5 Year Business Credit & Funding for House Flipping Guide

What is Our 5 Year Business Credit & Funding for House Flipping Guide All About?

It’s about finding business credit—and funding for house flipping. Your business has stages, and they all correspond to types of financing and business credit. We’ll get to those later.

Where Do You See Your House Flipping Business in Five Years or More?

Do you double your revenue? Replace your equipment? Hire people, or more people? Retire and pass your house flipping business along to a family member or sell the company? Something else?

Your House Flipping Business’s Plans and Future

All these scenarios for house flippers will require funding! Even going concerns with stable, steady revenue can experience emergencies, or need to seize a business opportunity quickly and before they have the funds. All businesses can use business credit to achieve their aims – whatever they are. But instead of year by year, let’s go phase by phase since there is some overlap in time. So even if you’ve already been through some phases, checking out the earlier phases could help you see if you missed anything. And if you’re just starting out, checking out the later phases could show you how to start flipping houses with financing in the future so you can be ready.

Phase 1: Setup and Launch

We have liftoff! Setting up a business is a task with a lot of moving parts. It’s a lot more than just saying you’re in business. The way the business is set up can directly affect the ability of your house flipping business to succeed. This first phase covers your first six to twelve months of existence.

Fundability

Fundability is a business’s ability to get funding. A lot of the power to get business money is in the hands of house flippers. A business starts with no credit profile. As a result, what’s on an application is all that’s reviewed for approvals. So your application must be very strong. Nearly half of all companies fail in their first 5 years, and about 2/3 in the first 10. As a result, new businesses don’t seem fundable to lenders. You can change that by building for fundability from the very start and get more funding for house flipping.

Business Name

Check with your Secretary of State –a business name may have to be unique. Make sure your SOS has all the necessary, up to date, and correct information for your company. Make sure that you are in good standing with them and that your entity is active. You will have to file annual reports and pay an annual fee to stay active.

Keep the name of a high-risk or restricted industry out of your business name. Your flipping business can be Amy’s rather than Amy’s Fix and Flip. There is nothing underhanded about this; it is completely legitimate and honest.

A common reason for loan and credit card application denials is the lender can’t easily locate a business offline or online. So make it painfully easy for lenders and credit providers to find your flipping business. Make sure the business name is exactly the same on corporation papers, licenses, utility statements, and bank statements. Also make sure the business name and all other information is the same on every online listing you can find.

Business Address

This must be a real brick and mortar building, a deliverable physical address. This can never be a UPS box or a PO Box. Some lenders will not approve and fund unless this criterion is met. A virtual address can also be a good idea if you need to hold a meeting or an interview, and it’s a lot more professional than doing this at your kitchen table. We like Regus, Davinci, and Alliance Virtual Offices. But keep in mind that we know of at least one credit issuer that will not accept virtual addresses.

Business Entity and EIN

Get a free EIN for your flipping business and choose your business entity at IRS.gov. Use your EIN to open a bank account and to build a business credit profile. To truly separate business credit from personal credit your business must be a separate legal entity, not a sole proprietor or partnership. Only incorporating creates a new and separate entity which by default will reduce your personal liability. Other entities (like partnerships) don’t. File this with the Secretary of State for your state. Make sure to set your entity up in the same state as your business address.

NAICS Codes

The IRS website is also where you choose NAICS codes, which are for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data on the US business economy. Per the NAICS, the 236118 code covers Residential Remodelers. This code also covers general contractors for home improvement.

The good news is, 236118 is not on the NAICS list of high risk and cash-intensive businesses. But that list is from 2014 and does not appear to have to been updated. It makes sense to err on the side of caution. Hence, to be on the safe side, it makes sense to keep the words like ‘flipping’ and ‘fix and flip’ out of the business name, as any industry with a low barrier to entry is bound to have higher risks than the norm.

Business Licenses

Contact State, County, and City Government offices to see if there are any necessary licenses and permits to operate your flipping business. Licensing requirements differ depending on state, town, and industry. Always make sure you have the proper licensing for your corporation. Being fully licensed builds credibility in your house flipping business, and that can help you get more customers.

Business Phone and 411 Listing

It’s quite easy and inexpensive to set up a virtual local phone number or a toll free 800 number. A cell or home phone number as your main business line could get you flagged as un-established – but VOIP is okay. If you don’t want customers calling you all day, do not use a personal cell phone as the business phone number.

It also helps with fundability to have a dedicated business phone number. Your number must have a listing with 411 for most credit issuers and lenders to approve you. Check for your record to see if you’re listed and your information is accurate. No record? Then use ListYourself.net to get a listing.

Web Domain and Professional Website

Lenders and credit providers will research your corporation on the internet. It is best if they learned everything directly from your corporate website. Not having a professional website can hurt your chances of getting corporate credit. Buy web hosting from a hosting company like GoDaddy or HostGator.

Your domain should be your business name, if possible. Add a company email address for your flipping business on the same domain as your website. This often comes with a website domain provider. This is not just professional; it also greatly helps your chances of getting approval from a credit provider. Do not use Yahoo, AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, or similar kinds of email.

Business Bank Account in the House Flipping Business’s Name

You must have a bank account devoted strictly to your flipping business. The IRS does not want you commingling funds. Make accounting easier and reduce the risk of audit at tax time. Keep personal and business funds separate. Having a business-only bank account makes that easy.

Get Set Up With the Business Credit Reporting Agencies

Go to D&B’s website and look for your business. Can’t find it? Then get a free D-U-N-S number on the D&B site. A D-U-N-S number plus 3 payment experiences leads to a PAYDEX score. You need a D-U-N-S number to start building business credit. Once you are in D&B’s system, search Experian and Equifax’s sites for your business.

Business Credit History

Get the most favorable funding by paying all bills on time. This way, you get:

A PAYDEX score of 80
Equifax Credit Risk Score of 90 or better
A good FICO SBSS score, which is driven (in part) by on-time payments and business credit history

For Experian, historical behavior (payment history) is 5-10% of the total score

Business Credit Building from the Ground Up

Start with vendor accounts, a proven way to start building business credit. Vendor credit is generally not attached to a bank. So under federal law a Social Security number is not necessary. When not attached to a bank, there is no Social Security requirement for starter vendor credit. This is unlike bank loans and bank cards. You can legitimately leave the SSN field blank, to force them to pull your business credit under your EIN.

Using Business Credit Vendors

Check out four of our favorite starter vendors for the house flipping industry:

Grainger
Marathon
Uline
Home Depot Pro Institutional

Grainger

They report to D&B. They work with more than 1,300 suppliers. Grainger sells electrical products, fleet maintenance, HVACR, hardware, janitorial, power tools, pumps, and more. If a business doesn’t have an established credit, they will require additional documents. like accounts payable, income statement, balance sheets, etc. There is no minimum order amount necessary to report but Grainger does prefer for a business to have at least a $50 payment history. Apply online or over the phone. Terms: Net 30.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business Bank account
Business registered with the Secretary of State for at least 60 days

Marathon

Marathon Petroleum Company provides transportation fuels, asphalt, and specialty products throughout the United States. Their product line supports commercial, industrial, and retail operations. Marathon is under the Wex umbrella. This card reports to Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. Before applying for multiple accounts with WEX Fleet cards, make sure to have enough time in between applying so they don’t red-flag your account for fraud.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere.
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Good D&B PAYDEX score of 80 or higher

Must also have a good Experian business credit score. Your SSN is necessary for informational purposes. If concerned they will pull your personal credit talk to their credit department before applying. You can provide a $500 deposit instead of using a personal guarantee if you’ve been in business less than a year. Apply online or over the phone. Also, their terms are Net 15.

Uline

Uline is a distributor of shipping, industrial, and packing materials, and industrial and janitorial products. 99.5% of Uline’s orders ship the same day, with no backorders. This card reports to: D&B and Experian.

To qualify, you need the following:

Corporate entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State
An EIN
Company address matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet
Your Flipping business license(s), if necessary
A business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411

Uline prefers that a business has a good credit profile with D&B, but this is not necessary. Your application may get approval for net 30 at the time of order. But upon final review, their credit department may change to a few prepaid orders before granting a net 30. Apply by creating an account first, then place an order and select Net 30 terms. Their credit department will then review the account. Also, their terms are Net 30.

Home Depot Pro Institutional

Home Depot Pro is a single-source supplier for facilities maintenance supplies, including everything from cleaning and janitorial supplies and PPE to plumbing parts and lighting products. If in business for less than 1 year, they require at least 2 prepaid orders using their credit cards over the course of 90 days. Must be an active web customer for 90 days to apply for Net 30. No minimum order necessary.

They will not accept virtual addresses. You should be in business at least 1 year to qualify. Reports to Experian. Also, their terms are Net 30.

To qualify, you need the following:

Your corporate entity must be in good standing with the applicable Secretary of State
An EIN
Company address matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet
Your Flipping business license(s), if necessary
A business bank account
Trade and bank references

Business Credit Building with Credit Cards with a PG

Every step and every credit provider is designed to help your house flipping business. It’s meant to help you qualify for business credit cards that you will actually use. As you continue building, your time in business will help. But to get started, you may need to give a PG. That’s okay; that’s a part of the strategy.

PG (Personal Guarantee) Financing

According to Investopedia, a personal guarantee is:

“an individual’s legal promise to repay credit issued to a business for which they serve as an executive or partner. Providing a personal guarantee means that if the business becomes unable to repay the debt, the individual assumes personal responsibility for the balance. Personal guarantees provide an extra level of protection to credit issuers who want to make sure they will be repaid.”

When you provide a PG, you are adding your Social Security number to the application. You should expect a hard inquiry. You’re also adding the details of your personal income to the application.

Good Personal Credit and Funding for House Flipping

If you already have good personal credit, then you’re all set. But if not, you can work with a credit partner or guarantor. And never stop working to improve your personal credit, no matter what shape it’s in.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: Our Credit Line Hybrid

A credit line hybrid is a form of unsecured funding. Our credit line hybrid has an even better interest rate than a secured loan. Get some of the highest loan amounts and credit lines for businesses. Get 0% business credit cards with stated income. These report to business CRAs so you can build business credit at the same time. This will get you access to even more cash with no PG. You need a FICO credit score of at least 680 or a guarantor with good credit to get an approval. No financials necessary.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: 401(k) Financing

This is not a loan, and you will not have to pay an early withdrawal fee or a tax penalty. You put the money back by contributing, just like with any 401(k) program so you won’t lose your retirement funds. The IRS calls this a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS), which is a separate entity with its own set of requirements. The plan, through its company stock investments, rather than the individual owns the trade or business.

This financing isn’t a loan against, your 401(k), so there’s no interest to pay and does not use the 401(k) or stocks as collateral. Instead, this is simply a movement or change of custodian. our 401(k) must have more than $35,000 in it and cannot be from a business where you are currently employed. You can get 401(k) financing even with severely challenged personal credit.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: Stocks Financing

Some lenders will make loans using securities as collateral. Securities-based lending provides ready access to capital. The only restrictions to this kind of lending are other securities-based transactions, like buying shares or repaying a margin loan. You continue to earn interest on stocks pledged as collateral. But you will have challenged personal credit.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: Sell Part of Your Flipping Business’s Equity

Your fix and flip business and its potential are assets. Talk to people you know about angel investing. Angels buy a smallish stake in your company. They usually don’t expect as big a return as venture capitalists do. VCs might also buy a stake, but they generally just want paradigm-changing businesses. Most house flipping companies won’t fill the bill unless your take on the industry is utterly unique. Another way to sell a part of your equity is to take on another founder or partner.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding success has no guarantees. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter will take a percentage of any money you raise. But it can still be a way to get a cash infusion without having to give up equity. If you’re particularly good online and have a compelling service and story, then you’re more likely to succeed than most people. And it can be a way to start flipping houses with no money.

Phase 1 Funding for House Flipping Option: Grants

Grants can come from the government or private businesses. Expect a lot of competition, difficult entry requirements, and not a lot of money. But it’s another way to get some cash without having to sell a chunk of your flipping business. You may find there are few grants for the flipping industry, but you may be able to score grants based on the kind of entrepreneur you are, e. g. female, disabled, LGBTQ+, etc. Also check under terms like gentrification and rehabilitation.

Phase 1 Goals for Credit and Funding for House Flipping

Right now, you have minimal Growth Monthly Revenue (GMR). This is a fast paced growth house flipping business plan, throw it against the wall and take what you can get right now. Look at some short sighted daily and weekly goals for quick cash and growth. During this phase, your focus is on the bare essentials to create a viable business. Your goal is to build your consistent revenue to $10,000 per month and continue to work to improve your personal credit.

Phase 2 Development: $1,000 to $10,000 GMR

In Phase 2, start developing marketing Now you’re at an aggressive sales pace adding nurture and longer sales cycles. Use medium term monthly growth planning (campaign to campaign). It’s time for software implementation and system development. You’re building the blocks of how your flipping business is going to be, now and in the future. This phase should run somewhere between the first six to 24 months from launch.

Phase 2 Credit Options

Your credit options will increase once you get to Phase 2, including:

Business credit cards (No PG)
Advanced vendors
Vehicle financing
Tier 2 business credit
Cash flow management with providers like Brex and Divvy

Business Credit Cards With No Personal Guarantee

As you continue to build exceptional business credit and pay your bills on time, credit providers trust you even more. You can get higher limits and better terms. And you can start to get business credit cards with no PG.

No PG Financing

With no PG financing, you can get higher limits and better terms. Continue building exceptional business credit and pay your bills on time. In general, the following will reduce the need to provide a PG for this type of house flipping financing:

Good business credit
A decent amount of time in business or
Good personal credit

Much like with any other kind of business borrowing, the more assurances you can give the lender, the better.

Advanced Vendors

There are many vendors who do not report to the business credit reporting agencies unless you default. But they’re still a good idea, because credit can help you beyond business credit building. Not having to put up 100% of the costs of equipment or a building or anything else can help with budgeting. Credit can sometimes be the only way to take advantage of a limited time opportunity if you don’t have the money right now. And if your business credit cards offer rewards, cash back, or points, then using them is to your advantage.

Vehicle Financing for Funding for House Flipping

Vehicle financing is a great way to get a pickup truck or other business vehicle without having to wait until you can just pay cash and drive it off the lot. Note: it may be necessary for business owners to personally guarantee vehicle loans. If you are a co-borrower, the loan will most likely report to your personal credit report. Some loans have a prepayment penalty and charge you for paying ahead. It is a good idea to have a loan proposal. A loan proposal should detail your flipping business, loan needs, and financial statements. Here are a couple of vehicle financing choices from us.

Ford Commercial Vehicle Financing Through Credit Suite

Ford offers several commercial vehicle financing options. These include loans, lines, and leases to actual business entities. This is not for sole proprietorships. Get a loan or a lease.

Ford may ask for a PG if you don’t get approval on the merit of your application. Apply at the dealership. Ford will report to D&B, Experian, and Equifax.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Strong business credit history
At least 1 year in business
Must have a good Experian business credit score, good Equifax business credit score, and PAYDEX of 80+

Ally Car Financing Through Credit Suite

Ally provides personal financing. But they will also report to business credit bureaus. If your flipping business qualifies for financing without the owner’s guarantee, you can get financing in the business name only. Ally will report to D&B, Experian, and Equifax.

Ally Commercial Line of Credit

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Bank reference
Fleet financing references
Good PAYDEX of 80+

If you provide a PG, Ally will not report to the personal credit bureaus unless the account defaults.

Ally Commercial Vehicle Financing

Get a lease or a loan. To qualify, you need most of the same things as you need for an Ally Commercial Line of Credit, except for a bank reference and fleet financing references. There is no minimum time in business requirement. Apply in person only, dealer will advise if you’ll get approval or if a PG is necessary.

Tier 2 Business Credit

With at least 3 Tier 1 vendors reporting, Tier 2 starts to open up. Here are five of our favorite Tier 2 vendors to help you with your house flipping business:

Quill
United Rentals
Home Depot
Northern Tool
Amazon

Quill

Quill sells office supplies, cleaning supplies, handheld computers, and more. If not given a Net 30 they will ask for prepaid orders of $100. Normally any prepaid order will not report but you need them to get a Net 30 account. Net 30 accounts require a $50 purchase to report. Sometimes an order is shipped, and the customer thinks they have approval, but this may not be the case.

New businesses or businesses with no credit history with D&B may need to prepay purchases for 3 consecutive months until Net 30 approval. It can take Quill’s credit department approximately 3 hours to process an application. Reports to D&B. Also, their terms are Net 30. Apply over the phone.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
At least 3 trade or credit references
PAYDEX of 80+
At least 3-5 trade accounts reporting on D&B credit report
At least 6 months in business

United Rentals

United is the largest equipment rental company in the world. Reports to Equifax. Apply online or at a local store. Also, their terms are Net 30 or Net 45.

No minimum time in business is necessary. No minimum purchase to report. Need an established business credit history (good Equifax business credit score) to have the option to apply without a PG. If Equifax business score is low, a PG is necessary.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account

Home Depot

Home Depot offers a wide range of home improvement products. They offer both a pay in full and a revolving option. Reports to D&B, Experian, and Equifax. Apply online or at the store. Terms: Commercial Account (Pay In Full Terms) -Net 30 or Net 60; Commercial Revolving Charge Account -Revolving.

To qualify for either option, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Must have a good Experian business credit score and PAYDEX score of 80 or higher

Additional Terms Specific to Each Option

For pay in full terms, you also need:

They like to see at least 2 accounts reporting, but will look at the merit of your overall application
At least 3 years in the business
You can request Net 60 after account is established. If not enough business credit history or you have been in business for less than 3 years, a PG is necessary

For revolving terms, you also need:

No minimum time in business is necessary
But a PG is necessary

Northern Tool

Offers a wide selection of products—from consumer goods to industrial and construction equipment—to do-it-yourselfers, contractors, and professional shops. Reports to D&B and Experian. Apply online or at a branch. Also, their terms are Net 30.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Bank references
Trade/credit references
PAYDEX score of 80 or higher and good business Experian credit score
At least 3 years in business
If you don’t get approval based on business credit history or in business for less than 3 years, they may ask for a PG.

Amazon

You can get nearly anything at Amazon—including materials to stage finished homes for sale. Reports to D&B and Equifax. Apply online. Also, their terms are Net 55.

No minimum time in business if strong business credit history. You should have at least 2 years in business. Amazon will pull business credit reports to make sure there is some established business credit history. Must have a good PAYDEX score of 80 or higher and a good Equifax business credit score. If a company has been in business for more than 2 years but does not have an established business credit history, a PG is recommended but not necessary. It may increase the likelihood of approval and is recommended if you have a young or small business, and not enough business credit history.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address- matching everywhere
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if necessary
And a business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411

Cash Flow Management

Managing small business finances can be overwhelming. There are several tools that can help streamline the process. Options like Brex, Divvy, Expensify, Lola, and more are growing in popularity. Which one is right for your fix and flip business?

Brex and Divvy

Brex and Divvy are business money management systems that integrate with your accounting software. You can track expenses and, depending on the level of service you choose, can also help with paying bills and controlling spending. Also, Brex has a partnership with the FDIC and your funds are secure.

Virtually everyone that opens a Brex cash account gets a corporate card. Brex reports any payments to Dun & Bradstreet. Divvy reports to the Small Business Finance Exchange, which in turn provides data to all SBFE partners, including business credit bureaus.

Phase 2 Options for Funding for House Flipping

In Phase 2, your funding options also multiply, to add:

Merchant cash advances
Revenue lending
Lines of credit (Fundbox)
Equipment financing/leasing
Invoice factoring

Merchant Cash Advances

MCAs technically aren’t fix and flip loans; it’s a cash advance based on the credit card sales of a business. A small business can apply for an MCA, and have an advance deposited into its account quickly. So you can offer Net 30 terms but not have to wait a month to get paid. With an MCA you get funding based strictly on cash flow as verifiable per business bank statements. A lender mainly just wants to see consistent deposits.

Business Revenue Lending for Funding for House Flipping

You can technically qualify with only one year in business, but the annual revenue requirement is high enough that phase 2 may make more sense. You can raise capital from investors who get a percentage of the enterprise’s ongoing gross revenues in exchange for money invested until a predetermined amount is paid. Often this predetermined amount is between 3 – 5 times the original amount invested. Monthly payments will fluctuate with revenue highs and lows and will continue until you’ve paid back the loan to flip a house in full.

Fundbox

Fundbox will connect directly to your online accounting software when deciding whether to fund your flipping business. They will auto debit your weekly payment from your bank account. But Fundbox does not report to the business credit reporting agencies.

You need to have:

Accounting software you have used for at least 2 months with at least 6 invoices
A business checking account
Active business checking account for 3+ months with 30+ transactions
Annual Revenue of $100,000 or more
A FICO score of 600 and up with Experian

Equipment Financing

Use a loan or lease to purchase or borrow hard assets for your flipping business. Physical assets can include items such as a pickup truck or a laptop. Pay predictable amounts every month. You can build business credit on a program like this.

Equipment Leasing

Or lease equipment, rather than buy it outright. You will often put down less money than you would if you were buying the equipment. You may be able to negotiate flexible terms with an equipment lease, and it’s easy to upgrade equipment after your lease ends. This is helpful if your equipment is something like a computer which quickly becomes obsolete.

Equipment Sale-Leaseback

If you already own your equipment free and clear you can use that as collateral for financing. Sell equipment to a lender for cash. Then lease it back from them. You can unlock Section 179 tax savings, and depreciate your entire equipment purchase in the first year. You’ll need at least one larger piece of higher value equipment to qualify. A pickup truck should do nicely.

Invoice Factoring

If you have open invoices and are extending credit to customers in some form, then you can get paid faster with factoring. Usually this involves invoices with net terms, like net 30, 60, or 90. To be paid faster, you turn those invoices over to a factoring company. They immediately give you an agreed upon percentage of the total of the invoices, like 80%. When your customer pays, the factoring company keeps their fee, and they send you the rest. But keep in mind – factoring only works if your customers pay.

Phase 2 Goals for Credit and Funding

Strong business credit (10 to 12 Accounts). Good personal credit will always help. Build consistent revenue to $10,000 or more a month. Always develop business connections in your community and with potential lenders.

Phase 3: Growth: $10,000 to $2 Million GMR

Successful growth…it’s working! It’s time to start optimizing systems and operations. So, you’ll be undergoing massive team and infrastructure development, and long term growth and planning for semi-annual to annual focus lifetime customer value. You’ll need to make some high level strategic hires (Managers, VP’s, Essential C levels). This phase will happen at about 24 months or more from launch.

Phase 3 Credit Options

Your Phase 3 credit options put your Phase 1 and Phase 2 options on steroids, with:

Team access to vendors and cards
Continue to buy pickup trucks and other vehicles with vehicle financing
Vendor Portfolio Growth

Phase 3 Options for Funding for House Flipping

Phase 3 opens your funding options up to:

All Alternative options available
SBA Loans
Bank Loans
Tier 3 and Tier 4 Business Credit

Alternative Options

Alternative lending can mean online lending. For certain industries, online lending is one of the only ways to get money. Before you dip into your savings, investigate house flipping business lending. Because lenders that specialize in the fix and flip industry lending are out there.

SBA Loans

More time in business will make SBA loans a real possibility for your flipping business. It’ll be easier to get an SBA loan in Phase 3 versus earlier. This is because you can more readily show your fix and flip business is established and making money. Demonstrated profitability and responsible credit and bank account management will improve your chances of getting an approval for an SBA loan. SBA loans have great terms. There’s a reason why you should be striving to be eligible for one.

Bank Loans for Funding for House Flipping

Banks are often the first place we think of when we think of financing. But big banks only sign off on about 25% of the small business loan applications that come their way. Term loans often have lower interest rates than many other funding options. Also, they also tend to be for higher loan amounts. But you will most likely have to undergo a personal credit check and/or provide collateral.

Phase 3 Goals for Credit and Funding for House Flipping

In Phase 3, your mission is to take your flipping business to the next financial level, so your goals are:

Profitability (to calculate loans for flipping houses)
Maintaining good personal and business credit
Build up to $2,000,000 in annual gross revenue
Maximizing leverage of cash flow with vendors and business credit

Grow Your Vendor Portfolio with Tier 3 Business Credit

Buy everything from office supplies to power tools. Vendors will check whether your business information is uniform everywhere. They will also check if your flipping business is properly and thoroughly licensed (if necessary). Also, terms can be revolving. You will need at least 6 (more is always better) accounts reporting to the business CRAs.

Here are two Tier 3 vendors we love:

TSC Tractor Supply
Kleer Card

You will generally need some time in business before you can get approval.

TSC Tractor Supply

Buy tools and hardware, home goods, and more. Reports to D&B and Equifax. Apply online or at the store. Also, their terms are revolving.

You must have trade accounts reporting to all 3 major business credit bureaus for at least 3 years. Must have a good Experian business score and a good PAYDEX score of 80 or higher. Also, you must have a good Equifax business credit score. If any above criteria is not met, a PG may be necessary. Providing a guarantee may increase the likelihood of approval and is recommended if you have a young or small business.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business Bank account
At least 3 years in business

Kleer Card

Kleer Card helps with expense tracking, controls and issuing of credit cards all on one platform. Get accounting solutions for your flipping business. No PG necessary. Reports to D&B, Experian, and Equifax. Apply online or over the phone. Also, their terms are Net 7.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
Business credit history
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business Bank account
Bank references
Average bank balance of at least $15,000

Grow Your Vendor Portfolio with Tier 4 Business Credit

To get to Tier 4 means you have at least 9 accounts reporting. Terms can be revolving. To ensure that your vendor’s report your payments, make a purchase of $50 or more. Also, there may be a minimal time in business requirement.

Here are 3 Tier 4 vendors we love:

Sam’s Club
Sutherlands
Menards

Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club offers office supplies, business furniture, janitorial/cleaning supplies, paper products, computers, and more. Reports to D&B, Experian, and Equifax. Apply at the store. Also, terms are revolving.

To get approval without a PG, it helps to have $5 million in annual sales or revenues and/or at least 2 years in business, and/or more than 10 employees. A PG is necessary if your company is a sole proprietorship or partnership. Cash advance available with business credit card approval, amount of cash advance depends upon approval amount.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business Bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Must have club membership
Must have a good PAYDEX score of 80 or higher

Sutherlands

The Sutherland Lumber Company specializes in complete building packages, including storage sheds, garages, post frame buildings and pole barns, and entire houses. You have the option to apply with business liability only, Sutherlands will advise if you get approval, or a PG is necessary. Also, if you don’t get approval based on business credit history, a PG is necessary. Reports to D&B. Apply online or at the store. Also, their terms are revolving.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Good PAYDEX of 80+

Menards

Menards offers a complete selection of name brand merchandise, tools, materials and supplies for all home improvement needs. Their Commercial Credit card has no annual fee and its own line of credit. You will need strong business credit history with good PAYDEX score of 80 or higher and a good Experian business credit score. You must have at least 3 years in business. If your business is a nonprofit corporation, corporation or LLC, a PG is necessary if the business is less than 3 years old. Reports to D&B and Experian. Apply online or at the store. Also, their terms are Net 30 or Net 50.

To qualify, you need:

Entity in good standing with Secretary of State
EIN number with IRS
Business address (matching everywhere)
D-U-N-S number
Flipping business license(s), if applicable
Business Bank account
Business phone number with a listing in 411
Trade/credit references

Phase 4: Maturity: $2M to 5M+ Annual Income

Consistent growth is key. You’re aiming for long term consistent and stable growth and moving toward market domination (Competitor Buyouts and Acquisitions). Product development and expansion becomes critical for longevity. Now it’s time for the big hire. You’re going to fill out C Level, Directors, and middle management. Yes, your flipping business can become this big! This phase will happen at around four to five years from launch.

Phase 4 Credit Options

By Phase 4, the sky is pretty much the limit! You should be able to get:

Most major credit cards with no PG
All vendors should be accessible

And you should be able to leverage reports for specific vendors. This also includes asking for a credit line.

Phase 4 Options for Funding for House Flipping

In addition to everything we’ve already talked about, your house flipping business can potentially take full advantage of private equity and/or investors. You might even sell shares in your corporation or go public!

Phase 4 Goals for Credit and Funding for House Flipping

Now you’re playing the long game. Your mission is to look to the future and help your flipping business for decades to come. Therefore, you need to balance your costs vs your cash flow vs your business’s profit. And you need to leverage funding for expansions and buyouts. Also, you should be maximizing leverage of cash flow with vendors and business credit.

Phase 5: Exit

By this time, your business should be very well established. At this phase, you want to cash in on all the work you have invested. This is where the funding and credit has the long game return. A Business Credit Portfolio is transferable and increases the value of your fix and flip business.

Your proven track record with merchant cash advances or revenue lending pays off big time, since it can keep business cash flow moving through the ups and downs. Having a proven track record with the SBA, and a profitable banking relationship, will improve the value of your flipping business as well. People want to buy something they can lend against if they need to.

Phase 5 Options for Funding for House Flipping

Selling can mean you’re retiring, or maybe you’re exchanging one form of entrepreneurship for another and want to change industries yet remain an entrepreneur. In Phase 5, you can:

Self-fund the sale in structured buy outs
Go to the SBA for acquisition money

In essence, you should be prepared to sign for your own buyout. A profitable, seasoned flipping business can be an exceptionally valuable legacy.

Your 5 Year Business Credit and Funding for House Flipping Guide: Takeaways

Your financing and credit options will change, from your startup to your exit. It may be tricky to navigate the nuances. Let us work with you–we’ve got the design!

The post 5 Year Business Credit & Funding for House Flipping Guide appeared first on Credit Suite.

The FTC to Dun & Bradstreet—Stop Deceiving Businesses About CreditBuilder Services and Pricing

CreditBuilder Issues Finally Resolved

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently settled a case against Dun & Bradstreet, the business credit bureau. The case was about its CreditBuilder product.

To settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices, D&B agreed to an order. This order required major changes in its operations. The idea is to benefit small- and mid-sized businesses. Under the proposed order, D&B (the Respondent) will also refund some businesses that bought the company’s products. Businesses bought these products, believing they would improve business credit scores and ratings.

The initial complaint goes back to at least 2019 and refers to D&B business practices from 2015 and later. In this case, the FTC is the complainant and D&B is the respondent.

The Facts of the Case

Per the complaint (paragraph 2):

From at least May 2015, D&B sold and distributed products to small and mid-sized business consumers. These included products D&B claims will help a business monitor, manage, and build its business credit report. D&B claims the products offer an easy way to provide positive payment history. This is history otherwise unreported by D&B. The aim is to improve the business’s credit report.

But in fact, D&B rejects most of the submissions. Thousands of businesses that have paid for these products cannot get even a single payment experience added to their reports.

D&B’s Claims About its CreditBuilder Line of Products

The complaint (paragraph 16) also said:

Respondent has routinely deceptively claimed that if an affected business would simply purchase a CreditBuilder Line product and provide information to Respondent, Respondent would verify that information and add it to the credit report. For example, in pitching … (these) … products, Respondent’s telemarketers have made specific deceptive claims including, “we will contact those companies that you add … [and] verify that payment history going back a full 12 months,” and “[i]t’s a really easy process[,] I just need a little bit of information from you and we basically take over the rest from there.”

Pricing

CreditBuilder and related products were already expensive to begin with. They cost almost $900/year. And in 2018, after selling ever more expensive products, D&B came out with Credit Essentials Plus (after releasing CreditBuilder Plus and other products). It had a price tag of almost $2,500. But in 2013, CreditBuilder cost $948.

Hence, in five years, the price of the information and features in this product rose by over 163%. In contrast, the actual inflation rate for this five-year span was less than 3%.

Selling a CreditBuilder Account as a Way to Add Trade References

Many times, telemarketers for D&B told business owners that using CreditBuilder would be a fast and easy way to add trade references. But such was not the case.

In paragraph 51, the complaint says that often and for various reasons, D&B rejected trade references added by CreditBuilder Line customers. And they didn’t include this information on their credit report.

Issues

D&B employees convinced business owners to sign up for expensive services. And then they never bothered to do what they promised to do, anyway.

Hence, beyond the issue of hard selling services which entrepreneurs didn’t need, there’s also an issue of breaking their promises. D&B was paid for services it didn’t render. And this doesn’t even get into what looks an awful lot like price gouging.

Furthermore, entrepreneurs had to spend considerable time and money correcting several errors on D&B’s part.

And finally, these issues may even date back at least to 2013.

Arguments

There don’t appear to have been too many arguments by Dun & Bradstreet in favor of its practices. The Federal Trade Commission makes arguments like the issues listed above.

Holding and Rationale

The matter was settled, and Dun & Bradstreet agreed to:

Change operational practices to help businesses correct their reports. This includes deleting or reinvestigating disputed data within certain time periods. Plus, a way to receive free results of revised data.
Clearly disclose its limited involvement in adding to a customer’s history of payment information. And disclose its rates of accepting customers’ requests to add payment information.
Provide disclosures for automatic renewals. And do so without placing a customer’s subscription level to a more expensive one not ordered; and
Give customers refunds or allow them to cancel a current subscription.

By the looks of the above proposed order, D&B conceded on pretty much everything.

What This CreditBuilder Case Means for You, the Small Business Owner

Per the FTC, business owners should review credit card statements often and with care. And consider any and all subscriptions on a regular basis. If the subscription isn’t needed, then get rid of it. The same goes for subscriptions you were signed up for without your knowledge and consent. If you have no idea what a subscription is for, or how it got on your bill, don’t hesitate to ditch it.

At Credit Suite, we help you monitor your business credit reports. This could help you spot charges you don’t recognize. But any way you monitor, we encourage you to review all statements, bills, and reports. Do so before anything like this has the potential to happen again.

And finally, we still believe trade references are an excellent addition to any business credit report. We hope Dun & Bradstreet will improve its means of adding trade references. Small business owners should be able to reap the benefits of such added data on their business credit reports.

The post The FTC to Dun & Bradstreet—Stop Deceiving Businesses About CreditBuilder Services and Pricing appeared first on Credit Suite.

Overcome The Unique Challenges of Financing New Businesses & Startups with These 5 Financing Options

New businesses and startups face plenty of unique challenges when it comes to financing options. For example, lack of business credit history, no or low business credit score, and not being set up properly can all lead to reliance on personal financial resources.

There are financing options that can work despite these challenges however. We have a list of both general and specific resources to ensure you can get the funds you need to start and grow your business.

5 Financing Options to Overcome the Unique Challenges New Businesses and Startups Face

There are a number of possibilities here. Which one will work best for your business depends on your individual circumstances and situation.

#1 Traditional Loans

Of all the financing options most consider when it comes to new businesses and startups, traditional loans are the most common. They can take many forms.

Choices include:

SBA loans
Collateral loans
And loans that require a personal guarantee

Traditional term business loans require a good personal credit score. This is regardless of whether you have business credit history, or even a business credit score at all.

If you have either collateral, a good personal credit score, or both, term loans may be the first and best option for you when it comes to new business funding. That is, unless you want to avoid using your personal credit or collateral. If that is the case, there is another choice which in some instances may be better.

#2 Retirement Plan Financing

Retirement plan financing is not a loan from your retirement plan. As a result, you will not have to pay an early withdrawal fee. You will not have to pay a tax penalty. There will not even be any interest.

The type of financing we are referring to here is a Rollover for Working Capital program. The IRS calls this type of program a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS).

According to the IRS, a ROBS qualified plan is a separate entity, with its own set of requirements. The plan, through its stock investments, owns the business, not an individual.

#3 Alternative Lenders

If a traditional loan option is not going to work, and you do not have a qualifying retirement plan, it may be time to consider alternative lenders. They often have less stringent requirements than banks and credit unions.

Here are some options to consider.

BlueVine

BlueVine offers both invoice factoring and lines of credit.

For invoice factoring:

Your business must have been in operation for at least 3+ months
You need to have a personal credit score of 530 or more
Your business must generate at least $10,000 in monthly revenue

For the BlueVine line of credit:

Your business must have been in operation for at least six months
Be a corporation or LLC
Have a personal credit score of 600+ or more
And your business must generate at least $10,000 each month in revenue

Due to regulations, they cannot provide lines of credit to the following states: Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Vermont.

OnDeck

OnDeck requires a personal credit score of 600 or more to qualify for funding. Also, you must be in business at least one year and have an annual revenue of at least $100,000. They report to the standard business credit bureaus, and they also cannot lend to businesses in Nevada, North Dakota, or South Dakota.

Fundbox

Fundbox requires a minimum time in business of 6 months. In addition, your accounting or invoice software must be compatible and must be in use for at least 3 months. Your credit score must be 600 or above, and you need at least $100,000 in annual revenue.

Other Options

While most alternative lenders, including these, have less stringent credit requirements, many do require a minimum time in business and minimum revenue. If you do not meet these requirements, there are other financing options available.

#4 Credit Line Hybrid

A credit line hybrid is a form of unsecured funding. Our credit line hybrid has an even better interest rate than a secured loan. Not only that, but you can get some of the highest loan amounts and credit lines for businesses, and sometimes with 0% interest!

This is a credit card stacking program, and many of these cards report to business CRAs. That means you can build business credit at the same time. This will get you access to even more cash with no personal guarantee.

You or a guarantor need a FICO of at least 680 to qualify. No financials are required, and you can often get a loan of up to $150,000. Be aware, some cards may report on your personal credit.

#5 Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding sites allow you to tell thousands of micro investors about your business. Anyone who wants to donate, or invest, can do so. They may give $50, they may give $150, or they may give over $500. In contrast, it might just be $5.

Most entrepreneurs offer rewards to investors for their generosity. Usually, this comes in the form of the product the business will be selling. Different levels of giving result in different rewards. For example, a $50 gift may get you product A, and a $150 gift will get you an upgraded version of product A.

Keep in mind that a crowdfunding campaign can easily become another full-time job, and that there are no guarantees of success. We suggest only considering crowdfunding if you realistically believe your chances of succeeding are over 50%.

There are a lot of crowdfunding platforms out there. Here are a few to consider.

Kickstarter

This is the largest crowdfunding platform, and they require a prototype. Projects cannot be for charity, although nonprofits can use Kickstarter. Equity cannot be offered as an incentive.

Taboo projects and perks include anything to do with:

Contests and raffles
Cures and medicines
Credit services
Live animals
Alcohol
Weapons

There is a 5% fee on all funds which creators collect.

Indiegogo

The minimum goal amount for an Indiegogo campaign is $500. There is a 5% platform fee and 3% + 30¢ third-party credit card fee. Fees are deducted from the amount raised, not the goal you set. So, if you raise more than your goal, you will pay more in fees.

A flexible funding option allows campaigns to keep any money they receive even if they do not reach their goal. This is notably different from some other platforms.

RocketHub

RocketHub is specifically for entrepreneurs who want venture capital. The platform is exclusively for business owners working on projects in these categories:

Art
Business
Science
Social

If you reach your fundraising goal, there will be a 4% fee, and there is a separate 4% credit card handling fee. If you do not reach your goal, the fee increases to 8% plus the credit card handling fee.

Financing Options Are Available for New Businesses & Startups

While it is much harder for new businesses and startups to get funding, there are options out there. Remember, the best way to ensure you have access to the financing options you need in the future is to build a fundable business. That starts now. Contact us today for a free consultation on how to do it.

The post Overcome The Unique Challenges of Financing New Businesses & Startups with These 5 Financing Options appeared first on Credit Suite.

OneSignal (YC S11) Is Hiring Engineers in California, Texas, New York, & London

Article URL: http://onesignal.com/careers

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29338897

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

What Is Dynamic Keyword Insertion: What It Is & How to Use It

Paid ad costs are rising. In highly competitive industries, you can expect to pay $50 or more per click. As a result, many businesses are looking to lower paid ad costs by increasing ad relevance.

Dynamic keyword insertion is an ideal strategy to improve relevancy and lower paid ad costs. When used correctly, it can help deliver highly relevant ads with little extra work.

If you aren’t sure what dynamic keyword insertion is or how to make the most of it, you are in the right place.

Today, we’ll cover everything you need to know about dynamic keyword insertion, including what platforms offer it, how it works, and best practices to make the most of them.

What Is Dynamic Keyword Insertion?

Dynamic keyword insertion is a paid ad feature that uses machine learning or AI to customize online ads to match users’ search queries.

For example, if you create an ad for a shoe store, you could use dynamic keyword insertion to add “women’s running shoe” or “red women’s running shoe” to display ads that use the exact same words the user searched.

Using the same terms users type into a search engine assures users you have exactly the product they are looking for.

Here’s how Google text ads using dynamic keyword insertion might look:

example of how dynamic keyword insertions works in Google ads

Dynamic ads can change nearly every aspect of your ads, including the main keyword, images, CTA button, and even the landing page users are sent to.

Several ad platforms offer dynamic keyword insertions, including Google Ads and Facebook.

Why Should You Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion? Pros and Cons

Figuring out how to set up PPC ad campaigns is hard enough. Should you worry about dynamic keyword insertion? There are definite pros and cons to this strategy. Here’s what you need to know.

The benefits of dynamic keyword insertion include:

Increase ad relevance: Matching your ads to searchers’ queries makes your ad more relevant to users.
Dynamic ads stand out: Google bolds dynamically inserted terms, making them more visible to users and may increase the click-through rate.
Improve your quality score: Dynamic ads are more relevant, which can increase their quality score and help you reach more users.
Effective for retargeting: Retargeting users with the exact item they already looked at can be highly effective for recovering lost shopping carts and building brand trust.
Less to manage: Dynamic ads allow you to target several related keywords with one ad. While it may take slightly longer to set up, you’ll have fewer ads to manage overall.

Dynamic ads are easier to manage, more relevant, and can improve click-through rates. Sounds great, right? There are a few cons you should be aware of before diving in.

The cons of dynamic keyword insertion include:

Longer keywords might not display correctly: Long-tail keywords can indicate buyer intent, but they may not display correctly in dynamic ads. In this example, the ad displays “chocolate” because the target keyword is too long to fit in the ad.
Can create awkward ads if you aren’t careful: Ads are generated automatically based on a list of keywords you create. If you don’t make sure all the terms match every version of your ad, it could create awkward wording, such as “Great prices on Couch!” (This, of course, can be prevented by being careful with your keyword list.)
Possible trademark issues: If you bid on competitors’ brand name or trademarked products, your ads could be pulled for trademark infringements.

Dynamic Keyword Insertion Best Practices & Tips for Marketers

Dynamic keyword insertion is an ideal strategy to stand out in a competitive PPC environment. By matching users’ search queries, your business can lower your cost per click, improve your quality score, and deliver highly targeted ads.

However, the process might seem complicated, especially if you are newer to the world of PPC. Here are four best practices to help you create effective dynamic ads.

1. Don’t Use Broad Match Keywords

Dynamic ads are used to create highly relevant ads, so using broad keywords isn’t effective.

For example, if you want to create an ad for a broad term like “body wash,” there’s no point in using a dynamic ad. On the other hand, if you want to target a precise term like “orange scented body wash for sensitive skin,” dynamic ads are a great choice.

There are two reasons for this: using broad keywords can create awkward ads, and it can also cause your ads to show up for terms that just aren’t relevant.

Instead, reserve dynamic keyword insertion for longer, precise keywords. Here are a few examples of keywords that would be a good fit for dynamic ads:

women’s red rain boots
black Oakley Holbrook
certified organic face wash

These are very precise terms that indicate buyer intent, making them ideal for dynamic keyword insertion.

2. Make Sure Asset Options Make Sense Together

Dynamic ads allow you to create multiple versions of an ad, but they don’t just plug different keywords into the exact same ad. Instead, you can upload multiple assets for each part of your ad.

For example, Facebook allows you to add multiple text, headlines, images, link descriptions, and CTA options.

facebook example dynamic keyword insertion

Options are great, but they can also cause issues.

Take a look at the ad example above. Let’s say the business decided to target Swiss chocolate, chocolate-covered cherries, and taffy in the same ad and uploaded a picture of each. Their chocolate-covered cherry image could end up displayed next to text promoting their Swiss chocolate.

Poorly designed dynamic ads can create awkward (and even funny) ads, but they also reduce trust in your brand and decrease conversions.

Ensure all assets make sense together, no matter which headline, image, or CTA is displayed.

You’ll also want to check grammar. For example, say you create an ad with the headline “Stop by to check out our top….” If your keyword list includes the term “Couch,” you could end up with an ad that reads, “Stop by to check out our top Couch.” Pay special attention to plural and singular words.

3. A/B Test Ads for Maximum CTR

Dynamic ads allow you to create multiple versions of the same ad, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore A/B testing. In fact, dynamic ads enable you to test even more options.

For example, you could test:

headlines
link descriptions
CTA buttons
text
images
keywords

To test dynamic ads, create multiple versions of the same ads targeting the same keywords, then change one element.

For example, you could create two versions of an ad targeting running shoes and use multiple images in one ad, and a single image with text overlay in the other. Run the ads for at least two weeks and see which version drives the most clicks and conversions.

This guide to A/B testing will help you get started.

4. Keep Ad Groups Tightly Targeted

Dynamic keyword insertions are designed to create highly relevant ads, so make sure each ad group is closely related. For example, you might create an ad for different colors of the same product, but you wouldn’t use different products in the same dynamic ad group.

A restaurant might use “bacon burger,” “double cheeseburger,” and “bleu cheeseburger” in the same ad group, but they wouldn’t want to use “bacon cheeseburger,” “wings,” and “onion rings” in the same ad group.

Instead, make sure each ad group targets one group of closely related products or services.

How Do I Create a Dynamic Inserted Keyword?

Several paid ad platforms offer dynamic keyword insertion, including Google and Facebook. While the exact process can vary by platform, this guide will help you get started no matter where you create your ads.

Create a list of target keywords for your dynamic ad group

Perform keyword research to see what terms users search in your industry. Make sure the terms are specific and related. For example, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, sausage pizza. Avoid short and broad keywords.
Set a goal for your ad

What do you want your ad to do? For example, you might want to increase app downloads, drive sales, or generate leads. Facebook and Google Ads both offer different ad formats based on your goal. Facebook ad goals include catalog sales, app installs, lead generation, conversions, traffic, and messages.
Choose assets (and make sure they match!)

Dynamic ads don’t just plug in a different keyword to the exact same ad. You can also upload several images, videos, headlines, CTAs, and landing pages. Select several versions of each asset, but make sure each version can work in every configuration.

Create different ads for plural and singular search terms, so your ads are grammatically correct. Also, make sure that your ad text and headlines are within the character limit for the platform.

Launch your ads and track the results

Once your ads are created and you’ve made sure all configurations make sense, it is time to launch your ad. Track KPIs that matter to your brand, such as click-through rates or conversions. Keep an eye on quality scores as well. A low-quality score can raise your CTR.

Dynamic Keyword Insertion Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Dynamic Keyword Insertion Work?

KI works by using machine learning or AI to insert terms that match users’ search queries to deliver more relevant ads. This allows businesses to deliver highly relevant ads without spending hours creating different ads for each possible search query.

Should I Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion?

If you are using paid ads, absolutely. They are relatively easy to set up and can increase click-through rates and conversions.

What Are Dynamic Ads?

Dynamic ads are ads that change based on the users’ search queries. For example, a user searching for Nike shoes will see an ad for a Nike shoe, while a user searching Adidas will see an ad for Adidas. You might think they are different ads, but they might be the same dynamic ad that automatically replaces the text and image to match your search.

What's the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Ads?

Static ads stay the same no matter what search the user types in. Dynamic ads change to match searchers’ queries. They may change their ad copy, image, or even the landing page.

When Should You Not Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion?

Do not use dynamic keyword insertion for broad match keywords or unrelated search terms. Broad match terms (like shoes or couches) and unrelated search terms (think wings and burgers in the same ad) can create awkward ads and lack the relevancy that is important for dynamic ad success.

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How Does Dynamic Keyword Insertion Work?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Should I Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

If you are using paid ads, absolutely. They are relatively easy to set up and can increase click-through rates and conversions.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What Are Dynamic Ads?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What's the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Ads?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

Static ads stay the same no matter what search the user types in. Dynamic ads change to match searchers’ queries. They may change their ad copy, image, or even the landing page.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “When Should You Not Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

”
}
}
]
}

Dynamic Keyword Insertion: Conclusion

Are you struggling to create successful paid ads? Dynamic keyword insertion might be the silver bullet you’ve been looking for. By matching ads to searchers’ queries, you can create highly relevant ads that cost less and are more likely to drive clicks.

Several ad platforms offer dynamic ads, including Google Ads and Facebook. If you have trouble getting your ads set up, our team would be happy to help.

Are you considering dynamic keyword insertion in your paid ads? What challenges are you facing?

How to Make Money on Instagram With & Without Followers

There’s no hiding it, Instagram is one of my favorite social media channels. Not only is it a great way to share your life with friends and family and promote your business, but it’s also a great way to make a lot of money.

Best of all, you don’t need a big following and there are several different ways to earn an income. In this article, I’m going to show you how to make money on Instagram using seven of my favorite strategies:

Get paid for sponsored posts.
Promote affiliate links.
Start an Instagram shop.
Make money from your content.
Become an Instagram coach.
Advertise your brand.
Get paid for teaching your audience.

Ready? Let’s get to it.

Why Should You Try to Make Money on Instagram?

Instagram remains one of the most popular social media apps.

In fact, it was one of the top five downloaded apps in the App Store and Google Play in 2020. As of January 2021, it was second only to TikTok in download count. The platform’s active user numbers are equally impressive. At the end of 2020, Instagram surpassed one billion global users.

If the sustained growth of Instagram wasn’t enough to convince you that it’s a great platform to make money on, maybe the comments of Mark Zuckerberg may help. At the company’s first Creator Week in June 2021, he said of Instagram: “Our goal is to be the best platform for creators like you to make a living,”

Why Should You Try to Make Money on Instagram

That’s exactly what’s transpired.

Instagram accounts with over one million followers can make in excess of $1000 per post, according to influence.co.

That’s not all.

You don’t need to be a mega-celebrity to make money on Instagram. Plenty of micro-influencers with followers in the thousands make a decent income through our 7 strategies.

What You Need to Make Money on Instagram

There are three things you need to make money on Instagram: reach, influence, and engaged followers.

Reach and Influence

The only reason businesses pay money to Instagram users is the exposure to the audiences they receive in return. They hope to make money from those followers. For it to be worth their time, these brands are only interested in influencers with large audiences. The bigger the audience, the more money they can make.

If you only have a few hundred Instagram followers to begin with then your potential audience size is low. With such a small sample space, your content won’t get seen by lots of people, let alone drive sales to your or a brand’s products.

To get started, you’ll definitely need at least a few thousand followers to be able to make money.

Engaged Followers

Sure, more followers will boost your ego. Mathematically, it increases your probability to appear in more Instagram feeds. However, a high follower count doesn’t necessarily mean high engagement, and shadow-banning on Instagram can leave you with little to no reach.

If everyone is cold to your posts, they probably won’t be inclined to buy anything you promote.

So on your Instagram account, if you rarely get people commenting, liking, sharing, and following you, then it doesn’t matter how big your following is, you probably won’t make much money.

On the other hand, even if you only have 1,000 followers and they are actively engaging with your posts, the potential to make money is there. Brands are willing to invest in you because of the profitable actions you’ll drive through your account.

7 Ways to Make Money on Instagram

Okay, so now you know why I think Instagram is a great platform to make money on and what you need to make serious bank. Now let’s look at my favorite ways of doing just that.

1. Become an Influencer and Get Paid to Advertise Products

I’ll preface this first strategy by stating that this is the easily most common tactic to earn money on Instagram.

Again, it isn’t viable for people with a few hundred followers. You need a minimum following of about 5,000 followers and a high engagement rate.

People with this reach can earn up to six figures per post.

All you have to do is post pictures around your interests that show your personality, helping you build up a glamorous personal brand.

Sure, you can follow a planned marketing strategy, but Instagram followers love when you are being true to your authentic self. As you share pictures and build your influence organically, relevant brands are likely to approach you rather than the other way round.

Once you satisfy these criteria, here’s a simplistic version of how making money works:

you create a sponsored Instagram post (it could be a photo or video)
you include a branded hashtag, mention, or link to promote a brand
you share it with your audience
you get paid

There is one warning going into this though: don’t pursue sponsored posts simply to make money without believing in the brand you’re promoting. Taking too many of such posts will also burn your audience’s interest and lead to loss of trust in your brand. For example, if you’ve built a following based on visiting fast food restaurants and writing greasy food reviews—suddenly partnering with a weight-loss brand could damage your reputation.

Simple enough to remember, right?

Let’s look at a few people who do this well in real life.

Adam Gonon is a fashion and lifestyle influencer from New York. With a touch over 50,000 followers, he certainly doesn’t have the biggest audience in the world, but that doesn’t stop him from creating sponsored content every few days.

Make money on Instagram like Amanda Holtzer

You don’t have to promote fashion or other lifestyle products to get paid for sponsored posts. Amanda Holtzer is a health, diet, and nutrition influencer who works with brands like Costco and Juice Press to create sponsored content.

2. Promote Affiliate Offers

Promoting affiliate offers is not dissimilar to getting paid for sponsored posts. The difference is that you only get paid if people buy the product or service you’re promoting rather than receive payment for your post.

This can be both positive and negative, depending on your audience. While sponsored posts have guaranteed income, you could make a lot more by promoting the right affiliate offer. On the other hand, you could also make a lot less.

Being an affiliate on Instagram is a lot harder than running affiliate ads on your website. Not only do you require a launch audience, but Instagram doesn’t allow clickable links anywhere except your bio. The only way to promote an offer and make sure you receive the affiliate income you’re due is by using promo codes. These are trackable and can be added to your post or story easily. Of course, you’ll still need your followers to visit the affiliate website on their own.

3. Start an Instagram Shop

With an Instagram Shop, you can integrate your e-commerce store with your Instagram profile. This is the only way you can promote your products directly to Instagram followers through your posts, Stories, the Explore tab, and the Shop tab on your profile.

There used to be a lot of friction for e-commerce store owners who wanted to sell through Instagram, but not anymore. Instagram Shopping completely removes friction, letting customers easily check out products in the app and then head to your store at the click of a button.

Let’s say you’re a clothing store and you want to promote an outfit. Simply upload a picture of your model wearing your outfit, and Instagram will let you tag up to five products per post (you can tag up to 20 products per carousel.) You can also promote products in stories and videos, too.

I would like to show you one specific Instagram page that’s completely killing it.

It’s called Doug the Pug. As the name implies, it’s all about the life of one of the Internet’s coolest and cuddliest pugs, Doug.

This page chronicles Doug’s life and takes followers along on his adventures. As of August 2021, Doug the Pug had 3.9 million followers. Doug has his own book entitled Doug the Pug: King of Pop Culture (which is pretty impressive considering that he can’t actually write.) He even does appearances all around the country.

In other words, Doug’s owner has created a massive brand.

Guess what? The popularity they’ve generated is centered around their Instagram page. With 3.9 million followers, you can bet that they’re driving plenty of high-quality traffic to the store and consequently getting paid handsomely for it.

This is a brilliant example of how Instagram can be used to build a brand from scratch. Doug the Pug is a template you could use to launch your own brand and sell from your online store.

Just use your creativity and come up with an interesting angle that will get people excited and eager to invest in your brand.

There’s no doubt that there is a significant time investment involved, but it can pay dividends if you’re able to establish a large and loyal audience. The best part is all of the different ways you can monetize your brand later on.

How to make money on Instagram like Doug the Pug

4. Make Money From Your Content

Just like YouTube, you can monetize your content directly on Instagram. Try one of the three ways below.

IGTV Ads

IGTV ads are a great way to monetize your Instagram content. In March 2021, Instagram made ads available to creators in the U.S., the UK, and Australia. They appear when you watch IGTV from a creator’s feed.

Instagram’s COO, Justin Osofsky, says creators receive 55 percent of the advertising revenue generated through IGTV. That’s the same rate as YouTube making it a great alternative.

Live Badges

If you broadcast live on Instagram, Badges are a fantastic way for your followers to show their support. Think of them as tips your audience can give you when you broadcast. Your viewers can buy a badge during a broadcast, selecting from three levels of hearts that each have a different price point (one for $0.99, two for $1.99, or 3 for $4.99.)

Badges have gone down well with creators. Fitness influencer @charleeatkins said: “Badges in Instagram couldn’t have come at a better time for fitness creators like me. It’s an easy way to channel the love we already see in our Live feeds so we can continue building and creating for our fans.”

How to make money on like Instagram Fitness

Patreon and Only Fans

You don’t have to rely on Instagram’s in-platform features to pay your bills. Third-party sites like Patreon and Only Fans are another great way to make money from your content. In both cases, you’ll want to give away a ton of free value on Instagram before encouraging your audience to follow you on one of the two platforms for exclusive content.

5. Become an Instagram Coach or Consultant

If you are killing it on Instagram and have a massive, engaged following, why not make money by teaching others to do the same thing?

People want to know how to build a following on Instagram and monetize it—it’s why I’m writing this article, after all. If you know how to do it, and have done so yourself, you can make a lot of money.

Take a look at Foundr as an example.

Right now, they have built a massive audience to the tune of 3.3 million on Instagram. And since it’s their strong suit, Foundr founder Nathan now sells his Instagram marketing expertise in an online course called Instagram Domination at a whopping price of $1,997.

How to make money on Instagram - Foundr example

Given that businesses that are passionate about Instagram marketing follow them, Foundr has a great pool of potential qualified buyers in their audience with them on Instagram. Many of these prospects are likely to buy their course.

The best news? Anyone can do this if they have a big enough following.

Travel bloggers, food bloggers, marketing consultants—if people are active in your niche and are trying to grow a following doing what you do, launching a course could be highly profitable.

6. Indirectly Make Money by Advertising Your Brand

You don’t have to have a business that’s directly tied to Instagram in order to use the platform to generate sales. Thousands of canny entrepreneurs have leveraged their Instagram following to make money through a separate business. It really doesn’t matter what kind of business you operate; Instagram is a great way to get the word out and generate traffic and sales.

Instagram is particularly powerful if you have a physical product that you can show people using. Service-based businesses like travel agents also work incredibly well.

Hashtags will be particularly important here if you want to increase the reach of your Instagram account. The more followers you have, the more people will see your posts and consider using your business in the future.

My article on boosting Instagram followers will be a big help in this regard.

7. Teach Your Audience and Get Paid

Promoting other people’s products via affiliate links or selling physical products through an online store are both great options to make money on Instagram. What if I revealed there was a way to earn more money than affiliate marketing without having to handle physical inventory?

There is, and it’s called selling info products.

Info products have become a bit of a dirty term, but you don’t need to sell dating advice or weird diets to make money on Instagram this way. If your Instagram account teaches your audience how to do something—whether that’s learning a foreign language, practicing yoga, or woodworking—you can create a premium info product that you can sell for upwards of $100.

There are hundreds of Instagrammers doing this right now.

One doing particularly well is Minimalist Baker, a food blogger who creates recipes with ten ingredients or less and sells a course on Food photography. As you can see, you don’t even need to sell something directly related to your niche. Minimalist Baker isn’t selling a cooking series or a recipe book—she’s teaching Instagrammers how to take pictures as well as she does—and raking in the cash.

Ways to Make Money on Instagram - Teach Your Audience and Get Paid

Making Money on Instagram Frequently Asked Questions

How easy is it to make money on Instagram?

It’s never easy to make money online, but making money on Instagram is easier than a lot of other methods.

2. What's the best way to make money on Instagram?

The best way to make money on Instagram will depend on you and your following. Getting paid for sponsored posts, starting an Instagram shop, or getting paid to create content through IGTV ads are all great options.

How much do Instagram influencers get paid?

Instagram influencers can get paid north of six figures for every sponsored post. The larger and more engaged your following, the higher the fee you can command.

4. How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?

You need at least a couple of thousand followers to make money on Instagram. The more engaged your followers are, the less you will need, however.

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How easy is it to make money on Instagram?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

It’s never easy to make money online, but making money on Instagram is easier than a lot of other methods.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “2. What's the best way to make money on Instagram?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How much do Instagram influencers get paid?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

Instagram influencers can get paid north of six figures for every sponsored post. The larger and more engaged your following, the higher the fee you can command.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “4. How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

You need at least a couple of thousand followers to make money on Instagram. The more engaged your followers are, the less you will need, however.

”
}
}
]
}

How to Make Money on Instagram Conclusion

Instagram has been one of the most popular social media platforms for some time, and it’s continuing to launch new and engaging features. In other words, it’s well worth investing your time to make money on the platform.

If you can build an audience and establish trust, there are loads of ways to make money on Instagram. With so many potential business opportunities, anyone can earn money from Instagram.

Yes, even you.

Which tactic are you going to use to make money on Instagram?

How to Go Viral & the Science of Virality – Marketing Lessons from Internet Cats & Memes

We marketers would like to believe we dominate the web, but we secretly admit to ourselves that cats and memes are the true rulers. It can be frustrating to pour hours of work and money into content, only to watch the next Evil Kermit or Sponge Bob meme pull more traffic. Is there a way … Continue reading How to Go Viral & the Science of Virality – Marketing Lessons from Internet Cats & Memes

How to Go Viral & the Science of Virality – Marketing Lessons from Internet Cats & Memes

As it happens, a cottage industry is popping up. Specialists like Matthew Inman and Jack O’Brien are approaching viral content and how to go viral as a product in and of itself. Meanwhile, researchers like Jonah Berger are studying the science of virality and uncovering what makes memes tick. Leveraged properly, this knowledge can propel you to “the front page” of the web.

But beware. Make a wrong move and you could become the web’s next sacrificial lamb.

Meet Jonah Berger, Viral Scientist

Image by The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania

Professor Jonah Berger researches marketing at the University of Pennsylvania. But he’s not studying the science of advertising or market research. He’s asking a more modern question: “What makes ideas viral and products spread contagiously?”

Even New York Times writers assumed that, of course, the answer would be “to write anything about sex,” or “to title articles ‘How Your Pet’s Diet Threatens Your Marriage,’ and ‘Why It’s Bush’s Fault.’”

But when Jonah Berger and his colleagues analyzed New York Times articles sent via email for three months, they uncovered some unexpected results. While these three traits of viral content shouldn’t be all that shocking:

surprising
interesting
intense

The next two discoveries might be a bit more eye-catching:

positive
actionable (practically useful)

Remember, this was an analysis of a news website, where the headlines are all doom and gloom and the stories are about other people, not us. While the intensity of emotions had a lot to do with whether the content was going to get shared, the most shareable content elicited strong positive emotions, like awe, and offered practical advice.

In fact, the power of awe was so overwhelming that one type of article outperformed all the others, to everybody’s amazement: science articles.

As Berger told the New York Times:

We anticipated that people would share articles with practical information about health or gadgets, and they did, but they also sent articles about paleontology and cosmology. You’d see articles shooting up the list that were about the optics of deer vision.

While stories that evoked intense feelings of anger or anxiety were more likely to be shared, stories that evoked feelings of sadness were not.

But the power of awe was one of the most measurable differences between viral content and non-viral content. Awe was distinct from surprise in the sense that “it involves the opening and broadening of the mind.” And it beat equivalent levels of anger and anxiety every time.

Jonah Berger isn’t the only one to suggest this. Will Natha is a former developer at BuzzFeed. Will Nathan didn’t perform any kind of study, but at WMILESN, he shared his sudden insight that viral content “represent[s] or uncover[s] something pleasurable that we could never have conceived with our own minds.”

But what is perhaps most interesting about all of this is that the most emailed articles actually tended to be longer than average. Berger was careful to caution that this could have been because the topics were more engaging in the first place, but it certainly flies in the face of the “everything above the fold” mentality prominent on the web.

How to Go Viral According to Matthew Inman, Creator of The Oatmeal

In 2009, Matthew Inman created a webcomic called The Oatmeal. By 2010, the comic was receiving four million unique visitors each month. In 2012, the site netted him $500,000. But the comic, quiz, and story site wasn’t how Inman got his start. Inman learned how to attract attention online a few years earlier, when he launched a dating site called Mingle2.

Inman’s dating site grew from zero to 2 million page views in 6 months. His secret? Viral marketing.

The site was instantly scooped up by a competitor, but he continued to market the site for them. In the first year, it was bringing in 40 million page views each month, with over a million registered users. How did he do it? With quizzes like this:

Inman’s quirky quizzes were designed to appeal to social news sites like Digg (now replaced by the larger descendent: Reddit). They spread like wildfire, and with badges that linked back to his dating site, they also skyrocketed it to the top of Google.

Inman’s linking tactics were eventually seen as underhanded by Google, and many of the sites he did work for were penalized. Inman doesn’t recommend using this spammy tactic, but the implications are clear. Viral content, executed properly, can build massive exposure.

The Oatmeal is evidence of this. The site uses none of Inman’s underhanded link-building tactics, relying instead on its ability to continue replicating through emails and social networks. What was the secret to his content’s success? Inman has called it “basically just comedy 101.” His slide show for Gnomedex explained:

– Find a common gripe

– Pick things everyone [your target influencers, anyway] can relate to

– Create easily digestible content

lots of visuals
not too text heavy
top 10 lists
read crappy magazines (How to get six pack abs by exercising only 5 seconds a day!)

– Create an infographic

– Talk about memes and current events

– Incite an emotion

But, in my opinion, the real gem of the presentation was this:

Which results in things like this:

This formula may sound like it’s reserved for the comedians of the internet, but consider the work of New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell, the influential writer behind Blink and The Tipping Point. While Gladwell doesn’t abstain from humor, his articles are far more serious. But they often point out bizarre connections between subjects we might think of as unrelated. His article “Offensive Play: How different are dogfighting and football?” and his wildly popular TED video “Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce” have a similar ring to them.

Inman’s tactics seem more akin to what we think of as viral. In contrast with Jonah Berger’s research results, he emphasizes short content, audience rapport, and visuals. But we can’t ignore the elements of surprise and positive emotion (humor). Inman’s work sometimes even goes so far as to elicit interest, discuss science, go on at length, and maybe even inspire awe.

So are we kidding ourselves and insulting the intelligence of our audience when we assume things need to be short and simple?

How to Go Viral According to Jack O’Brien’s, Founder of Cracked

Many people are aware of Cracked, which used to be one of the most popular humor sites on the web. What many people may not realize is that Cracked’s articles are, for the most part, and for lack of a better phrase to describe them, “guest posts.”

The site, which ranks in the top 1 percent of traffic on the web (according to Alexa), is built around a simple idea. Get enough people suggesting topic ideas, and some of them will be interesting. Weed out the chaff, put it into a list format, cite your sources, and make it hilarious.

Why the list format? According to Jack, “When a piece of content gets shared on a social media site, or forwarded in an email, the title is usually the only thing the reader has to go on when deciding whether or not to click. The lists say ‘here is what you’re going to get, and here’s how many of them you’ll be getting.’”

In line with Jonah Berger’s research, Cracked articles can actually be quite informative. Consider 6 Ridiculous Myths About the Middle Ages Everyone Believes. From this piece we learn that:

Scientific progress wasn’t dead.
They were perhaps too into bathing.
Knights were so out of control even the Church had trouble controlling them.
Prostitution was legal.
When it came to household duties, men and women were equals by default.
People who lived through birth could be expected to reach the age of 50 rather easily.

The post is about 2,500 words long, which is fairly typical for the site.

It has been viewed about 1.5 million times, and it’s been liked on Facebook about 17.8 thousand times.

Here again, we see the same properties. Humor. Surprise. Mind-expansion. Interest.

You might think a site like Cracked would have fairly loose guidelines, asking for little more than “make sure it’s funny.” But their Writer’s Workshop actually has very rigorous guidelines; guidelines that have made the site one of the most successful on the web. Some of the takeaways include:

Keep the structure simple, like “What You Think You Know” “But Actually.”
Read the article out loud.
Read your sources and don’t say something that they didn’t say.
Use trustworthy sources, not personal blogs, Yahoo Answers, or Wikipedia for anything but general knowledge.
The editors will likely update the article to make it funnier and easier to read.
Mine the sources for the most incredible information and ditch everything else.
Spell check.
Aim for 2000 to 3000 words.
Start the intro with a joke or something clever. Don’t waste time introducing the subject.
Keep biases out.
Don’t be time sensitive.
Don’t use other people’s jokes.

Notice that Cracked starts with things like interest and authoritative sources before emphasizing humor. Humor is merely a spice to dress an already interesting concept and make it even more shareable. Once again, we’re seeing the theme of awe. Start with a concept that will blow people’s minds, then find a way to make it even more interesting.

We’re seeing definite themes here. Viral content isn’t always short, it’s often actually very informative, and in many ways it’s not what we expect it to be. So, what about the memes? The amateur cat photos, the badly drawn recycled comics, the completely ridiculous videos? The things on the web like…

How to Go Viral According to Eric Nakagawa, Creator of I Can Has Cheezburger?

In 2007, a software developer named Eric Nakagawa posted a photo of a fat cat he found on the internet to his site. He attached a caption: “I can has cheezburger?” It was meant as a joke, and he went on to post similar cat photos with captions over the following weeks. As soon as he transformed the site into a blog, allowing people to leave comments, the site went viral.

how to go viral - i can has cheezburger meme

He started in January. In March, he saw 375,000 hits. By May, the figure was 1.5 million. Investors acquired the site for $2 million in 2007. The site is now a component of the Cheezburger Network, which also includes the wildly popular FAIL Blog (which popularized FAIL as an exclamation) and Know Your Meme.

Cheezburger’s success was as much a surprise to Nakagawa as it would be to anybody. The cause of the success apparently remains a mystery to him, but he has argued that the reason for its sustained success was community building. Readers rate and comment on posts, as well as create them through a user interface that allows people to make their own memes.

What was the cause of Cheezburger’s success? A hint at the answer comes from the underground internet forum 4chan, a place where the “I can has cheezburger” baby/internet-speak clearly drew its inspiration.

According to a study by Christian Bauckhage of the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems, this probably isn’t uncommon. After analyzing the history of 150 internet memes, collecting data from Google Insights, Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon, he concluded that internet memes spread through homogeneous online communities and social networks, not the internet at large.

It’s worth pointing out that what we tend to consider “social networks” don’t necessarily play a big part in the creation of memes. Memes become popular on sites like 4chan, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Imgur, and of course, YouTube.

All of these sites share a common theme: they are more or less anonymous for the majority of the users.

And this, perhaps, is a crucial part of what makes memes tick. They don’t start out on Facebook, where they would quickly spread through a tight-knit group of friends and then die. They start in online communities, where they are shared with large anonymous groups of people who share a common “internet culture.”

How to Go Viral According to Limor Shifman

But this isn’t all that makes a meme. According to a study of YouTube videos by Limor Shifman, memes often have:

a focus on ordinary people
flawed masculinity
humor
simplicity
repetitiveness
“whimsical” content

Shifman argues that these traits make memes seem “incomplete,” which, paradoxically, demands further dialogue and mimicking. Like this:

Original Video

Mimic

Memes are viral, but aren’t quite the same as “viral content.” A piece of viral content is shared. A meme is mimicked, emulated, and reproduced. Memes are a source of creative outlet for online communities, and their message and content can’t be controlled.

Resolving the Relevancy Paradox

It’s impossible to use a meme to target consumers because consumers control the message of a meme. And how relevant can viral content be if it needs to fit the restrictions of being hilarious, surprising, and awe-inspiring? Is it possible to resolve virality and relevancy, or are the two forever at odds?

We’ll get to that, but first we need to ask a controversial question.

Is Targeting Overrated?

The answer to this question depends on who you ask, how you define targeting, and the product you’re selling. Here, when I’m talking about targeted content, I’m talking about sales messages intended for people already interested in buying a product like yours. Here are some cases where targeting can be especially important:

Consumers don’t think they need the product until, suddenly, they do, and they make a purchase very soon after this realization.
Consumers need to buy the product only once, and retention is unimportant.

Without a doubt, targeting should play a part in any marketing effort. But there are reasons why less targeted efforts can sometimes be more fruitful:

The audience is larger, so you can reach the people who don’t know they need the product yet.
To the majority of people, highly targeted content is spam. While you should build a sales page around targeted content, building a brand around it is a mistake that will make most of your potential customers unreachable.
Audience retention is virtually impossible with targeted content. Most people will not subscribe to a blog about a specific kind of product, even if the product is exceptional. Very few people are that obsessed.

So perhaps it’s okay to broaden things out a bit and appeal to a wider audience. If pure content sites like Gawker, Mashable, and The Wall Street Journal can earn a profit with advertisements, surely your business can earn a profit by selling products that you own.

When you’re on a tight budget, it makes sense to spend a small amount on a very targeted campaign, as opposed to a lot more on a mass-media campaign. The great thing about viral content, though, is that it can reach a wide audience with the same investment as a targeted audience, if it’s done right.

But surely there’s something to be said for relevancy. There’s no point in attracting an audience of followers who would never have any interest in your products or in chasing virality without any branding considerations.

How to Go Viral: Creativity Meets Relevancy

To produce relevant content that has any chance of going viral, you’ll need to get creative. Remember, viral content tends to be:

Surprising
Interesting
Intense (ideally awe-inspiring)
Positive
Actionable

How can we address all of these and stay within the bounds of what could reasonably be called relevant? Let’s go down the list, shall we?

How to Go Viral: Surprise

Remember the Oatmeal noun formula? Suppose your topic of interest was shoes. What might we come up with if we combined it with some random nouns?

What role did shoes play in the invention of the fire hydrant?
15 reasons shoes are better than peanut butter
What would happen if jackrabbits wore shoes?

These ideas probably won’t lead to anything substantial, but tossing two or more ideas together and seeing what comes out is a tremendous creative exercise. In fact, according to some definitions, that is precisely the definition of the creative spark: finding concrete connections between seemingly disconnected ideas.

Obviously, if you know of anything about your own topic that would surprise people, you must share it. But if you want to be surprising on a consistent basis, you’ll need to distance yourself from your own subject of expertise every now and then. Seek knowledge from other disciplines, and think about how it might relate. Mix and match. That is where surprise comes from.

You probably don’t need to hear this, but you can go overboard with this. Mix and match excessively, and your content will come across with all the quality of a Mad Libs exercise. The ideas above may be funny, but you’ll be appreciated more if you find concrete connections between the unexpected.

How to Go Viral: Interest

What makes a subject interesting? It’s harder to answer that question than to answer a similar and more actionable one. How can you make a subject interesting? And the answer to that question is simple: ask interesting questions about it.

You can start with the five “W”s (and “How?”):

Who chooses to wear what kinds of shoes?
What can we learn about a person from the kind of shoes they wear?
When did humans decide that they needed to start wearing shoes?
Where do shoes come from? Where do they go when we throw them out?
Why does our brand of shoe say more about us than our brand of t-shirt?
How do shoe designers come up with their design ideas?

And we can make things more interesting by matching these up a bit:

Who cares about shoes so much that they buy dozens of pairs? What compels them to do so? When did this start, or has it been happening since the dawn of time? Where do they get the money to afford them? Why is this obsession a problem, or is it? How can somebody curb their shoe buying behavior?

Interesting questions may also be a bit controversial:

Can you guess a man’s performance in bed by his shoe size?
Does a bad pair of shoes say anything about you as a person?
Is an obsession with shoes superficial?
Is it really possible for shoes to “look gay?”

Rely on this too much, and you’ll be seen as a shock doctor, alienated from most of your target audience (though quite possibly loved by a small and rabid fan base). But avoiding controversial questions altogether will probably make you uninteresting.

I also think it’s important to mention that, while I’m going out of my way to demonstrate that it’s possible to make a subject like “shoes” interesting, I strongly believe that you should expand the topic of your content into broader categories like “fashion,” “sports,” “skateboarding,” or other topics that your target audience is likely to care about.

How to Go Viral: Intensity and Positivity

Viral content elicits emotion. The more intense that emotion, the more viral it is. If the emotion is positive, even better. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can give posts an emotional spin:

Tell Stories

Transforming a post idea into a story idea is a great way to “emotionalize” your content. Stories are about people who face problems, struggle with them intelligently, and overcome them (or fail tragically). If your post doesn’t have a human element, personify your subject. Write about an organization or a subject as though it were a human. This isn’t always possible, but you’d be surprised how often it is.

Write in the Active Voice

Write your sentences about the nouns that are taking action, not the nouns that are being affected by actions. “James pounded out the website in less than a day,” is more engaging than “the website was pounded out by James in less than a day.” Content excites people when you write it this way.

Be Funny

Explaining humor in a single bullet point is next to impossible, but it’s closely related to surprise. Humor is often a form of surprise that occurs when you make nonsensical connections, which is one reason why the “Oatmeal noun formula” works so well. Furthermore, if somebody says something familiar to you in a surprising way, there’s a good chance you’ll laugh. Exaggerated content has a way of doing this as well. Finally, offensive or uncomfortable content can also be hilarious, but things can go south fast.

Get Outraged

Find a creative way to articulate something that angers you and your target audience. Combine this with humor for added effect.

Fear

Write about an imminent threat or tell a scary story. Don’t go overboard with this. Fear has a way of turning into sadness, which isn’t associated with viral activity. Besides, fear is all over the news and people are increasingly desensitized to it.

Build Suspense

This is closely related to fear, but I’m separating it for a reason. I love what Lee Child has written on the subject. Asking how to build suspense isn’t like asking how to bake a cake, it’s like asking how to make your family hungry. You delay gratification. You ask a question, build a mystery, and then solve it.

You do this with the structure of your entire layout, the structure of each section, and to some extent, the structure of each paragraph. (Less helpful for guides, obviously. At the same time, since guides are built to answer a question, suspense is almost built-in, to some extent). In short, suspense is much better than outright fear, because it keeps people reading to the end.

Be Cute

There’s a reason the internet loves cats, and this is a huge part of it. What’s better than a cute picture? A cute story.

Be Awe-Inspiring

As we’ve said, awe appears to be the most viral emotion out there, at least according to New York Times sharing behavior. When a piece of content blows your mind and changes your perspective, you almost have to share the experience.

How can you inspire awe? With a mixture of intense research and an open mind. You need to approach your subject from as many perspectives as possible and pull in insights from other fields in order to stumble upon that sudden burst of insight that can genuinely be called awe. Seek out new paradigms, and explain your topic in a way that most, if not all, of your readers haven’t heard before.

How to Go Viral: Actionable

Finally, shareable content is often actionable, practical, and personally useful. Most content marketers are already well aware of this, so I won’t go into extensive detail. Suffice it to say:

Solve problems for your readers.
Do your research and make sure you know the topic.
Explain how the reader can use this information in their own life.
Try to avoid ambiguity.
Point readers to other resources for elaboration.
Again, solve problems for your readers.

And that about wraps up this section.

The Role of Relationships in Viral Content

When we discussed memes, we pointed out that they tend to spread through more or less isolated online communities, rather than the web at large. And the fact of the matter is most online communities are actually fairly small: a network of friends, a forum, a blog, etc.

We like to think that viral content will actually spread the way a virus does, passing between strangers who don’t exchange words. In reality, it spreads only through the channels that connect people together.

Memes tend to propagate through the largest strictly online communities, the ones that can actually be identified as belonging to “internet culture.” Reddit, StumbleUpon, 4chan, and similar sites make up large communities of people who, while they are mostly anonymous, tend to share a common language. When a meme goes viral, it reaches the entire community, but it tends to stop there. There is spillover onto Facebook and the web at large, but at this point it’s no longer “viral.”

Marketers should, for the most part, avoid playing the meme game. The message of a meme can’t be controlled, and the marketer who tries to seem trendy by attaching a corporate message to an existing meme will almost always be vilified. Dos Equis may have seen an uptick in sales as a result of “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” but they clearly have no control over what the internet has done with him:

how to go viral - the most interesting man in the world meme

And things are almost certainly better that way. I can’t image the backlash that would result if Dos Equis hijacked its own meme and tried to use it to sell beer. Marketers who did the same with a community meme would find themselves in a world of hurt.

Viral content is different. It’s not necessarily designed for internet culture. It’s designed to be shared with people who care, or would care, about the subject matter. And that means you don’t necessarily want to start with the relationships between anonymous people in wildly popular internet forums and social news sites.

Launch your content in the online community that will love it most.

We aren’t as connected as we think. Remember the Milgram experiment that supposedly demonstrated how everybody was connected within 6 degrees of separation? That statement is an outright myth. In the real experiment, when the message got through, it was within 6 degrees on average. But the message made it through only 30 percent of the time. Seventy percent of the time, the message never even got through.

Even an intrinsically viral piece of content won’t go viral unless it reaches somebody influential. The easiest way to make that happen is to be connected with those influential people.

Relationship building deserves a guide of its own, but here are a few tips to make it work:

Search Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, forums, Google+, and more for people with a large following.
Google your topic and find the most influential bloggers on the subject.
Identify a need that these influencers have, and figure out how you can help them with that need.
Contact the influencer directly with a solution to their problem.
Be helpful, but don’t conceal your motives, or you will appear manipulative.
Flattery can help, but save it for after the reason you contacted them. Everybody knows you have an agenda of some kind, and they’d rather hear it upfront.
Draw attention to your similarities and point to some of your previous work.
Don’t be too formal and stiff. Don’t craft the email like an advertisement. Talk to them like a human being in the same manner they speak with other people online.
Work on projects that are helpful for both of you.
Involve influencers in the production of your viral content and give them credit.
Stay in touch.

Do all of this on a regular basis with several influencers. The more influencers you work with, the more opportunities your content has to spread virally through as many communities as possible.

What a Minute, What About the Memes?

Did I waste an entire section on the nature of memes, only to tell you in this section that marketers should never get involved with them? Not quite. Instead, it’s crucial to understand that memes are a community phenomenon. I Can Has Cheezburger may have taken off because of a viral meme, but it kept moving because the site opened up and let other people share their own versions of the meme. Remember the key aspects of a meme?

a focus on ordinary people
flawed masculinity
humor
simplicity
repetitiveness
“whimsical” content

Memes demand to be mimicked because they are open-ended and easily adapted. They also tend to be created by ordinary people.

Most brands shouldn’t bother trying to create memes of their own, but they should make it easy for their surrounding community to create memes. They can also cultivate this type of audience by sharing memes they like but did not create themselves. Consider the success of QuickMeme. The site doesn’t create its own memes, but it makes it incredibly simple for visitors to create their own.

QuickMeme is one of the top 1,000 sites on the web according to Alexa.

What can brands learn from memes? They can build an online community by giving visitors the tools to create something of their own without too much effort. This encourages participation and keeps people coming back.

How to Go Viral Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the top ways to create viral content?

Some of the top methods for creating viral is creating content that is useful, credible, humorous, and interesting.

Should marketers use memes to try to go viral?

Marketers should focus more on viral content than on trying to create viral memes. This is because the nature of memes means they are controlled by audiences and not brands.

Where should marketers post and share content they hope to go viral?

Marketers should post their content to social media channels, but they should also try to get their content in front of online niche communities that relate to their brand/the brand they’re trying to promote.

What qualifies as viral content?

Viral content is content that is shared widely and quickly in internet communities or on social media.

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What are some of the top ways to create viral content?
“,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

Some of the top methods for creating viral is creating content that is useful, credible, humorous, and interesting.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Should marketers use memes to try to go viral?
“,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

Marketers should focus more on viral content than on trying to create viral memes. This is because the nature of memes means they are controlled by audiences and not brands.

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Where should marketers post and share content they hope to go viral?
“,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What qualifies as viral content?
“,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: ”

Viral content is content that is shared widely and quickly in internet communities or on social media.

”
}
}
]
}

How to Go Viral: the Science of Virality Conclusion

Memes and viral content are not the same thing. Viral content is shared, while memes are mimicked. Viral content is surprising, intense, positive, interesting, and actionable, often because it is awe-inspiring and hilarious. Memes, on the other hand, are amateur, simple, funny, flawed, repetitive, and whimsical. Brands can take advantage of these two kinds of virality by learning the skills that make content shareable and by cultivating communities that create memes.

The path to mastery demands creativity, research, and curiosity. It’s not an easy path, but the financial costs are low. The payoff goes deeper than short-term ROI, offering companies an opportunity for long-term success.

Anything to add? Let’s hear it in the comments. And pass this along if you learned something new. Thanks for reading.

About the Author: Carter Bowles’s love for data is powering him through a degree in statistics while he contributes to Northcutt’s inbound marketing blog, and his own science blog. He lives in Idaho, of all places, with his beautiful wife and daughter.

Lead Generation: What is it, Effective Strategies & Tools

Lead generation is the process of creating consumer interest in your products or services. With lead generation, you can attract leads (your potential customer) into a marketing software system with the hope of nurturing them through the buying process.

Once a lead is generated, you can then instruct them about your offerings and begin converting them into a customer.

Without leads, your business will most assuredly fail, so today, I want to show you proven hacks that will grow your leads by 113 percent.

Ready? Here are my top lead generation tips.

What Is Lead Generation?

A lead is a person who indicates an interest in your product or service.

Lead generation is the process by which you generate this interest, and place people in your sales funnel. In inbound lead generation, this is most likely to happen by someone filling out a form and giving you their contact details.

Marketers, particularly B2C marketers, rely on several channels to drive leads to their businesses and boost their conversion rate:

SEO
paid ads
social media
email
landing pages

Often, these channels don’t yield results marketers can bank on though. If you’ve spent a lot of time creating content, hoping to attract the right leads, but you still aren’t getting results, it can be discouraging. Hear this: you’re not alone.

At one time in my content marketing career, I struggled to acquire leads.

With a renewed focus on lead generation, I was able to turn this around, and you can follow these tips to do the same thing.

Why Is Lead Generation Important for Businesses?

Lead generation is a key goal for most businesses because, without leads, there are no sales, and consequently, no revenue.

Sure, a firm may have several important goals, but a large percentage of organizational goals focus on lead generation. When done well, lead generation can nurture qualified prospects from tentative interest all the way to the customers and ambassadors your brand relies on.

Lead generation is important because it asks the fundamental question, “what does your potential customer want?”

Once you’re able to answer that question and tie it to a high-converting landing page, you’ll consistently generate leads. You’ve still got to turn the lead into a customer, but it’s the starting point, and once you’ve got a sales pipeline full of leads, it’s much easier to tweak your sales strategies.

6 Proven Lead Generation Hacks

Hack #1: Lead generation starts at home—review your homepage messaging

For most marketers, their homepage receives the most visits. Tandberg (since acquired by Cisco), a leader in the field of teleconferencing,increased its lead generation by 50% from a simple homepage CTA that blended with other elements such as the headline, subtitle, and images.

If you’ve been actively promoting your site, your homepage will begetting visitors from referring sites, social media sites, search engines and other sources.

Stuart J. Davidson shared how he reached140,753 page views within twelve months, since re-launching his blog. Since the homepage receives a tremendous amount of traffic, don’t you think that reviewing andadjusting your homepage messaging might help you generate more leads?

I’m confident that it works; that it is, in fact, one of the best lead generation tips for you to absorb. For example, Alex Chris, founder of Digital Marketing Pro, said that one of the areas he tweaked, which led to over 400,000 visitors per month to his site, was the homepage. This also led to several thousand leads!

He showcased five sticky posts, together with a list of the latest posts. He also added a must-read section on his sidebar, which is important if you want people to find your best content the moment that they arrive at your blog homepage. This is how Chris’ homepage looks as I write this article:

Although the sidebar usually shows up on every page on most WordPress themes by default, you can permanently set it for your homepage only.

On the flip side, if you have an offer (e.g. an e-book, a report, software) on your landing page, you’ve got to ensure that your messaging (copy) and offer are in sync.

The two should synch, so that visitors will not be confused when they get to your homepage.

Hack #2: Link to your webinars directly in your content

One of the best lead generation tips you should take away from this post is how a webinar can work brilliantly in your favor.

A webinar is a relatively low-cost way to get your useful message in front of a targeted audience who actually asked for it when they registered.

A small consulting firm used webinars to generate over 100 new, qualified leads and resulted in six opportunity-based meetings. This, in turn, led to $50,000 in services being discussed.

And, 52% of marketers believe that webinars and seminars are the most effective methods for generating targeted leads.

If you can host a webinar and link to it directly in your content, your leads will take you more seriously, because you’ve provided value before asking them to register.

This is quite different from a webinar landing page that doesn’t offer much value to the user.

For example, the screenshot below shows how Quality Matters links to its webinar registration page from within its success stories (a blog post).

The challenge that most people face, when they host webinars, is getting enough people to register. But, you can drive webinar registration by linking directly to it. Uberflip knows how to invite blog readers to register for upcoming webinars right from a post. Here’s an example:

If you’re not using webinars todrive leads to your business, you have to start today. – Lewis Howes

When people are engaged, magical things can happen, right on the spot.

Engagement is the sole purpose of hosting a webinar. Stay time (duration) is influenced by the ease of entering into the webinar, the topic, and whether or not attendees stick around during the Q&A.

If you want to take your lead generation to the next level, you should consider hosting a webinar. Successful internet marketers know the power behind a well-planned webinar.

You can generate leads, nurture them and build a thriving business, solely with webinars. According to a survey conducted by ReadyTalk, 30%–40% of webinar attendees are turned into leads.

There’s no doubt that bringing the right people together in a virtual platform increases trust, leads, and sales. No matter what your industry may be, you have to recognize that people want to belong.

People want to learn from the experts.

And, you don’t have to be an influencer to successfully host a webinar.

The most important factor in increasing user engagement is how useful your webinar is.

In fact,38% of attendees will stick around if your topic is hot and what you’re sharing with them will yield significant results in their business and life.

If you’re a B2B marketer, one of the most effective ways to generate qualified leads, apart from word-of-mouth referrals, is webinars. When you bring people together for the sole purpose of educating them, you’ll generate hot leads.

However, you need to make your webinar a part of your content. Naturally, your blog readers, email subscribers, and customers might have developed an emotional connection with your content. When they’re reading your post, they have a mindset that you’re only interested in solving their problems.

Blogging is a great way to build trust. If you want more people to register, reserve their slot and attend your webinar, then you have to establish a level of trust with them. That’s when blogging comes into play.

The role of webinars in the sales process can’t be ignored, because most companies have experienced higher sales when they hosted a webinar.

The more useful and interesting your blog posts are, the better. Consequently, when you link to your webinar from within your content, it’s a sign that you want to offer more value to your readers without giving them the idea that you’re out to make some quick bucks.

When you have the attention and trust of your attendees, you can recommend a product or service that’ll help them. You have a responsibility to qualify your leads and map your leads’ buying journey. Every stage of the customer buying process is important during the webinar.

Yes, you can sell, but there is a smart way to do it, especially when you’re mindful of your brand and reputation. You don’t want anything that will hurt it or separate you and your audience.

Here’s exactly how to sell during the webinar:

Welcome questions: For each webinar that we host, we usually leave up to 30 minutes for questions.

Without a doubt, this is a sure way to tell attendees that we care about them and not their money. It created a stronger bond that led to more qualified sales and customers in the long run.

Give value before asking for anything: Whether you’re hosting a webinar, writing a blog post, or speaking at an event, you have to offer tangible help before asking for the sale or any other thing that would require the attendee to move out of their comfort zone (e.g., purchase your product). This how to draw in your potential customer – and, hopefully, keep them.

Educate them. Use interesting storytelling methodology to engage them. Address the questions that are occupying their minds. You can then pitch your offer because you truly believe that it can help them move forward.

Launch a poll: Polls can foster engagement and improve customer satisfaction. Polls are simple survey questionnaires that look like this:

For example, through a poll, Tomoson found that nearly 60% of marketers plan to boost influencer marketing budgets.

Similarly, you can use polls during your webinar.

Make them an irresistible offer: If you want to make more sales or acquire better leads, you have to offer your attendees what they can’t resist. If your offer is great and timely you’ll see an increased sales conversion that ranges from 5%–60%. Remember that when you sell or recommend an offer during the webinar, you need to brand your slides. In other words, your company logo, colors, and icons should be used prominently in the presentation design.

When you do that, your brand will always stay fresh in attendees’ minds. This is a priceless and efficient way to get the sale the moment that you ask for it.

Premium content: Another proven way to sell during the webinar is to offer premium content. It could be your new training videos that you haven’t released on YouTube or a few chapters of your upcoming book.

To grow your business and nurture a passionate audience and customers that will stand the test of time, you’ve got to feed them with premium content.

This is the type of content that offers tremendous value and scarcity.

This means that users can’t find it elsewhere, not even in a Google search. Hosting a webinar and linking to it from within your post is one of the ten most effective ways to promote your premium content.

A webinar is quite different from a blog post, video or podcast. According toAscend 2,

When you compare all of the lead generation tactics, webinars are the second most effectivedelivery mechanismof premium content for digital marketers.

Yes, you have to have adedicated webinar page on your site, but always link to both your old and your new webinars within your content. Our dedicated page now accounts for over 20% of our webinar leads per month.

Don’t forget the purpose of this section. It’s not about hosting a webinar, but rather link to your past and future webinars from within your content because you want to establish contact with first-time visitors to your blog and also cement the relationship that you’ve got with your customers.

If you want more people to register for your webinar, you’ve got to partner up with influential bloggers and leverage your homepage (which always attracts the most views).

You’ve also got to blog about your webinar and link to the landing page from your blog posts. Also, don’t forget to market your webinar through social media. And, don’t be afraid of paid media or promoting your webinar through keynote speakers.

Linking to or citing a high-value webinar within your content will position you as a go-to expert in your industry who cares about people. Several marketers who applied this technique have succeeded wildly at lead generation.

Hack #3: Use Google as your login

You should use Google as your login because you can personalize your efforts. Effective marketing can be efficiently deployed when you see and address your customers not as a group, but as individuals. That’s why SugarCRM and Trello believe in connecting with individuals.

Most digital companies have not been using this hack to get more leads. The truth is that Google is popular, and most bloggers, content marketers, and online entrepreneurs have a Google account.

The social world has brought us convenience across the web. Our full names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and more are now stored on trusted sites such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This has made it possible for marketers to create a flexible and simple sign-up flow.

You can acquire more customers to your business by limiting the amount of information that they need to input in the forms. That’s how successful companies are built. It can work for you, too.

These days, you don’t need to request much information from your prospects before they can become qualified leads. Better yet, you don’t need them to fill a long-form before you can keep in touch with them.

Since they’ve got all of their personal details on trusted sites like Facebook and Google, you can just ask users to sign up using those sites. For example, you can sign up with Facebook if you want to join Pinterest.

Since Pinterest started using this strategy, they’ve increased their users. Pinterest now has over 50 billion pins and millions of active, loyal users.

Hack #4: Specialize: Separate your lead generation team from your sales team

If you want to convert the visitors that come to your landing pages and take your lead gen to the next level, you’ve got to continually test out your landing page elements, including the headline, subtitles, bullet points, call-to-actions, and more. Consider this a prime piece of real estate in your marketing strategy. In other words, take advantage of what is to offer and experiment with what drives the best results.

You’ve got to keep testing before you can get it right. A/B testing is not negotiable.

But, there’s an aspect of your content marketing strategy that you have to set limits on. It’s about who’s in charge of generating leads and who manages the sales process.

To grow your leads by 113% or more, you have to “specialize.”

In his classic book, Is It Wise To Specialize?, author John O’Sullivan shares the powerful influence of specialization on a child, and how early sports specialization can have an effect on a child’s athletic performance.

O’Sullivan recognized that we’re always tempted to do more. Life itself will push us beyond our limits, but we must learn to specialize. Niche down and identify areas where your strengths are.

When it comes to lead nurturing, which is an all-important aspect of running a successful online business, you’ve got to separate your lead generation team from your sales team.

According to Marketo, lead generation describes the marketing process of stimulating and capturing interest in a product or service for the purpose of developing [a] sales pipeline.

On the other hand, the sales team is primarily concerned with the exchange of goods and services for money; it’s the action of selling something.

As you can see from the two definitions, lead generation isn’t about selling. Sales also don’t dwell so much on stimulating interest, because that aspect is being coordinated by the team in charge of lead generation.

After selling to a customer, the sales team also has the responsibility of initiating a great customer experience that leads to a high rate of customer retention.

Retaining the customer is important if the business wants to thrive.

Each marketing practice requires a different mindset. For example, the team in charge of lead generation creates awareness for a product.

They also inspire, educate and persuade prospects to take action. But, the sales team is responsible for increasing the revenue of the organization.

Remember that the objective of having separate teams that will handle lead generation and sales is to improve your customer satisfaction.

That’s truly where the profit lies.

Hack #5: Use strong verbs to write powerful headlines that draw attention

A verb is a “doing” word. Or, better yet, it’s an “action” word.

If you want to create a lasting impression in your writing, you have to draw attention with verbs. But first, answer this question:

What makes a headline powerful?

Isn’t it the structure, keywords used, length, topic, and, most importantly, the action word (verb) that appear in a given headline? Each of these can and should evoke curiosity and persuade people to click.

If you can give adequate attention to crafting your headline, you’ll not only generate targeted leads, but there’s a possibility that your search rankings will improve tremendously because of a lower bounce rate and the additional time that your visitors are spending on your page.

Copywriters all over the world know the power behind a well-crafted headline. It’s the same reason why Ted Nicholas believes that 73% of buying decisions are made at the point of the headline. And, eight out of ten people will click your headline if it catches their attention. So, what are you going to do about your headlines?

No matter the platform — your blog, social media networks, other blogs (when you write a guest post), or when you create any type of content that will drive leads — you’ve got to make sure that your headline contains strong verbs. According to Wikieducator, you’ve got toput muscle in your writing.

A strong verb is a specific, descriptive verb used in writing. Strong verbs are used to convey a direct message. You’ve always got to have it in the back of your mind that we live in a fast-paced world.

Think about it. We’re all about fast Internet, fast websites, fast food; we want everything now. There is no time to wait. Now, imagine how impatient your target audience will be if your writing isn’t straight to the point or doesn’t offer any immediate reward.

So, how can strong verbs enhance your writing?

When you use strong verbs in your headline, it’ll make you a better writer. Your writing will be concise and descriptive. This is exactly what your prospects want.

Here’s an example of a weak verb in this sentence:

She is going to school

Though the sentence is correct, it’s weak. We can omit the “is going” and replace it with a strong verb. The question that you need to ask yourself is, how does she go to school? Does she crawl, skip, walk, run, ride a bicycle, etc.?

Let’s make the sentence better by including a strong verb:

She walks to school
She rides to school
She skips to school

In the same vein, instead of using weak verbs in your headlines, you should replace themwith a strong verb. That way, you’ll convey your message or idea in a more concise and captivating manner.

Examples of strong verbs are:

Nurture
Terminate
Improve
Increase
Revive
Change
Expand
Boost
Attack
Focus
Write
Drive
Engage

I’m not the only one who understands the power behind strong verbs. Authority content marketers, like Brian Clark and the entire Copyblogger Media team, use strong verbs to craft headlines that you can’t ignore. Take a look:

Seth Godin, the renowned author of over fifteen bestselling books, also uses strong verbs to write his captivating blog posts. Take a look:

Note: Strong verbs in your headline will not grow your leads 113% all by themselves. But, they can add flavor, meaning, conviction and clarity to your headline, so that your readers and potential customers will relate to your message.

Having strong verbs in your landing page headline, blog post headlines, and more will increase your conversions, especially when you testthem out.

For example, at a time, CityCliq, a company that provides low-cost, search engine optimized webpages for businesses, ran an A/B test. They used VWO software to test four different versions of their landing page headline:

Businesses grow faster online!
Online advertising that works!
Get found faster!
Create a webpage for your business

At the end of the A/B test, the fourth headline version, which sends a direct, more descriptive, more relevant, more concise and clear headline, outperformed the others. It generated a 90% increase in conversion rate.

In addition to using strong verbs in your headlines, you also have to focus on length. Headlines that are too long tend to be easily forgotten or ignored.

According to areport by the Guardian, an international news agency that’s been creating headlines for decades, headlines with just eight words generateda 21% higher click-through rate than longer headlines.

If you can’t come up with headlines of exactly eight words, a study by Nielsen Norman Group revealed that headlines between five and nine words seem to garner higher click-through rates, too. So, the next time you write a headline, make sure that you integrate strong verbs.

Hack #6: Create an irresistible offer and syndicate across blog communities

Ultimately, you want to get people to say “yes” to your offer. As marketers, that’s exactly what we want.

It all boils down to creating a top-notch and high-value offer. This simple formula explains it better:

High value offer + persuasion = irresistible

If you have difficulty growing your leads, it could be that your offer isn’t compelling. It’s not irresistible.

How do you recognizean irresistible offer? Chris Guillebeau shared a unique perspective on it:

A compelling offer is like a slice of orange at mile 18. It’s a marriage proposal from the guy or girl you’ve been waiting for your whole life. An offer you can’t refuse is like the $20,000 Bonderman Fellowship offered every year to graduating seniors at the University of Washington.

You want them to say yes to download your latest e-book, yes to your email forms, yes to your webinar or yes to your premium physical product on Amazon.

An irresistible offer will help youattract clients and retain them. To do that, follow the irresistible offer rules, as laid down by Jonathan Mead, founder of Paid to Exist.

Remember that when your offer is scarce, relevant, in high demand and exclusive, it becomes desirable.

People will naturally want to get their hands on it.

For example, in 2004, when Google launched a private beta of their free email service (Gmail), only 1,000 leaders were invited to share their honest opinions. These leaders were also allowed to invite their fans, friends, and family to test out the free email service.

Guess what happened during the initial beta phase of Gmail? Demand was high because it was exclusive to a group of people — not to the whole world.

At a point, Google started selling Gmail service. In fact, its eBay invitations were sold at $150 and other specific accounts sold for thousands of dollars.

Isn’t it funny that a free email service can be sold for $150 or more, just because it was exclusive, robust, and praised by thought leaders? That’s the power of an irresistible offer. When you offer one, your prospects and customers will see the gap between their problems and your solutions.

If you’re looking for an idea to create an irresistible offer for your audience, let me give you an example. Let’s assume that you created a report that will help people save on money on plane tickets.

People read, apply your tips and share their success stories on how they saved $200, $380, or $350. Many others can testify of the ease of securing their tickets at a reduced cost.

As you can see, the report is compelling and offers some practical advice that works. In this case, the length of the report doesn’t matter. Even if it’s only two pages, it’s an irresistible offer, because anyone who wants to save on airplane tickets will be attracted to the report.

Domino’s Pizza had an irresistible offer. Tom Monaghan was on the verge of bankruptcy when he strategized on how to take his company to the next level. It was a risk, but a single promotional idea changed everything:30 minutes or less… or it’s free.

Most people ordered Domino’s Pizza just because of the terms. (They’ve since dropped the guarantee.)

BlueHost also delivers irresistible offers—their web hosting plan starts at $3.49 per month, whereas other competitors such as A Small Orange, Godaddy and Hostgator start at $4.00 per month.

The difference may not be clear to you, but to a total beginner who just started out with a site, this is compelling because they can save some money.Your compelling offer has to be something that people want to buy.

In the same vein, if you want to get more email subscribers, your lead magnet has to be highly valuable, free to download and exclusive. A typical example is Michael Hyatt’s:

In order to be sure what offers will be irresistible or weak, you’ve gotto test it out. In his book, How to Create Irresistible Offers, author Robert W. Bly says that it’s possible to improve the response rate to your promotions anywhere from 10%-90%, just by creating and testing different offers.

Derek Halpern uses a powerful lead magnet to persuade people to join his email list. Though a lot of people don’t like pop-ups since the majority of them annoyingly disrupt reading, his offer (headline) makes a bold promise, so people tend to respond to it, especially first-time visitors.

In all, the way people perceive your offer will go a long way in persuading them to become leads or to drive them away. Perceived value can be applied to your lead magnets for building a list. You couldpresent the retail value of the offer that you’re giving away for free.

Types of Lead Generation

There are lots of different ways to generate leads. A convenient distinction in lead generation is outbound versus inbound, although there will be a crossover between the two.

Different businesses will use different lead generation tactics, so it’s about tweaking the type of lead generation you do until you find what works best.

Inbound Lead Generation

Inbound lead generation is when the prospect initiates the interaction with your business. Most often, this is done through content marketing.

A potential customer will find your content through the search engines or a social media link, love your article, and fill in a form with their contact details. From here, you can use your email marketing to progress the lead through the sales funnel, building the relationship until the prospect is ready to buy.

Seventy percent of marketers are actively investing in content marketing as a lead generation strategy, and it’s something that businesses have focused on a lot more in recent years.

The main types of inbound lead generation are:

videos
blogs
guides and e-books
pillar pages and content clusters
social media posts
infographics
newsletters
press releases

These are all content types that are strategically placed so people discover them organically.

Outbound Lead Generation

Outbound lead generation is when you initiate the interaction with the prospect. This may be done through a paid advert on Google or social media, cold email outreach, direct mail, or many other channels.

While inbound lead generation has become very popular in recent years, outbound marketing is still very important. Most businesses will find the best strategy is a mix of both inbound and outbound marketing to achieve their lead generation goals.

Some outbound marketing options include:

paid search ads
social media ads
radio ads
TV ads
direct mail
cold email
cold calls
print ads

Each option has its benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to consider your budget and find out what will work best for you.

Lead Generation and SEO

A basic requisite for lead generation is to have people interacting with your business.

In the modern world, this is most likely to happen online, which means you’ve got two options: organic traffic or paid traffic.

When you’re looking for an answer to a question, what’s the first thing you do? The vast majority of people will type a query in a search engine. Google processes more than 3.5 billion searches every day, and the businesses that appear at the top of these search results are benefiting.

Search engine optimization is the perfect tactic because you reach people at the exact moment they’re looking for the information you have. You know they’re engaged, and they’re ripe to be converted into a lead.

The other big benefit of SEO is that you’re not paying for each click.

You’re building assets through your content, and if you practice good SEO, that page will be able to keep converting leads year after year.

Lead Generation and Paid Ads

The problem with SEO and inbound marketing, in general, is that it can be a slow process.

When you create a blog, you’re aiming for it to rank at best a few months down the line. If you need immediate results, then paid ads can be a much better option.

By investing in paid search ads or social media ads, you can get your brand in front of a very targeted audience. This is great for your visibility and allows you to drive a high volume of traffic to your landing pages.

Unlike with SEO though, you’re paying for each click, so it’s vitally important that everything you do is optimized. From your headlines to your landing pages, everything has to be geared towards turning visitors into solid leads.

Running paid ads is something of an art, and it can take time, but with these essential paid marketing steps, it can become a big part of your lead generation.

5 Top Lead Generation Tools

Automation is a huge part of marketing and sales, and the right tools can make all the difference to your lead generation.

Here are some of the most important parts of your lead generation and the tools I recommend to help make your processes more efficient.

CRM – Zoho CRM

It’s one thing getting leads, but you’ve also got to be able to organize them.

Once someone gives you their contact details, what happens to them? Ideally, you want to put them into your CRM, from where you can organize your sales funnels.

In my list of the best CRMs, I found that Zoho CRM was the best option. It’s a great all-in-one platform that makes it easy to track your leads from prospect to repeat customer.

Email Finder – Voila Norbert

For outbound marketing, one of the most important things is being able to find new prospects to add to your sales funnel.

Many people use LinkedIn to research potential customers and find contact emails. People don’t love getting cold emails though, so as you might imagine, they don’t advertise their contact details too easily.

This is where a lead generation tool like Voila Norbert comes in. Once you’ve found a potential customer, it will find relevant email addresses so you know you’re reaching the right people with your email outreach.

Form Generator – Gravity Forms

Getting contact details is just as important for inbound marketing, and your forms play a big part in this.

It’s easy to think a form is just a form, but an optimized form will result in a lot more leads. Luckily, it’s easy to generate highly optimized forms using simple plugins.

For WordPress websites, I found that Gravity Forms is a great option, allowing you to quickly generate lead-generating forms.

If you want to see some more options, then check out my favorite form plugins for WordPress.

Landing Page Builder – Leadpages

Landing pages are an essential part of lead generation. Small changes to your landing pages can make a big difference to your conversion rate, and you want it to be as easy as possible to optimize this process.

In my article on the “4 Best Landing Page Creation Tools,” I found that Leadpages was the best option.

Leadpages offers tons of features with lots of highly optimized templates to choose from, simple A/B testing, and an intuitive layout, it’s a perfect platform to build successful landing pages.

Email Marketing Services – Sendinblue

Email marketing plays a massive part in nurturing leads.

Most leads are going to end up in your sales funnel because they’ve given you their email address, so you need the right email marketing service to help you with the process. In my article on the best email marketing services, Sendinblue was one of my top options because it’s so easy to use.

Sometimes it’s best to keep things nice and simple, and that’s exactly what Sendinblue helps you to do.

4 Amazing Lead Generation Examples

Lead generation is an art, and there’s always room for optimization. Here are some examples of companies that have had great success with different lead generation campaigns.

You’ll notice that many of these campaigns have similarities, and one, in particular, is the omnichannel approach. This is a great way to ensure you’re maximizing your reach and bringing as many leads into your sales funnel as possible.

Here are four amazing lead generation examples to check out:

Comarch uses LinkedIn to fill its pipeline two years ahead of schedule.
Magic of Colby uses cold email to book over 200 virtual events in one season.
An online education provider boosts efficiency by over 50 percent.
Ramaley Group refreshes its web presence and builds smarter sales funnels.

These case studies can give you some good ideas on how to improve your lead generation, but the most important thing is finding out what works for you. It’s important to pay close attention to your analytics and keep A/B testing your approach.

It’s all in the optimization, so make sure you’re testing everything out to get the best possible conversion rate.

Conclusion

Don’t get fooled by every fancy lead generation tool out there. Use tools for the right purpose—automation.

But, remember that driving quality leads and engagement to your business will take time.

Building any real, successful business takes time. Nurturing your social network presence, crafting a solid email marketing campaign, diligently working on creating and producing quality content–all of these tasks require a significant amount of time and focus. You’ll expend energy, but you have to move out of your comfort zone to achieve results – particularly when it comes to building your lead generation campaign.

You need data-driven content to nurture your leads. And, if you want to maximize your time, you have to repurpose your content and expand your reach so that you can drive fresh leads to your business.

You may not grow your leads by 113% in a week, but, with consistency, you’ll likely surpass that milestone.

“Hacks” are not some magical push-button tactics that don’t have a strong foundation. On the contrary, they’ve been proven to work and many successful brands and industry leaders still use them to acquire new leads and convert them into customers.

Real satisfaction comes from what you learn in the process of applying these proven lead generation tips.

It’s the same with increasing sales. You have to make up your mind to learn along the way because your customers believe in you—and you can’t afford to let them down with outdated advice.

What other lead generation hacks have worked for you? Share your case studies, questions, or opinions.

15 Career & Business Coaching Resources, Tips, and Benefits

As business owners and marketers, we go through manic highs and lows. Things go well for a while, then follow with periods of low performance. This is normal. One way to help get yourself over the hump is with business coaching.

The best business coaches not only coach you in your business but also coach your life as a whole. This post breaks down the details of business coaching to help you better understand what it is and determine whether you need one for your digital marketing.

What Is Business Coaching?

Business coaches help business owners, managers, professionals, and individuals grow as businesses and people. They’re known for offering honest advice and consulting based on personal experience and research.

There are many types of business coaching, but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. You’ll want to find the type of business coaching services that appeal most to your business and your goals.

What Does a Business Coach Do?

A business coach takes a look at you as an individual. This is the big difference between a coach and a consultant. A coach is going to look at your entire life: all aspects of it. They’ll focus on your achievements, your mistakes, and your behavior to help you grow as an individual.

As you grow on your own, you’ll develop better habits that you can translate into business growth and monetary gain. You should expect the best business coaches to challenge you both emotionally and spiritually. They’ll provide you with honest and sometimes brutal feedback on your performance, and they’ll hold you accountable in your business and personal life.

Your reason for hiring a business coach will likely fit into one of these scenarios:

You’re struggling to get your business off the ground to a sustainable level.
You’ve hit a roadblock and can’t seem to take your business to the next level.

Regardless of where you are on your professional journey, a business coach can help you accomplish the goals weighing on you.

6 Benefits of Business Coaching

Business coaching for entrepreneurs, business owners, or executives is all about the benefits. Everyone wants gratification without having to put the work in. It’s important to know that the best business coaches require a lot out of you. If you’re willing to put in the work, here are some of the benefits you could receive.

Increased Self Awareness

One of the best gifts we could ever receive in life is self-awareness. When we’re aware of our strengths and weaknesses, it makes it so much easier for us to capitalize on what we’re good at and make the most of every step.

Instead of focusing on our weaknesses, worrying about them, and minimizing ourselves, business coaching should teach us to focus on what we’re good at and double down on it.

Business coaches can help you find the fire inside of you to pursue the things you want, and along the way, you may realize you’ve been doing the wrong things all along.

More Confidence

Business coaching teaches you to be more confident. The job of a coach is not to bring you down but to lift you up and help you realize that you’re better than you thought. Sometimes, low confidence and self-esteem are the only things holding you back.

Sometimes we need someone to kick us into gear and tell us that we can accomplish the task that’s been plaguing us for so long.

However, sometimes we need someone to provide us with a healthy dose of reality, too. Confidence isn’t always about lifting us up and telling us how great we are. The best business coaches also tell us when they think we’re making a poor choice. You can go forth with confidence, knowing what you’re doing is the best thing for you, and no matter what happens, it’ll be okay because you’re capable of taking on anything. That’s confidence.

Comfort Outside Your Comfort Zone

An area that a lot of business owners and marketers fall into is a state of comfort. You reach a point where things are going well with your business, you don’t have to hustle as much anymore, and you can live comfortably off the money you’re making. That sounds great if you’re not at that point yet, but like everything else, it gets old.

Few entrepreneurs are satisfied with this because they’re used to the hustle and chasing after their dreams. When you achieve what you’ve worked so hard for, it’s easy to become anxious for the next thing.

Increased Clarity About Your Direction

On less of a mindset note, business coaches are going to help you with the business itself, of course. Sometimes it helps to have someone come and look at your operations, finances, HR, and everything from an outside perspective. They’ll see things you miss in the day-to-day trenches of running a business.

A business coach can help you identify bottlenecks in your process and provide you with a clear and concise plan for what you should do over the next 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

This clarity is important because you’ll know exactly what you need to do. It doesn’t mean that if you do those things, you’re sure to achieve any results at all, but the clear goals are what matters. Business coaching helps make you aware of the things you may not have seen otherwise.

A great example is with business owners that want to do everything themselves. The “freelancer” mentality is hard to break because the individual is so used to doing everything on their own, they’re afraid to let go of some of that control.

Business coaches can help freelancers work less “in their business” and more “on their business.” When you see it from that perspective, it becomes easier to make the necessary changes.

Boosted Productivity

Productivity is one of the number one reasons why people hire business coaches. Everyone feels like there are some magic secrets to increasing your productivity, but that’s not usually the case. It’s often something much simpler than you think.

A business coach can help you get on a healthy schedule and develop the right habits. When you’re a business owner or marketer, and no one is standing over your shoulder telling you to work 9-5, it can be a lot harder to get things done.

It’s all about habits. Suppose you can get yourself in the habit of showing up to work at the same time every day, blocking off periods for work, taking short breaks, and limiting distractions. In that case, you’ll have a much easier time accomplishing your goals, which trickles down and impacts a lot of the other benefits of hiring a business coach in the first place.

Better Accountability

This could be one of the most important pieces of the success puzzle. If you don’t have the discipline to kick yourself in gear, work when no one is telling you to, and hold yourself accountable, you’ll likely struggle as an entrepreneur.

Many of us don’t have the discipline and need someone to help us develop the right habits. It only takes about 66 days to develop a new habit, so if you can do something for a little over two months, you should have an easier time sticking to it.

Once you’ve built that initial foundation, you can then train yourself to be accountable for your actions. One thing I’ve found over the years is that I tell myself that “I want to be proud of myself.”

It might be a little vain, but think about it: When you goof off all day, accomplish less than you said, and push things off until tomorrow, how do you feel?

You probably don’t feel very good about yourself. The opposite is said for the days you break through barriers, tackle everything, and walk away feeling accomplished. You feel unstoppable.

4 Tips for Finding an Effective Business Coach

When it comes to finding a business coach, you must choose the right person. This individual or team needs to align with your goals, niche, and perspective on life and your business.

Match them with your niche: You want business coaching from a professional who understands the challenges of your unique industry. If the business coach you hire doesn’t have any actual experience, you might not get the most out of them.
Make sure their philosophy aligns: We all have a certain philosophy in life pertaining to ethics and beliefs. You should never have to change that for success in business. If the business coaching you’re receiving offends or insults what you believe, you should likely find someone else.
Read reviews: Make sure the coach you hire has a strong online reputation and presence. Checking out reviews from other people is a great way to gain insight into what your experience will be like.
Determine your goals ahead of time: Before you hire a business coach, you should have goals in mind, whether they apply to marketing, SEO, keyword research, or mindset. No matter what your goals are, the business coach you hire should listen to them and take into consideration what you want.

Business Coaching Platforms and Resources

As business coaching continues to grow, more and more tools and resources are becoming available. If you’re interested in receiving coaching in your business or life, here are some of the best platforms available.

Interview Kickstart

Interview Kickstart is one portion of the “knowledge coaching” trend. The platform teaches programmers how to handle technical interviews and has helped people land jobs for companies like Amazon and Netflix. This has caused people to take notice: Interest in the company has grown by a staggering 2700 percent in the last five years.

Building Champions

This platform offers trainers, events, and team workshops to help small business owners and managers become the best version of themselves. The company has been around for 25 years, so you don’t have to worry about reputation and social proof. They break down every aspect of your life, from the personal to the business stuff.

Melinda Emerson

Considered America’s number one small business expert, Melinda Emerson offers a ton of great resources for women entrepreneurs and business owners. She has information on how to grow your social media, market your business, and understand the boring financial side of business as well. She can help get your company off the ground or take it to the next level.

CEO of Your Life

I’m a big fan of business coaches that find a great way to meld business and personal life together into one program, and Melissa Dawn has done a nice job of this. She focuses on your spirituality and personal life to help you become not only the best CEO of your business but the best CEO of your life.

Neil Patel

I offer many great resources to help you with your SEO, content marketing, and paid advertising. If you feel like you have most of your business in order but need a little help with your marketing campaigns, we can help with that.

Career, Executive, and Business Coaching: FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about business coaching and hiring a coach.

How much does business coaching cost?

The cost of business coaching can vary dramatically from $100-1,000 per session. It depends on many factors, such as the demand of the coach and the level of personalization put into the coaching program.

How to start business coaching?

If you want to start business coaching, there are many ways to get started. Many people in many different industries are looking for help.

What services do business coaches offer?

Hiring a business coach is like having a partner, so the business coach should offer whatever services you need the most. They should put together an individualized plan that addresses your needs.

What is the first meeting with a business coach like?

During your first session with a business coach, they will likely talk about your needs, issues, pain points, and goals to tailor a strategy to help you.

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How much does business coaching cost?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The cost of business coaching can vary dramatically from $100-1,000 per session. It depends on many factors, such as the demand of the coach and the level of personalization put into the coaching program.”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How to start business coaching?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “If you want to start business coaching, there are many ways to get started. Many people in many different industries are looking for help.”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What services do business coaches offer?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Hiring a business coach is like having a partner, so the business coach should offer whatever services you need the most. They should put together an individualized plan that addresses your needs.”
}
}
, {
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the first meeting with a business coach like?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “During your first session with a business coach, they will likely talk about your needs, issues, pain points, and goals to tailor a strategy to help you.”
}
}
]
}

Conclusion of Business Coaching Guide

No matter who you are, we all need help sometimes to get ourselves back on track. Whether you’re trying to manage your team better, be more productive, or optimize your budget more efficiently, the best business coaching helps you accomplish the goals that have been weighing on you.

Have you ever hired a business coach? If so, what is the number one reason?