How do you make email marketing a relevant part of your marketing mix? We find out from Aweber’s head of overall strategy, Erik Harbison. With 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising behind him, Erik really knows his way around. Although we hear horror stories of open rates down below 10%, Erik shows us what you can do to engage your email lists and achieve open rates of up to 80%.

See some of Erik’s top tips below:

**  Don’t be scared of email marketing. It’s a lot more simple than people think.

**  If you are sending the right email to a targeted segment of your database, you can achieve up to 80% open rates. Segmentation is key!

**  The deliverability of your emails is driven by many different factors. A key factor is the history of engagement on your email lists. Always make sure EVERY email is relevant, or you’ll be marked down.

**  Always think about the end action you want your readers to take once they read your email. Don’t just stop at open rates.

**  Set the expectations of your users from the beginning, i.e. “you’re signing up to a monthly email”

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  Where is email marketing right now?

**  The fear factor of email marketing

**  Open rates

**  Good ‘signals’ and bad

**  When to use a CRM

**  How best to place images in emails

**  How to monetise your subscribers

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Do you have what it takes to be a Business Excelerator at Max My Profit? Find out more here: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

** Go to http://www.aweber.com for a fully functional 30-day free trial

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

Call to action:

As Erik says, “begin with the end in mind”. Each email and each campaign behind it will only work if you focus hard on the end goal.

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000

We were very lucky to be able to pick the brains of a leading inbound-marketing guru in this week’s episode. James Gilbert is the Marketing Director of Hubspot in the Asia/Pacific region, so he certainly knows a thing or two about inbound marketing. He spoke to us about some of the great success stories he’s seen in his time at Hubspot and the tricks of the trade you can use to your advantage.

See some of James’ top tips below:

**  You don’t want to advertise to people who don’t want to see your product. Allocate your resources properly!

**  For any marketing effort, make sure your reporting is accurate. If you can’t measure what works and what doesn’t then you will waste time and money.

**  Don’t be scared to give away your insight with good content. It’s so important to give your audience value with your content in order to build a strong relationship.

**  Tracking your marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of free tools out there.

**  Do not underestimate the power of Facebook messenger. There are many active users but very little competition because most businesses simply aren’t onto it.

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  The inner workings of Hubspot

**  The meaning of inbound marketing

**  How to track phone calls

**  Which types of content work

**  Content clusters explained

**  The power of marketing automation

**  Chatbots and messenger marketing

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Do you have what it takes to be a Business Excelerator at Max My Profit? Find out more here: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**  Marcus Sheridan’s incredible content success story: https://blog.hubspot.com/opinion/uattr/marcus-sheridan-hubspot-inbound-conference-2013-bold-talk

**  Connect with James on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jatgilbert/

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

Call to action:

Give as much value as you can with your content… look what it did for Marcus Sheridan!

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000

In this episode we talk about the all-important concept of looking after number one. Rik Schnabel has been coaching people for 15 years, empowering them to throw away their baggage and achieve their ambitions. Rik has authored four books and is a certified life coach, so he certainly knows what he’s talking about.

See some of Rik’s top tips below:

**  We all need to be better sales people because all of us are basically selling something.

**  Beliefs are your on and your off switch. They can totally define your future.

**  It takes a lot of courage to believe in something that is difficult to prove. But you must keep believing!

**  Reasons get results. When you have a good reason you will do what you can to succeed.

**  Books and videos can help, but coaching is the ultimate for turning yourself around. Even Rik is coached by somebody else.

**  Time and money are basically used as the biggest excuses for not getting more time and more money.

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  Rik’s amazing story

**  How to avoid negative believers

**  How to invest in your why

**  Is it possible to change your mindset on your own?

**  The seven beliefs that hold people back

**  Imposter syndrome

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Do you have what it takes to be a Business Excelerator at Max My Profit? Find out more here: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**  Rik’s website: http://www.lifebeyondlimits.com.au

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

Call to action:

As Rik says, “the best ROi in life will come from training with a coach”. Don’t forget the importance of your own mindset!

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000

We had a really insightful conversation with Lee Martin Seymour about how to define yourself in a crowded marketplace, and how his company X Ref is revolutionising employee references. Martin’s company began as an idea scribbled on the back of a napkin, but now he has a global business that recently raised AUD 20m from a flotation.

See some of Lee’s top tips below:

**  Successful entrepreneurs love risk and have the ability to make a decision. If you’ve got a good idea, make that decision and run with it!

**  People normally complain about a product/process if they know there is an alternative, but often they won’t complain if there is no obvious alternative way of doing things. Just because you can’t see a public demand for something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your idea forwards.

**  When recruiting, make data-driven decisions, not gut-driven decisions.

**  When hiring new employees, ALWAYS do a reference check!

**  When making big business decisions, i.e. listing as a PLC, try and get unbiased advice from people who don’t stand to gain from the ultimate decision.

In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

**  The importance of culture over KPI

**  What questions to ask when taking a reference

**  How to focus on one problem

**  How long a reference should be

**  Listing companies explained

**  The benefits of hands-on company ownership

Resources mentioned in this episode:

**  Do you have what it takes to be a Business Excelerator at Max My Profit? Find out more here: http://www.maxmyprofit.com.au

**  Lee’s company site: http://www.xref.com

**  Lee’s email address: lee@xref.com

**  The Business Brain Food Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

**  All previous BBF episodes & show notes can be found at http://www.businessbrainfood.com.au

**  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

Call to action:

Lee keeps going back to the point of “Culture over KPI”. Creating a happy team is absolutely fundamental to the success of any business.

Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that!

Until next time, have a profitable day!

Cheers,
Ben Fewtrell
(02) 9111 5000