Syed Irfan Ajmal
By Syed Irfan Ajmal
This isn't about working 16 hours a day. This isn't about being unproductive or having unhealthy obsessions while ignoring other important parts of your life. This is about keeping it real and balanced while still growing a business venture that you love so that you have a life that you can be content with.
Syed Irfan AjmalMar 10, 2020
Quantifying Backlinks Quality - The Bare Minimum [S04E06]
Ā Learn how to quantify backlinks in a better manner so that you can better assign and track goals to your outreach (aka offsite SEO) team members.Ā
One reason I prefer this system is that it grants much more points to the higher DR links which are critical considering that the DR range of 1-100 is not a linear scale but a logarithmic scale thus earning higher DR links should grant more points (and subsequently rewards) to your team members.Ā
COPY OUR SHEET:Ā
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mr9CsQzRvE1rCk6equFHVPQZzg0m_CxHFut8RlNPyEQ/edit?usp=sharing
TO LEARN ABOUT LINK TYPES CHECK OUT OUR BELOW 3 PREVIOUS EPISODES:Ā
ā”ļøāµ #SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 1 Backlinks [S03E06] https://youtu.be/Z_2FeHjvDXY
ā”ļøā¶ #SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 2 Backlinks [S03E07] https://youtu.be/ZDq9jZxK0lk
ā”ļøā· #SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 3 Backlinks [S03E08] https://youtu.be/__UauayC64k
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VIDEO VERSION OF THE PODCAST:Ā
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
ā”ļø AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
ā”ļø BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
ā”ļø TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
ā”ļø LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
ā”ļø BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Guest Post Pitch Tear Down: Avoid These 11 Mistakes Like the Plague [S04E09]
We've picked up a guest post pitch we received and we provide a teardown highlighting the 11 mistakes of the pitch.
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VIDEO VERSION OF THE EPISODE: https://youtu.be/RM77dUJAbpU
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
ā”ļø AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā
ā”ļø BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
ā”ļø TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmalĀ
ā”ļø LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
ā”ļø BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Boomerang Review - Our Favorite Tool of Our Agency for Pitching and Email Management [S04E08]
USE THE BOOMERANG TOOL: https://www.boomeranggmail.com/referral_download.html?ref=5k36fĀ
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VIDEO VERSION OF THE EPISODE: https://youtu.be/_UUsBKYgmgM
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
- AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā
- BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
- TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmalĀ
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
- BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Two Methods for Finding No-Follow Links - And why one of them isn't too good #SEOQuestions [S04E07]
We typically use these 2 methods to find if the links we earned are do-follow or if they are the less desirable links like no-follow, UGC, or sponsored.Ā
ā”ļø TOOLS MENTIONED: The Strike Out Nofollow Links Chrome Extension:Ā
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/strike-out-nofollow-links/fkolbdohecbecliihaobiiamdmhhnaei
ā”ļø SITES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:Ā
ā¢Ā No-Follow Links: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2021/11/20/disney-world-halts-employee-covid-vaccine-mandate-after-florida-ban/?sh=459dc6fb3eda
ā¢ Do-Follow Backlinks: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/bavaria-gets-tough-on-covid-with-cancellation-of-christmas-markets
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VIDEO VERSION OF THE EPISODE: https://youtu.be/0JkdnyTPuBw
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
ā”ļø AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā
ā”ļø BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
ā”ļø TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmalĀ
ā”ļø LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
ā”ļø BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Amazon Affiliate: The super-quick guide for absolute beginners [S03E04]
Amazon affiliate marketing can be easy to set up - especially if you have a blog already.Ā
This is a super simple guide for absolute beginners on how to add Amazon affiliate links to your blog.
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FIND VIDEO VERSION OF THIS EPISODE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwnZ5Ssa5eQĀ
FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
- AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
- BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
- TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
- BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Reviewing SEO KPIs of Target Websites [S04E05]
While earning backlinks for your website, you should take into consideration several factors of the target website in order to boost your website's SEO as opposed to harming it.Ā
FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED INCLUDE:Ā
ā 1. DR
ā 2. Traffic
ā 3. The ratio of incoming and outgoing backlinks
ā 4. Quality of contentĀ
ā 5. Design/branding
ā 6. Is there a real person behind it?
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VIDEO VERSION OF THE EPISODE: https://youtu.be/zxxcQb4cKrM
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
ā”ļø AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
ā”ļø BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
ā”ļø TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
ā”ļø LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
ā”ļø BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
The difference b/w creating links vs earning links #SEOQuestions [S04E04]
Building backlinks is an old archaic, low-quality, and ineffective method of getting links for your site. As opposed to that earning backlinks is a more complicated but much more beneficial process for boosting your website's SEO authority, getting free traffic, and conquering the SERPs.Ā
ā Building/Creating Backlinks CROSS ā
- Posting a blog comment
- Posting in a forumĀ
- PBN (private blog networks) links
ā Earning Backlinks - contextual backlinks CHECK TICKā
- Finding relevant websitesĀ
- Not a black and white thing
- Itās more of a spectrum
ā”ļø Reviewing SEO KPIs of Target Websites During SEO OutreachĀ
- DR
- Traffic
- Ratio of incoming and outgoing backlinks
- Quality of contentĀ
- Design/branding
- Is there a real person behind it?Ā
- Crafting quality pitches
- Personalization
- Wit/humor
- Research
- Relationship building
- Social Media Interaction
VIDEO VERSION OF THIS PODCAST
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aMeC1xdzlY
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FIND MORE ABOUT USĀ
- AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
- BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
- TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
- BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Brendon Burchard's High Performance Planner - My 1 Year Experience [S04E02]
I started to take self-reflection and planning seriously quite late in my life. However, even when I intentionally wanted to get better at both, I was unable to find good resources.Ā
I tried a few journals and planners but each has had a myriad of problems.Ā
Thatās when I stumbled upon Brendon Burchardās High-Performance Planner. In this episode, I share what it is and why I find it to be better. I also share some of the things that it doesnāt help with, and why you are better off starting it after checking Brendonās book The High Performance Habits first.Ā
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RELATED RESOURCES
[NOTE: We may earn a small commission from Amazon if you buy anything using our Amazon links, but this doesnāt impact the price you pay]
ā¢ How 10 Months of Journaling and Planning Boosted My Productivity: https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog/how-10-months-of-journaling-and-planning-boosted-my-productivity
ā¢ Top 11 Scientific Benefits of Writing [INFOGRAPHIC]
https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/top-11-scientific-benefits-writing-infographic/
ā¢ High Performance Planner [Lasts 2 Months]: https://amzn.to/3xjo6do
ā¢ High Performance Planner [Lasts 12 Months]: https://amzn.to/3yk86bb
ā¢ High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way Hardcover ā September 19, 2017: https://amzn.to/3AkbXH8Ā
ā¢ GoodReads Reviews of the Planner: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42393626-the-high-performance-planner
ā¢ Brendon Burchardās ResourceS + Downloads Page: https://brendon.com/the-charge-resources-downloads/
[NOTE: We may earn a small commission from Amazon if you buy anything using our Amazon links but this doesnāt impact the price you pay]
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
ā¢ AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā
ā¢ BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
ā¢ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
ā¢ BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Lead Scraping With Ahrefs {Operation: Competitor Spying} [S04E01]
Your online visibility can be boosted at significantly lower costs with SEO.
And SEO depends heavily on backlinks.
But how do find backlinks? How to ensure that more of your cold email outreach campaigns get positive replies?
This is where Operation Competitor Spying comes in.
It's simply about checking your competitors via Ahrefs (or similar software) to see which sites have granted them backlinks.
But there's a catch. In fact, there are quite a few catches. You've to ensure you filter the leads you find smartly so as to only end up with sites that will actually boost your search engine rankings.Ā
Check out this episode to know more.
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RELATED RESOURCES:Ā
COLAB LINK BUILDING: Collaborating with some other companies in related industries or shoulder niches, in order to earn backlinks: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/collab-link-building-s02e06/Ā
CASE STUDY: Taking NTA TO $1.2 MILLION /month revenue from organic traffic: https://dmr.agency/case-studies/national-tyres-and-auto-care-case-study/
TOOLS: AHREFS.COMĀ
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
Our Agency's 3-Step Client Onboarding Process [S03E10]
Only 2 reasons you clicked on this description:Ā
1. You are wondering if our onboarding process can be replicated by your company (go ahead; do it)
2. You are considering to use your agency's services (yayy!)
Either way, you will learn a big deal.Ā
So tighten your seatbelts and facemasks, as I ain't going to disappoint you! š
RELATED RESOURCES:Ā
ā¢ INFOGRAPHIC [DMR Client Onboarding Process]: http://bit.ly/38Qz1QP
Ā ā¢ Campaign Google Sheet Sample by DMR: Ā http://bit.ly/34ZNDMQ
Ā ā¢ Sample Monthly Report for Clients by DMR http://bit.ly/2KQToFG
ā¢ OUR AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
ā¢ OUR SERVICES: Performance-based SEO #linkbuilding and #digitalPR
šDiscussing HARO Outreach, SEO Agency Business, and Backlinks Management with Greg Heilers [S03E09]
#seoagency #harooutreach #backlinking
This is a more interactive episode of the show where your host Syed Irfan Ajmal (that's me speaking about myself in 3rd person) had a fellow SEO agency co-founder Greg Heilers on the show to discuss:Ā
- how they started HARO outreac
- their team size and dynamics
- their pitching process
- links management (and how the Link Sourcery tool Greg and his team at Jolly are building would make it easier)
PS: I am most excited about the Link Hunters feature of Link Sourcery.
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RELATED RESOURCES:Ā
- Greg Heiler's Agency: https://jollyseo.co/
- Greg Heiler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheilers/
- Link Sourcery: linksourcery.comĀ
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
- AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
- BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
- TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
- BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
ā”ļøā·#SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 3 Backlinks [S03E08]
#seobacklinkstutorial #backlinktypes #thirdbucket
Types of links that fall in the 3rd bucket of links. These include:Ā
3. (a) Original
3. (b) Duplicate
3. (c) Republished
4. (d) Scraper
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NOTE: LINKS TO OTHER 2 TYPES OF LINK BUCKETS
Type 1: https://youtu.be/Z_2FeHjvDXY
Type 2: https://youtu.be/ZDq9jZxK0lk
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
ā”ļøā¶#SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 2 Backlinks [S03E07]
#seobacklinks #contextualbacklinks #authorbiobacklinks
Types of links that fall in the 2nd bucket of links. These include:Ā
2.(a) Contextual
2. (b) Author Bio
2. (c) Image
2. (d) PDF
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NOTE: LINKS TO OTHER 2 TYPES OF LINK BUCKETS
Type 1: https://youtu.be/Z_2FeHjvDXY
Type 3: https://youtu.be/__UauayC64k
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
ā”ļøāµ #SEObacklinks Tutorial - Type 1 Backlinks [S03E06]
#seobacklinkstutorial #dofollow #nofollow
Types of links that fall in the 1st bucket of links. These include:Ā
1. (a) Do-FollowĀ
1. (b) No FollowĀ
1. (c) Mention OnlyĀ
1. (d) Sponsored/UGC
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NOTE: LINKS TO OTHER 2 TYPES OF LINK BUCKETS
Type 2: https://youtu.be/ZDq9jZxK0lk
Type 3: https://youtu.be/__UauayC64k
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
ā
SEO Outreach Project Management Made Easy [S03E05]
#seoprojectmanagement #googlesheetsprojectmanagement #seooutreach
If you've been earing backlinks at scale, you got to have a good system for organizing your backlinks.
We started using Google Sheets to keep track of our outreach. The Google Sheet you see in the video is used in combination with other tools like Slack, Trello, etc.Ā
We also use a points-based system whereby our team members earn more points (and higher commission) if they earn a higher DR backlink. The sheet that we use incorporated points as well.Ā
We also feel having multiple micro-teams to work on the same projects helps in a variety of ways like:Ā
ā¢ healthy competition internally
ā¢ ensuring that we are able to meet client goalsĀ
This points-based system along with a team-based structure is critical since outreach is an extremely time-consuming, and at times, unpredictable way to earn quality whitehat backlinks.Ā
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FIND MORE ABOUT US:Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agencyĀ
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmal
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
š
HARO Outreach vs Conventional Outreach for Quality Backlinks [S03E04]
#backlinking #seo #haro
We've used both HARO outreach and Conventional outreach to earn quality links for our own sites and the sites of our clients. In this episode, I share how both differ from each other along with which one may be more ideal for you in a given situation. I also share the pros and cons of both along with some examples of links we've earned. Ā Ā
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The website shown in the video is that of our marketing agency DMR and its URL (in case you want to check it out) is https://dmr.agency/Ā
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FIND MORE ABOUT US: Ā Ā
AGENCY: https://dmr.agency Ā Ā
BLOG: https://www.syedirfanajmal.comĀ
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/syedirfanajmalĀ
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/Ā
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: Please contact irfan[at]dmr[dot]agency
š Faisal Khan on Remote Team Management, Getting Inbound Leads, Working Smarter & More [S03E03]
Faisal Khan is āan independent banking, payments and fintech consultantā. He helps companies all around the globe āsolve their complex banking & payments-related issues.āĀ
His primary expertise is in ācross-border transfers, payment processing, mobile payments, and licensing/regulatory issuesā.Ā
I first came to know Faisal via his Quora profile before we met at DYS in Peshawar, and then again in Dubai. Speaking of Quora, check this out.
FAISAL KHAN'S QUORA STATS
ā¢Ā ~20 Million Views
ā¢Ā 5000+ Answers
ā¢ Earning the āTop Writerā badge from Quora in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
Content creation on steroids via Quora, YouTube, blogging, and podcasting have been instrumental in generating high-ticket inbound leads for Faisal Khan & Company.
Faisal's business enterprises is a 100% remote company where all the employees are females.
QUOTE:
āThey [female employees] solve the mess that I make.ā
- Faisal Khan on why his company hires women only
SHOW NOTES:
- Faisal Khanās background (going from being an engineer to starting a micro remote company way back in 2009)
- Why Faisal Khan & Company is a 100% remote company?
- How COVID-19 has made everyone take WFH (work from home) take more seriously.
- Faisalās key tips on ensuring that WFH (working from home) for him and every one of his 16-member company is a disciplined, productive, and effective endeavor.
- Things Faisal misses about the traditional workplace environments, and how WFH is quickly evolving to give similar work experience to remote workers
- How Faisal Khan leverages inbound marketing to general high ticket leads?
- Working Harder vs Working Smarter - Faisal Khan shares an excellent example of each. You canāt afford to miss out on this one!
- Why Faisal Khan & Company has an unlimited leaves policy for all team members?
- ā¢ Why the combination of higher pay and WFH is ideal for both employees and employers?
- Life Lessons Faisal Khan Wishes He Knew When He Was in His 30ās - (This will be later explained by Faisal in his Youtube Channel)
- The one misconception people have about change (as in changing personal habits, business practices and more)
- How change is akin to doing calligraphy
QUOTE:
āI donāt go to clients. Clients come to us.ā
- How Faisal Khanās Inbound Lead Generation results in high-ticket sales
RELATED RESOURCES
- Official Website: https://faisalkhan.com/
- Blog: https://blog.faisalkhan.com/
- Podcast: Around The Coin: http://www.aroundthecoin.com/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Faisal-Khan-1Ā
- Faisal Khanās favorite book on personal development: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
- [INFOGRPAHIC] How to Manage Remote Teams With HubStaff: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/managing-remote-teams-with-hubstaff-time-tracking/
- [PODCAST] Liam Martin (CEO of Staff.Com & Time Doctor) on Productivity, Remote Employee Management, & Fighting the Distraction Economy: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/liam-martin-productivity-remote-employee-management-fighting-distraction-economy-s01e02/
ā”ļø FOR MORE DETAILS PLEASE VISIT https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/faisal-khan-interview/
šØāš§ Remote Work Productivity - Our Top 7 Tools [S03E02]
Our agency DMR has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2013. With a team that's spread over multiple cities, countries, and continents, we use the following 7 types of tools to ensure that we maximize efficiency, boost productivity, and ensure seamless communication.
OUR TOP 7 TOOLS FOR REMOTE WORK PRODUCTIVITY
ā”ļø 1. TIME TRACKING
ā¢Ā We use Hubstaff
ā¢ Related Resource #2: Get 10% OFF on HubStaff āÆāÆāÆ http://ssqt.co/m5emF2J
ā¢ Related Resources # 1: [INFOGRAPHIC] Managing Remote Teams: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/managing-remote-teams-with-hubstaff-time-tracking/
ā”ļø 2. VIDEO MEETINGS
ā¢Ā Zoom + Uber Conference
ā¢ Zoom'S URL: https://zoom.us/
ā¢Ā UberConference'S URL: https://www.uberconference.com/Ā
ā”ļø 3. CHAT UPDATES
ā¢ We use Slack.
ā¢ URL: www.slack.comĀ
ā”ļø 4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ā¢Ā Trello:
ā¢Ā URL: www.trello.comĀ
ā”ļø 5. COLLABORATION
ā¢ Google Suite (Google Docs, Spreadsheets, etc) Ā
ā¢ URL: Gsuite.google.comĀ
ā”ļø 6. SCREEN CAPTURE
ā¢Ā Skitch / Jing
ā¢ Skitch'S URL: https://evernote.com/products/skitchĀ
ā”ļø 7. VIDEO SCREEN CAPTURE
ā¢ Loom Ā
ā¢ URL: https://www.loom.com
To know why we use these tools and their pros and cons, please check out the episode.
šÆ FOR MORE DETAILS PLEASE VISIT: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/remote-work-productivity-tools/
šÆ Fighting the Corona Recession: Our 7-Pronged Business Plan [S03E01]
The 3rd season of the SIA Business Podcast is here. And currently, we've been quarantined for several weeks while witnessing how COVID-19 is impacting businesses all around the globe. Ā
When this video was being published, millions have had applied for social security benefits within the US. Several entrepreneur friends of ours have had reported listing 50-80% of their revenue, and frankly, our own agency DMR wasn't any better. Ā Ā
So we created this 7-part business plan for battling the Corona recession, and to hopefully not just SURVIVE but THRIVE in the process. Ā Ā
It is always useful to be proactive and to have a plan in place. We hope our plan on how to tackle the economic impacts of the #coronavirus will help you create a plan for your own business too.Ā
Wish you good luck!
ā”ļø FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE VISIT: https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/fighting-corona-recession-our-plan
#coronarecession #businessplan #riskmitigationĀ
ā¤“ļøUnleashing Your Inner Sales Warrior With Jason Forrest
Everything we do requires some kind of sales.Ā
Anytime a kid convinces his parents to let him watch his favorite cartoon for another 30 minutes is sales in action.Ā
Anytime you persuade a team member to take on a project which she wasn't too excited about initially, is sales.Ā
Then there's, of course, the more conventional sales.Ā
And I was keen to discuss that (especially high-ticket selling) with someone who has the right kind of expertise.Ā
Meet Jason Forrest.Ā
Jason's Bio
Jason is the founder and CEO of FPG (Forrest Performance Group), a leadership, and sales training companyā which was named as one of Americaās Best Workplaces for 2017 by Inc. Magazine.
He is also an award-winning speaker and published author.
As a certified NLP Master Practitioner, Jason is on a mission to convince every person that they are enough.
He does so by reprogramming their mindset so as to remove any mental blocks which hold them back from becoming a better version of themselves.
While studying his profile, I checked out some of his previous podcast interviews and training videos. And I can assure our listeners that Jasonās bold, unorthodox, and game-changing mental toughness strategies will surely leave an impact on you.
His most recent book, The Mindset of a Sales Warrior, contains 42 strategies that unleash human performance through transformational mental models.
Last but not least, Jason has also built quite a following over social media given that he has over 1 Million followers on Facebook.
We spoke about sales (obviously), mindset, training, team building, writing, and more.Ā
Check out the episode to know more.Ā
ā”ļø SHOW NOTES & MORE DETAILS AT https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/jason-forrest/
šÆFinding Your Unfair Advantage With Ash Ali & Hasan Kubba [S02E09]
When things go wrongā¦
We, sometimes, blame OTHERS.Ā
At other times, we decide that there is something inherently wrong with us, and hence we will never become successful.
But what if I tell you, that each one of us has a unique unfair advantage, leveraging which will make us successful.
ACTUALLY, rather than me telling you about it, why donāt we speak to a couple of gifted entrepreneurs who have tons of related experience and expertise.
OUR GUESTS TODAY:
ASH ALI & HASAN KUBBA who are startup entrepreneurs and the co-authors of an upcoming book called The Unfair Advantage.
ASH'S BIO:
Born to immigrant parents, there was crime and poverty all around Ash in Birmingham. He didnāt go to a university either.
BUT Ash became the first marketing director of Just Eat (an online food order & delivery startup).
And his growth hacking and marketing skills were instrumental in growing JustEat which IPOāed at Ā£1.5 billion.
HASAN'S BIO:
Hasan built a successful startup from his bedroom with nothing more than an online course and a yearning to escape the corporate ārat raceā.
They have each spoken at TEDx, advised and mentored hundreds of startups all over the world, and are passionate about spreading the opportunities of startup entrepreneurship.
SHOW NOTES
In today's episode Hasan and Ali share:
- How to succeed in an unfair world?
- What is your unfair advantage
- What is the MILES framework?Ā
- How to use the MILES frame to find and leverage your unfair advantage?Ā
- Why being born rich and poor - both can be key to your success?Ā
- The 4 types of startup leaders (the visionary, tech expert, commercial leader, the catalyst)
- How to rid yourself of the impostor syndrome
- The role of self-awareness in finding your unfair advantage
- The importance of internal status (credibility, faith, and trust)
- The role of external status (your accent, the watch you are wearing)Ā
- Why you got to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses
- What to do if you don't have all the factors of MILES
- Why Ash thinks entrepreneurs and leaders need to be generalists rather than specialists
- The importance of EQ, soft skills in leadershipĀ
- Why going from a lean marketing budget to a big one became a problem for Ash at JustEat
- How investing in a Ā£250K TV ad changed everything for JustEat
- How to go from finding MILES of excuses to succeeding with MILES (Money, Intelligence & Insight, Location & Luck, Status)Ā
- How Ash and Hasan used growth hacking principles to come up with an MVP for their bookĀ
- How Ash and Hasan used UX methodology to make their book super-engaging
RELATED RESOURCES
- The Unfair Advantage Book Website
- Ā Ash Ali's Website | Twitter
- Hasan Kubba on LinkedIn
- Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business - By Gino Wickman &Ā
- JustEat
ā”ļøSHOW NOTES & MORE DETAILS AT www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/
ć½ļøAutomated Outreach: Why I (Kind of) Changed My Mind About It? #AskIrfan [S02E08]
I always thought of automated outreach as downright insulting, bad, and useless.Ā
I and our team send customized pitches via HARO (Help a reporter out) which I talk in S01E06 and S01E07 of this podcast.Ā
And our results speak for themselves: Ā just got cited on HBR (Harvard Business Review)!>Ā
Even when we did guest post outreach, we always did our best to personalize our pitches.Ā
But recently I had a bit of a change of heart regarding automated outreach that many SEOs do in order to earn backlinks.Ā
Don't get me wrong.Ā
I still (and always will) absolutely detest all those annoying email pitches which are:Ā
- badly researched
- copy and pasteĀ
- colder than a "banker's heart" and a "brass toilet seat in the Yukon"
Example: I mean I got one asking me to write about them in my Forbes column, and they were a startup that has had made some kind of special socks.
SOCKS!Ā
You must have received at least some of those pitches from salespersons, SEOs, and PR 'professionals.
But, I now realize, there's a better way.Ā
I share what can help you earn links at scale, without annoying your recipients. Ā
Results Earned
We've used this same technique in quite a simple and basic manner to see results like:
- Earn backlinks from sites with DR (Domain Rating) of 40 to 70+.Ā
- Moving our Google SERPs ranking for a keyword (600 searches/month) from position ~80 to position ~30Ā
- Improving rankings of other keywords (100-300 searches/month) and get them to page 2 and 3
Tools Used
- Ahrefs
- Hunter.io
- MailShake
- G Suite
Check out the episode to know more.
SHOW NOTES & MORE DETAILS AT https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/
Related Resources:Ā
- This is How You Pitch - Ed Ziton [Book]
- My Mention in HBR (Harvard Business Review)
- [Our Case Study Published in SEMrush]: How We Got a Client to $200K Monthly Revenue Through Guest Posting
- Key Email Outreach Mistakes
- S01E06: Haro Outreach [Basic]
- S01E07: Haro Outreach [Advance]
šStanding Out in the Crowd With This Simple Hack I'd Used in Denmark[S02E07]
āļøCollab Link Building [S02E06]
There is a unique link building strategy that hasĀ earnedĀ us some excellent resultsĀ in the past.
Itās different than guest posting, guestographic outreach, and broken link building, etc.
Colab Building (a term coined by us at SIA Enterprises) means finding companies within your niche or shoulder niches that cater to the same audience as you but that are NOT your competitors.
EXAMPLE OF COLAB LINK BUILDING
Let's say manage aĀ SAAS productĀ that helps how owners manage their home.
You can earn links via Link Collab for your website by partnering with:
- Realtors
- Architects
- Online Retailers Offering Furniture
- Online Retailers Selling Rugs
- And the list goes on and on!
The podcast episode includes 2 case studies, along with a guide on how to apply Collab Link Building.
SHOW NOTES & MORE DETAILS AT ā”ļøhttps://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/collab-link-building-s02e06/
ā£ļøDigital PR Vs SEO: Key Similarities & Differences [S02E05]
Our boutique agency's biggest skill is earning backlinks at scale, and in turn, getting our clients to 7 figure yearly revenues along with millions of monthly UVs (unique visitors).Ā
However, for the last couple of years, we've been working on leveraging Digital PR by learning more about the art of publicity from PR resources & experts.Ā
It turns out, that both SEO and Digital PR have a lot of similarities. But they also have some key differences.
In this episode, we discuss both.Ā
Find out how you can boost the online visibility of a brand through "SEO-PR"!
SEO-PR = The Combination of SEO & Digital PR.Ā
SHOW NOTES & MORE AT ā”ļøhttps://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/
š°Leveraging Newsjacking for Content Promotion [S02E04]
Since the Internet started till about 2009, it was much easier for an unknown blogger or a brand to become popular without spending anything (or much) on marketing. š
The primary reason for that was that there were few content producers and too many content consumers.
āļøTodaysā internet, however, is a different world. Today, everyone and their grandma is a blogger, a social media star, and an Instagram influencer.
Contrary to a decade ago, the āinternet populationā of developed countries is largely stagnant, and the number of people producing content is increasing each day.
This means the competition is way tougher and we need some good strategies to solve this problem.
One such solution is newsjacking (also known as Real-Time Marketing).
šÆWe discuss case studies of HootSuite, 7-Eleven, and Donald Trump to share how they leveraged newsjacking!
SHOW NOTES & MORE AT ā”ļøhttps://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/newsjacking-case-studies-s02e04/
šļøāāļøRon Carucci on Power, Leadership, and Persuasion [S02E03]
Ron Carucci brings transformational change within organizations by working with their CEOs & other executives.Ā
His company Navalent has worked with the likes of CitiBank, Gates Corporation, McDonald's Corporation, Starbucks, Microsoft and others.Ā
Last but not least, Ron has authored 8 books (including Rising to Power), apart from being a HBR columnist, and a 2X TEDx speaker.
WE SPOKE TO RON ABOUT:
- what power means
- how to be a great leader
- why technical prowess isn't synonymous with great leadership
- strategy vs tactics
- why leaders need to let go (of the vine) and focus on the long-termĀ
- inspiring your team
- persuasion and how it differs from manipulation
SHOW NOTES & MORE DETAILS AT ā”ļø https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/ron-carucci-power-leadership/
šļøTop 3 Mistakes of My ~6 Year Speaking Career [S02E02]
It turned out that not only did I enjoy speaking, but it was a good way to position myself as an expert and authority which contributed to a decent flow of inbound leads.
More over, as I later found out, it was also a good excuse for me to enjoy "workactions" abroad once I committed to travel to a country only if I have secured a speaking gig (no matter how small) there.
While I've had the pleasure of speaking and events small and large in multiple countries, there were several mistakes that I've made. Here in this episode, I the biggest 3 which I hope no one else makes.
Check out the episode and enjoy!
ā“ļø Recap of Season 1 + Introduction of Season 2 [S02E01]
Let's take a look at what we did during Season 1 of this podcast, followed by what you should expect to learn and listen in Season 2 which we are kicking off with the publishing of this very episode!Ā
šÆHow Negating Conventional Wisdom Led Me to Massive Success [S01E10] #TrueTales
Consider This:
- We've spent several weeks doing HARO Outreach for a client.
- We've zero results to show.
- I first assumed this isn't going to work, and I should stop sending any more pitches.
Buāt Then I Tried Something Different:
First off, I changed my mindset, by letting go of my fears, my ego, and my presumptions.
THE POWER OF MINDSET + MASSIVE ACTION
Come up with a new plan, after a hard and long look at the facts of the matter, our performance, the quality of our pitches, and what others are doing. We go on to get some brilliant results.
ā We make much more revenue for our clients and ourselves
ā” The clients love us
ā¢ Our team's happier
SHOW NOTES & MORE AT ā”ļøhttps://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/negating-conventional-wisdom-massive-success/
My Top 2 Game-Changing Productivity Hacks of 2018 [S01E09] #SoloEpisode
š£[SOLO Episode]: I started doing something different in 2018. Ā
š«First off, I realized (by reviewing some data; more on that in another episode) that being busy is NOT always akin to being productive.Ā š«
Then, using 2 simple hacks (a bullet journal and a POMODORO app), I was able to:
ā”ļøminimize distractions
ā”ļøĀ maximize focus
ā”ļøboost my productivity
ā”ļøĀ attain exponential ROI growth in 2018
Check out the episode to know how I use these hacks, and how they helped me.
šSHOW NOTES & MORE AT: ā”ļø https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/2-game-changing-productivity-hacks-2018/
PR Expert Melanie Marten Speaks About a $2.3 Million ROI Publicity Stunt & More [S01E08]
Unique Twist to HARO Outreach for Better & Improved Backlinks #AskIrfan [S01E07]
How to Earn Publicity & Backlinks With HARO? #ASKIrfan [S01E06]
Top 3 SEO Myths of Today? #ASKIrfan [S01E05]
Elvin Zhang on 6 Figure Exits, Pitching to VCs, & Blockchain Technology [S01E04]
Elvin Zhang is a Singapore-based polymath and #startupfounder with his interests ranging from Quantum Physics to #Blockchain and #Fintech. He also has won an award for playing a unique Chinese musical instrument.Ā
In this episode he speaks about:
ā¢Ā Why his family moved him from China to Singapore
ā¢Ā Why he spends 70% of his social media time on Facebook and 30% of his time on #WeChat (a Chinese super-app)
ā¢ Why he rejected UC Berkley after getting rejected from MIT, Stanford, and Harvard (and why he lied about it to his parents)
ā¢Ā Elvin's first business in a $100 million Singaporean industry
ā¢Ā Elvin's first startup exit (a 6 figure USD amount)
ā¢Ā How Toucan Pay came into being
ā¢Ā Why Peter Thiel's Zero to One concept means different things for different startups
ā¢ The mismatch between business and technical teams
ā¢ The right way to pitch to VCs
ā¢ The importance of Blockchain Technology
FOR SHOW NOTES & MORE, PLEASE VISIT ā https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/elvin-zhang-startups-sia-s01e04/
Lisa Zahran on Million Dollar Campaigns, Copywriting, & Email Marketing [S01E03]
Liam Martin on Productivity, Remote Employee Management, & Fighting the Distraction Economy [S01E02]
Peter Gould on Design Thinking, Branding, and Productivity [S01E01]
From designing kids apps to games, and from creating a clothing range to multiple online creative platforms to getting an award from the ruler of Dubai, Aussie entrepreneur Peter Gould has done it all.
His Islamic Design Thinking company has worked with governments, a Prime Minister, and brands like Etihad Airways, Thomson Reuters, and more.āØāØ
In this podcast episode, Peter talks about:
ā¢ How, during the early years, Peter used to get an hour of sleep in the corporate boardroom before the clientās arrival to make up for sleepless nights āØ
ā¢ How Peter and his team helped an organization raise over a million dollars of extra donations (70% increase)āØ
ā¢ Using the Dove Analogy for better work performance. It's really good! āØ
ā¢ The significance of the 4-Hour Work Week and how many people get it wrong āØ
ā¢ Peterās tips for the shift from employment to entrepreneurshipāØ
ā¢ Peterās secret but simple marketing strategy for bagging big brands
Show notes are & other details at ā https://www.syedirfanajmal.com/podcast/peter-gould-s01e01/