In defining who you
are on social media, networking is key as much here as it is in any type of
business. I recently had the privilege of interviewing a leader in social media
marketing. The ultimate digital marketer and entrepreneur, Sam Hurley, Top Ranked
Digital Marketer, Owner and Founder of Optim-Eyez (more below). A powerful social media influencer, SEO and
Content Marketing expert whose tips I implement regularly with proven success. Sam’s knowledge and demeanor can help anyone,
anywhere. Sam has been featured on the likes of Adobe, Search Engine Watch,
Salesforce, MarketingProfs and StartupNation while casually popping up on the
BBC, Global News, Social Media Examiner, John Rampton and The Next Web to name just
a few.
Anyone can ask the
stereotypical questions regarding Sam’s background and knowledge; I could not
go down that road as you can find that information anywhere online about
him. This would an interview on
blogging, tailored toward my parenting blogger readers. It was with great honor
that I am granted this insight on that which he has to offer. Please read on to see how Sam’s business
recipe for success and dominating the digital marketing industry has formulated
huge growth for me that I am very proud to share.
In an
interview you gave in January of this year, you spoke on influencers, including
yourself, and how interacting with top influencers can become a win/win for
both parties. I put that theory to the
test and only one other does moderate interaction…one other than you, but you blow it out of the water. Fostering
these relationships takes time.
I
want a little deeper answer as to how do you manage with everything else you do
and why do you do it so consistently? Being ranked the #2 Digital Marketer, you
certainly have bigger fish to fry. Why help the little fish; why an interview
with a virtual no one in your world?
SH:
I am a firm believer in both humility and karma. I see it so often –
‘influencers’ who never engage with their audience or take the time to help
anyone out. Is that really somebody
who is influential?
You only get out what you put in. That is
the same for life in general. I’m so laser-focused on what I want to achieve
and won’t stop until I’m there at my destination, no matter how much work it
takes…and by then I’ll have created more destinations to reach!
But how can anybody arrive at their destinations without the support of others? Very rarely. Relationships are the key to success. It’s often been said that ‘it’s not what you know; it’s who you know’ and this is certainly true to some degree.
You can’t make this journey alone and everybody you come across has their own sparkle that becomes mutually beneficial. Each person can help in ways the next (or previous) can’t. So, tot this up and 500 connections equals 500 unique opportunities. Next, compound that with the connections you’re likely to make as a result of that initial relationship...
You can see how these bonds quickly grow to become powerful networks which can be leveraged both ways – and that is important. It must be a two way street. Give to receive, but never expect to receive. Just like birthdays!
Back to your question…how do I manage it all? With great difficulty! It is extremely time consuming to maintain relationships and grow presence simultaneously, in addition to the work which directly pays an income.
That said; the direct income is always a result of the relationships I nurture. So I shall continue!
But how can anybody arrive at their destinations without the support of others? Very rarely. Relationships are the key to success. It’s often been said that ‘it’s not what you know; it’s who you know’ and this is certainly true to some degree.
You can’t make this journey alone and everybody you come across has their own sparkle that becomes mutually beneficial. Each person can help in ways the next (or previous) can’t. So, tot this up and 500 connections equals 500 unique opportunities. Next, compound that with the connections you’re likely to make as a result of that initial relationship...
You can see how these bonds quickly grow to become powerful networks which can be leveraged both ways – and that is important. It must be a two way street. Give to receive, but never expect to receive. Just like birthdays!
Back to your question…how do I manage it all? With great difficulty! It is extremely time consuming to maintain relationships and grow presence simultaneously, in addition to the work which directly pays an income.
That said; the direct income is always a result of the relationships I nurture. So I shall continue!
Not your usual line of questioning, because I know you get asked all of
the stereotypical things about content and digital marketing; we know what you
do and that you do it well. I am taking
this from the view point of the Average Joe like me who is trying to build and grow
on a restricted budget or even no budget at all, looking for free tools and
such. That is who my readership is
catered to; bloggers with families out there starting up. If you had to tell
them 3 key things about firing up their blog to build their audience, what
would it be?
SH: Unfortunately, nothing in life is
free these days. Be prepared to spend to create something of real value. Don’t
start your domain as newblog.genericfreedomainservice.net
– this will instantly put people off visiting or reading. Buy a domain, fast
hosting and a mobile responsive theme. Ideally, you’d pay a web designer to
create a custom site. It’s all about credibility and this needs to be presented
at every touch point. If that means being patient for a few more weeks until
you’ve saved the funds, so be it. Mediocre creation will give you mediocre
return and only lead to frustration further down the line.
Secondly,
ensure you enjoy your blog and offer something of real value to your audience.
Do you enjoy writing about the topic you have chosen, or are you trying to
write 100 articles on dishwashers because you heard you can make a lot of money
through affiliate marketing in that industry? If it’s the latter, this will
show through and you will find it difficult to gain the interest of others if
you aren’t feeling it yourself.
Thirdly,
take the time to grow your personal brand and email list. A personal brand is infinitely more powerful than any faceless company – let your character shine
through. People want to listen to people,
not companies. Growing a social media presence will in turn generate interest
in your blog. Guest blogging for other websites will greatly aid your notoriety
so I also recommend pursuing this. With a clear call to action on your site,
you will begin to capture email addresses to build your list – I can’t stress
enough the importance of this. Nobody can take your list away. Google or
Twitter could change in a heartbeat…
I see a lot of bloggers out there not defining
their target audience, what tips can you provide these parent bloggers who are my key audience? For example, you helped me define my niche
better to focus on the growth for the
mom blogger, not just a mom blogger,
and I have seen great success.
SH: It’s just as important to ensure your audience exists as it is to ensure you enjoy what you write.
For instance, you might really love dark green fencing. However, you may be the only one…
Use a combination of Google Keyword Planner and Rank Tank to confirm there is search volume on Google for your chosen niche. I thoroughly explained this entire process in one of my articles, including lots of technical SEO tips which will be helpful to anyone starting a website.
When selecting a niche, think of it as levels of granularity.
- A mom blog – millions of them
- A growth hacking mom blogger – hundreds?
- A data-driven growth hacking mom blogger – one?
Obviously the deeper you go, the narrower your audience…but also the more engaged. Think about it, they can’t find your information anywhere else if you go so deep. However, this needs to be finely balanced with adequate search volume (audience interest) of your niche.
SH: It’s just as important to ensure your audience exists as it is to ensure you enjoy what you write.
For instance, you might really love dark green fencing. However, you may be the only one…
Use a combination of Google Keyword Planner and Rank Tank to confirm there is search volume on Google for your chosen niche. I thoroughly explained this entire process in one of my articles, including lots of technical SEO tips which will be helpful to anyone starting a website.
When selecting a niche, think of it as levels of granularity.
- A mom blog – millions of them
- A growth hacking mom blogger – hundreds?
- A data-driven growth hacking mom blogger – one?
Obviously the deeper you go, the narrower your audience…but also the more engaged. Think about it, they can’t find your information anywhere else if you go so deep. However, this needs to be finely balanced with adequate search volume (audience interest) of your niche.
In building a brand and digital marketing, what can you do with your new
company, OPTIM-EYEZ, and how is this
beneficial to the smaller company or startup? Can you fill us in on that launch yet?
SH: OPTIM-EYEZ is set to become the go-to solution for business owners serious about their success, to learn about new digital marketing techniques and most importantly; to discover how to turn their website visitors into paying customers.
I plan for it to
be a hub of information like no other – one without BS and silly words. I like
straight talk and the brand will follow this trait. There’s no need to try to
appear too clever.
For smaller companies and startups, the blog will be the main point of interest. I am also planning insightful video courses and a series of eBooks.
In addition, I also offer premium services for larger brands. All will be unveiled soon!
Expect launch to be within the next couple of months…there’s still a lot to do and some fancy extras are currently being worked on. Exciting stuff!
For smaller companies and startups, the blog will be the main point of interest. I am also planning insightful video courses and a series of eBooks.
In addition, I also offer premium services for larger brands. All will be unveiled soon!
Expect launch to be within the next couple of months…there’s still a lot to do and some fancy extras are currently being worked on. Exciting stuff!
What does a growing blogger need by way of your expertise in regards to
growing digital marketing trends for the rest of 2016 to set them apart from
the herd?
SH: Three practices stand out:
1. Video Marketing – It was relatively easy being a blogger 10 years ago. Times have changed. You NEED to implement video as part of your strategy; whether that’s as a training course, webinar or even videos on every page of your blog. From what I’ve seen, nobody else is doing that...yet!
Live streaming is another biggie right now, although not everyone’s cup of tea. If it suits you, get to it. Facebook Live is the place to be.
2. Marketing Automation – It’s only getting bigger and as the buyer journey advances, so are brands in engaging them appropriately. Customers are learning to expect a completely personalised journey. As a blogger, you need to be able to provide a similar experience by delivering certain content at the best time to the right leads (people interested in your products or affiliate connections). Learn about the complexity of customer journeys and how to intercept them here.
3. Social Media Advertising – It’s not going anywhere. Facebook is colossal and with an audience fast approaching 2 BILLION you cannot afford to ignore this beast. Advertising on Facebook is a must for any blogger. You can apply some clever techniques including retargeting and advertising to custom audiences, uploaded from your email list spreadsheet for example.
You can control certain ads to show to those who may have bought from you, those who have completed a set of actions or those who haven’t taken any action at all! Many smaller bloggers aren’t running such clever ads yet. Experimentation is the key to success.
1. Video Marketing – It was relatively easy being a blogger 10 years ago. Times have changed. You NEED to implement video as part of your strategy; whether that’s as a training course, webinar or even videos on every page of your blog. From what I’ve seen, nobody else is doing that...yet!
Live streaming is another biggie right now, although not everyone’s cup of tea. If it suits you, get to it. Facebook Live is the place to be.
2. Marketing Automation – It’s only getting bigger and as the buyer journey advances, so are brands in engaging them appropriately. Customers are learning to expect a completely personalised journey. As a blogger, you need to be able to provide a similar experience by delivering certain content at the best time to the right leads (people interested in your products or affiliate connections). Learn about the complexity of customer journeys and how to intercept them here.
3. Social Media Advertising – It’s not going anywhere. Facebook is colossal and with an audience fast approaching 2 BILLION you cannot afford to ignore this beast. Advertising on Facebook is a must for any blogger. You can apply some clever techniques including retargeting and advertising to custom audiences, uploaded from your email list spreadsheet for example.
You can control certain ads to show to those who may have bought from you, those who have completed a set of actions or those who haven’t taken any action at all! Many smaller bloggers aren’t running such clever ads yet. Experimentation is the key to success.
Thank you for your time in answering. This is very exciting and I appreciate your taking this time to answer these questions for me. This is exactly what I want for my readers to know, as well as myself. I cannot wait to check out your new site when it is launched. Best of luck to you on this new adventure!
SH: My pleasure!!! Thank you for having me…
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Sam Hurley is a lateral-thinking digital marketer holding 6+ years' self-expedited experience in both agency and client-side settings before launching his own digital consultancy venture: OPTIM-EYEZ.
He has achieved success for both agency and client-side businesses from SME, national to international blue-chip organisations while being ranked as the World's #1 Digital influencer by Webinale and the #2 most influential marketer by Onalytica.
Catch him on Twitter for heaps of helpful tweets on entrepreneurship and marketing.
