James McAllister Online Audio Blog - Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship

In business, everything costs either money or time. Money is scaleable. However, money is not. In this episode, we look over how to effectively reinvest your business resources, even when they are limited. View the full post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/master-paid-systems/

The new update from Google targets affiliate marketers specifically. While many people are scrambling, I'm here to show you how to turn this into a golden opportunity to increase your website's Google rankings. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/affiliate-marketing-google-reviews-update/ Link to Google's suggestions: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/04/product-reviews-update

Hello! I am excited to announce the largest product I've ever released throughout my entire business career. After spending years - thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars developing this product, I couldn't be more excited to share it with you today. That product is the JMO VIP Club - a collection of 25+ courses (and growing), a private membership community, and an enormous number of other bonuses - all for one low monthly-price. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/announcing-vip-club/

You probably already know everything that you need to succeed. And if you're like most people, there's a chance you're not actually doing it each day. I had an interesting realization the other day. When progress comes to us slower than we feel that it should, our natural inclination is to look for the reason why. We want to know what we're doing wrong, and why the results are not showing up. By doing so, we jump on opportunity after opportunity, but never stick with any of them long enough to actually see them through. The funny thing is, there are no secrets. Chances are, you've already been told everything you need to find some initial success with your brand. I call these actions 'The Basics', and I'm going to share them with you here. View the post on my site here: Branding Success Comes From Sticking To The Basics

In today's day and age, a fast website isn't just nice to have - it's a requirement. Speeding up your website will not only be loved by your visitors, it will be loved by Google as well - who will reward you with higher rankings. In this episode, I share 5 small tweaks you can make that can drastically improve your loading times, and result in a high score on Google Pagespeed Insights and GTMetrix. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/speed-up-website-tips/

Are blogging courses worth it? They can be, but it depends. In this episode, I show you how you can determine a good blogging course for a bad one, and what to look for when selecting a blogging course to enroll in. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/qa-are-blogging-courses-worth-it/ View my own blogging course here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/blogging/

It's easy to get caught up looking for the perfect plugin or app to improve your website, bring in visitors, and make sales. Unfortunately, these are rarely the answer - and not something new websites should be focusing much time on at all. In this episode, I discuss what you should be focusing on instead. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/plugins-and-apps-wont-save-you/

Blogging is an incredibly diverse business. Depending on which blogging model you fall into, just about everything will be different - from your content production to the way you monetize. Every blogger falls into one of 5 categories, or 'blogging styles'. Listen to this episode to find out which is right for you! View the full post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/types-of-bloggers/

In this episode, I cover the top WordPress plugins affiliate marketers can use to boost their earnings from Amazon's affiliate program. I also discuss which I'm using on my own network of websites. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/amazon-affiliate-plugins/ Amazon affiliate blueprint: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/products/

What price would you pay for success? Would you let your company consume your entire life - forcing you to sacrifice everything you previously loved in order for the company to thrive? I recently decided that no, I would choose my life over my company - and restructured my eCommerce brands so I was no longer working on them. This post marks my return to the world of internet marketing and running online businesses, for good. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/your-company-or-your-life/ Skill Up! Browse my courses, blueprints and template packs here: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/products/

One of the most common reasons people avoid actively networking is that they seem themselves as introverted. If you're uncomfortable building your network due to social anxiety, shyness, or just a general disdain for socialization, in this video I share some of my top networking tips for introverts. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/how-to-network-as-an-introvert/

If you've been looking to start your own affiliate program using WordPress, there are fortunately a number of great plugins available on the market to help you achieve that. In this episode, I cover the top affiliate program plugins for WordPress, to help you manage your own network of affiliates. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/top-affiliate-program-wordpress/

Pinterest can be a wonderful traffic source for website owners, but does it actually hold any value? While it can send hundreds or even thousands of visitors to a website regularly, it also tends to convert more poorly than just about any traffic source. In this video, we take a look at how to utilize Pinterest traffic - both for eCommerce sales as well as for lead generation. This way, you can maximize the amount of money that each Pinterest visitor will bring you in the long-term. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/pinterest-traffic-value/

When business is tough and you're wondering why you're doing what you're doing, it can help to remember the impact that your company is having on people's lives. When you are able to find some sort of meaning in your hard work, that work becomes much more rewarding. This is an important thing to keep in mind, and can be used to help motivate and inspire your employees. ----- View this post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/see-company-impact/ Example mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B9ccE1NBVoY/ Skill Up! Browse the rest of my courses here: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/products/

Just like you wouldn't pour 100% of your portfolio into one stock, it doesn't make sense to reinvest all of your money back into your company either. There is a lot of power and safety in diversification. As entrepreneurs, we tend to invest a bit differently than the majority of the population - as we rightly should. In this video, I'm going to discuss the one method of investing that is perfect for all busy entrepreneurs like yourself - investing in index funds or ETFs. We'll not only discuss the benefits of index investing in detail, but also talk about how to get started, as well as review my personal Vanguard stock portfolio. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/index-investing-entrepreneurs/ Financial Independence / Early Retirement course: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/retire/ Bond basics video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuyejHOGCro Skill Up! Browse the rest of my courses here: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/products/

How many email subscribers are necessary before you start to make money from your mailing list? This is a great question, but unfortunately does not have a clear answer. There is no defined amount of subscribers you need to start monetizing your email list, or even to earn a living. There are a number of factors that go into it - the market or niche you're working in, the demographics and psychographics of your subscribers, and the effectiveness of your email marketing system for starters. In this episode, I discuss those factors and more! View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/how-many-email-subscribers-money/

In 2019, I spent over $100,000 on Amazon's PPC platform, most notably on sponsored products and sponsored brands ads. In this video, I discuss the top lessons I learned that will help you to lower your ACoS and make more sales on Amazon.com Some topics covered: 1. Optimizing your listing 2. Lowering advertising cost of sale 3. PPC automation 4. Automatic Campaigns vs. Manual Campaigns 5. Split-testing on Amazon View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/amazon-ppc-lessons/

Social media is an incredible tool for actually generating sales and new customers, yet few marketers are actually able to achieve that. Why? They focus solely on likes, and growing follower counts. In reality, there are a series of stages each new follower most go through before they can actually become a customer. In this episode, I share a social media strategy that can be used to move people throughout each of these stages, so social media can actually become profitable for you. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/social-media-stages-sales/

When it comes to selling courses online, there are typically two ways this is handled. You either sell lifetime access for a one-time fee, or you charge a recurring fee (typically monthly or annually) for continued to access. More and more entrepreneurs are adopting the membership model, charging a recurring fee for unlimited access to all of their courses. But is this actually the best option for you? In this video, we weigh the pros and cons of both options. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/membership-vs-one-time-fee-courses/

The Amazon affiliate program is one of the most popular affiliate programs for digital marketers today, primarily because of Amazon's extremely wide selection. Although they have cut their commission rates, it can still be an incredibly powerful option for affiliates, and one that almost every affiliate marketer should have in their toolkit. In this video we go over the benefits and drawbacks of the program, as well as answer some of the most frequently asked questions. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/amazon-affiliate-faq/

I can't stress this enough - never put the fate of your business in another company's hands. Utilize platforms for everything they can, but never become reliant on them for your company to succeed. In this video I share with you advice on how to maximize the value of social media, without becoming reliant on any of the networks. I also share my personal Twitter suspension story, and how I'm recovering from it! View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/reliance-social-media/

Having tried just about every productivity and to-do list list app on the market, my favorite has got to be Todoist. Running several companies, it used to be very difficult to manage time, and ensure I got everything done each day, and completed tasks as they were due. In this review, I cover how I use Todoist for productivity, and cover all of Todoist's features in detail. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/todoist-productivity-review/

Internal linking is something that's often overlooked by content creators, yet it's extremely important. Proper internal linking boosts your search engine rankings, helps Google crawl your website, and provides a better experience for your visitors. Yet, it can take a lot of time if you're doing it on your own. In this video, I review a plugin called Link Whisper, which aims to speed up the internal linking process by automatically providing internal link suggestions as you write. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/link-whisper-review/ Get Link Whisper: https://linkwhisper.com/ref/341/

The blogosphere is full of misinformation, outdated statistics, and flat out lies from gurus looking to make a buck. In this video, I set the record straight, and debunk 7 of the most common blogging myths that are still being pushed around. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/blogging-myths/

Recessions don't have to be scary. More than anything, they create opportunities - including the opportunity to grow, and come out ahead. In this episode I share strategic advice to help you not only survive the next recession, but thrive and grow throughout it. Ultimately, you'll come out of it in an even better position than you were in previously. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/grow-business-during-recession/

I recently tried out something I've never done before - recording a podcast episode with a guest. It was the first new content medium I've tried out in a long time, and unsurprisingly, I found it very challenging. In this episode, I'd like to share some of the lessons I learned recording my first podcast episode with a guest, so you can avoid some of the mistakes I made. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/first-podcast-lessons/

One of the quickest ways to begin making more money from your website, is to simply implement live chat onto your sales pages. Live chat brings a number of enormous benefits, that other customer service options can't match. In this video, I share 7 powerful reasons to consider implementing live chat today, as well as some advice on how to get started (for free!) View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/live-chat-benefits/

If there is one business model to rule them all, it's building something content-based - such as a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast. These types of businesses offer a number of life altering benefits that traditional, or even other online businesses cannot provide. If you're looking to start a new business, in this episode I make the case for building something content-based. Follow this advice, and you'll build a business that will help you live your dream life. View the post on my website: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/content-businesses-freedom/ Starting An Online Business: What To Buy, Broken Down By Budget: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/business-purchases-budget/

Every marketer, educator, and video producer should have screen recording software in their arsenal of tools. The right software makes it quick and easy to create quality presentations and tutorials, so it's definitely worth picking some up. In this episode, I share my best recommendations for screen recording software - both paid premium options, as well as free alternatives. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/screen-recording-software/ Camtasia vs Snagit Video Mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw7R2LADlIM

Instagram Stories are an incredibly powerful, but incredibly underutilized marketing tool. The unique delivery of your story content allows it to offer a number of key benefits that other social media platforms don't have - yet few marketers are taking advantage. In this episode, I help you form your Instagram Stories strategy, by sharing with you some unique, powerful Instagram Story content ideas that are bound to drive engagement! View the post on the site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/instagram-story-content-ideas/ My Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesmcallisteronline

There's a reason that this microphone is considered an industry-standard - it's one of the best microphones out there! However, it isn't perfect for every situation. In this video, I bring you my Shure SM7B review, highlighting this legendary microphone's strengths, and situations where a different microphone may be a better choice. ----- Products mentioned: Shure SM7B (Amazon): https://amzn.to/3bri6Vx Cloudlifter CL-1: https://amzn.to/3bsJC4Y Scarlett 2i4 (currently a much better deal than the 2i2 mentioned in the video): https://amzn.to/2SucVLU Recommended Microphone Stand: https://amzn.to/2UFImpp View the post on my website: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/shure-sm7b-review-podcasters/

Business coaches offer a number of key benefits - both to you and your company, that you won't be able to get from books or courses. Due to how valuable and diverse these benefits are, I wanted to dedicate an episode specifically to talking about these in detail, and what to look for when hiring a business coach or mentor. View the full post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/business-coach-benefits Hire me! https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/jobs/

It can be extremely discouraging to be working so hard on growing your business, only for things to progress slowly. If you're an entrepreneur and your company doesn't seem to be growing quickly enough, in this video I share my best tips to move past this psychological hurdle. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/slow-business-progress/ Success mindset course: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/succeed/

One of the easiest ways to make your business stand out in a competitive marketplace is to prioritize customer service. But how do you actually differentiate yourself? Every business likes to believe they have good customer service, but this isn't sufficient in today's world. If you want to be remembered as a company that cares about their customers, you have to have customer service that isn't just good, but exceptional. In this article, I share some of my best customer service tips, sharing 7 traits that you should employ as the core foundation of your customer service strategy. View the post on my website here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/customer-service-pillars/

When's the last time you've bought a gift for yourself? For entrepreneurs, there are a few handy gadgets you can purchase that will make your life just that little bit easier. Whether you're looking to treat yourself or you're just looking for gift ideas for other entrepreneurs, in this video I share some of my favorite gadgets - most of which I own and use regularly. View the post on my site here (also includes photos and links to everything mentioned): https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/entrepreneur-gadgets-gifts/

What a year it's been! In this episode, I review all of 2019 - ranging from my return back to the world of internet marketing, what I've tried out this year, and my goals for 2020. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/2019-return-a-year-in-review/

In this episode, I cover 10 tricks and tactics shady marketers use to either compel you to spend money when you otherwise wouldn't have, or force you into spending even more than you're comfortable with. This is an overview of the series I recently published on YouTube! View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/marketing-scams/

Starting a business is challenging, but it's even more challenging when you do not have the support and backing of your family and friends. Although it's not necessary for you to succeed, in this episode I share advice for what to do when your family and friends do not support you becoming an entrepreneur, some strategies to help them see things from your point of view, and what you should end up doing regardless. View the post on my site: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/family-support-business/ One-On-One Mentoring: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/jobs/

The world has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and so has the state of online business. You can no longer expect people to find your content, even if the quality is very good. Even if you do manage to get it in front of people, that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll remember it for very long. Instead of publishing only on your own website, it's vital that you expand your horizons, publishing unique content on a wide variety of platforms. In this episode, let's discuss some strategies. Traffic email course: https://JamesMcAllisterOnline.com/traffic-course/ View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/publish-more-places/

By following a few important tips and making a couple of small adjustments to the way you approach your writing, it's possible to double or even triple your output. In this episode, let's look over a few writing tips to write more quickly, without compromising quality. View this post on my website here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/improve-writing-speed/

No other marketing channel has the same potential as content marketing - but only when it is done right. A well-executed content marketing strategy will offer a return on investment that is unmatched by most other marketing opportunities, and will bring attention, awareness, and revenue to your brand both in the short and the long-term. In this episode, we go over a framework worth developing, to ensure your content continues to work for you years into the future. https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/content-marketing-roi/

When it comes to social media marketing, increased reach is not always a good thing. If your messages aren't actually making an impact, you're wasting time and money for no good reasons. Social media marketers do best when they make engagement the core of their social media strategy. When you're able to engage the following you have effectively, it becomes far easier to scale profitably. In this episode, let's look over 7 tactics you can use to increase engagement on social media. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/engagement-social-media/

It can be incredibly devastating when you no longer enjoy working on your company - it may even force you to reconsider entrepreneurship entirely. While many entrepreneurs hate their small business at times, this doesn't mean that it has to be like this forever. Often times, there are a few small changes you can make to rekindle the excitement you once had as a new entrepreneur. In this episode, I talk more about what causes entrepreneurs to hate their own companies, and practical steps you can take to fix these negative emotions. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/hate-your-company-entrepreneur/

Blogging may be one of the most effective ways to market small businesses, yet few entrepreneurs take it seriously. The benefits in both the short and the long-term are enormous, and cannot be overstated. Whether your goal is to generate immediate sales or build a recession-proof brand, blogging can help you get there. In this episode, I highlight some of the ways blogging can benefit small businesses, in just about every industry. View this article on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/blogging-benefits-business-small/

Economic recessions are an inevitable part of business, but many entrepreneurs are not prepared for them. In this episode, let's go over some steps you can take right now to begin recession-proofing your company, so you can be prepared to thrive throughout it. Regardless of whether a recession is imminent or years away, having a strategy in place will ensure that your business will not be seriously impacted when the economy begins to weaken. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/recession-proof-business/

From time to time, marketers are presented with opportunities to earn unusually high returns. Right now, influencer marketing is one of these powerful, undervalued marketing channels. The benefits in both the short and the long-term are enormous, and you don't need a large budget to get started. In this episode, I make the case why you should begin an influencer marketing campaign today, and avoid putting it off any longer. If you're already utilizing influencer marketing, I also share why you should begin scaling your efforts before it's too late. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/why-influencer-marketing/

Without a proper follow up strategy, you are leaving an enormous amount of money and opportunities on the table. Most deals are not made in the first or even the second contact, yet most people quit contacting people after only one or two emails without a positive response. In this episode, we go over cold email outreach tips to help you craft a systematized follow up strategy, designed to improve both your response rate and your conversion rate from your outreach campaigns. I share concrete examples to help you develop your ideal email sequence, and even share the exact templates I use to make more deals! View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/email-outreach-follow-up/

It's common knowledge that entrepreneurial success requires working both smart and hard, but there are certain times to focus on each. In this episode, we cover concrete examples on when it is best to work smart, and when it is best to work hard - forming a strategy that ensures that you earn the maximum return on your time possible. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/work-hard-smart-examples/

Should entrepreneurs learn to program? This has been a debate for many years, and unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer. However, learning to program does have a large number of benefits, especially for entrepreneurs. In this episode, we'll discuss what some of these benefits are and how to get started with computer programming. This way, you can decide whether or not its worth pursuing for you. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/should-entrepreneurs-program/

In business, you have a lot of opportunities to differentiate your offering from your competitors. However, the one stance you should never take is competing on price. Simply put, it just isn't necessary, and the drawbacks of competing on price are too large. In this episode, we cover why competing on price is a terrible idea for the majority of businesses, and what to do instead. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/never-compete-price/

Data scraping, mining, and analysis is not something that is only reserved for large corporations. With the vast amount of valuable data available online today, small business can benefit from data scraping jobs as well. In this episode we'll go over some of the benefits of data scraping, important issues to keep in mind, and how to get started. View the post on my site here: https://jamesmcallisteronline.com/data-scraping-businesses-small/