The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

Ecommerce conversion optimization is tough, time-consuming, and confusing, but our conversation with Peep Laja of ConverionXL will make it easier for you.

Peep (his unusual name, to most people, is actually pronounced 'Pep Laya') currently runs a unique ecommerce conversion optimization marketing agency called Markitekt where they make existing sites better, and build new conversion optimized websites for clients.

He's been featured in numerous popular marketing and online business publications including Smashing Magazine, ProBlogger, KISSmetrics and many others, and also delivers trainings and workshops on ecommerce conversion optimization and internet marketing.

Peep runs the world's most popular ecommerce conversion optimization blog, and he says that his blog that is written for smart people. No cheesy stuff, no "how to add a background to Twitter" nor "10 useless things that waste your time" type of posts, only well-researched highly actionable content.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• The two main levers in successful ecommerce conversion optimization
• The right "where" and "why" questions to ask when starting out with .
• The number one A/B split testing mistake
• Why statistical significance is not validity.
• Peep's step-by-step consulting process.

Links / Resources

• ConversionXL.com (Peep's Blog)
• Peep's Twitter (@peeplaja)
• His most recommended post about the 12 mistakes CEO's make in ecommerce conversion optimization
• His post on finding the leaks in your site
• Unbounce
• Copy Hackers
• ContentVerve
• GetVera

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To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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Trying to hire the best growth consultant for your company can be an arduous task, but it doesn't have to be according to Graham Hunter.

Graham is Head Instructor of Growth at Tradecraft where they train smart people to succeed in traction roles at high-growth companies.

He's been a marketing consultant at Intuit, among other brands, he's started an agency, he's worked at larger agencies, and he has been the first employee at a few ecommerce and software startups.

Graham has done a whole lot of consulting and he takes us through some interesting topics as we discuss the the most effective way to hire the best growth consultant for your ecommerce brand.

We like to think of Graham as our Silicon Valley correspondent, as he's got his finger squarely on the pulse of what some of Silicon Valley's best companies are doing to grow their business.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• Why the terms "Growth" and "Marketing" have been separated by Silicon Valley
• Who should be your first hire and your second hire
• The number one marketing mistake growing companies make
• The qualities you need to look for when looking to hire the best growth consultant
• How to identify a great growth consultant through the questions they ask

Links / Resources

• Graham Hunter LinkedIn
• TradeCraft
• Graham's MarketingToolKit.org
• Followerwonk
• Product Hunt
• Screaming Frog
• Webmaster Tools
• Bing Link Explorer

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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In a mostly me-only world, Andrew Davis explains that creating partnerships with other brands is not only important, but necessary and extremely profitable for those who do it right.

Andrew got his start in the media business at a young age appearing in television commercials and voicing over radio spots for brands like Chevrolet, Six Flags, and McDonalds, and has also managed workshop production for Muppets From Space, Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House and Elmo in Grouchland.

In 2001, Andrew co-founded Tippingpoint Labs and, for more than a decade, Andrew and his team changed the way content creators think, authentic talent is nurtured, and the way companies market their products.

He has marketed for tiny startups and Fortune 500 brands, and his novel combinations of old ideas that leverage new technology have been tapped by the Obama administration and Russian media moguls.

In 2012 Andrew released a best-selling book called "Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships", which puts his common sense approach to work for you, uncovering why and how creating partnerships with other brands can dramatically boost your profits.

Today, he's traveling the globe sharing his insight, experience, stories, and optimistic ideals through his wildly fascinating speaking engagements, guest lectures and workshops.

Topics Discussed:

• Tips for creating partnerships with other brands
• Treat your content like a product
• Who has your NEXT customer as their CURRENT customer?
• Creating a content brand, don't create branded content
• Don't hire a celebrity to endorse your product, create one.
• Multiple case studies of very profitable brand partnerships

Links & Resources:

• Andrew Davis' Site
• Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships (Site / Book)
• Andrew Davis Twitter

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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If Steve Jobs' favorite book was written by the thought leader for this way of thinking, then you may want to eliminate your buyer persona and replace it with the jobs to be done framework.

In an our efforts to provide more insight into creating buyer personas for ecommerce websites, we stumbled on to an interesting couple of posts that argue that buyer personas may no longer be relevant to your business and that the jobs to be done framework (aka JTBD) might suit you better.

According to one of the most prominent "jobs to be done framework" thought leaders, Clay Christensen (author of one of Steve Jobs' top books), the framework is:

"a tool for evaluating the circumstances that arise in customers' lives. Customers rarely make buying decisions around what the "average" customer in their category may do — but they often buy things because they find themselves with a problem they would like to solve. With an understanding of the "job" for which customers find themselves "hiring" a product or service, companies can more accurately develop and market products well-tailored to what customers are already trying to do."

More simply put, the jobs-to-be-done framework helps identify customer attitudes and characteristics by framing purchasing decisions as a choice to "hire" a product or service to do a "job" versus making assumptions about customers through buyer personas.

One of the most fascinating topics we've come across in a while, and in this episode we try to break it down while also tempting you to eliminate your buyer persona and replace it with the jobs to be done framework.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• Why buyer personas don't work
• How stumbling onto this topic might completely change our own business
• Being able to distinguish between a buyer persona and a JTBD framework
• Real world examples of JTBD in action
• Getting started with creating your own framework

Links / Resources:

• The Christensen Institute's Definition of JTBD & Website
• Jobs To Be Done Framework Article by Christensen in MIT Online Publication
• Fill In The Blank Statements To Distinguish Between Persona & JTBD
• Innovators Tool Kit Break Down
• Medium's Database of JTBD Articles

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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Justin Winter grew his company to $20 million in 36 months through a few different ecommerce growth channels, and yet he still has one big regret.

He is the Co-founder & CEO at Diamond Candles, a bootstrapped, vertically integrated online home fragrance brand that hit a $12 million run rate in 18 months and is now well on it's way to $20million in 36 months.

Diamond Candles was also recognized by InternetRetailer.com in 2013 as one of the 'Hot 100', which profiles select e-commerce sites that have broken new ground in some way other e-retailers can learn from.

Justin is an expert in marketing, business and product development, social media marketing, SEO, and growth hacking. He's regularly featured in magazines like Inc Magazine, in top business forums like GrowthHacker.tv, and on top podcasts like Mixergy (and this one!).

Justin shares how he was able to achieve such massive growth with a modest initial investment and almost no paid advertising, and he'll give us some strategies on how you can do it, too.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• Why you need to be a specialist.
• Creating exclusivity to generate more sales.
• Optimizing your systems for $10 million+ growth.
• The three ecommerce growth channels he used to hit $20 million.
• His referral marketing campaigns.
• Direct to consumer offline sales training to generate online sales.
• His number one piece of advice for getting to $10 million+.

Links / Resources

• Justin Winter Personal Site (iamjustinwinter.com)
• Justin's Clarity.fm Page
• Sean Ellis Episode
• Klaviyo
• Bounce Exchange
• Curebit (Now Talkable)
• Blue Apron

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here:

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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The most successful ecommerce companies know how to retain their most profitable customers, and in this episode we give you the steps to create a best customer retention marketing plan for ecommerce.

We touched on this topic briefly in "Why Email Marketing Fails", and we felt that this topic deserved it's own episode because, according to Harvard Business Review, a 5% increase in customer retention or loyalty can boost profits by 25%-85%.

And out of the top 4 reasons customers never return to give you repeat business, number two is that they don't feel special, important, or valued.

We're not playing tee ball anymore, so not everyone deserves an equal chance to feel valued and important, and not everyone deserves to receive the same special opportunity provided to others.

You need to create a best customer retention marketing plan for your ecommerce store and for your most profitable customers, and in this episode we'll give you the steps you need to take to start implementing today.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• Some shocking statistics we found in one of our client's customer database
• The 3 main steps to creating a best customer retention marketing plan for ecommerce
• How to segment and analyze the customer data
• Best customer retention marketing ideas to implement now

Links / Resources

• Episode 024 - Why Email Marketing Fails
• Customer Segmentation Template

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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Alex Ikonn is the founder of Luxy Hair, a 7-figure ecommerce business that was built entirely through YouTube Marketing, making them one of Shopify's Top 10 eCommerce Stores by Revenue in 2011 and 2012.

Luxy Hair is a customer-centric hair extensions ecommerce retailer. The business was born when his wife Mimi was looking for hair extensions for their wedding, but wasn't able to find what she was looking for. When they realized how hard it was to find good hair extensions, they knew they had stumbled on to a business opportunity.

Alex and Mimi put up $20k, mostly on credit, to get their first supply and they haven't looked back, posting 7-figure PROFITS annually.

In addition to Luxy Hair, Alex is the co-founder of Dreamers & Creators, a marketing strategy and execution firm for the entrepreneurial enterprise, and he's a co-founder at Intelligent Change, where they make cool products that make people happier.

In this episode Alex chats with us about his incredibly successful ecommerce YouTube profit formula. It's a step by step process that really clarifies how to create extremely successful content marketing.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview:

• The 4 steps in his ecommerce YouTube profit formula
• How to sell to customers using video...without selling in your videos
• Finding the balance between bad and over-produced video quality
• Understanding your limitations in ecommerce and when it's time to bring someone else on to take you to the next level
• His recommendations for other acquisition channels
• The number one piece of advice he can give for ecommerce CEOs trying to get to $10mil+

Links / Resources:

• LuxyHair.com
• LuxyHair's YouTube Channel
• Alex Ikonn's Personal Website
• Alex's Personal Email hello [@] alexikonn.com
• Back Pocket COO by Cameron Harold

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers, Austin & Chad!

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If you want to sell more products online, then you'll need to make your ecommerce copywriting sell to your prospects.

Ecommerce companies tend to think that because they only have to sit behind a screen, drive traffic, capture leads, and sell cool products they don't have to put in the extra time and effort into writing great, persuasive website copy and product descriptions that actually try to sell the customer.

According to KISSmetrics, quality ecommerce copywriting and product descriptions can increase ecommerce conversion rates anywhere from 30-100%.

More often than not, though, we see websites and product descriptions that provide only product specifications like size, weight, and inseam. We see descriptions that lack personality and storytelling, and worse yet, they pull the product descriptions straight from the manufacturer's website and use that for their copy.

The good news is, you don't have to hire someone to write for you. In this episode we'll cover the 8 techniques you can implement on your own today to make your ecommerce copywriting sell.

Topics Discussed throughout the interview

• A quick follow up on last week's episode, "The 3 Types of Buyers"
• When you've written the headline you've spent 80 cents out of your dollar
• The 4 "do nots" in ecommerce copywriting
• The 4 "do's" to to make your ecommerce copywriting sell
• One of the greatest product descriptions ever created...we promise you'll want to buy a pair without even looking at them.

Links / Resources

• Amazing Pants Description
• Last Week's Epi - "The 3 Types of Buyers"

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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Statistics show that website visitors are 64% more likely to buy a product on an ecommerce site after watching an online video, and if you don't currently use video to acquire more ecommerce customers then you're going to be left behind.

James Wedmore is one of the top video marketing experts in the business and is the founder of Video Traffic Academy: an online YouTube Marketing Training Program that has enrolled over 10,000 business owners and entrepreneurs all over the country.

He has been featured on numerous sites such as Entrepreneur.com, Rise to the Top, Mixergy and many more. He has been the Guest Instructor on 3 CreativeLIVE Workshops, and today, he hosts James Wedmore TV, his YouTube Channel that's been viewed over 2.5 Million times.

His mission is simple: show business owners how to create and execute effective video marketing campaigns without spending a lot of time or money. Today he's going to tell us how to use video to acquire more ecommerce customers for your business.

Topics Discussed throughout the interview:

• Two types of video for ecommerce.
• 4 key components of a great video for ecommerce.
• Why you should care about the first 5 seconds more than anything else and what you might be missing at the end of your video.
• The answer to your biggest question(s) about building a viral video.
• The easiest ways to get started with video.
• How to use video to build an ecommerce brand that competes with Amazon.

Links & Resources:

• James' YouTube Channel
• Bellroy Wallets
• Yolanda Sotolopez YouTube Channel (one of James' clients)
• James' Video Traffic Academy
• LiveWell360.com

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, subscribe right here on your phone.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

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In this Strategy Session we'll be talking about buyer psychology, the three types of buyers, and how to sell to them.

Here are the three main types of buyers identified by neuroeconomics experts:

15% - Spendthrifts

24% - Tightwads

61% - Average Spenders

The psychology behind each type is fascinating, and understanding each one's "buying mindset" will help you get closer to your customers, speak their language, and make more sales.

40% of people fall into wildly "irrational" categories, i.e. the spendthrifts and tightwads, which also means you're potentially missing out on a lot of sales because most ecommerce sites focus on selling to the average buyer.

Understanding these three types of buyers and how to sell to them, along with a few tweaks to your site and copy, you'll be able to capitalize on many more sales that might have otherwise been lost.

In this episode we break it all down for you so you can begin recapturing those buyers today.

Topics Discussed Throughout the Interview

• Breaking down the three types of buyers and how to sell to them.
• Why evaluating what buyer you are can help you sell better on your website.
• When to use negative emotion messaging vs positive.
• How Dave Munson at Saddleback Leather redesigned his website for analytical buyers and the results he achieved.
• When should focus 100% on one buyer personality vs generalizing.

Links & Resources

• 3 Types of Buyers - Neuro Marketing
• Tightwads and Spendthrifts
• 10 Ways to Convert More Customers Using Psychology
• Episode 19 with Dave Munson

Subscribe & Review

To get more awesome Ecommerce Influence content sent directly to your device and into your ears as they become available, you can easily subscribe by clicking here.

Also, ratings and reviews on iTunes (hopefully 5-stars!) help us tremendously a we're very grateful for them. We do read all of the reviews and we'll answer your questions or comments on future episodes.

Cheers,

Austin & Chad!

Follow on Twitter:

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