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Demystifying the ever-changing world of digital marketing. In every episode, we’ll bring you content and conversations designed to build clarity around digital marketing. We want to help you build a deeper understanding of how it works within your business and why it’s important that your marketing puts people first. You’ll get to know James, our deep-diving Managing Director and Jess, our many-talented Sales and Marketing Manager. Be a fly on the wall as they swap stories and fun-facts while sharing valuable marketing advice. Plus, from time to time you’ll hear from other experts within TheOnlineCo., as they share their own wisdom and experience in their particular areas of digital marketing.
Episodes
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Do you know if your website actually gets you any business?
In this episode of Digital Marketing That Puts People First we ask you the question ‘Is your website telling people to bugger off?’ And by that we mean, is it clear to visitors to your site exactly what it is that you do? If it isn’t then perhaps your site is (accidentally) telling people to go elsewhere.
As a rule of thumb, you have less than 10 seconds to convince people to stay on your website, and there are 3 psychological triggers you need in order to get people to stay. If you don't fulfil these three things, then visitors to your site will leave and go and visit your competitor's sites instead.
If, however, your site convinces people to stay longer than the first 10 seconds, then what happens is that people stay longer, much longer on your site and only then does your website stand a chance of generating you any business.
So, in this episode, we’re going to give you three tools to use in assessing your website. And then we'll talk through some examples of how to fix your homepage so get more people to stay and turn into leads.
As always, you’ll hear from James Parnwell Founder and Managing Director of TheOnlineCo. As well as Jess Colusso our Sales and Marketing Manager at TheOnlineCo.
***
Key Moments:
1:11 - New name for the Podcast
6:00 – The 10 second rule
8:06 – Think, Feel, Do test – does your website pass?
22:10 – The clarity test? Do people understand what it is that you do?
***
Learn More:
- Explore all Season 1 and Bonus Episodes of Getting To The Heart of Business https://theonlineco.net/getting-to-the-heart-of-business/
- More about our Digital Marketing Workshops https://theonlineco.net/free-workshops/
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Have you ever thought of SEO as a bit of a mystery? Have you ever wanted to know which SEO tasks you should be doing?
In this episode, we talk about the hugely important and mysterious topic that is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the process of making your website friendly to Google (and other search engines).
As always, you'll hear from James Parnwell Founder and Managing Director of TheOnlineCo. - plus our special guest Rich Brown, Head of SEO here at TheOnlineCo.
SEO is a big topic and with so many tasks to be done, it's hard to know where to start. So together, James and Rich are going to give you a list of seven things you can do today. If you've been doing SEO on your website for a while, this may act as a checklist, however, if you're new to SEO, then these seven items are the perfect place to start.
One of the things we pride ourselves on here at TheOnlineCo., is not using jargon where possible. The problem with SEO is, that's a bit hard, because some things only have a technical name. So in this episode Rich will give a technical answer in as clear English as he possibly can and James will give an analogy of how that works. This way you get two perspectives on the action point and fingers crossed, you'll then be able to anchor both the technical and the real world.
***
Key Moments:
4:18 – Action Item #1: Make your homepage clear as crystal
8:48 – Action Item #2: Optimise the meta titles of your webpage
12:54 – Action Item #3: Make your website load more quickly
17:52 – Action Item #4: See what Google is showing for your website site: ’yourwebsite’
20:45 – Action Item #5: Submit a properly formatted site map to Google
25:07 – Action Item #6: Write an article that answers a customer's question
28:03 – Action Item #7: Keyword is the most important part of SEO but it’s massive
***
Learn More:
Free Google Tools
Check what pages Google is showing for your site: Site:’yourwebsite’
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Ever made a mistake running Google Ads? Wish you knew how to avoid making those mistakes?
We've been running Google Ads for clients for well over a decade now and so it's pretty safe to say we know what makes for a successful campaign. In today's episode, we discuss the top 15 mistakes people usually make when running Google Ads, and how you can avoid making them.
Learn more from Heidi Jones (Google Ads expert and SEM manager at TheOnlineCo.) and James Parnwell (Founder and Managing Director at TheOnlineCo.)
Heidi and James bring their expert gold to the conversation and will help you to define success for your Google Ads campaign by taking you through some of our experiences with Google Ads over the past 12 years.
***
Key Moments
1:55 - Mistake #1: Having all keywords bunched together in the one ad group.
3:45 - Mistake #2: Conversion tracking is not set up or set up incorrectly.
5:58 - Mistake #3: Incorrect match types, everything is broad match.
7:42 - Mistake #4: Having a budget which is too small
9:42 - Mistake #5: Not using negative keywords
11:03 - Mistake #6: Sending people to the wrong page
13:08 - Mistake #7: Using manual bidding strategies
15:48 - Mistake #8: Positioning yourself as position #1
17:56 - Mistake #9: Not using extensions
20:01 - Mistake #10: Incorrect location targeting
21:32 - Mistake #11: Not giving the campaign enough time
24:10 - Mistake #12: Too many optimisations
27:35 - Mistake #13: Assuming the wrong search intent
30:36 - Mistake #14: Focusing on the wrong metrics
32:37 - Mistake #15: Not following up your leads and turning them into sales
33:57 - Bonus - Searching for your own ads
***
Learn More
- More about our Digital Marketing Workshops
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Thursday Oct 14, 2021
Thursday Oct 14, 2021
What’s the fuss about Google Ads?
In true marketing fashion, we did a whole stack of keyword research to answer the internet’s top seven most Googled questions about Google Ads. At TheOnlineCo, we've been running Google Ads for clients for about 12 years now, so it’s safe to say we know all the ins and outs of running a successful campaign. In this episode, we demystify all the things you're wondering about Google ads, including when to use it and when not to use it.
Learn more from Heidi Jones, Google Ads expert and SEM manager at TheOnlineCo, and James Parnwell, Founder and Managing Director of TheOnlineCo. Heidi and James bring their expert gold to the conversation and will help you to define success for your Google Ads campaign, take you through some of our experiences with Google Ads over the past 12 years, as well as unpack the misconceptions around the link between SEO and Google Ads.
And as a bonus, we explain the Google Ad grant program for not-for-profits! Yes, you read that right, there is a specific Google Ads program for not-for-profits.
***
Key Moments
3:52 – Working with Google Ads expert, Heidi Jones
7:04 – Is Google ads, the same as AdWords?
7:45 – Does Google Ads really work? Is Google Ads worth it?
12:20 – Are Google Ads effective?
16:28 – Does Google Ads improve SEO?
19:37 – Is Google Ads for free?
22:50 – Should I use Google Ads?
25:49 – Can I do Google Ads myself?
***
Learn More
- More about our Digital Marketing Workshops
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Sunday Jul 04, 2021
Sunday Jul 04, 2021
When we embarked on launching a podcast, we had no idea just how diverse and fascinating the stories of our interview guests would be – or how much wisdom we would glean from them!
In this episode, the finale for Season 1 of the podcast, James and Jess roundup the 9 biggest lessons they learnt across 22 interviews with Aussie business owners from around the country.
The 9 Big Lessons We Learnt
1 - Formal Education is NOT Linked with Business Success
Our interview guests varied wildly in their levels of formal education – some had a Masters or a PhD; others left school at Year 10. But ALL of them were on a path of lifelong learning.
2 - Everybody Hurts
REM were right when they wrote the famous song – and it’s definitely true for business owners! None of our podcast guests had gotten through business without catastrophes and pain.
3 - Partnerships are Like Marriage
For those we interviewed who are in a business partnership, this was a common theme: that being in a business partnership isn’t easy, and takes a whole lot of trust, co-operation and compromise.
4 - Everybody’s Story is Fascinating
From circus performers to executive coaches; from academics to inventors and self-made entrepreneurs – all of the 22 business stories featured on Season 1 were fascinating in their own way.
5 - Business Owners Often Work Too Hard!
If you found yourself saying “Yes and Amen” to the above statement, you should probably head straight to Episodes 11 and 12 for some advice on burnout prevention! Many of the people we interviewed spoke of the stress and strain of business, and times of exhaustion. That’s why we got a burnout expert in for a double-episode focusing on the importance of taking care of yourself!
6 - Adversity is the Birthplace of Breakthrough
For nearly every story of adversity, there were silver linings, and growth that came after the “storm’’ was over.
7 - Uniqueness is Vital to Successful Marketing
As we interviewed our guests we saw a pattern emerging: businesses tend to do well once they really knew their niche, or their lane, and stick to it!
8 - Business Takes Passion, Courage and A Dream
For every story of adversity in business, there was also a basic foundation of a driving passion and dream, that keeps our interview guests getting up in the morning to take on another day.
9 - Word of Mouth is Marketing 101
Time and time again our interview guests confirmed one of the basics of marketing: if your product or service is good enough to spread through word of mouth, chances are you’re onto a winning formula.
***
Learn More
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
If you’ve ever had that little voice in your head saying, ‘I can’t’, Jodie Bruce-Clarke and Anastasia Adams are here to tell you, ‘You can!’
They’re the two women behind the business ‘Rise Women’ – a confidence coaching agency built around a philosophy that confidence isn’t something you’re born with; it’s something everyone can learn.
In our interview with the pair, you’ll not only gain valuable business insights. You’ll also learn how Anastasia used to struggle with her confidence and self-worth, and how her self-belief has blossomed in the process of building the business…. As well as the childhood experiences that shaped Jodie’s passion for self-improvement; and the life-changing book she wrote, that almost never made it to the bookshop shelves.
With the confidence principles this pair share, by the end of the episode you’ll be ready to take on the world.
Key Moments
03:16– A family crisis opens Jodie up to the world of personal transformation.
05:00 – While working as a life coach, Jodie discovers the untapped market for women's confidence coaching.
06:40 – Jodie and Anastasia meet – and a powerful partnership is formed.
16:37 - Time to publish that book!
22:30 – An unexpected outcome of COVID-19: Rise Women goes global!
26:47 - Plans for the future - more online courses.
34:12 - When their publisher went bankrupt; it was make or break time for Rise Women.
37:31 – It's vital to have confidence in your brand, your voice and your message.
***
Learn More
- More about Rise Women
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Sunday Jun 20, 2021
Sunday Jun 20, 2021
If there was ever a podcast episode that resembled War and Peace, this one has got to be it.
For the ultrasound training company Zedu, there were a few years where it seemed like everything was against them.
They faced detractors in the medical industry; identity theft by a competitor; a business ‘divorce’; the 2019 bushfires; and the impact of COVID. But owners Suean Pascoe and Michael Duncan are not quitters.
All of these trials have helped them to refine their business, and build a vibrant, energetic brand that stands out in the market like a beacon.
***
Key Moments
04:00 – A personal tragedy highlights the vital importance of ultrasound training.
09:50 – Backlash from industry professionals.
10:50 – Identity theft forces a company name change.
20:04 – Family health crisis, cashflow troubles and business ‘divorce’.
24:06 – COVID hits and forces Zedu to be closed for 292 days during lockdown.
26:20 – Zedu goes online: “Trying to pivot education is like trying to turn the Titanic on a dime.”
34:30 – Strength through hardship: “A tough sword has to go through fire – and they’ve put us through fire so look out!”
***
Learn More
- More about Zedu
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Monday Jun 14, 2021
Monday Jun 14, 2021
In the early 2000s, as day spas and health retreats were exploding in popularity, Vanessa Main was at the forefront – living a glamorous yet high-pressured, jet setting life, setting up day spas in hotels around the world.
These days, she’s back on home turf, applying everything she learned in the first half of her career, to educating business owners in the beauty, wellness and day spa industry.
Her business is called LOFT Inc. It stands for Leverage, Optimise, Focus, Thrive; and that’s exactly what she helps business people do. The principles she shares in our interview are rich in wisdom, and applicable to all business owners, regardless of what industry you’re in.
***
Key Moments
05:00 – Vanessa flunks her HSC, discovers her passion for health and wellness.
07:06 – “I slept in my office in Homebush ...I took in a mattress for the Olympics and Paralympics.”
09:37 – Travelling the world, managing day spas takes its toll. Time for sabbatical.
13:56 – LOFT Inc. is born, to support day spa owners around Australia.
15:22 – Leverage, Optimise, Focus, Thrive - breaking down the four ingredients.
24:43 – Learning to focus and productise her business.
36:24 – The importance of self-care.
***
Learn More
- More about LOFT Inc.
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Phil Thompson has had two career paths that couldn’t be more different: Circus Performing, and Financial Planning! He's the owner of a company called Skye Wealth, specialising in life insurance.
You’ll hear why he made such a radical career change; how his first few years in the financial game were spent working very hard, with little reward…. and how a few brave decisions made all the difference!
***
Key Moments
03:20 – After a dramatic career change, Phil saw an opportunity and took the plunge, with help from family.
08:46 – Laser focussed on caring for existing clients
10:32 – 3-years of feeling stuck in a rut.
13:21 – Phil finds his niche.
15:00 – Skye Wealth goes online.
19:37 – Covid hits -- and Phil was in the perfect position.
24:38 - Lessons in hiring.
31:06 – Future plans: the digital nomad life.
***
Learn More
- More about Skye Wealth
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business
Sunday May 30, 2021
Sunday May 30, 2021
When Sally Irwin moved to Berlin with her husband’s diplomacy work, she had no idea how much it would change her life.
There, she came face to face with modern day slavery and the sex trafficking trade, working as a volunteer to help enslaved, abused and traumatised young women.
On her return home, she founded The Freedom Hub – a social enterprise that helps survivors of human trafficking, who find themselves trapped in modern day slavery in Australia. Through a Survivor School, young women are being restored to health and independence.
And through businesses such as cafes, online retail, and event spaces, The Freedom Hub raises its own funds to do it.
***
Key Moments
06:55 – Sally is challenged, early in her career, by the poor integrity often found in big business.
09:40 – Sally comes face to face with modern day slavery for the first time.
10:54 – "I literally watched girls dying... They were selling themselves for 2 Euros.”
12:32 – Once home from Europe, Sally is devastated to learn that modern day slavery exists here in Australia as well.
13:45 - How people become trapped in slavery in Australia; the role of The Freedom Hub.
22:34 – The Freedom Hub is funded through its own business enterprises.
30:41 - The challenges of being a startup.
34:00 - HR for start-ups: it’s important to get right.
40:10 - Practical ways you can make a difference - individually, and as a business.
45:20 – Plans for the future: helping survivors across Australia and internationally.
***
LEARN MORE
- More about The Freedom Hub
- Explore all episodes of Getting to the Heart of Business