Marcus Sheridan is an entrepreneur that truly understands content marketing.  He was able to take his pool business from the brink of the financial abyss to strong profitability primarily through the use of online content marketing.

I absolutely love the story that Marcus has to share, and it was a pleasure to interview him for today's episode of my podcast.

To get the full picture, you really need to listen to the podcast; plus you get a better grasp of the fun personality that Marcus has.  It was all I could do to keep myself from busting out laughing during a few parts...

Content Marketing Advice

However, here's a brief synopsis:

Marcus started out as a partner in a small swimming pool business.  However, for a number of reasons, the company started to go downhill after a while.  At this point, Marcus knew he needed to do something differently and started learning about content marketing.  He decided to give it his FULL attention and produce lots of great content on their company website: Riverpoolsandspas.com .

It wasn't overnight, but the website started generated more traffic and a lot more interest in their business.  By focusing on the questions customers ask for content (this is critical), he was able to rank well for lots of long tail keywords in Google.  This free traffic, began converting into paying customers.

Fast forward a couple of years and their pool business was thriving all because they started marketing their business with content online.

Now Marcus focuses the majority of his time teaching others how to use content and inbound marketing in their business.  His blog for this business is at: TheSalesLion.com . I highly recommend that you check out his site and download his free content marketing ebook.  Warning, its over 200 pages long!

Because of his experience with his own pool business and now his blog, Marcus consults other businesses on how to have an effective content and inbound marketing strategy.

• Follow Marcus on Twitter: @thesaleslion

Don't tell Jon Haws that he doesn't own a tech company.  Even though he currently spends his days pushing lawn mowers and leading a crew of landscapers, Jon has embraced the internet and so much more to market and run his business.

In fact, if you ask him about his business, the fact that he cuts grass may never come up.  Instead you'll get an earful about long tail keywords, niche sites, subscription based business, auto-billing, lead generation, and more.

Because Jon has been able to think of his company as a tech business, he's been able to build it to over $70k in revenue in less than 6 months!

Yes, Jon happens to be my cousin (what up cuz!); which is how I got the scoop on his fascinating story.  Not only is his experience very interesting to businesses of all kinds, but the priciples he discusses can REALLY help you in your marketing efforts.

Rather than go over his entire story, please listen to the podcast below!  Here are just some of the topics covered:

• Why Jon put nursing school on hold to start a landscaping business.
• How Jon got his first few customers without a crew, equipment, and living 1500 miles away. (A true lean start-up!)
• Why Jon had to write a business plan and executive summaries for his wife before leaving school.
• How niche sites and long tail keywords bring in 40% of his business.
• The importance of understanding the life-time value of a customer.
• How these online marketing tactics can be applied to any business (and local service businesses in particular).
• How average monthly billing, additional services, and "passive" tactics are all part of Jon's plan for business growth.