

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Mitch Joel: Six Pixels of Separation

Why it rocks: Of all the personal images I’ve seen on headers around the blogosphere, Mitch Joel’s is arguably the best. I’ll let you interpret the ‘feelings’ this photo induces, but in my opinion it’s as professional, thoughtful, and creative as anything online.

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Danny Brown

Why it rocks: Along with Mitch Joel’s personal image, none are better in my opinion than Danny Brown’s on his header. Along with an incredible tag line, his image(and the rest of the header) induces a very professional, thoughtful, and trustworthy appeal to viewers.

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So there are my top 13 blog headers folks. As I mentioned above, I’m sure there are a many that I’ve missed, so I’d invite you to mention them below, but the main thing I hope readers will take away from this article is this:

Don’t go cheap on your header, it’s your brand, so represent yourself well.

Be real. Be personal. And don’t be afraid to show the world who you are.

Your Turn:

What are your thoughts on blog headers? What qualities do you like in a header and what qualities turn you off? Also, if you haven’t made a serious investment in your header yet, why not? As always, I’d strongly invite everyone to share their thoughts, questions, and comments below.

Have a great week!!

11 Hours to Change a Company Forever: A Story about Business and Life

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:15:10 +0000

June 8 2011 (**Times reflect Eastern Standard)

12am: Headed to bed early tonight, as I’ll be waking up again to drive to the airport in just a couple of hours. I’m a little nervous about today, but excited as well. You see, I’m headed to Phoenix Arizona for the day, where I’ll be working with a start-up small business, Gatewings, to help them with their marketing efforts. They’ve been using Hubspot and don’t seem to yet fully understand the system nor inbound marketing in general. That’s where I come into play. They’re counting on me to change that, and I’ll have roughly 11 hours with them of intensive training to make this dream a reality. Yep, it’s going to be a very interesting day.

2:30am Up again. I’m feeling pretty good despite the lack of sleep. After one of my typical 90 second showers, I’m closing the side door and pulling out of our driveway. In 10 minutes I’ll be picking up my business partner Jason and we’ll be off to the airport.

4:30am: Just arrived to Richmond international. Because I live in the ‘sticks’ of Virginia, it takes about 90 minutes to get to the nearest major airport. That’s OK though. My wife and kids love where we live—a small town with a rural feel. I love it too, it just means I have to drive a good bit to get anywhere. But here I am, and after a short layover in Charlotte NC, I’ll be headed west.

8:30am: Flying at 10,000 feet, Jason and I are taking this time to fully look over our client’s website. Upon further reading about Gatewing’s co-founder Nancy Genys, I’m blown away. Literally, her story of losing 2 children, her father, and her business in the course of 3 years is as moving and gut-wrenching as any I’ve ever heard. But instead of rolling over into the fetal position and cursing the world around her, Nancy felt prompted to start Gatewings so as to help others during their time of loss and tragedy. I believe in their mission, and simply cannot imagine what reaction I would have upon experiencing such loss in my life.

12:30pm: Just touched down in Phoenix. Nancy’s business partner, Steve Brinton, is picking us up at the airport. It’s time to get to work, and now I’m ready to make a difference.

1:15pm: We’ve got a little over 10 hours to make strides, so for the first part of the day it’s my goal to help these people (Steve, Nancy, and two others) to understand the common elements that should be on every page of their website. Right now, they’re lacking two major components– Social Proofs (in the form of videos, photos, written testimonials, etc) and Calls to Action (contact forms, free offers, etc). After spending a few hours on these subjects, I can tell the light bulbs are coming on. People that just hours earlier could not look at their site’s pages and pick out the flaws to see what was lacking can now identify all the core problems and needed additions. Basically, they’ve now started to develop the “inbound marketer’s” eye and they’re also thinking more like a consumer. This shift is essential, and I’m very happy they’re getting it.

6:30pm: Like most small business owners, these folks have never made their own videos, so for the next 2 hours Jason and I will do an actual video interview of the company’s owners and then go through the editing process with them so as to put them on their website. We’re going to keep this simple but the goal here is that from this point forward, they can record, edit, and upload any video they want–thus truly leveraging the amazing power of this often underutilized visual medium.

9pm: Videos went great. We did two quick interviews and after Jason and I showed everyone the process, Nancy completely edited and uploaded one herself to YouTube, and then put the code on her website. I can tell she’s excited to have picked up this skill so quickly and despite the fact that we’ve now been training for 8 hours straight, everyone is still mentally engaged and excited.

10pm: For the last hour we’ve been working on what I call ‘The First 50′, or, in other words, the first 50 blog articles on the Gatewings blog. Using the content brainstorming activity I’ve talked so much about before, we’ve now got 4 months worth of articles lined up with a set publishing schedule as well. I’m really, really excited about our plan, as I know these 50 articles will form an incredibly effective and traffic-driving long-tail keyword campaign– and could very well change this company forever.

12am: The long day is coming to a close. Our final activity is to lay out a priority plan for the coming months. So often, when businesses are attempting to establish a content and inbound marketing campaign, they get so caught up in getting ‘everything’ done that they actually get nothing done at all. This is what we’re going to prevent with this wrap-up, and the vision for Gatewings’ marketing future is now clear in everyone’s head. Despite the mental exertion on everyone’s part, I’m thrilled for the engagement we’ve had over the last 10 or so hours.

12:30am: Time for goodbyes. It’s funny how after one intense day we’ve been able to develop such a friendship. Personally, I’m thrilled with the results and fully believe this group of people will do what it takes. Now that they have the vision and have made ‘the shift’, their potential is boundless.

2:00am: Jason and I are boarding the plane, headed back to Virginia. Over the past 48 hours, I’ve gotten 6 hours of sleep, but by no means am I complaining. Today has been a good day, and helping people reach their potential, whether it be in life or in business, is what gets me fired up to jump out of bed each morning.

8:00am: So here I sit, again at 10,000 feet, but this time I’m 20 minutes from Richmond and reflecting on the past 36 hours as I write this blog post. I’m smiling too. These past few weeks of travel have been one powerful learning experience after another, and life is good.

Your Turn:

Although I’d love to hear any comment or question you may have regarding this post, I’m curious to know about your passions. What gets you fired up to get out of bed each morning? What activities energize you so much that sleep becomes a chore? And finally, do you feel like you have a specific ‘mission’ in your life? Don’t be shy folks, write a little or write a lot, either way I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Dumb It Down, Will Ya?!!!—Plus a Video Interview with The Sales Lion

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:50:43 +0000

I had an ‘SEO Expert’ call me last week and this was his opening line: “Mr. Sheridan, do you realize your site is not optimized for many important keywords in your niche?”

As soon as I heard this question, I debated having a lot of fun with the guy and continuing the conversation, or just simply letting him be and allow my pity to quickly end the conversation.

I chose the latter but as I hung up the phone, a simple thought came to mind: ‘This guy is too dumb to dumb it down…and he’ll never make money because of it.’

Yeah, kinda strong, but it’s true.

The Curse of Knowledge is Getting Worse

My friend the ‘SEO Expert’ wasn’t different than most folks though. In fact, his actions represent the majority—in all industries, niches, and segments.

In the early days of this blog, when I had like 5 readers , I talked extensively about the Curse of Knowledge, and how most business owners and employees use a vernacular well above their clients, thus destroying common sense communication and sales in general. And as I continue down this road of teaching and speaking about sales and marketing, I’m seeing the Curse of Knowledge more and more and more.

Just last week, as I was speaking to a variety of SEOs and marketers at the MarketingSherpa Optimization Summit (which was awesome btw!!!), I asked the group a very simple question:

“Everyone (in the world) knows what optimization is at this point, don’t they?”

As I expected, the majority of people in the room shook their head in the affirmative—another sign that most simply don’t understand their clients and prospects.

My follow up went something like this:

“Actually, NO. Most people have no clue what the word ‘Optimization’ is. In fact, 95% of all business owners still don’t know what a ‘keyword’ is. Furthermore, most of the people in the SEO and marketing industry use a slew of ‘common words and phrases’ that very few small businesses actually ‘get’.”

Stupid Acronyms!

And speaking of common words and phrases that most people don’t get, I’ve got to take a second to mention a second curse—The Curse of Acronyms.

I’ve got to tell you, in general, I hate acronyms (with the exception of Davinas ). They stink. (except TSL of course, which is the coolest!! )They assume people have a clue when they don’t. And often times they kill good conversation and ultimately cost people (that’d be you and me) lots of money. Here are a few examples of the most commonly used:

ROI (Return on Investment)

ROS (Return on Sales)

B2B (Business to Business)

B2C (Business to Consumer)

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CPC (Cost Per Click)

CTR (Click Through Rate)

SMBs (Small Medium Businesses)

Although I could go on and on with a list of acronyms, I’ll stop there and just say this:

If you’re utilizing acronyms all of the time in your sales, marketing, and content—you’re losing lots of money. Yeah, sure there are many people that know what they mean, but there are many more that don’t know what the heck you’re talking about– they’re just too embarrassed to admit it.

This rule obviously also applies to any other industry or trade specific words that are applied to your niche.

Our Goal is NOT to be a Genius

At the risk of sounding a bit prideful (please don’t take it that way), the #1 compliment I receive regarding my speaking and writing is this:

‘Marcus, you said it in such a simple way…now I get it!’

Do I ever get accused of being a genius? Nope, but that’s not the goal. The goal is that everybody gets what the heck it is I’m saying.

When we speak or when we write, we have a choice to make folks—We can try to impress ourselves or we can solely work to enlighten the audience. But be rest assured, the more ‘big words’, acronyms, and scientific stuff you say—the less you’ll actually communicate a lick of value to your audience (at least in most cases).

Because I have the ability to simplify subjects, and because I try to never speak above my audience (whether it be a single client or a room of 500 people), I’m beginning to experience tremendous success in my life. As an example, I’ve been traveling around the country in the last few weeks to help existing Hubspot clients find success with their inbound marketing.

But do I bring any more knowledge to the table that Hubspot doesn’t already do with their hundreds of awesome employees, thousands of articles, and slew of helpful videos?? Nope, not at all, but the one thing I can do pretty darn well is explain how the system works to average Joe and Jills that have a desire but simply don’t ‘get it’.

So that’s the challenge folks—start dumbing it down and stop assuming your clients know more than they do. If you do this, I can assure you the results will be astounding….

Video Time!

While I was in Atlanta last week, I met an incredible guy named Michael Aagaard. What’s amazing about Michael is that although he is very young, he has turned down some high paying and secure internet marketing jobs to do his own thing and be his own boss. He even flew all the way across the Atlantic from Denmark (where he lives) to attend the SEO conference I spoke at. After Michael and I met and he attended my seminar, he invited me to do a video interview for all his followers in Denmark, which I’m now sharing with you.

Although the video is long, if you’ve ever wanted to hear my thoughts on business and marketing, or listen to my goofy Virginia accent, I can assure you this video has it. It got a huge response on Michael’s blog and I hope if you find a few minutes here or there, you’ll give it a listen, as it won’t be a waste of your time. Oh, and one other thing– The first two minutes are in Danish, so you can fast forward that…or just listen to it if you want, because it’s kinda cool.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Your Turn:

Why is it so hard for people to ‘dumb it down’? What acronyms and other phrases have you heard that many people simply don’t understand? As always, I invite all readers to leave your thoughts below, as the comment section is where the strength of community is allowed to work its magic and we can all learn from each other.

Have a great week everyone!!!