Online Genius Podcast

My team and I have made a pretty big decision. We've decided to shut down BOM Coaching, the BOM Membership, and BOMU at the beginning of 2023.  This is not a decision we've made lightly. It is something I've struggled with. But ultimately, it's a decision that I've made for my own sanity and for the sake of my team. Take a listen to the final episode of the Certified BADA$$ Online Marketing Podcast to hear the reasons why we've made this decision and what it looks like for the future of my business.

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 11: Measuring Success How do you know if your email is working? This episode cuts through the vanity metrics and gives you the real scoop. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 10: Learning and Market Research Did you know email is a great way to learn about your audience? Give this episode a listen to learn how to do it. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 9: Selling With Email Let's be honest, email is ultimately about making you money. In this episode, we dive into how you do exactly that. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 8: Building Relationships With Email In this episode, we tackle how to create connection and build the know, like, and trust factor with your email marketing. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 7: Six Objectives for Emails Just about every email you send should fall into one of six categories. This episode explores those six categories. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 6: Think of Email As Modular Discover why you should not be looking for a plug-and-play email map but instead should focus on your funnel. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 5: Writing Great Emails If you want your email to not suck, you need to write great emails. This episode dives into how to do just that. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 4: Let's Talk Deliverability This episode demystifies what it takes for your emails to land in your subscribers' inboxes instead of ending up in spam.  Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 3: Email Should Be Permission-Based In this episode, you'll discover the contours of email and why you should rely on and even reconfirm permission from your people. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 2: Where Does Email Fit In This episode defines where email fits into your overall marketing picture and explains the goals you're trying to achieve. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In the Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck podcast series, Harvard Law Grad Turned Online Entrepreneur and “email guy” takes a deep dive into all things email for online business owners.  The series is anything but your typical podcast. This isn't a meandering series of episodes that touch on different topics in a seemingly random path. Instead, this series is built as an audio mini-course to get you started doing email right. Episode 1: Why Email Matters This episode dives into why you should care about email as someone building a brand based on your knowledge and expertise. Grab all the resources Bobby mentions and go deeper with email marketing at www.bobbyklinck.com/email

In this episode of the Certified BADA$$ Online Marketing Podcast, Bobby shares upcoming plans to shift his approach to the show. He'll share some important changes coming to the format of the podcast content, why he's making the change, and what you can expect moving forward. 

What We'll Be Covering… What is the Banker Phase Where and what you need to focus on for your business finances What is the Leader Phase The importance of utilizing leadership skills on your team Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing University (BOMU)

What We'll Be Covering… What the Scientist Phase Is What scaling means in a knowledge brand The agency model of scaling The productized model of scaling What you need to do the Scientist Phase The importance of a product-market fit How to do a qualitative testing of your scaled product How to do a quantitative testing of your scaled product The biggest milestone to hit in the Scientist Phase Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing University (BOMU)

What We'll Be Covering… What you need to focus on the Builder Phase How to set up your conversion and customer experience machines Why you need to create a website How to create list-building options Why you need to set your email marketing system Why you need to have a customer experience machine setup What you need to focus on the Recruitment Phase How to start your content marketing Why social media shouldn't be your main content Why you need to set up paid ads Why guest outreach is important The biggest goal of phases two and three Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing University (BOMU) Facebook Ads

What's In This Episode… The Planner Phase of building an online business The overall objective of the Planner Phase The 3 big parts of the Planner Phase Looking inside yourself Looking at your market Putting together your business plan Why you need to determine your core competencies and areas of expertise Why you need to know what you believe in and stand for Why you should figure out what makes you unique The importance of listening to people who are already serving your target audience Why you need to be among your people How to identify your core differentiator How to put together your business plan Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing™ University (BOMU) Gallup CliftonStrengths Finder DiSC Assessment Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Enneagram

What's In This Episode… The 7 phases of building a knowledge brand Phase One: The Planner Phase Phase Two: The Builder Phase Phase Three: The Recruiter Phase Phase Four: The Scientist Phase Phase Five: The Banker Phase Phase Six: The Leader Phase Phase Seven: The BADA$$ Phase Why we need a process when building a knowledge business How to avoid the feeling of overwhelm when starting a business How to avoid ending up with several unfinished projects Why you need to see the big picture of building your business Why you need enough data and correct information How to avoid wasting a lot of your resources Why a checklist doesn't work Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing™ University (BOMU)

What We'll be Covering… What encompasses customer experience What is a customer experience machine The five elements of building a customer experience machine Brand Avatar – creating a consistent feel for your brand Intentional touchpoints – being intentional about touchpoints and personalizing them as much as possible Product Design – how you design your product to give a great experience Product Delivery – how you deliver your products to your audience Customer Support - providing ongoing support when your customer needs you Why you need to be have a consistent brand feel How you should establish a brand voice Why your brand designs should match your avatar Your brand avatar is not something you make up Why you should be willing to do the unscalable in your business The importance of customizing your touchpoints How you should think about improving various experiences of your customers Why the needs of your customers matter more than yours How to streamline your process for a WOW experience Why you should be willing to invest money to improve customer experience The importance of delivering products where your audience is Why you should think about when your customers need you Episode Resource Links BADA$$ Online Marketing™️ University (BOMU™️) BADA$$ Online Marketing™ Membership Legal Templates ConvertKit for an email service provider

What's In This Episode: What is conversion in this context The 2 big pieces of conversion moments in building your online business The 5 elements of a conversion machine Your website and the core pages that you need Your list-building efforts to grow your audience Your email marketing and why it's one of the most powerful tools to convert a lead into a buyer Your product suite and why you need a mix of products Your messaging and the importance of delivering the right message at the right time to convert your leads into the right offer How I find great success in email marketing How we develop a strategy to serve people at multiple places on their journey with our legal templates The key to creating your product suite The kind of messaging that we use in the marketing side of building a business Why getting all of these things working in sync will make your conversion machine humming Extra Resources From Today's Post BADA$$ Online Marketing University™ (BOMU™) Legal Templates FREE Privacy Policy Template BADA$$ Online Marketing™ Membership

​​In this episode, we're talking about your traffic machine, one of the four critical elements in creating an online business. We start at the beginning of a customer journey, which covers how you catch people's attention and get them into joining your world. There are five key elements here: your weekly content, social media posts, paid ads, guest outreach, and affiliates. You need to cultivate a strategy on how to do all of these to generate traffic to your business, which will help you succeed in the long term. What's In This Episode What a traffic machine is all about The 5 elements of a traffic machine Weekly Content - raising awareness and building trust with the audience Social Media Posts - engaging with the audience and promoting your content Paid Ads - attracting people to your lead magnets Guest Outreach - finding a way to reach out to people who've collected your audience and getting into their world to provide value Affiliates - having other people promote your products and send traffic to your and they get a commission on sales Why weekly content is a critical part of a traffic machine How weekly content bring people more naturally into your world Why it takes time for long-form content to get traction The importance of being consistent with your content publishing Why social media is a great way to promote your content What you need to consider when choosing a social platform for your business Why you should use paid ads, especially in building your list The different kinds of ads you can run Why you should focus on conversion ads at the beginning of your business How guest outreach works and how to do it Why you shouldn't ask to be a guest on someone's platform straight away without building relationships How affiliates work and why you should set it up at the late part of the game What you need to think about when creating an affiliate program Resources In This Episode BADA$$ Online Marketing University™ (BOMU™) Legal Templates Affiliate Program BADA$$ Online Marketing™ Membership Paid ads tool: Taboola or Outbrain  

In this episode, we're talking about the topic of awareness content and why it matters for your online business. Awareness content, or awareness level content, is content tailored to your audience based on their current level of understanding of an issue.  When you're creating awareness content, you need to be thinking in terms of the basic questions your audience is searching for and create content around this. This means you need to have a deep understanding of your audience's struggle. You can do this by finding where they hang out online and listening in or getting on a call with them.  Often marketers create content that is too far removed from their audience's current level of awareness. For example, educating your audience about emotional eating won't resonate if they don't understand that emotional eating is the reason they can't lose weight. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why awareness content is designed to get attention Why you need to tailor your content to address the issues and questions that your ideal customers are asking Why you need to think about what your audience might type into Google Why this “What Is Marketing” series is all about awareness content Why you have to do the work to understand the questions your audience has Why you need to create content that addresses people at various levels of awareness Why awareness content will hook people and draw them into your world Why we tend to create content that is more advanced than where our potential audience is RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Episode 271: What Is Your Audience's Level of Awareness Tired of buying overpriced online training programs that don't live up to their hype? We thought so. That's why we created our 100% FREE program, BADA$$ Online Marketing University. BOMU will teach you what you need to know to build and market your online business. Get started today! Feeling stuck in your business but can't afford a high-ticket coaching program or mastermind? We've got you covered. The BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership is the perfect fit for online entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building their business but want some extra support, coaching, and accountability. If you're collecting data on your website, you're legally required to post a privacy policy. Now you could spend hours researching and writing your own, or you could just grab my FREE Privacy Policy. The ups and downs of online business can be overwhelming when you're doing it alone. In my FREE Community, BADA$$ Online Marketers, you can meet biz-minded friends, ask your questions, and get support. Come join the fun! Are you on the ‘gram? Stop by and say “hi” to Bobby on Instagram!

In this episode, we're talking in-depth about building out the operations machine in your business. I realize this may not sound like the most exciting thing ever, but it's an important step if you want to build a real business. Your operations machine deals with the behind-the-scenes stuff that isn't customer-facing. Most people think of it as the “unsexy” part of running a business. It includes the legal and financial stuff as well as systems to get you out of the day-to-day of your business. We'll look at the various parts that make up these two sides of your operations machine and cover when you should focus on building the different parts of your operations machine. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The two sides to your operations machine Compliance  Automations and delegation The compliance side focuses on Legal – LLC, getting agreements in writing, state and local business requirements, industry regulations Finances – bank accounts, bookkeeping, cash flow, planning, controls The automations/delegation side of your business includes  Tech Team Systems Tech Best to keep it simple when you're starting out Start with an all-in-one system and a way for people to book a call with you Tech and automation can get out of the day-to-day but you need to be selective about what you automate Team  Hiring team members should help you make more money There are benefits and challenges with growing your team Most people in the online marketing space are hiring too early (before they're making enough money) If you have free time, it's probably too early for you to hire Your first hire should take on repetitive tasks for you so you can focus on higher-value tasks Systems Developing standard operating procedures  Project management Systems tend to grow as your team does RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Tired of buying overpriced online training programs that don't live up to their hype? We thought so. That's why we created our 100% FREE program, BADA$$ Online Marketing University. BOMU will teach you what you need to know to build and market your online business. Get started today! Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Calendar booking options: Calendly or Acuity All-in-one options: Kartra or Kajabi Feeling stuck in your business but can't afford a high-ticket coaching program or mastermind? We've got you covered. The BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership is the perfect fit for online entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building their business but want some extra support, coaching, and accountability. If you're collecting data on your website, you're legally required to post a privacy policy. Now you could spend hours researching and writing your own, or you could just grab my FREE Privacy Policy. The ups and downs of online business can be overwhelming when you're doing it alone. In my FREE Community, BADA$$ Online Marketers, you can meet biz-minded friends, ask your questions, and get support. Come join the fun! Are you on the ‘gram? Stop by and say “hi” to Bobby on Instagram!

In this episode, we're talking about your audience's level of awareness and how that impacts your online business. This was a concept I dug into during my live event in December 2021, and people found it very helpful. A lot of people aren't thinking about their audience when they're marketing. Instead, they're trying to sell a specific product to people who don't know they have a problem or who only recognize their symptoms. Obviously, that's not going to work well. Part of your role as a marketer will be to move people along the awareness continuum. Your content should help bridge the gap between where they are to get them to the point of being solution aware. Then you can educate them about your product. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why you need to recognize where your audience is on the journey of solving their problem Why this “journey” is a continuum Problem unaware – they are blissfully unaware of their problem Symptom aware – they recognize they have a pain point (symptom) but don't know what the problem actually is Problem aware – they recognize what the underlying problem is but don't know the solution Solution aware – they understand their problem and recognize the solution Product aware – they don't just know about the solution generically but are also aware of your product as a solution Why your message to your audience needs to meet them where they are If your audience is only symptom aware, you can't talk to them as if they're solution aware You need to create content that will help your audience move from whatever level of awareness they're at to being solution aware Then your conversion content needs to help them become product aware and make a decision about whether your product is the right product for them RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In this episode, we're talking about the 4 machines that your business needs to succeed. This topic is part of an ongoing conversation we started a few weeks ago about what it really means to create a freedom business. There are people in the online marketing space who are selling the idea that building a business is easy and that all you need to do is hire a VA to run it and you'll be earning money while you sleep in no time. But this isn't realistic. Now, you might be wondering what I mean by “machines.” These are simply the different teams or functions in your business that handle a lot of different tasks. In this episode, we'll do an overview of the 4 machines you need in your business so you can see the big picture. In future weeks, we'll dig into each of these 4 machines so you can see more specifically what you'll need in each one. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: What people really mean by “freedom business” The two kinds of freedom you need to create in your business Money freedom Time freedom The marketing machines (traffic, conversions, customer experience) are what create the money and money freedom The operations machine is what helps you create time freedom The operations machine has 2 main roles:  Ensuring you're dealing with all the requirements and compliance issues Getting you out of the day-to-day Challenges to building your operations machine You need to build a team so you're not doing everything yourself You need money to fund a team Building a team too soon can stunt your growth Why it's important to stay lean in the early stages of your business Why you also need to think of time in terms of its value The machines in the marketing area Traffic = getting attention Conversion = turning leads into buyers Customer experience = experience people have with your brand at every stage Why the funnel model is short-sighted How the machines in the marketing area are interconnected Why you need to build all 4 of these machines if you want a successful business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: E-myth Revisited BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In this marketing fundamentals episode, we're talking about onboarding and why it matters for your online business. Now, of course, you know what onboarding is. But the reality is that most people don't think much about this process. And that's a problem because onboarding is pretty freakin' important.  A good onboarding experience is critical for creating loyalty and retention. Let's dive into this concept and see how it plays out in the online business space. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Onboarding is important but often overlooked Onboarding is the start of the journey to build loyalty and retention Onboarding for new subscribers should start with your free content The email sequences you need as part of your new subscriber onboarding process You also need an onboarding process for paid offers It's a mistake to focus on getting people to buy and not think about customer experience Why you need to help people take action and get value Why you need to overexplain and keep it simple The level of onboarding will depend on the product Ways to engage and get people into action as soon as they buy Why focusing on onboarding helps people get success and this, in turn, helps you Why you should have an onboarding sequence ready to go when people buy your product RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Episode 233 | Episode 235 BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In this episode, we're talking about why you need to build a brand if you want a successful business. Last week we talked about the false promise in the online marketing space. This week we're going to talk about the solution—the real work. This will be a high-level overview because there are lots of parts to building a successful business. Then in the coming weeks, we'll be digging into the specifics. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Many of the popular leaders in the online marketing space aren't teaching you to build a business but instead are teaching people to create a product, a sales strategy, a marketing strategy, etc. A real business is more than this—it's about a product mix that can serve people at different levels, price points, and places in their journey Why a funnel is not a business—it's a marketing and sales strategy Real businesses don't have a single funnel and don't rely exclusively on funnels Why you need to stop thinking about your business in terms of your product (course creator, membership owner, coach, etc.) Fundamentally, what you do is help your customers solve their problems Why you're ultimately going to have different kinds of products and solutions Why you need to map out the path/journey that people are on as they're trying to solve the problem that they're experiencing and how you can create a suite of products to serve these people for the long term Why you need to make sure your product suite makes sense What we can learn from the tech world via The Lean Startup Why you shouldn't think about scaling at the beginning Step 1: Start with problem identification Has to be a problem your audience recognizes (at least a symptom) A problem they will value solving  The problem has to be solvable within your constraints (expertise and profitability) Step 2: Find the right problem-solution fit This has to be the right solution for your customer, not just what you want to do It's helpful to start with 1:1 so you can gain insight and work out your processes and ideas Step 3: Find product-market fit This is rare You know you've found it when you have to scale The value of thinking like a realist RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Episode 257 BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's episode, we're going to talk about what a value ladder is and why it matters for your online business. "Value ladder" is a term you frequently hear in the online marketing space. The main concept is that you have a lineup of offers that increase in value and price. Let's break it down. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The term value ladder refers to a lineup of offers that increase in value and price. One model of a value ladder is a process where people start at the bottom and move up Another model provides the same solution but allows people to choose the level of support that works best for them A different type of model is to create offers that make sense for the journey your customer is on Why I created a value ladder that corresponds with where people are in their journey of building a business The difference between a value ladder and series of upsells and one-time offers The mistake that many entrepreneurs make when it comes to their value ladder How a value ladder can increase customer lifetime value RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Happy 2022! Today we're going to be talking about the false promise of the online marketing world. This is the first episode of an arc where we're talking about important concepts that we presented at our live event in December.  We're going to be looking at what it really takes to build a business and cutting through the B.S. that is so prevalent in the space. We're going to be deconstructing the promises that people are making so you can figure out what you really need to be doing to build your business.  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The problem with the promise that you can create a scaled product, choose a launch vehicle or go evergreen, and fill your funnel with ads and get rich The slogans you commonly hear with the promise Why it's generally much harder to make a living with a course than working 1:1 Why this promise is BS The info product myth: is lack of information the actual problem your customer is facing? Why you need to ask yourself how much is information worth? The problem with people being focused on what they want to create rather than what their audience actually needs The problem with the idea that a launch is the best way to sell your product and why this is short-sighted Why high-pressure sales tactics are so common in the online marketing world and why there's so much deception The problem with thinking you can use paid ads to fill your funnels and not focusing on other types of marketing Why the online marketing world isn't exempt from the rules of traditional marketing Why you need to step back and ask yourself  RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In this episode, we're talking about what customer acquisition cost is and why it matters for your online business. This conversation is a continuation of the last episode about another metric that you need to know: customer lifetime value.  If you're going to build a successful business, then your customer lifetime value must be higher than the cost to acquire a customer. Let's look at the specifics of how to find this metric.  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Customer acquisition cost is the average cost of all the front end sales and marketing efforts from when someone becomes aware of your brand to the point that they buy divided by the total number of customers If customer lifetime value > customer acquisition cost, you're in a good place Why you need to understand all the costs involved in acquiring a customer and not just paid ads Examples of the costs that should be allocated to customer acquisition cost Why it's important to calculate the cost of customer acquisition for your different marketing channels How to use the information you gather from looking at your customer acquisition cost RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today we're going to dive into our end of the year review. Taking time to look at the past can help us see trends in the industry so we know how to move forward. I wanted to share some of the trends I've seen in my business, conversations I've had with others in the industry, and changes I've observed this year. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: That 2021 was a hard year for most people in the online marketing space How iOS updates impacted online businesses The role of market saturation and sophistication How 2020 set unrealistic growth expectations for many businesses The bright spots in 2021 for holistic marketing How social media changed this year What growth looked like in my business this year No affiliate launches Revenue from sales of our own products went up Removed urgency from our sales Mapping the customer journey (EP 257: Why I'm Launching A Membership) The limitations of hiring contractors Money management lessons RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's marketing fundamentals episode, we're talking about a very important business concept: customer lifetime value and why it matters in your online business.  This is one of two universal business metrics. The other is customer acquisition cost.  Customer lifetime value tells you how much a customer is worth to you so you can figure out how much you're willing to pay to acquire a customer. This is especially relevant in the online marketing space where the cost to acquire a customer is generally higher than traditional product businesses. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The two metrics every business needs to know What customer lifetime value is What customer acquisition cost is What the biggest cost is in the online marketing space Why you want to find ways to increase customer lifetime value Why it can be difficult to determine customer lifetime value and one tool that can help you figure this out Where I started out with customer lifetime value and where I am now Key questions you need to ask: how do I increase customer lifetime value and decrease customer acquisition cost How this data can help you refine your business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

I'm really excited to release this episode because I'm sharing the lessons I learned while writing my email marketing book called Email Marketing That Doesn't Suck. I know that some people in my audience are interested in writing a book, and I wanted to give people a realistic look at what it really takes. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: How joking about writing a book turned into reality What my initial vision for the book was and why that changed Why I decided to write about email marketing How to figure out whether you're writing the right book Why you need to plan on a long process to write a book that will help your brand How long it actually took to write my book How having an outside book team made this possible What's involved after you write the book Why you need a passion for your subject Why you need to be clear on your message as you go into the writing process Why a book should be based on work you've been doing rather than ideas you're working through Why writing a book will show you that you're never done evolving Why you need to have a plan and a clear goal for how your book fits into your business Why you need to think about how to support people after they read your book Why you need to think about launching and promoting your book If you want to be on the book launch team, email me at bobby@bobbyklinck.com RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's marketing fundamentals episode, we're talking about what a SWOT analysis is and why it's a useful tool for your online business.  This type of assessment is an important part of creating a marketing plan. Professional marketers will tell you that before you put together any sort of marketing plan, you need to do a situation analysis, like SWOT, so you know where you stand.  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: SWOT analysis is a type of situation analysis The letters stand for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats 2 are internal and 2 are external S = strengths, this is about an internal analysis of what your company is particularly good at doing W = weaknesses, areas where you're lagging behind competitors or areas where you intentionally have decided not to focus O = opportunities, this isn't about specific comparisons to competitors but about opportunities in the larger market and trends T = threats, this involves looking at threats and trends on a macro level RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today I'm sharing about my planning process for 2022. Now if you know me, you know that I'm not much of a planner, but after a lot of trial and error, I found a process that works for my business.  If you're looking for a way to plan that doesn't cause you to get lost in the details, be sure to listen in so you can try this approach as plan 2022 for your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why we took a more flexible approach to planning 2022 Why trying to plan too far in advance can be a mistake for some businesses Why we decided not to plan the details for projects outside of Q1 Why we started with the big things that impact the schedules of others How we decided on a promo schedule for our legal templates  How we decided on the focus of the team for Q1 When we'll start the more granular planning for Q1 How we figured out how to manage my time and what I'll be doing for much of the year RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today my guest is Katie Wussow who is a business coach who works with creative service providers to help them build their businesses. Katie and I have a lot in common, including living in DC and graduating from the same college. The big difference is she actually got a useful degree: finance. In this episode, Katie and I dive into how she figured out what business she wanted to create and the problems she experienced when she followed the popular advice that she should create an online course. Be sure to stick around to the end to hear Katie's best advice on how to create plans for your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Katie's journey into the business world and how she discovered what business she wanted to start How Katie got scrappy and leverage her network to start her business How doing 1:1 work in the beginning helped her create a structured program Why Katie uses the term coach instead of consultant/strategist How Katie figured out a way to make her business more scalable How Katie is thinking through the issue of repeat customers What went wrong when Katie launched her course What she did to pull out of the slump she experienced Why Katie moved away from launches Why she discovered that the course model doesn't work well for people who are trying to build an in-person creative service business Why Katie started doing 1:1 coaching again How she figured out the differences between her group coaching program and 1:1 program Why audience building is still one of Katie's biggest challenges What Katie means by business planning Visionary plan: creating a long term plan Strategic piece: understanding your market, client, offers, and marketing plan Tactical piece: how to plan, set goals, and implement Katie's best advice about planning, figuring out what you need to work on, keeping up with all your ideas One question to help you figure out what to do to move your business forward The biggest thing Katie learned about marketing RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Katie's planning freebie | Instagram | The Game Changer Podcast BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's episode, we're talking about the customer journey. We'll look at what the customer journey is and how it affects your online business.  Knowing where your customer is coming from is an important aspect of building a business that's based on your knowledge and expertise. Until you take the time to understand the struggles your customers are experiencing and figure out the best way to help them get results, you're not going to have the clarity you need to know what to create in your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: What the traditional definition of the customer journey is Why you need to understand the entire journey your customer will face  Why the customer journey is what allows you to understand your customers What you need to know to map out your customer journey What you need to understand about your customers How understanding the customer journey helps you build your business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's episode, I'm making a big announcement. I'm launching a membership. I'll be sharing the journey that led me to this conclusion and how it fits into the overall structure of my business. As you listen, you'll want to pay attention to where your business is in the process and whether there are phases you might have skipped. While each business is unique, that doesn't mean that you have to wing it. Each of these phases is an important step in building a business that will last. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: What led to my decision to start a membership What led me to make my BOMU program free Where our hypotheses were wrong when it comes to people implementing information What we discovered from working with our coaching students How we developed a process to help people in our coaching program 7 phases for building an online business Planner phase (educated guess about the problems your customer is experiencing and what solution to create) Builder phase (building your conversion and customer experience machine) Recruiter phase (building your traffic machine) Scientist phase (experimenting to come up with the idea for your scalable product) Banker phase (hone in on the money and get your financial house in order) Leader phase (building up your team to free up your time) BADA$$ phase (focused on legacy and not breaking things) When your business is at the final phase, you should be focused on 3 things Setting the vision Working on things you love to do Doing the things that only you can do How we realized that our coaching program is best for phases 4-6 How the BOM membership serves people who are in phases 2-3 (and BOMU serves phase 1) What's included in the BOM membership and whether it's right for you RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing Membership BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today I'm sharing the second half of my interview with Melanie Howe. We talked about Melanie's health crisis and the way it impacted her business. Melanie also talks about the benefits of using live video in your business and shares some tips and strategies to help you get started. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The health crisis Melanie faced and how this impacted her business The experience that helped Melanie get back into action Why consistency is critical for live video The benefits of live video Why live interaction is valuable and how to build it up Why you should focus on delivering good content Why live interaction helps draw people in How live video allows you to serve and delight your audience How live video can be used with any eye to repurposing it The point of live video is to have conversations in the moment Why now is the best time to get started with live video Why video is the most repurposable type of content there is Why going live isn't difficult How to get started with a content strategy How to go live from your phone What to use to hold your phone when you go live Where to look when you're live How to think strategically about your content and create a plan that aligns with the seasons of your business Why live video is more for lead generation than selling How live video opens opportunities to be a guest on someone else's platform Just start going live now RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Melanie's YouTube Live (Tuesday at 2 pm ET)| Facebook Group | Melanie's website BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's marketing fundamentals episode, we're talking about integrated marketing communication and why it matters for your online business. This is an important concept that refers to the effort to promote a consistent message through multiple channels and strategies that work together. The goal is to deliver the same message through all the different channels you use, so your message and brand are the same everywhere. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why you need a consistent message across all the channels you use Why you need to stop thinking that one communication channel is better than another Why you want all your channels to work together Why the whole is greater than the sum of its parts when it comes to your business message Combining social media, email, paid ads, and affiliate marketing is a way to create an integrated system to reach your audience How you can make this work for your online business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's episode, I'm going to level with you and address what I see as a growing problem in the online marketing space — people thinking that business doesn't require hard work. There's a growing notion that you can pick and choose the work you do in your business and you don't have to do anything that's hard.  Basically, the anti-hustle culture has gone too far and is trying to convince you that hard work isn't what it takes to be successful. There is some truth that hustle doesn't equal success, but this is a false argument. Hard work is necessary to get success. It isn't sufficient to get success, but it is necessary. In this episode, we're going to face the facts. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why you have to do the work to be successful Where the idea of not having to work hard is coming from Why you have to put in the work, especially at the beginning of your business journey Why you can't look at someone further along in their business journey to tell you what you don't have to be doing Why the role you play in your business will shift over time Why the concept that business should be easy is problematic Building a business is hard and requires a lot of moving parts You have to generate traffic on a consistent basis (content, social media, ads, affiliates, etc.) You have to convert that traffic into leads and ultimately buyers (website, freebie, list building, nurturing, messaging, creating the right offer) You have to be able to fulfill on your offer (not just meet expectations but exceed expectations) You have to do the boring operations work (legal, tech, team, customer service, systems, etc.) Once you do the hard work to set these things up, you may be able to step back, but it's gonna take years If you choose not to do the work that's necessary to build your business, then you have to figure out an alternative way to get the results you want Ex: don't want to create content  Ex: don't want to be on social media Why at some point we have to get over ourselves and just do the damn work If you have a business, you're gonna have to do some things that you don't like, especially until you're able to outsource RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today I'm interviewing my friend Melaine Howe. Some of you may remember that Melanie is the reason that I embraced the “more cowbell” concept in my business. In this episode, we dive into how she found her current niche: live video. She also shares openly about the challenges she has faced in building her business and how live video can help you grow your business. This is a fun episode, so be sure to tune in. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Melanie's journey into the online marketing space and how her ideal client has changed over the last 4 years How Melanie found herself hanging out more with her peers than her ideal audience and how she learned to leverage that How Melanie has processed some of her false starts in her business Some of the common problems that Melanie and Bobby have faced Why action is difficult but also the most important way forward How Melanie decided on her niche and how that changed her business Why consistency has been a problem for Melanie and how she made it work for her Why people misunderstand what a “freedom” business is Why Melanie doesn't like writing emails and how she is working around that Why Melanie doesn't like writing sales pages RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Melanie's YouTube Live (Tuesdays at 2 pm ET)| Facebook Group | Melanie's website BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's marketing fundamentals episode, we're talking about an important economic concept: barriers to entry. These are factors that make it more difficult for a newcomer to enter a market. Barriers to entry protect existing businesses from competition and tend to allow monopolistic pricing. Let's dive in and discuss why you need to create barriers to entry in your online business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Where barriers to entry are high, you tend to have higher prices and profits Where barriers to entry are low, you have to bring prices down because of competition Regulatory and professional requirements are examples of barriers to entry High start-up costs in a market create a barrier to entry Switching costs are another type of barrier to entry (e.g., banking) Technology requirements can create also a barrier to entry In the online space, there aren't many barriers to entry — this means it's easier for you to get started but it's also easy for your competitors One way switching costs show up in the online marketing space is technology You need to create barriers to entry in your business to help you protect it One way to do this is customer loyalty Another way is via technology (for example, I created legal agreement generators, which creates a type of barrier to entry for potential competitors) Another example of a barrier to entry is creating a repository of assets that would make it difficult for anyone to catch up with you (for example, I created my FREE training program BADA$$ Online Marketing University) RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today's episode is a little unusual cause we're going to talk about why your business sometimes needs to be “boring.” The reason we need to talk about this is because the most common message we hear about business is that it should be “fun” all the time. We need to talk about the distinction between enjoying what we do in our business and having fun. Your business will involve work, but there should be more to life than your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: The different types of personality challenges people face/create in business The challenge of being a “multi-passionate” entrepreneur Your attention is spread too thin You confuse your audience The challenge of being a constant “tinkerer” You don't allow enough time to get data to make a decision Constantly trying to make adjustments to evergreen products before you know what you should change The challenge of constantly having new ideas Acting too quickly before you can tell if the idea is worth pursuing Always chasing new ideas diverts your attention and doesn't allow enough time for things to work Create systems to keep up with your ideas Allow a cooling off period for your ideas rather than acting on them immediately Avoid talking about every new idea with your team Commit to doing fun stuff and also allow some aspects to be boring RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today I'm interviewing my friend Heather Sager about speaking from stage. Heather recently led a session in my group coaching program, and I wanted more people to be able to benefit from her expertise.  Just to be clear, when we say “stage,” we're not just talking about a physical stage. We're talking about all the ways you speak to your audience. If you don't feel confident speaking to your audience, this episode is for you. Heather and I might look like opposites, but we both have a lot of experience with public speaking, so we had a great time talking about the ups and downs of speaking, messaging, and running a business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Why speaking is a marketing tool Why Heather struggled with her messaging and what she did about it What Heather's breakthrough realization was How Heather talks about messaging What ingredients you need in a presentation and why there isn't a specific recipe Why presentations need to be clear and structured and aligned with your style and audience Why Heather struggled with her high influencer tendencies (DISC profile) and how she came to terms with it How Heather has dealt with feeling like she doesn't fit in How the death of Heather's mother helped her learn about speaking, fundraising, and dealing with being in the spotlight  Why you need to pay attention not just to a program but also the person behind it An activity to help you get clarity on your message Why your speech needs to align with your brand, natural tendencies, and message Speaking isn't just about sharing ideas, but it's also a marketing tool and a skill RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Heather Sager | Instagram | Heather's Podcast Understanding Your Gallup Strengths with Anna Nelson BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In today's short marketing fundamentals episode, we're diving into the question of what is holistic marketing and why it matters for your online business. This concept of marketing is well-known in the traditional marketing world, but it hasn't fully translated into the online business space. We'll cover what holistic marketing is (and isn't) and what it looks like in your business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: What holistic marketing is Relationship marketing Integrated marketing Internal marketing Performance marketing Why you need all four aspects of holistic marketing in your business Why a broad understanding of marketing is necessary for business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today we're talking about the most overlooked part of your online business: customer experience. We talk a lot about the cool stuff that happens in the front-end funnels but not so much about what happens after people buy. Focusing on this part of your business will give you more bang for your buck than anything else. We'll look at 3 reasons it's important to “wow” your customers (and audience) and how to actually impress people. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Impressing your existing customers will get you repeat customers It costs more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one If you don't “wow” your customers, you'll continually have to acquire new customers To get repeat customers, you have to deliver Impressing your existing customers will get your referrals Referrals are basically free leads Having a program that gets results and takes good care of customers is the foundation of an affiliate program Why your program needs to get people the results you promised them You need to overdeliver on what you promise Why you need to take responsibility for the results of your customers Why you need to get better at coaching/teaching so you can help your students Why you need to be willing to do the non-scalable work RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today we're talking about designing a visual brand. My guest, Patrick Sesko, is a designer who has years of experience working with traditional brands to create visual assets. Now he works with online entrepreneurs to help them with their visual branding. Patrick also contributed a course on branding that you can access for free in BADA$$ Online Marketing University. We'll be talking about the struggles that Patrick has faced in his business, especially due to the pandemic. Be sure to stick around to catch his best branding advice for online entrepreneurs. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Patrick's journey into the online course space Some of the struggles Patrick has faced along the way Some of the make-money schemes Patrick and Bobby have observed The different ways that Patrick and Bobby deal with overwhelm How the pandemic affected Patrick's business and how he pivoted as a result Why it's important to be consistent in your business Why most people don't have both an eye for design and messaging Common design mistakes that many online marketers are making How to pick the right colors and how many you should have Why less is more when it comes to color Patrick's best advice on fonts Why it's better to be consistent than perfect with your visual branding RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Patrick Sesko  BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

In this episode, we're going to be talking about the 7 Ps of services marketing and why they matter to your online business. Last week we covered the 4 Ps of marketing that apply to all businesses. This week, we'll talk about the other 3 Ps that apply to services businesses. It's important to recognize that when you're in the online marketing space, you're really in the services industry because you're not selling a physical product. That's why we need a plan for the other 3 Ps. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Product — what is the product you're delivering Price — what pricing strategy will you use Place — how are you going to deliver the product Promotion — how you message and advertise about your product People — the people who work in your business and help serve your clients Process — establishing a process to help people get results and create efficiency Physical evidence — establishing credibility and helping customers recognize the successes they've made RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today we're talking about an important issue: why your business, course, or membership has to solve a real problem. As I've listened to the types of businesses and courses that people are creating, I've noticed that many entrepreneurs are coming up with ideas that don't solve real problems. In this episode, I'm sharing a few important questions you need to ask before you dive into a business or course idea. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: What a business really is Why the ultimate goal of your business should be to make your customer's life better The common mistakes people make when coming up with a business The question you need to ask when you're building a business The areas where you can most easily start a business: health, wealth, relationships, recreation Why the type of solution you offer affects the size of your market and how much you can charge Why your solution has to address a problem your audience recognizes they have How to make sure your product is actually providing the solution Why you need to build a learning experience that helps your audience get results Why selling information isn't going to get people results and your solution needs to get people into action The order to follow as you build your business RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram

Today I'm talking with Arfan Husain who is the Facebook Ads coach in my group coaching program. Arfan and his wife help coaches grow and scale their businesses. As they built their business, they experienced a lot of ups and downs both personally and as business owners, and Arfan shares about his mental health struggles with us today. Be sure to stick around for the second half where he breaks down the latest trends with Facebook ads. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: How Arfan got started as a Facebook ads manager and how his business grew from there The personal mental health struggle Arfan faced at the end of 2020 and how he had to make changes to his business so he could take care of himself How a successful business can create stress for entrepreneurs How Arfan discovered that his rates were too low and why he decided to raise them The routines Arfan put in place to protect his mental health The types of ads Arfan runs for clients What's going on with Facebook ads after the iOS changes Why you can't compare 2021 numbers to 2020 Why the reporting is more difficult to interpret and why you might need 3rd party software What kinds of ads to run if you're just getting started When it's a good idea to run engagement ads How to build out an overall advertising strategy if you're just getting started What's working with audiences How to find different interests to target What the learning phase is and what it takes to get out of learning limited How to use the rule of 3 in your ads Why you need to plan out 3 months for your Facebook ads How boosting posts can hurt your future campaigns Why you have to think through how ads fit into your overall marketing plan RESOURCES IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Arfan's website | How To Create Effective Ads BADA$$ Online Marketing University Free Privacy Policy BADA$$ Online Marketers Follow Bobby on Instagram