Rainmaker team says, “How do you get your market to notice, remember, and value you, when there are so many competing and conflicting messages out there vying for their attention?And why did Tony record this session from within a pillow fort?In this episode of The Mainframe, hosts Chris Garrett and Tony Clark reveal:Why being different is not enoughTaking the lead — and why that does not mean being an expertWhat it means to set up camp in your prospect’s brainHow trying to please everyone will kill your brandThe key positioning questions you need to be able to answer”.Deadly... [...]

Brian Clark says, “There’s nothing easier than audio content, right? Just fire up your recording software or teleseminar service and start talking away.Well, sure … but “easy to create” doesn’t guarantee anyone will listen (or keep listening).Take some time to structure and prepare for your recording, however, and you can crank out exceptionally engaging audio content that still only takes a fraction of the time that polished writing would“.4 Copywriting Techniques for Engaging Podcasts and Audio Presentations‘Copyblogger’ Blog [...]

Mitch Meyrson says, “While Apple didn’t invent podcasting, it certainly put it on the map, and the iTunes’ podcast directory is the primary place people go to find podcasts. This doesn’t mean that only Apple users can find and consume your podcast; listeners find and consume podcasts through any number of devices, mobile applications, and desktop web browsers. However, Apple’s iTunes is the first place to promote your podcast for maximum impact.The iTunes store is essentially a search engine for content: Users go there on a daily basis to find music, movies, TV shows, books,... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “It’s the new thing: 1. Start a podcast. 2. Attract an audience. 3. ??? 4. Profit!Sounds a lot like blogging in 2006. Problem is, with the exception of a few huge sites, it didn’t really work out that way for most bloggers. Which is why thinking in terms of content marketing and developing your own products took off in that field.Brian Clark will admit that the prospects for good revenue from audio ads — when done correctly — are much better than banner ads and AdSense were for bloggers. So there’s no reason why working with the right sponsors shouldn’t... [...]

Ryan Matthew Pierson says, “High-quality audio recording was once the exclusive domain of professional studios, radio stations and other settings tricked out with top-notch equipment. But now, thanks to advances in technology and lower pricing, professional-level audio recording has moved within reach of practically anyone.So if you’ve ever wanted to reach a broad audience as a podcaster, there’s no time like the present. These days, the difference in quality produced by professional set-ups—with layers of soundproofing and pricey microphones—don’t sound all that different... [...]

Mitch Meyerson says, “The proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices with broadband connections has made podcasting an ideal channel for claiming the attention of targeted prospects and getting them to buy from you.But things have changed: It used to be that by simply launching a podcast, you’d attract an audience. So few shows existed that listeners happily subscribed to any quality show related to their interests. Today, the selection has grown significantly. But don’t let that scare you away from podcasting. There’s still plenty of opportunity to create a popular... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “Most podcasts fail. It’s unfortunate, but true. That might psyche out some potential showrunners before they even start. But savvy showrunners will recognize an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others.Obviously, there are many possible mistakes that can lead to podcasts failing. But there are some common ones that The Showrunner hosts, Jerod Morris and Jon Nastor, have seen over and over.And what’s encouraging is that many of these mistakes are avoidable — simply by knowing what they are and knowing how to turn them into positives instead of negatives“.5... [...]

Rachel Sprung says, “Now more than ever, businesses are focusing on creating delightful mobile website experiences. After all, 80% of Internet users are using smartphones to search online.What’s more, marketers are gearing up for a big change Google plans to make to their algorithm starting on April 21, 2015. Google wrote in their official blog that they will be “expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal,” and their update should have a significant effect on marketers.When Google makes this change, it will affect 40% of mobile search queries.... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “In previous episodes of New Rainmaker with Brian Clark, Brian and Robert Bruce have discussed the “why” of starting a podcast (or podcast network). In this one, they talk about the “how.”As many of you know by now, it has been almost two weeks since Copyblogger Media launched an on-demand audio network called Rainmaker.FM.Thanks to you, things have gone pretty well in that time.What you don’t yet know is the story behind that launch — the planning, production, and marketing of the 10 distinct shows that are currently airing. Not to mention the next crop... [...]

Mike Del Coure says, “We’ve all seen them before: the frustrating little pages that appear when you click a broken link on a website. Maybe the developer forgot to remove that link when they deleted that blog post. Or maybe they updated the site and an extra sneaky character got into the link URL. Whatever the case, sending a website visitor to a 404 page is never a good thing.Ideally, we’d want our sites locked tight and linked right. But these things do happen. However, we can use this as an opportunity to not only build brand loyalty but delight customers at the same time.Here... [...]