Would ya look at that! We finished out the year inside Copyblogger Pro with a phenomenal presentation from AJ Wilcox on LinkedIn advertising.
AJ gave a great presentation. His lesson was timely, thoughtful, and articulated beautifully. After learning from AJ, I legitimately feel like LinkedIn is a great marketing option for my business.
I hope you get as much out of the lesson as I did.
I'm trying something new this week. Since this is the last issue before the holiday season kicks off, I'm going to get a little crazy and add an image below.
Do me a favor: Hit reply and let me know if you like images or if you prefer a text-only version.
Enjoy this week's newsletter!
1. Email Marketing for Beginners
Noah Kagan has been building online businesses for the better part of a decade. His company, AppSumo is one of the leading software marketplaces on the internet.
If that wasn't enough, he's launched Sumo.com, which is one of the leading marketing software products there is.
What's the secret to all of Noah's success?
Email!
In this video, he helps you break down your strategy to get your first 1,000 subscribers, and then transition into monetizing.
Extra credit: Noah and I recorded a podcast episode together last week. It was the most genuine conversation I've had on my podcast so far. I hope you like it. (Warning: There's some bad language in the episode.)
2. I've Changed My Mind about Gary Vee
Full Disclosure: I've been turned off by Gary Vee's message over the last few years.
At Copyblogger, we have a strong stance on owning your brand and not letting the giant social media companies control your content. (Which is why you should build a website and email list.)
With that said, my friend Danny Miranda recorded an insightful podcast episode with Gary Vee and it brought out a real human and vulnerable side to the legendary entrepreneur.
I sincerely hope you give it a listen.
Also, you can subscribe to Danny's newsletter here. I've been enjoying his work very much.
3. Google Core Algorithm Update Creates a Ruckus
Without warning, Google released a new update to their core algorithm.
It's big news with big consequences.
Traditionally, Google has avoided big updates this time of year because of the potential strain it could put on retailers preparing for the holidays.
Not this year.
Google's update seems to be focusing on two major metrics:
- The true intent of the searcher
- The E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trust) of the person or establishment writing the content
It's becoming more and more difficult to "trick" the search engines. The way to win at Google is to simply build a reputation around the subject you're creating content about.
One of my favorite SEO reporters, Marie Haynes, has written about this extensively. I highly recommend reading her blog post, as well as listening to her weekly podcast about the latest updates to the algos.
In addition, many other publications have written about this update:
- Search Engine Land: Google 2020 December Core Update Is Now Fully Rolled Out
- SEMrush: Analyzing Google's December 2020 Core Update
- Money Lab: Dealing with the Google 2020 Core Update (Video)
It won't happen overnight, but the writers who have the most credibility and write the content that best serves their users will win.
Granted, it's not quite that simple.
However, if you focus on creating brilliantly written content that goes above and beyond to solve a potential reader's problems, you'll win at search and you can leverage that firehose of Google traffic to build an incredible business.
Tim's Take: Focus on What's Right in Front of You
I remember there was a mountain of work ahead of us at the beginning of this year.
We had to build out an entire community and educational platform for Copyblogger, and my agency was expanding to many new verticals of service.
It was extremely overwhelming and I didn't know how I was going to accomplish it all.
As I look back and reflect on the year, it's clear that the trick is to focus on what's right in front of you and then chip away at the work on the page -- one paragraph at a time, one sentence at a time.
When we're at the bottom of the mountain, it's only natural to look up to the top. That's when we feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the monumental task ahead of us.
But when you keep your focus directly in front of you, and take it one step at a time, that's how you climb the mountain while enjoying the journey at the same time.
I hope you're able to take some time over this next week and reflect on your new year. What is your goal, and what are the steps you need to take to get there?
One step at a time. That's how you win.
Tim Stoddart
Copyblogger Media
Check out this week's articles on the blog
P.S. I love hearing from you. Feel free to hit reply and let me know what you think about the newsletter format, or ask a question.
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