Description:
In this enlightening conversation, AJ Saunders and I delve into the strategies and mindsets required to harness the power of e-commerce and digital marketing to advance business goals. The episode provides a deep dive into creating a minimal viable online presence and building upon it through strategic marketing efforts.
The host and guest commence by examining the essence of starting small when venturing into e-commerce. AJ emphasizes the significance of establishing a straightforward, functional system that allows for testing and growth, urging businesses to transition from traditional methods to more automated, customer-centered online solutions. They then pivot to the vital role of content strategy and social media presence in scale and outreach. AJ illustrates this with his personal victory on LinkedIn, where consistent, strategic posting led to real business opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
- A fundamental starting point for any e-commerce endeavor is developing a minimal viable product or service – focusing on strategy over breadth.
- Incremental marketing strategies are vital to test the waters before allocating major resources.
- Networking and strategic content sharing can significantly contribute to business growth.
- Consistent, value-driven engagement on platforms like LinkedIn can help attract ideal clients over time.
- A library of content, such as a Trello board filled with social media post ideas and drafts, can streamline and inspire regular posting.
AJ Saunders
AJ Saunders is the founder of Audacious Commerce. He’s run an eBook publishing company, a global eCommerce shop, and has been in the trenches doing affiliate marketing. A couple of years ago, he realized he had never had a website content strategy or even KPIs. In fact, he had no plan to use SEO and content marketing to grow his website’s traffic.
But after spending many hours developing a unique SEO content framework and showing it to a few contacts, helping them use the system, he realized that his framework could help e-commerce businesses grow website traffic using blogging. That continues to be his focus today through his agency!
Episodes:
- Episode 82: AJ Saunders – Digital Marketing Story, How We Learn Our Craft, SEO & Content Strategies
- Episode 87: AJ Saunders – Writing Niche Content that Sells, Constructing Great Call to Actions
- Episode 118: AJ Saunders – His Pivotal Moment: ‘Learning by Doing’ Leads to a Focus on eCommerce Clients
- Episode 158: AJ Saunders – Easing Into It: How to Successfully Transition Your Business to Ecommerce
THE MEAT OF IT!
- Introduction to E-commerce and Digital Marketing
- The transition to online business models
- Overview of minimal viable marketing strategies
- Starting Small with E-commerce
- Importance of a minimal viable online presence
- Steps to create a functional, testable online system
- Leveraging Content Strategy and Social Media
- Building a scalable outreach through content
- Success stories from strategic LinkedIn use
- Key Strategies for E-commerce Success
- Developing a minimal viable product or service
- Implementing incremental marketing strategies
- Networking and Content Sharing for Growth
- The impact of networking on business expansion
- Tips for strategic content sharing
- Consistency and Engagement on Social Platforms
- Attracting ideal clients through LinkedIn
- Utilizing a content library for regular posting
Click to See Episode Chapters and Timestamp
| Timestamp | Summary |
| 0:00:17 | Introduction and welcome |
| 0:00:49 | Recap of previous episodes |
| 0:01:22 | Undecided title of the episode |
| 0:02:00 | AJ's watch story |
| 0:04:26 | AJ's role as a strategy-focused ecommerce marketer |
| 0:05:54 | AJ's shift towards focusing on ecommerce clients |
| 0:06:43 | Consulting experience with a bead seller |
| 0:08:12 | AJ's passion for helping small businesses embrace ecommerce |
| 0:09:25 | Example of a health and safety training business still relying on phone sales |
| 0:10:54 | Matt's experience with a manufacturer still using manual processes |
| 0:12:35 | Conclusion and end of the transcript |
| [0:12:35] | Account something. |
| [0:12:39] | Start doing things on a website. |
| [0:13:12] | Building the store in phases. |
| [0:13:41] | Slowly testing the waters with product lines. |
| [0:14:20] | Gradually moving towards e-commerce. |
| [0:14:58] | Starting small and meaningful. |
| [0:15:49] | Minimal viable products and marketing. |
| [0:16:28] | Allocating resources and creating a multi-stage funnel. |
| [0:18:44] | Setting up basic features with WordPress. |
| [0:19:49] | Starting with a simple PayPal button. |
| [0:21:01] | Implementing minimal viable marketing strategies. |
| [0:22:14] | Following users online legally for effective marketing. |
| [0:23:27] | Encouraging existing customers to use the website for purchases. |
| [0:24:40] | Scaling marketing efforts based on success. |
| [0:25:08] | Running targeted ads for awareness and traffic. |
| [0:25:08] | AJ and Matt discuss the challenges of finding new clients and the importance of networking |
| [0:25:57] | Matt shares his experience of getting referrals through networking and word-of-mouth |
| [0:26:35] | Matt talks about the limited success of cold outreach through direct emails |
| [0:28:13] | AJ and Matt discuss the limitations of paid advertising for their respective businesses |
| [0:29:32] | AJ explains the benefits of networking and leveraging partnerships to generate leads |
| [0:30:06] | Matt highlights the importance of content, social media, and SEO in his agency's marketing strategy |
| [0:30:32] | AJ shares his success in generating leads through LinkedIn and the value of regular posting |
| [0:33:21] | Matt expresses his excitement for getting business through referrals and networking efforts |
| [0:33:25] | AJ recounts his first successful lead from LinkedIn and the effectiveness of his LinkedIn posts |
| [0:37:11] | Matt emphasizes the importance of having a plan and messaging behind social media posts |
| [0:37:57] | AJ provides useful tips for creating relevant and engaging content on LinkedIn |
| [0:38:23] | Consistency and frequency in podcast posting |
| [0:38:47] | Scaling up podcast posting frequency |
| [0:39:19] | Tailoring content to ideal client's needs |
| [0:40:37] | Focusing on solving client's problems |
| [0:43:37] | Establishing unified messaging across all content |
| [0:44:12] | Learning from Ray Kroc's principles |
| [0:45:14] | Increasing content frequency to one post per day |
| [0:46:40] | Using Trello to store and reuse content ideas |
| [0:48:34] | Tracking content performance and adjusting strategy |
| [0:50:09] | Incorporating personal elements into social media |
| [0:51:11] | Summary and conclusion of the conversation |
| [0:51:15] | Success with social media and the importance of consistency |
| [0:52:04] | Just do it and take action |
| [0:53:08] | Story about picking up the domain justlaunchit.com |
| [0:54:20] | AJ's contact information |
| [0:55:34] | Conclusion and sponsor message |
| [0:56:05] | End of transcript |
Check out these related Episodes:
- Episode 157: Carrington Crothers – Mastering the Art of Photography: Beyond Stock Images
- Episode 118: AJ Saunders – His Pivotal Moment: ‘Learning by Doing’ Leads to a Focus on eCommerce Clients
- Episode 87: AJ Saunders – Writing Niche Content that Sells, Constructing Great Call to Actions
- Episode 82: AJ Saunders – Digital Marketing Story, How We Learn Our Craft, SEO & Content Strategies
