Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield

In honor of the upcoming World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2018), I wanted to have a candid, real, and raw conversation about being an entrepreneur while dealing with depression.

I have dealt with depression starting at a young age and it moved its way into the years that I was starting this business as well.

There are three goals I wanted to accomplish in this episode:

Goal #1: If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, or anything around mental health issues, I want you to know you are not alone. We may not talk about it, but we are out there. You are not alone.

Goal #2: To get the conversation started. Mental health issues can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that needs to change. We need to have hard conversations and I’m hoping you will learn some tools in this episode to be more vocal about what you’re going through as well.

Goal #3: You can still be successful in spite of, or in addition to, your depression or other mental health challenge you are going through right now.

I didn’t want to do this episode alone and I also wanted you to be part of a conversation, so I brought on my dear friend Jasmine Star who also has a history of depression that she shares today, too.

I hope that as you listen you will not feel alone, be encouraged, and walk away with some tools and resources to help you move forward as you deal with depression and as you grow your business.

Here is the quote Jasmine shared by Elie Wiesel: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever humans endured suffering. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

These were the questions that Amy and Jasmine asked (inspired by Dr. Amen and suggested by Jasmine): When you are having a negative or overwhelming thought:

  1. Write it down. The act of writing it down is like an exorcism. It forces you to see it.
  2. Ask yourself about that one thing you’re struggling with.
  3. And then ask yourself: Is this true?
  4. See what your answer is to that question and ask yourself if you’re 100% certain the your response is true. (Remember, you are not a fortune teller….you can not know with certainty what is destined to be true for you, right??)
  5. Then ask yourself, “How does this make you feel?”
  6. Then look at that response and ask yourself, “Do you think that those feelings will keep you from the purpose you have in this world?”
  7. What would feeling the opposite of this look like?

The choice is yours in how you choose to think and believe in your answers to these questions.

“We are not our thoughts. The things that we think are not us.” -- James Wedmore

Remember:

  • Don’t be ashamed of your story--it’s needs to be heard.
  • Find a support system that will give you what you need in those dark moments.
  • If you don’t have that support system, or even if you do, find a good therapist.
  • Consider exploring medication that may help you.

If you are in crisis and need help immediately, please call the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine: 1-800-273-TALK or text “Talk” to 741741.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_230.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

“There is no such thing as a benign email that doesn’t have a goal.” This is something my copywriter, Ry Schwartz, said to me a while back and it’s truer than ever today, with so many things vying for the attention of our audiences. It is critical that we be intentional with our communication and that’s where the P.S. Strategy comes in.

In today’s episode I dive into the strategies behind simple, yet very powerful micro-conversions -- the P.S. Strategy being one of them. Once you understand how to use these micro-conversions in your communication with your community, you will not only be coaching their conversion from point A (your first interaction with them) to point B (which is them being your paying customer), but you will also be coaching them to take action when you ask them to. Both will be game-changers in your business!   

If you’re not using micro-conversions in your marketing strategy, let’s change that right away! Join me on the podcast today!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_229.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

Even the most vigilant goal-setters have been know to stumble when approaching the finish line, but my guest today, Jon Acuff - entrepreneur, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and popular speaker, has cracked the code on how to SIGNIFICANTLY increase your chances of FINISHING what you start, and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised to hear how to make it happen.

In writing his most recent book Finish: Give Yourself The Gift of Done, Jon commissioned a study where nearly 900 people were studied for six months to figure out what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to being able to finish what you start.

Jon breaks his findings down in six areas with an overriding theme of embracing imperfection (ugh! This is gonna be hard for some of us...)  

"Developing tolerance for imperfection is the key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers." - Jon Acuff

Here are the six secrets to finishing what you start that Jon divulges on the podcast today:

  • SECRET 1: Cut your goal in half
  • SECRET 2: Choose what to bomb
  • SECRET 3: Make it fun!
  • SECRET 4: Leave your hiding places and ignore noble obstacles...
  • SECRET 5: Get rid of your secret rules
  • SECRET 6: Use data to celebrate your imperfect progress

So, f you’re about to start something or you’ve got a list of half-done projects that you’d like to finish - don’t wait another minute - listen to my conversation with Jon right away.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_228.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

My guest today, Andrew Warner, tells us that chatbots are the FUTURE of online engagement. Sounds like something we should pay attention to, right? If you’re not familiar with chatbots yet, you will be by the time you listen to this episode.

I currently use chatbots to a limited degree in my business, but after this interview I can assure you, I will be using them in a MUCH bigger way. Andrew shared some amazing strategies that are easy to implement and don’t cost much, if anything.

Andrew is the founder of Mixergy, a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses. He also started BotAcademy.com, where he trains people to create bots (not something he recommends for the majority of my audience, by the way).

In this episode, Andrew breaks down exactly:

  • What a chatbot is (Andrew created this sample chatbot for my audience)
  • How we should use them in our businesses (he blew my mind with some amazing statistics from using chatbots to increase webinar attendance show up rates)
  • How we should NOT be using them (you’ll want to know how to avoid these 5 mistakes)
  • How to begin using them (It’s easy and most are free)
  • Fun bonus: Andrew gives us a look into the future of bots...some fun ways they will be used. Think: being able to order, pay for, and have a beverage delivered for yourself or someone else while you’re attending a pro baseball game!

Andrew gives immense value in this episode...he shares great examples and even created a couple videos for us to see a chatbot in action (I’ve got those videos linked up below).

Behind-the-scenes funny story: I do most of my podcast interviews in audio-only format and when Andrew asked if we could turn on video because it would be easier for him to engage during our conversation, he was wearing a sports coat! I love that!! Talk about showing up...look how dapper he looks! I on the other hand was in my workout clothes.

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

Direct download: Online_Marketing_Made_Easy_Podcast_Episode_227.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:01am PDT

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