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As a small business I would actually just focus on one website. It doesn’t have to have too many pages. It could just be a one page site or two or three page site and then go from there. Make sure you’re also submitting to all the localized directories. Yelp, City Search, right? Google Maps or Google Listings. By being in all those places, you’ll do better over time.
Type the keyword related to your industry. And it’ll tell you the most popular topics within your industry. Then from there you can be like, all right, can I actually create any visual piece of content based on these ideas? And then if you can then great, you now have idea that will resonate with people within your industry.
Just be creative. So anytime you have a problem, think outside the box. Usually you’re like, oh, well I can’t solve it because it’s too expensive or it takes too much time. Those are the normal solutions that everyone looks at. What are the unique creative solutions that you may not be thinking about, right? You have to change your mindset. And once you change your mindset and you start being more creative. And then if you can’t come up with ideas ask some friends on, Hey, what are some creative approaches that I could be potentially using to solve X Y Z problems? You’ll then end up coming up with solutions that could potentially work.
I have this problem with ADD I try to do too many things or too many ideas. He’s like, just focus on one that works and keep trying to grow it. And once you’ve plateaued and can’t grow it anymore, then expand. If what you’re mainly doing is growing and it’s still working then ignore all the other ideas that you may have. ‘Cause there’s not enough time in the day. Just focus on what’s already working.
I really am passionate about marketing and it’s like if you don’t really love what you’re doing you’re going to end up quitting. But if you do love what you’re doing, not only will you do it longer, more hours, but you won’t quit. And time is what really can help you succeed. Me, a ton of other people, the Mark Zuckerberg’s of the world, the Elon Musk, they’re way more successful than I am but if you look at everyone it’s not like we came out of, you know, day one out of the gates and were successful. We all went through struggles but time is what helps us become more successful. Cause you learn from your mistakes and you learn what not to do.
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– What steps do you go through, right? To actually make your business From going nowhere to
actually start making money. And the asset, cause
most people don't do it Is to actually get feedback. (soft music) – I am Kate Bowman And we are talking small
business strategies And I am so excited to be joined By one of my favorite
entrepreneurs, Neil Patel. He is the co-founder of Crazy
Egg, Kissmetrics, Hello Bar. He is one of the most
influential people online And he's also been recognized
as one of the top 100 Entrepreneurs by President Barack Obama. I could go on and on, but
all you really need to know Is that he's kind of a big deal. So Neil, thank you so
much for taking the time. – Thanks for having me. – So Neil for small
businesses that are watching How important is web presence today From just creating their
website and then just Having a web presence for
the local small business? Not the big guys that are
trying to sell technology But just the local guys. – It's very important
from the local coffee shop To the local pizzeria,
it's very important, right? You can even be having plumbing services By having a website,
you'll get more business. Because nowadays when people
are looking for something They're typing on their
mobile devices saying, Hey, plumber services in Miami, Florida Or wherever it may be, right? Or Boca Raton, Florida. Without having a website
You're not going to be
found for all that stuff. – So what are your thoughts
on like landing pages Versus like a full on site? Like I know some businesses
get really excited 'cause they're buying tons of domain names And they have all these
different landing pages. Like what are your thoughts On having a ton of
different little microsites Or landing pages versus just one website? – As a small business I would actually just
focus on one website. It doesn't have to have too many pages. It could just be a one page site Or two or three page site
and then go from there. Make sure you're also submitting To all the localized directories. Yelp, City Search, right? Google Maps or Google Listings. By being in all those places,
you'll do better over time. – And on someone's website What are the metrics they should
be looking at every month? – The metrics that they
should be looking at Is just overall traffic. So if it's going up And it's going up from
people within your region, So Google Analytics will show you Where people are coming from. So assuming it's within your region And your traffic's going
up, you're doing better And better as a small business,
you should be at least. – So what is, and I know
you talk a lot about this On your blog, but what's
a really quick way For some of these local businesses To start generating traffic,
That things that they might
not be doing right now? – Go to getlisted.org. The domain may forward to somewhere else But go to getlisted.org it still works And you can submit your business To all the localized places
that can drive business To your small mom and pop shop. – Awesome. And you're really big
in content marketing. I know that infographics You're really big with infographics. You create amazing
infographics and you say That they've helped to
drive a lot of traffic To your websites. So how important is visual content And why should businesses consider this As part of their content
marketing strategy? – Yeah, visual content is huge. If you can create something
that explains something complex Or lengthy in a short
visual that helps people Understand things more
clearly, you'll do well. – So I feel like there's a
lot of really great tools And I actually read one of your blog posts Where you actually showcased
a lot of different tools That you can create your own
visual content pretty easily. And I'll be sure to link that back here Because it was a great post
as so many of yours are. But what I find that there's
a lot of tools to create Some of these pieces of
content, but there's like, How do you recommend people
come up with the creative ideas? Because I feel like there's a
lot of people out there saying Be creative and speak
to your target audience. But like how do people Like how would you recommend
even coming up with
How do you to be creative? – [Neil] Type the keyword
related to your industry. And it'll tell you the most popular topics Within your industry. Then from there you can be
like, all right, can I actually Create any visual piece of
content based on these ideas? And then if you can then
great, you now have idea That will resonate with
people within your industry. – For those small business owners Or wannabe entrepreneurs that are looking To kind of that have an idea. What are some interesting ways to kind of Test an idea online? – Just throw something up
very minimally, drive a bit Of paid traffic through
like Facebook or Twitter. It's not too expense. You can spend like 20 bucks And get some paid traffic, 50 bucks And you'll see what happens. – So I know you get
asked a ton of questions From business owners. So two things. One, what is the most frequently
asked question you get And two, what are people not asking you That you think they should be? – Yeah, so the first one was What was the one I get
asked most frequently? The first one is, is how
do I start a business? And you start a business
by just going out there You go like register a domain
from GoDaddy, set up hosting, Pop up a site and get started. There is no like tricks and
you need to take these steps. You don't really know. What happens is you pop something up
And you learn and you
keep iterating, right? Cause you get feedback. So, and then the next
question is what people Should be asking me that they don't ask me Is what steps do you go through, right? To actually make your business business From going nowhere to
actually start making money. And the asset 'cause
most people don't do that Is to actually get feedback. So you can get feedback
from devices like Qualaroo, SurveyMonkey looking at
analytics and surveys. Without the surveying you won't know how To adjust your business and
keep iterating it, right? Because it's not about what you want It's about what your customers want. – Do you have a marketing pet peeve? Like when you see someone
do something online That you're like, oh my
gosh, what are you doing? – Nah, I don't have a pet peeve like that. – No? So you're such an amazing thinker, Neil, I saw a an interview with you And you were talking about life hacking And you've hacked dating
and finding a driver With like really cost effective way 'cause I know you're very frugal And even you joked about having
a mom, someone that comes in And does your cooking
and cleaning and laundry. So for business owners what
suggestions do you give For people to kind of come
up with unique different ways Of solving their challenges and problems? – Just be creative. So anytime you have a problem,
think outside the box. Usually you're like, oh,
well I can't solve it
Because it's too expensive
or it takes too much time. Those are the normal solutions
that everyone looks at. What are the unique creative solutions That you may not be thinking about, right? You have to change your mindset. And once you change your mindset And you start being more creative. And then if you can't come up with ideas Ask some friends on, Hey, what are some creative
approaches that I could be Potentially using to solve X Y Z problems? You'll then end up
coming up with solutions That could potentially work. – What apps can you not live without? – I use Gmail a lot. I use Uber a lot. I use calendar app. That's really it. I don't really use too many apps. – Yeah. What do you do for fun? – Watch TV, party. A lot of sports. I love basketball. Football, basketball's just over, right? But I love sports. – And what is the best advice
that a mentor has given you? – Focus. I have this problem with ADD I try to do too many
things or too many ideas. He's like, just focus on one that works And keep trying to grow it. And once you've plateaued And can't grow it anymore, then expand. – I love that there's so
much content out there Especially when it comes
to marketing on strategies
And tactics that small
business owners can use. So how do you stay focused with Especially with the business
owner that's looking online And searching and they're
seeing one company do this And one company do that And it's like they're
pulling their hair out Not knowing which direction to go. Like how do you suggest they
stay focused on something That's actually going to
move their business forward And not feel so overwhelmed? – Just ignore everything. If what you're mainly doing is growing And it's still working Then ignore all the other
ideas that you may have. 'Cause there's not enough time in the day. Just focus on what's already working. – And you love to work, I know. What do you love best about what you do? – It's fun. I really am passionate about marketing And it's like if you don't
really love what you're doing You're going to end up quitting. But if you do love what you're doing, Not only will you do
it longer, more hours, But you won't quit. And time is what really
can help you succeed. Me, a ton of other people,
the Mark Zuckerberg's Of the world, the Elon Musk, They're way more successful than I am But if you look at everyone It's not like we came out of, you know, Day one out of the gates
and were successful. We all went through struggles But time is what helps us
become more successful.
Cause you learn from your mistakes And you learn what not to do. – Awesome. Well, Neil, you are amazing And I love every one of your posts. I just like store them away. The infographics you create,
the content you create You help so many people
and I love telling everyone About you and making them go
and check out your content. So thank you for all that you do For small businesses out there you are, You're just awesome. I just adore you. So thank you so much for taking
the time to chat with me. I very much appreciate it. – Thanks for having me.
