Victoria Gibson

In her own words:

I’m Victoria Gibson, and I’m here to help you get your brand more connected on Facebook and tap into the world’s biggest network for more traffic, leads and sales.

Facebook Advertising and Marketing is my expertise and specialty. I can’t help but get excited about the results I am driving for businesses big and small both locally in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia and for many of my US-based clients. My tailored approach sets up Facebook as one of your most cost-effective marketing channels at a radically lower cost than traditional media.

I created FB Ad Queen out of my own success using Facebook Ads as an affiliate marketer and social media strategist. With intensive courses and practical experience generating $23,000 in revenue in my first week, I have built lasting success and value for my ever-growing list of clients.

As a strategic resource who understands offline and online marketing, why not tap into my corporate marketing and management savvy? My detailed understanding of the Facebook Advertising platform will maximise your marketing spend and build a list of dream clients fast.

If you’ve tried and failed or are yet to get started, my knowledge and expertise will add exceptional value to your efforts. My strategies for optimization and clear and precise coaching will mean you can either leave it all to me, or discover exactly how to get up and running yourself.

My focus is always on creating lasting customer acquisition, and is backed up by robust analysis and reporting that gives you unparalleled insights into new and existing markets.

From 0-$1,200,000 in Sales of Digital Products: Creator Of Get 10,000 Fans Brian Moran Reveals EXACTLY What He Did

Today on The Rise To The Top: The #1 Non-Boring Business Show: *WARNING*: Today’s show is incredibly badass. If you don’t like awesomeness, I would avoid it like the plague. Brian Moran, creator of Get 10,000 Fans, reveals exactly how he went from 0-$1,200,000 in digital product sales in one year, including everything from idea, packaging, pricing, marketing (he used ONE marketing tactic, seriously ONE), technology used, and much more. Boom.

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Brian Moran

In his own words:

In August of 2009, I had recently graduated college with a degree in marketing management and yet found myself beginning a career that had nothing to do with marketing. I was engaged at the time, and started to think about my future and path over the next couple years.

I had played baseball in college and my career had come to an end after a short stint in semi-pro baseball. So I began thinking what if there was a way for me to merge my two passions, baseball and marketing, together and actually start to create a new hobby for myself? I had always dreamt of owning my own company one day, so I began searching online and eventually stumbled over a website that changed everything.

I started listening to every podcast, reading every blog, and trying to suck in every piece of content that I could. I struggled with what business to start first and I finally decided to go into the baseball industry, something that I knew that I could provide good content to my visitors. I spent the next six months endlessly searching, reading, and learning every strategy that I could. I wasn’t making a dime, but the dream was still alive and I didn’t really care about the money.

I was confident enough in myself and I knew that if I kept pushing for that eventually something would happen. During that time I was able to learn a lot about blogging, WordPress, search engine optimization, driving traffic, social media, product creation, membership sites, and a whole lot more. The only problem for me at that time was that I was not making any sales. The traffic just wasn’t there and there was not a lot I could do about it, being a one-man show.

Finally in April of 2010, I stumbled on something that literally turned my world upside down. This little secret, was Facebook. I remember sitting in my college dorm as a freshman in 2004 hearing my buddies talk about this new website called “Facebook” and how it seemed to be a pretty cool tool to connect with old classmates that we lost touch with. Little did I know that this new tool would become my largest source of traffic six months later.

I began using Facebook fan pages and advertising to drive more traffic to my website than I ever thought I would be able to get by myself. It almost seemed too easy. I’ve struggled before with search engine optimization and Google AdWords, but Facebook just came so easy to me. It was simple. And the results came almost instantly.

I did a lot of testing and tweaking over the next couple months, but for the first time I was seeing a steady amount of sales coming in each week. I felt like the dream was finally starting to come into place. I decided that day to put all the other hyped up techniques to the side and focus solely on Facebook.

A few short months later I have multiple fan pages with thousands of fans residing on each one. My puny little e-mail list of 60 baseball players that took me over six months to generate had turned into a list of thousands of people in a few short weeks. I was finally able to focus on creating excellent content and stop worrying about where the traffic was going to come from next.

It was in November of 2010 that my train baseball fan page had reached 10,000 fans and I decided that I would finally start a business that aimed at helping other small businesses get off the ground using tools like Facebook. So this is where things sit today. I’m 24 years old, and I get a pretty neat opportunity to help out small businesses make better use of Facebook.

Brian Clark

Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media, a serial entrepreneur, and a recovering attorney.

Brian built three successful offline businesses using online marketing techniques before moving to a completely online business model. The result of that move – Copyblogger Media – is an innovative company that provides the advice and solutions that empower people to successfully grow their businesses through social media and online marketing.

Over the years, people have said a lot of nice things about Copyblogger and Brian:

• Advertising Age ranks Copyblogger as a top marketing blog in its Power150 list.
• The Guardian named Copyblogger one of the world’s 50 most powerful blogs.
• Brian Clark was ranked #3 of the 100 Most Influential Online Marketers of 2009.
• Technorati says Copyblogger is one of the most popular blogs in the world.
• The editors of Performancing named Brian Clark the most influential blogger of 2007.
• BusinessWeek says entrepreneurs should follow Copyblogger on Twitter.
• Dunn and Bradstreet says Brian Clark is one of the most influential people in small business on Twitter

Brian has been featured in the following books:

• Linchpin by Seth Godin
• Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin
• Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
• Internet Marketing From the Real Experts (Contributor)
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
• Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink
• Problogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
• e-Riches 2.0 by Scott Fox
• Gravitational Marketing by Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller
• Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields
• The Referral Engine by John Jantsch

How Successful Mediapreneurs Monetize Their Blogs, Podcasts and Web Shows

If I had $1 for every time I’ve received an email like this:

“David, how do I make money from my blog/web show/podcast?”

or

“Hey David, how do I get sponsors? Is that the right way I should monetize?”

I would have, um, numerous $1 bills sitting around.

While I would be surprised if I received a bunch of emails about where I get my haircut, these questions don’t surprise me at all because they are freakin’ important and there isn’t a ton of information out there about it, other than fluffy theory.

Making money is important. And unless your blog/web show/podcast is a hobby (nothing wrong with that…but I have a feeling yours isn’t), making money from something you love just plain rocks.

And there are plenty of ways to do it. This doesn’t mean it is easy, but there are numerous ways to make the bling bling. The key, I believe, is seeing what resonates with you.

So, I went back into the archives of The Rise To The Top and compiled a variety of business models from guests (and myself). If you are like me, I bet you like learning from actual examples of people walking the walk.

The Oatmeal

What is it all about? Funny cartoons. Period. Trust me, it is flippin’ funny.

How Matt Monetizes:

Directly: His biggest sellers are merchandise. His biggest seller amongst his merchandise are posters (who would have thought?).

Indirectly: Matt landed a sweet publishing deal to take his comics (and new ones) into a book called 5 Very Good Reasons To Punch A Dolphin In The Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) (affiliate).

Check out Matt on The Rise To The Top right here chatting about his empire.

The Art Of Manliness

What is it all about? A great blog focused on reclaiming the lost art of manliness created by husband and wife team Brett and Kate McKay. Includes mostly articles from a variety of authors.

How The McKays Monetize:

Through private advertising deals with products that are a great fit for the advertising (this can be seen on the right side of the website). There is also The Art of Manliness Store, which has a variety of great products including a book written by the McKays, an ebook, t-shirts, posters and a really neat idea: stationery.

Check out Brett McKay on The Rise To The Top chatting about The Art of Manliness.

Jet Set Life

What is it all about? Created by Kim and Rob Murgatroyd with a focus on financial freedom, world travel and fitness. Content includes podcasts, blogs, videos and more.

How The Murgatroyds Monetize:

A variety of interesting products. Rob and Kim put a lot of effort into creating really unique travel guides available for sale on the site (digital download) based on their experience to help you navigate the world’s poshest places. They have a membership site called Jet Set Money that includes a huge amount of content, course, action steps to create you own niche online business. There’s Jet Set Body (affiliate), which is a fitness program they developed to help get folks in fitness-model shape in 90 days (which I’m a graduate of!). And finally, Kim writes amazing cookbooks (affiliate) that are for sale as well.

Discussion with Rob and Kim about Jet Set Life.

Social Media Examiner

What is it all about? Social Media Examiner is “the world’s largest online social media magazine” and includes a variety of content (especially articles and video) from a range of contributors.

How Michael Monetizes:

This one is pretty darn neat. Everything on Social Media Examiner is free, but twice a year they hold a HUGE online event (example would be Facebook Success Summit). These events alone generate over $1,000,000 in revenue (!).

Michael Stelzner on the crazy growth of Social Media Examiner.

Mixergy

What is it all about? Andrew Warner interviews a variety of tech entrepreneurs sharing their experiences, insights and tips. The big idea is to help start-ups learn from successful people.

How Andrew Monetizes:

First, Andrew has three sponsors before each episode of his show that are also linked up in the show notes. Second, Andrew has premium “How To” courses taught by experts available to buy. Third, Andrew has members that pay a monthly fee to access the archives of shows (his shows are free for a week and then go into the members area). These members also receive all the courses.

Andrew on The Rise To The Top sharing the Mixergy story.

5by5

What is it all about? Broadcasts (video and audio podcasts) for geeks, designers, developers and entrepreneurs created by Dan Benjamin.

How Dan Monetizes:

Through a variety of sponsorships and advertising. Advertisers and sponsors have options including a network sponsorship (all of his shows), individual sponsorship (one show) and also bandwidth and livestream sponsorships. Sponsors receive visual placement next to the show and a “live ad” read during the broadcast by Dan or other host. Also, fans of the show can donate and make contributions.

Dan discusses 5by5 with me on The Rise To The Top.

Keith and The Girl

What is it all about? Comedy podcast created by, not shockingly, Keith and The Girl (who saw that coming). The podcasts have an extremely passionate (and diverse) audience.

How They Monetize:

A mix. The most unique amongst their strategy is live events (charging admission). Other ways include donations, advertising, VIP memberships to the archives (monthly fee). Lots of buckets.

Keith and The Girl get (sort of, but not really) serious on The Rise To The Top.

What The Buck

What is it all about? “What The Buck” is a popular YouTube pop culture show written, produced and hosted by Michael Buckley focusing on celebrities and other popular shenanigans.

How Michael Monetizes:

Michael’s major revenue comes from a partnership with YouTube who inserts ads into videos and brings interesting sponsorship/partnership opportunities to him.

Discussion with Michael Buckley on the success of What The Buck.

The Rise To The Top

What is it all about? Web show and resource focused on mediapreneurship created by me, David Siteman Garland. Probably best known for my interviews with successful mediapreneurs and innovators.

How I Monetize:

My main source of revenue is through sponsorships. Right now, there are three sponsors of The Rise To The Top: an overall sponsor, a bandwidth/hosting sponsor, and a video player sponsor. The overall sponsor gets a plug before and after every episode of The Rise To The Top, link/logo in the show notes, and logo/plug on the home page in the top right corner of the website. Second to sponsorships, I have a variety of trusted affiliates that I promote when appropriate and earn a commission on sales (always disclosed).

Wrapping It Up with Some Advice for You

Monetizing is not a one-size-fits-all situation. There are many ways to do it. And I can tell you, there is a high probability of what you try first (or second) might not work and that is OK. Don’t get frustrated.

Direct monetization is possible. Some people out there say it is nearly impossible to directly monetize a blog, podcast or web show and the only way to monetize is indirectly (meaning perhaps the attention draws you client or consulting work or something else).

You might have to indirectly monetize/hustle your butt off when getting started. We were all there once. Professional blogging, podcasting and show hosting is not an on/off switch. It takes time to develop and monetize. What does this mean for you? It is all about your situation. If you need to work side jobs to make ends meet, do it. If you can sell yourself as a speaker, consultant, do it. But I can tell you with a game plan, some experimentation, a clear vision and hard work you can make it happen.

There isn’t a magic number, or maybe there is? Often I receive questions about how big an audience has to be to monetize in some shape or form. I wish there was a concrete answer, but there isn’t. The closest thing to concrete is when Michael Stelzner told me that he didn’t want to sell ANYTHING to his audience until he had 10,000 subscribers. Your results will vary.

Finally, I’m excited for the future of the mediapreneurship space. I strongly believe a few years from now there will be a huge variety of wealthy, happy people that have taken something they love and turned it into a successful business. I hope you are one of them.

-David

How Unconventional Entrepreneur Ria Sharon Overhauled Her Business To Spend More Time With Her Kids

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Today’s guest, Ria Sharon, has been on a journey over the last year to rethink her business (like many of us…including myself). Not what business she is in, but rather how she spends her time and where she puts her efforts.

Ria has been on a quest to spend more time with her kids. In this interview, we discuss what specific steps she took to make it happen. Because, honestly, there is more to life than just business and working 10,000 hours a day even if you love your business (and you should, of course).

Enjoy!

About Today’s Guest, Ria Sharon:

Ria is the founder and publisher of an online magazine for pregnant women and new moms. Ria spent years in marketing and advertising, developing strategic plans for consumer brands like the Kellogg Company and Philips Electronics. As the Creative Director of a boutique design firm, she learned as much about running a business as honing her craft as a graphic designer. Ria was also elected to the national board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and in this role, planned the National Leadership Conference for AIGA in St. Louis in 2004.

She brings all of her experience in communication, leadership, and…”mommying” to connecting moms with practical and inspired tips. Her site, www.MyMommyManual.com, is the hub on which women can find expert advice from doulas, midwives, certified infant massage instructors, physical therapists, child therapists, parenting coaches and…other moms. Ria’s mission for My Mommy Manual is to empower women by connecting them with their own innate and intuitive Mommy Wisdom. This goal is achieved by providing moms with helpful resources, products, and a forum through which women can connect with each other through stories and their shared role as mommies.

Connect With Ria (and tell her you saw her on RISE!):

On Her Website
On Twitter
Check Out Hopeful World Publishing

Want To Get More Done? Peter Shankman’s Advice For Entrepreneurs On Getting Up Earlier

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When it comes to getting things done, Peter Shankman is more machine than man. For example:

• Peter is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out (HARO), which in under a year became the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 200,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. (Check out Peter’s first appearance on The Rise To The Top discussing how he built HARO.)
• Peter has completed a full Ironman Triathlon.
• He has ADOS (Attention Decifit Oh Shiny).
• He’s a world traveler.
• He’s a skydiver.

Peter wrote this really interesting article on his blog about why you should get up earlier (and how to do it). I figured this would be a good lesson for all the hustling entrepreneurs out there. Enjoy!

About Today’s Guest, Peter Shankman:

PR Week Magazine has described Peter as “redefining the art of networking”, and Investor’s Business Daily has called him “crazy, but effective”. Peter Shankman is a spectacular example of what happens when you merge the power of pure creativity with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a dose of adventure, and make it work to your advantage.

An author, entrepreneur, speaker, and worldwide connector, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, marketing, advertising, and customer service.

Peter is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) which in under a year became the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 200,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,500 queries from worldwide media each week. HARO’s tagline, “Everyone is an Expert at Something”, proves over and over again to be true, as thousands of new members join at helpareporter.com each week. In June of 2010, less than two years after Peter started HARO in his apartment, it was acquired by Vocus, Inc.

Peter is also the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., a boutique Social Media, Marketing and PR Strategy firm located in New York City, with clients worldwide.

Peter is the author of two books: Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them (Wiley and Sons 2006) and Customer Service: New Rules for a Social-Enabled World (Que/Pearson, 2010) and a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences and tradeshows worldwide.

Peter sits on the advisory boards of several companies, including ScotteVest and Pixability, and is honored to sit on the NASA Civilian Advisory Council. He was appointed to his position by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. He’s also an angel investor, specializing mostly in very early stage tech and social media companies.

Peter is frequently quoted in major media and trade publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News, The Associated Press, Reuters and USA Today.

Connect With Peter (and tell him you saw him on RISE!):

On His Website
On Twitter

The Creative Entrepreneur’s Guide To Thinking Like A Publisher

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This an important topic for all of us regardless if you are just getting started publishing content or are a veteran (hey, we all need reminders and new ideas, right?).

Enter today’s guest, Rebecca Lieb, to help us all out. A few fun facts about Rebecca:

• She’s done a lot in the digital marketing world, to say the least.
• She’s globally recognized as an expert on digital marketing, advertising, publishing and media.
• She’s a consultant, author, and sought-after speaker.
• She’s the former vice president of Econsultancy’s US operations.
• She was editor-in-chief at The ClickZ Network.
• She taught at New York University’s Center for Publishing.
• As a journalist, she’s written on media for numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
• She’s author of The Truth About Search Engine Optimization.

In this interview, Rebecca gives us a crash course on digital publishing. I know I picked up some new ideas – how about you?

About Today’s Guest, Rebecca Lieb:

Rebecca Lieb is globally recognized as an expert on digital marketing, advertising, publishing and media. A consultant, author, and sought-after speaker, she’s the former vice president of Econsultancy’s US operations. She was VP and editor-in-chief of The ClickZ Network for over seven years. For a portion of that time, Rebecca also ran Search Engine Watch. She consults on content strategy for a variety of brands and professional trade organizations. Earlier, Rebecca held executive marketing and communications positions at strategic e-services consultancies, including Siegel+Gale, and has worked in the same capacity for global entertainment and media companies including Universal Television & Networks Group (formerly USA Networks International) and Bertelsmann’s RTL Television. As a journalist, she’s written on media for numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She spent five years as Variety’s Berlin-based German/Eastern European bureau chief. Until recently, Rebecca taught at New York University’s Center for Publishing, where she also served on the Electronic Publishing Advisory Group.

Her book, The Truth About Search Engine Optimization, published by FT Press, instantly became a best-seller on Amazon.com. It remains a top-10 title in several Internet marketing categories. Content Marketing publishes in September, 2011.

For the bigger picture, take a look at her résumé.

Connect With Rebecca (and tell her you saw her on RISE!):

On Her Website
On Twitter
On Google+

Rebecca Lieb

Rebecca Lieb is globally recognized as an expert on digital marketing, advertising, publishing and media. A consultant, author, and sought-after speaker, she’s the former vice president of Econsultancy’s US operations. She was VP and editor-in-chief of The ClickZ Network for over seven years. For a portion of that time, Rebecca also ran Search Engine Watch. She consults on content strategy for a variety of brands and professional trade organizations. Earlier, Rebecca held executive marketing and communications positions at strategic e-services consultancies, including Siegel+Gale, and has worked in the same capacity for global entertainment and media companies including Universal Television & Networks Group (formerly USA Networks International) and Bertelsmann’s RTL Television. As a journalist, she’s written on media for numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She spent five years as Variety’s Berlin-based German/Eastern European bureau chief. Until recently, Rebecca taught at New York University’s Center for Publishing, where she also served on the Electronic Publishing Advisory Group.

Her book, The Truth About Search Engine Optimization, published by FT Press, instantly became a best-seller on Amazon.com. It remains a top-10 title in several Internet marketing categories. Content Marketing publishes in September, 2011.

For the bigger picture, take a look at her résumé.

Real Man Of Genius: Bob Lachky Reflects On His Career At Anheuser-Busch

Note: This interview originally aired on The Rise To The Top in 2009 on ABC.

Bob Lachky is the former Chief Creative Officer at Anheuser Busch and the man behind the most iconic advertising campaigns of all time including the Budweiser Frogs, Lizard, Wassup?, and Bud Light Real Men of Genius Campaign.

The entire 4-part uncut version of the interview can be found below. Enjoy!

Part #1: