The Business of Digital Podcast

Dave tasks Matt with taking the raw podcast files and getting the final podcast episode done and live on the site. For non technical people this proves you can do it too!

Correction to the show - Dave said Episode 85 was about podcast hosting but really it is episode 94.

To go along with our Pubcon talk called Podcasting Guide Dave thought putting Matt through the weekly process of creating the final MP3 file and doing the write-up and all the small things that go into getting a show live was a great idea - Matt wasn't so sure.

For those 100% new to podcasting we also recommend an article we did recently at SEMRush.

Podcasting Tools

While not an extensive list of tools we use each week this is a list of some tools that Matt used to record and produce a recent show.

TrycastGarageBand - Mac DropboxFileZillaAudacity - PC

Podcast Editing Process

Matt digs into and walks through the steps he went through and how he used the tools to process the 2 audio files. Even for him with no directions the file and sound came out just fine.

Dave's tip - make sure that no matter how you record, make sure that each person is on their own track. It will allow you to do MUCH more when it comes time to edit.

Search engines and YouTube are your friends too. The guys both are still learning the software and when they have questions they simply would go searching to find how to take out barking dogs, squeaky chairs or turn up/down volume on guests. You don't have to be an audio engineer to use the software!

Tips for Podcast Summary & Write-up

Matt also walked through the process of how he did the summary and Dave chimed in as well. The guys both gave insights into how they each approach it while not really trying to create a transcript. Some podcasts do go with a transcript in place of a summary or perhaps just have an intro + transcript.

When it comes to recording, process and the summary just do what works for your skills/budget/goals. You can always go back and change it!

Perfect Podcast

If you think we are happy with the sound quality you would be wrong. We constantly evaluate our software, recording solution, mics, setups and so on. The goal is not to be PERFECT but simply to keep getting better. Hopefully we have over the past two years but we know we can still get better. So don't freak out if you don't love the sound or production but just keep learning the software and fixing/improving things.

Scott Clark of Buzzmaven joins to talk Google Ads, Multiple Location PPC Management and some of the ways he optimizes his paid campaigns for his clients.

Scott started by digging into his background and some of the most common things he sees wrong when looking at Google Ad accounts.

Common Google Ad Mistakes & Problem Spots

Opportunity costs that your spreadsheet doesn't tell you. Lots of managers rely on what has worked or on just the data they see. Look beyond those metrics.Accounts left in cruise control sometimes have small problems that hold back accounts and allow competitors to gain share.Conversion setup - look at what is being imported in the Conversion Manager. Are there any? Do they use micro conversions?Audiences - are bid adjustments setup and are they using them?Search Term Report - using the past 90 days he digs into what he sees, the breakdown of keywords, campaigns, match type and uses this to help direct him where to dig next.

SKAG - Good, Bad, Horrible, Awesome?

Dave poses the question to Scott on where he stands with SKAGs (single keyword ad group) in 2019. The upside to them has started to decrease and Scott prefers single themed ad groups and not SKAGs. This is partly due to the time it takes to manage SKAG, you fight AI upside and the changes to match type have made him just move away

Tips for Scaling PPC For Multiple Locations

Part of what you can do will come to a few things like if they use a central account for all, separate accounts, budgeting, coop models and so on.

Scott prefers the "Gold Standard" method. This is basically you optimize and crush it with one location and then replicate it for all other locations once you get it dialed in.

Staged bidding is another tactic that Scott likes to use. For those with multiple locations in small areas using the staged bidding with a bulls-eye radius around a store usually is pretty effective. The closer someone is to a store the more you bid.

Depending on how many locations and geo markets you are in there are shared audiences that can

Ad Customizers, Sheets & Scripts

Ad Customizers are a great way to scale ad text using Google Sheets, triggers and more to really scale creating ads in bulk and not have to slowly do it in the Google Editor.

About Google Ad Customizers3 Cool Things You Can Do with Ad Customizers

Another upside to using Google Sheets and Ad Customizers is that you can allow the client to review and edit in Google Sheets and not run the risk of them making changes in the account itself.

Tools?

Scott really likes using Excel + Google Ads Editor to help scale and improve speed for working with a large number of accounts and locations.

Google rules and scripts are not a silver bullet but can be used to tweak productivity and take some tasks off your hands.

Do you even Boomerang? Listen as Matt and Dave give you some ways to use them in ways that you likely arent doing in Instagram and your digital marketing efforts.

Matt has been working on some fun company and side projects and one of them has him making Boomerangs. If you don't know what a Boomerang on Instagram is, just check out the video and it will break it down for you.

So where can you use it? On Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, your site, anywhere really. Also think of when and how to use them. Matt pushes the idea of using them as retargeting. You don't have to just use them as one time piece of content but rather as branding and to assist with conversions.

Ideas for Boomerangs

A lawyer walking into a court room and suggesting that they can help you win your case without going to court.A boomerang of fries being dropped/cookedA boomerang of fresh cut fries being cutA boomerang of tacos or food being platedA special of the day - show the food in some wayGo crazy like Cruz Blanca did with the #fabiochallengeMatt's waffle truck uses boomerangs to show off their foodBalodana uses them to show off clothingHVAC can show scorpions or an Exterminator can show off something a nest

Tips for Better Boomerangs

Let people get the point of what you are trying to doCanva is a great tool for making themMost phones have free software that you can useMatt often uses iMovie on his MacMake sure the main point of the video is in focusWatch your lighting. You don't need a ton of special hardware but do make sure you can see what is going onRemember that you have ~2 seconds of content, 6 at the very most but ~2 is really what you should focus on.

The goal is not to be super elaborate or some crazy photo shoot. Get creative and use these as a way to spruce up your photos but not to go as deep and long as a video. There is no script. Keep them simple and fun and if you aren't already doing them, give them a try. If you are doing them think about how you can better reuse them for retargeting, in blog posts or in other ways.

So many Instagram tools so little time? Let Matt run down some of the tools and the guys give tips on how best to kick the tires of some popular Instagram Tools.

Get ready to dig into a number of free, paid, and somewhere in the middle tools for helping you get more out of Instagram. Matt was tasked with digging into a number of tools for Instagram and here are his thoughts and reviews:

Social Rank

For more on Social Rank visit their site. This is another great research tool to help you.

Canva

Canva doesn't "manage" your Instagram account but it helps you create awesome visuals. Poke around and see how you can make your feed look more professional and see how Canva can help. Both of the guys use Canva often and if you havent checked it out, we think you should.

Minter.io

You can check this tool out here.

Instagram Insights/Analytics

We cant really direct link you to it but we can provide a great way to leverage them. You can get a ton of data about things going on with your account.

Smart Metrics

Get the scoop on Smart Metrics. Use it to monitor for hashtags, connect to others, find others and much more than just likes, follows and other metrics you will care about. Matt dug into how he uses it for his photography account to figure out what hashtags to use.

Social Insider

Mat likes to use Social Insider for watching Instagram hashtag trends and digging into trends and data. Get the inside scoop on Social Insider on their site.

OWL Metrics

Visit Owl Metrics for more info. Mat has not personally used it beyond poking around but says that he hears more people talk about this tool than any other tool.

Google Chrome Developer

This is in your Chrome browser if you use it. If you are on a MAC just download Chrome (Sorry!). If you want to use Instagram from your desktop, this is a free way to do it! So how do you get to it?

Open ChromeClick the 3 Dots to open settingsSelect More Tools -> Developer ToolsToggle the device to Mobile Phone

Tips for Using Instagram Tools

So that is a ton of tools, who has time to try and use them all? Where does one start?

Test one tool a week or month, look for a free trial and use it for that long.Take notes - write down the good and the bad of each toolThink process - does it work with your processes? Does it help them?Trial run up and still not sure? Or maybe client fire and life got in the way? Ask if they can extend the trial.Compare price, feature set, will it save you time, how it fits with your process?

After a number of Tweets around if you should or be allowed to bid on brand terms happened the guys thought they too should jump in!

Not to give an SEO answer to a PPC question but it does "depend".

There was a tweet that got this idea started but you can find it and some of the responses here at Why Bidding On Your Brand Name is Important . For more fun may we suggest you hit up Google or Bing for more posts that say YES or NO or DEPENDS from many sources and dating back many years.

As so often with all things there is no easy answer or "best practice" that applies to all - at least we don't believe so and here is why:

What is Brand Bidding?

Brand bidding simply means paying to have an ad appear above your (hopefully) first organic listing in Google or Bing. This could be say a misspelling of your brand, certain products you sell or maybe your CEO's name.

Defensive PPC Bidding

To quote Ryan Jones - " Done this test too. bidding on your brand is always better -except when not doing it means that Google shows 0 ads, and you rank #1. " The idea behind this is to constantly monitor your brand and product names and watch for people bidding. When you see them then do it to be defensive. Or just always keep ads up as a defensive play.

Offensive PPC Bidding

There are number of reasons to go for it - to take up more real estate, to push a new product, to push a new campaign, to push people to reviews or high converting pages.

There are many other ways to try and funnel users such as overcoming customer service issues, have a recall and want people to get to a specific page, and this is just something you should test.

Look at the ROI. Period.

As Martin MacDonald points out, it really is about the ROI. He puts it best with " Bidding on your brand term, every time, was the ROI winner."

PPC Brand Bidding Case Study

As we said on the Podcast there would be an extra case study resource and we actually found a somewhat recent one!

What Happened When We Paused PPC Brand Campaigns

Bonus Bidding Example

As we said on the show there would be another example or two in the write up and here is one from LinkedIn that is pretty recent. To dig into the comments deeper do go here and you will see a lively discussion.

An even more recent example since we recorded was Jason Fried taking issue with Google allowing other companies to bid on Basecamp's name. His initial tweet where he took issue is here.