Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and this week our special guest on the show is Brian Loebig, founder of LoebigInk, a digital marketing agency fueled by coffee, creativity, music, and passion helping their clients achieve success with web design, SEO, social media, and more.

Brian is also the author of TheInkBlog.net and CriminalThinking.net. He has over 15 years of experience working in the quality improvement and technology fields as an administrator and web consultant.

Brian has also worked as a practitioner and administrator in the corrections, substance abuse and human services fields with a special emphasis on technology, and he continues to work with numerous community-based non-profits as a web technology consultant, board member, and volunteer.

Brian is here with us today to talk about Personal Branding SEO. Now, for all of our listening friends, you may recall all way back on Episode 11 in which I had Brett Snyder, founder of Knucklepuck on the show who talked about SEO and gave away some cool tips.

SEO is important, especially if you have a business website. Personal branding SEO, however, as Brian will discuss with us today, is a little bit different.

With personal branding SEO, you can tap into the benefits of SEO and expand your personal brand without investing heavily into the content for your business website.

And for those small business owners who have a tight budget seeking to grow their personal brand, then this is the episode for you in which Brian will be sharing some cool tips with everyone.

How to Connect With Brian:

• Website: LoebigInk
• About Me Account: Brian Loebig
• Twitter: @brianloebig
• Linkedin: Brian Loebig
• Instagram: @brianloebig
• Facebook: Loebig Ink

Welcome back everyone and happy Friday! I am super thrilled (as always) that you are here ready to soak in some more good content. 

Just as a reminder, Tuesday's is when we release our awesome interviews with a marketing guru sharing his or her secret sauce for you to leverage to help you build and grow your business. And Friday's is when I release a short solo episode sharing some of my own creative marketing strategies, tactics, hacks, or general marketing advice you can leverage. 

Last Friday was a super fun one to record as I literally explained and visually walked you through how you can diversify your income streams by reselling products and drop shipping them to your customers. 

This week is not as intense as I have recorded a shorter episode talking about the importance of re-investing back into your business and treating yourself as your own client to grow your brand. 

As I'm sure you can relate, we often run into businesses proclaiming they are proficient in what they do but become disappointed when we check out their establishment. 

The all-to classic example I broke out in this solo episode is a place located on the east coast called South of The Border.

If you have ever traveled down Interstate 95 South to Florida, then surely you have seen signs of South of The Border hyping you up for miles to come and check them out. 

I fell for this (twice), and both times I was sorely disappointed when I felt like I rolled up to an abandoned motel with a bunch of cheap merchandise and dud fireworks being sold. 

In the marketing realm, I see this same issue happening a lot,  especially when I go to networking events. The self-proclaimed web developer who has a website that looks like it was created circa 1995 using Microsoft Frontpage. The content marketing specialist who doesn't practice what they preach with their own content, etc. 

If you are a business seeking to grow, then taking on clients is a must.

But there does come a point in which you have to ask yourself, are you seeking to keep growing as a business by taking on clients and become a large agency with tons of overhead?

Or are you seeking to grow as a lifestyle business and become a national brand in which people look to you for advice and you are tapping into multiple multiple revenue streams?

If it is the latter, then re-investing back into your business and treating yourself as your own client is a must, which is what this episode is all about. 

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and this week I am excited to bring on Drew Barto, Director of Marketing at Energy Swing Windows, Inc., the trusted name in the residential home improvement industry throughout western Pennsylvania. Drew is also a Facebook ads ninja and he is here to talk with us today about ways to generate leads and boost sales using Facebook ads.

I brought Drew on the show because he is a fellow passionate marketer, and he not only talks the talk when it comes to Facebook advertising, but he also walks the walk.

Meaning, the examples, strategies, and tactics he will be sharing with us today are proven examples that have worked. In fact, with one example in particular, which we will dissect today, he was able to spend $549.90 on an ad campaign that ended up landing 13 jobs sold with a total revenue of $148,684!

Talk about an ASTRONOMICAL ROI!

Key Takeaways:

• Drew's personal and professional journey.
• How he started with Facebook advertising and the results he started seeing while running ads.
• Examples of campaigns that worked and how he was able to generate awesome results.
• The must have's for a successful Facebook ad campaign.
• What to avoid when creating an ad campaign.
• The changes we can expect in the future with Facebook ads.
• And so much more!

How to Connect With Drew:

Linkedin: Drew Barto

Email: [email protected]

Be sure to request his free presentation via email -> 6 Surefire Ways to Boost Sales Using Facebook Advertising

Facebook: @purpleshoescreativeconsulting

Welcome back! Friday's is when I release a creative marketing strategy, tactic, hack (whatever you want to call it), and this week is one that may blow you away :-)

There are many ways to legitimately generate money online - non American Greed style!

If you run a service-based business, then one of the easiest ways to bring in the dough is to take on clients. 

However, in order to scale this business model, you will need to eventually take on larger contracts so you can begin to hire contractors or employees to help you execute on the accounts.

Unfortunately, if you are a creative entrepreneur (like myself), this business model does not sound sexy at all. 

I tried this business model and it left me feeling constantly overwhelmed with tons of overhead. 

As a creative entrepreneur, you and I thrive on being creative! We strive on treating ourselves as our own client and invest heavily back into our business to grow as a recognizable brand - not just a business. 

This means having fewer burdens weighing us down (e.g. the overhead of having a mega-agency), and greater wiggle room to explore generating additional revenue streams to help you scale and stay sane!

Additional streams of income can be:

• Products
• Sponsorships
• Affiliate revenue
• Events
• Paid speaking opportunities
• Courses and workshops

The list can go on. 

But there is another option to generate additional revenue that is often not talked about, which is what this podcast episode is all about. 

This revenue generator boils down to finding a product you might enjoy re-selling and drop shipping these items direct to your customers - meaning no inventory to carry. 

I break everything down for you on this episode on how you can identify products you would want to sell through AliExpress. AliExpress is a huge online retail service that offers products (on the cheap) to international online buyers. 

Once you have identified the product(s) you want to sell, then you can create a Shopify store online with relative ease and have everything integrated seamlessly from AliExpress into your Shopify store to begin selling and making money. 

I started this side venture with my 13-year-old son to sell minimalist men's watches - something we are both into -> https://minimalistwatchman.com/. And I explain everything on this podcast episode and even have a video available on the show notes page on my website for you to see this all in action. 

If you have nothing to sell at the moment, then this is definitely a podcast episode to tune into.

This podcast episode is also a good one to tune into if you are looking at adding an additional stream of income to your business without creating a huge burden to manage and maintain. 

I hope you enjoy!

And be sure to stay tuned this Tuesday as we have our next interview featuring someone who is straight up KILLING IT with Facebook ads. He breaks down step-by-step how is doing it on the interview for all of us. 

Thank you for tuning in! 

Link to Show Notes Page With Tutorial Video -> https://www.thecreativemarketingzone.com/podcast/2018/7/2/episode-44-creative-money-generator-how-to-money-online-when-you-have-nothing-to-sell-at-the-moment

All the best, 

Eric

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and today, I am SUPER thrilled to bring on Aliyah Dastour, CEO of Alimond Photography and Brand Film.

Alimond Photography is not just your typical photography company. They build remarkable personal brands by helping their clients look competent, professional, friendly, and trustworthy, which ultimately helps them attract more clients through their lasting impression headshots and photography visuals. And this all happens in their state-of-the-art studio located in Loudon County, VA.

Brand Film, which is a part of the Alimond umbrella takes their company to a whole new level as they put together stunning videos that help their clients attract and convert business, build an engaged following, and brand themselves for long-term success.

We will be exploring the power of video today, along with some best practices to ensure your videos stand out in today's noisy landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• How Aliyah started her personal and professional journey, and how she started Alimond Photography.
• The story behind the brand names Alimond and Brand Films.
• What inspired her to add Brand Films to her business.
• Aliyah definitely practices what she preaches when it comes to the videos on your website and on your LinkedIn profile. She shares some of her top tips when it comes to creating stunning videos.
• And the don'ts that creatives should avoid.

• How stories factor into these stunning videos and her tips for crafting and telling powerful stories through video.

• More and more people create, share and consume videos on a daily basis. Aliyah shares her insights for the future of video and what we need to look out for in the next few years.
• And so much more!

Key Resources:

Build your Video Marketing Blueprint with Confidence: Aliyah's free video marketing tipsheet to help you create stunning contents that can skyrocket your brand's growth.

How to Connect with Aliyah:

Website: Alimond Studio

Hey everyone, happy Friday! So, I decided to start something new with this awesome podcast. Each Friday I will release a solo episode that will share some creative marketing tips, strategies, tactics, hacks, you name it! 

Tuesday's will be our days to feature our weekly interviews, which are chock-full of awesomeness, and Friday's moving forward will be the personal tips -> and I have loads of them :-)

This week is all about Instagram cheat codes. Honestly though, let's be fully real here, there is no such thing as a cheat code. 

However, growing up in the Nintendo and Sega Genesis (80's and 90's kid) era I did relate this episode to the Mortal Kombat blood code that my dad forbade me from using (I put the code in behind his back, lol). So I share a shortened code for success on Instagram with this episode:

C

C

B

A

I also share some cool tools for you to use and my first video on Instagram TV (IG TV) showing you how I use these tools and apps to create awesome Instagram content that will help you grow your account! This is all on my show notes page at www.TheCreativeMarketingZone.com/Podcast

 Let me your thoughts!

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and today I am SUPER thrilled to have Priest Willis, Sr., a Sr. Global Digital Marketing leader who consults with eCommerce sites on building their brands through performance marketing. He shares his adventures in life, online marketing and entrepreneurship at PriestWillis.com and Insidethemarketplace.com.

On both platforms, you can tune into his AWESOME podcast episodes featuring HEAVY hitters like Neil Patel, Patrick McGinnis, the MyPillow Inventor – Mike Lindell – and many more.

Priest is also the owner of Affiliate Mission, which is an affiliate management company working with several small to large online businesses in managing their affiliate programs. Affiliate Mission is the fastest growing affiliate management company in North Carolina.

Priest started out in affiliate marketing and digital marketing in the early 2000's building a few niche affiliate sites, and he eventually started managing affiliate programs for Atomicpark.com, BuyCostumes.com, CelebrateExpress.com, and Lenovo.

I am SUPER thrilled to have Priest on the show today because of his successful experience and deep knowledge of the affiliate marketing realm. And from what I have been told, he has listened to my show and loves my podcast!

If you are someone who is eager to begin tapping into additional revenue sources for your business, then this IS the podcast episode for you!

Pay special attention to Priest's story and of course, the tips he shares with all of our listening friends today – you truly will walk away with some good and actionable info.

Key Takeaways:

• Priest shares his awesome personal and professional journey and how he discovered his passion in the affiliate industry.
• What affiliate marketing is and Priest's insights into this industry.
• How Priest started in affiliate marketing.
• Strategies and tips that work best for affiliate marketing. And practices that do not work for affiliate marketing.
• Priest's insights on the future of affiliate marketing in the next few years.
• And so much more!

Key Resources:

Passive Income Talk! Is Affiliate Marketing Worth the Time: Priest's amazing talk on affiliate marketing. He talks about the basics of affiliate marketing, how it works and how you can take advantage of affiliate marketing.

How to Connect with Priest:

Websites: PriestWillis.com

Insidethemarketplace.com

Affiliate Mission

Twitter: @priestwillis

Linkedin: Priest Willis, Sr.

Instagram: @pwillissr

YouTube: Priest Willis

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and today I am SUPER thrilled to have Eleanor LeCain on the show with us! Eleanor is the president of The Breakthrough Way. The Breakthrough Way's mission is to identify, communicate, and build on what works.

Eleanor speaks to and consults with leaders in business, government, and civil society about transformational programs and principles that can improve performance, save money, and help build a new world.

And check this out! Eleanor has a wildly popular book entitled, Breakthrough Solutions: How to Improve Your Life and Change the World by Building on What Works, which has an introduction by the Dalai Lama – how cool is that?

Her book profiles nine social innovations that dramatically improve people's lives, strengthen communities, and save money. And each innovation is a game changer in its field, which we will learn a little more about today.

Eleanor also discusses solutions on her Huffington Post blog and her popular weekly show on PRN Radio that airs live on Thursday's at 3 pm EST entitled, All Together Now.

Her articles are published from the New York Times to Le Monde in Paris, France, and she has spoken widely in the U.S. and the world including Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Iceland, the United Nations, Harvard, Yale, and more.

Today we will learn more about Eleanor's breakthrough way and what led her in this direction to grow her business and personal brand. Eleanor will also share with us how she creatively grew her name over the years (including what has worked and what hasn't worked), how she became a millionaire, and what she is focused on today. 

Key Takeaways:

• How Eleanor started her career and why she chooses to focus on solutions.
• Eleanor talks about one of her popular books, Breakthrough Solutions: How to Improve Your Life and Change the World by Building on What Works. What inspired her to write this book and how she managed to get the Dalai Lama to write the introduction.
• The biggest decisions she made that ultimately led where she is today in her life and career.
• Eleanor's insights on how to creatively grow and position yourself to help people across the globe.
• A peak on how Eleanor's day look like.
• Her insights on the future of our economic climate, and her tips to people who are eager to tap into their passion.
• And so much more!

Key Resources:

• All Together Now: Eleanor's weekly show on Progressive Radio Network (PRN) where she talks about solutions about the most important issues of our time with some of the best progressive thought-leaders and activists.
• Breakthrough Solutions: How to Improve Your Life and Change the World by Building on What Works: One of Eleanor's best book which talks about practical and proven methods that can improve your life and business. And the book had an amazing introduction by no other than the Dalai Lama himself.

How to Connect with Eleanor:

• Website: TheBreakthroughWay.com
• Email: [email protected]

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and today I am SUPER PUMPED to have New York Times Best Selling Author, Entrepreneur and America's #1 Free Money Guy, Matthew Lesko on our show!

If for some odd reason you don't know who Matthew Lesko is (maybe you are from planet Jupiter), then perhaps you will remember seeing him on hundreds (maybe thousands) of TV appearances wearing his question mark suits promoting his New York Times Bestselling books on how to get $$$ from the government. 

Lesko has been on Oprah, Letterman, Larry King, Leno, and of course his popular infomercials. 

Lesko is also a columnist for the New York Times Syndicate, Good Housekeeping Magazine and Chicago Tribune.

He was also a featured speaker on BRANDING at Harvard Business School. And aside from being a national icon here in the states, Lesko has sold over 4 million books, and he is the author of over 20 more awesome books.

Today's fun episode is all about hearing Lesko's story – his life journey and how he found his passion in his line of work with federal grant funding.

We are also going to learn some awesome branding tips from him, which I am also super excited to share with you.

Key Takeaways:

• Matthew shares his journey- how and why he started his business.
• Matthew's insights on why your heart is smarter than your brain and how this can help in personal branding.
• How failing helped him become successful in life and in business.
• We all know about his famous suit, and he shares how he came up with his "question mark" suit.
• What keeps him busy these days.
• And so much more!

Key Resources:

Here's a special bonus freebie exclusive offer available from Matthew Lesko. This bonus offer is a really sweet deal chock-full of awesome videos, content and more to help you live out your passion and build your personal brand! --> The Secret to Branding / Choosing the Right Job, Career, Education, or Business. 

Use code: MLBrand at checkout to get your free copy!

How to Connect with Matthew:

Websites: Lesko.com

BigDataLesko.com

Youtube: Matthew Lesko

Welcome to another exciting episode of The Creative Marketing Zone Podcast! I am your host and chief creative officer, Eric, and this week I am pleased to bring on Clay Clark, Founder, and Visionary of the Thrive15.

Thrive15 is an online education and practical training platform for entrepreneurs taught by millionaires, mentors and everyday success stories, and the company has been seen on Forbes, Bloomberg, YahooFinance, Fast Company, and many other well-known media outlets. 

Clay has quite an inspiring and epic story. He grew up poor and built a business empire at a very young age. 

Clay and his partner have been the founders and partners of 13 multi-million dollar businesses including the well-known Regent Bank, DJConnection.com, Epicphotos.com, and MakeYourLifeEpic.com, just to name a few.

He has also written three books, consulted with companies in nearly every industry under the sun, is a regular contributor for Entrepreneur Magazine, and he is a highly sought out speaker of choice for many of America's Largest and Smallest Companies – many in which we have all head of like HP, Southwest Airlines, IBM and more.

Clay is also a devoted family man. As we discuss in today's episode, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and five kids (yes, that's right, five!). 

As you can tell from tuning into today's episode, I had a ton of fun interviewing Clay. He shared a ton of awesome insights for anyone seeking to skyrocket their business and grow in their personal life. Clay also has quite the sense of humor! I had to try and contain myself in many instances when he spoke. 

I hope you enjoy today's show!

Key Takeaways:

• How Clay started in business and what he is currently working on today.
• Thrive15 and ThriveTimeShow are awesome resources for business owners. Clay shares how he came up with these amazing platforms.
• Clay's awesome and actionable tips to grow personally and professionally.
• The importance of having a mentor.
• Why trade-offs are important for growth.
• The future of Thrive15.com and business ventures for Clay.
• And so much more!

How to Connect with Clay:

Website: Thrive15.com

Email: [email protected]

Key Resources:

Be sure to tune into the very end. Clay announces a really awesome resource available to you for free, all you have to do is take two simple steps, which will actually help me out a ton as well :-)

Thanks for tuning in!