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Blogging and Vlogging – Just Do It!

 

As I speak with potential clients from around the world, it is amazing how similar we all are in the desires that we have to grow our businesses. One of the biggest challenges we see our entrepreneurs struggle with is deciding on the content that is appropriate for them to share. Generally speaking, there is always great content around you as it relates to your business. You simply have to bring that in to a format that others can consume as well.

Easy for us to say, right? We eat, breathe, and sleep content.

I think that you can acquire this skill in some part too. Create an avatar that is the ideal client for your business. Define everything that you can….age, life style, income, likes and dislikes. And then speak directly to this avatar. Think about how you bring this person value. How what your share could help them get past a pain point in their business or personal endeavors.

Then, start blogging and vlogging. Yes, blogging and vlogging. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be consistent.

Here are some interesting stats:

  1. 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.
  2. The average word count of top-ranking content (in Google) is between 1,140-1,285 words.
  3. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts.

We are living in an era where your customers want to see you. They do not want to see your logo or your pushy, salesy content all of the time. You have to earn the right to sell to your customers in today’s marketplace. Blogging and vlogging will help in so many ways. Not only does it help you to keep current information out in the universe, but it also allows you to get seen as an expert by media.  If you continue to prove that you know what you are talking about, then you will start to see the fruits of your labor.

It is a marathon not a sprint! Start today and take a look at the results that come in month over month.

 

 

 

Periscope Summit Recap

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New York Scope Week (AKA Periscope Summit) was one of the best “conferences” that I have attended in a long time. For a first time event, this by far exceeded my expectations. Here are my top take-a-ways from the event:

  1. Community – The supportive nature of the Periscope community is almost hard to believe. Everyone was exchanging contact information and business tips every day of the event. The authentic networking at this event is probably the top reason to attend in person. This is more than just exchanging a business card.
  2. Location – MIST Harlem turned out to be an AWESOME location. The stadium style seating was great and made it easy for everyone to see the presenters. New York City, although an expensive city to travel to, is full of a variety of activities to do outside of the conference. That was great for those of us that had family with us on the trip. Having a conference in a city with great public transportation is also a WIN.
  3. Presenters and Panelist – Everyone that spoke provided gems of information that we could all take back and apply to our business immediately.  Take the time to go to each of the speakers Katch.me sites to see if they saved their presentations. For the speakers that did, it will be well worth the time to watch the presentations in their entirety.
  4. Attending the next Periscope Summit is a must – If you were like me at the Summit, it was difficult to get to speak with all of the people you may have wanted to speak with that were in attendance. The beauty of attending in person is that you could pick up with conversations right off the bat that you may have started on Periscope.  Many people made connections that they will be able to call on if they visit that persons city.  The presenters were also very approachable and stayed around for the entire conference. I can’t imagine how AWESOME the next conference will be as more people are taking about attending.

If you attended the conference, please put your thoughts in the comments below. Many people have asked me why you should attend in person if you can see everything on Scope.  The answer is simple…..the in real life connections are invaluable.  They are worth way more then the price of the ticket. This is a conference that you want to attend in person!

Enlight Can Boost Your Visual Storytelling Tremendously

Enlight-Announcement-FBDuring the month of May, we are reviewing apps that can assist in business productivity.  Enlight is one of the first apps that we decided to dive in to because visual storytelling is so important to incorporate in to your communication strategy. Visual content in social media is even more important now than it was even a few years back.  Millions of dollars are still spent on billboards, commercials, and print ads that no one is paying attention to anymore. People skip ads, tune out billboards, and do not pick up the newspaper as much as they used to.

Nothing like Enlight exists on the market. In addition to upgraded versions of existing tools, Enlight offers new features that, until now, were only seen on desktop editing software, if at all.”  said Zeev Farbman, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightricks.

As a small business owner or the director of a corporate communication department for a Fortune 500 company, it is vital to get your message in front of your target audience at the right time in their preferred method of communication. Developing ways to make your messaging visual can set you apart from your competition and help you actually catch the attention of individuals that need to hear your message, know that your brand exist, or be informed about what is going on within the organization.

Enlight can help even the novice take their images to the next level.  The tools are explained very well in the tour that they have set up within the app. We do think that you have to have some knowledge surrounding photo editing tool terms in order to hit the ground running with the app.  This should not deter the person that is not familiar with the terms. This individual should just

Here are the highlights of our review:

  • Enlight is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category for $3.99.
  • This is perfect for the novice interested in improving the quality of their images.
  • The user interface is very easy on the eyes and makes the experience enjoyable.
  • We did not experience a lot of crashing with this app.

Finding Inspiration from the Window Washers

Inspiration can even come from window washers.

Inspiration can even come from window washers.

You have heard the saying, ‘Inspiration can come from the strangest places.’ Well, I can completely agree! As someone who writes a good bit for clients, sometimes you just need a new perspective. A new way of looking at something that can help make the piece that is being communicated even more interesting and compelling.  You want to dive deep to bring out the reasons that your target audience needs to pay attention to this information.

This is where the window washers come in. You have the same product, service, or the same ‘view’ from the office window.  But, on a regular basis, it is important to take a step back and clean the windows. Look at the product, service, or ‘view’ from a new perspective.  Pretend it is your first time seeing the product or service.  What is your “first” reaction?

Your reaction may be that this product/service needs to be revamped.  Maybe you were going down the wrong path.  Or, just like a new element can be added in to the landscape of your view out of the window, there may be something new with your product/service that you are not paying attention to.  This may be something that should be highlighted in a better way.

So take a note from the page of the window washers. Every so often, take a step back for the sake of clarity. Let this fresh perspective guide you in freshening up your marketing and communication efforts.

In the comments below, let us know where you find inspiration.  You never know, you could give someone else the idea that they need to finish their project successfully!

Marketing Nuggets Newsletter Coming Soon

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new Marketing Nuggets eNewsletter!  We hope that you will sign up to keep in touch with us.  We have a lot of great information to share with you throughout 2014.  The idea behind the newsletter is that we would like to send you information that you can apply immediately to your business.  This information could be considered your nugget because it will be short and sweet!

Feel free to share this information with others who may also benefit from great marketing tips!  We will never spam you!  You can opt out at any time.

Are your leads working for you?

So, you have a lot of followers on Twitter, you have increased the number of Facebook likes you have on you Facebook business page, and your email database is growing by leaps and bounds.  Has any of this translated into solid business for your company?  For many, the answer is a resounding ‘NO.’

According to Gleanster Research, 50% of leads are qualified but not yet ready to buy (via HubSpot).  This means that if you are a marketer or you wear the marketing hat at your organization, it is past time to begin nurturing your leads. Let 2012 be the year that you stop sitting idle with luke warm leads in your systems that need to be converted to paying customers. After you have reached this revelation, your mind will tend to start coming with a series of questions on making these conversions happen. The top question we hear at Selsi Enterprises is probably……”What are the best ways to nurture the leads that you already have in your system?”

Here is my answer in a nutshell:

  1. First and foremost, you must understand your audience.  As a marketer, you need to take a look at your sales cycle.  Do a little research on how long it actually takes from the point when someone discovers your product or service to the point that they are actually ready to make a purchase.
  2. Clearly define your goals and objectives when seeking to nurture leads. Are you looking to reawaken old leads or are you looking to generate new leads? Put a numerical value on the success of your campaign.
  3. When you get a lead, respond to them quickly.  According to HubSpot, 35% to 50% of sales go the vendors that are the first to respond.  The likelihood of converting a lead to sale greatly diminishes the farther away the time is from the initial contact made by the lead.
  4. Maintain contact with your lead.  Develop a drip marketing campaign that shows that you and/or your organization are the expert in the field that you are servicing.
  5. Finally, never stop learning about your customers! Always look for ways that you can continue to fulfill the needs of your customer base.

Turn Up the Charm

Social media today is all about how well you are charming your audience.  A company, be it large or small, can not proceed with the same persona that it had even 5 years ago.  Customers are now wanting to engage in conversation with businesses that they enjoy patronizing.

Unfortunately, many of the larger corporations are still a little slow to come to the social media playground.  Some of their reasoning may be justified because it is easy to say the wrong thing and end up in a media fiasco that could have been avoided.  For the small business owner, it may simply be a time issue.  How do you successfully run a business and have time to properly manage your social media presence?  Your social media presence should personify your brand and that may require some strategic planning to make it happen, but it can be done.

You must have a well thought out plan before diving in to social media.  Determine what it is you are hoping to gain from your efforts. Decide on the mediums that you would like to cover and then dive in!!  If you decide to join Twitter, take a look at some of the twitter chats that happen daily.  A simple search on your topic of choice will yield a great list of chats and individuals for you to follow and engage.  If you decide on a Facebook page, create your page and then determine about 2 weeks worth of updates that you would like to post.  It is easy to schedule these posts using a site such as Hootsuite. The Facebook page is an excellent way to offer specials for anyone that may ‘Like’ your page.  I know, we are making it sound very simple, but it really is a ‘learn by doing’ activity.’  Once you have created your first Facebook page Twitter page, or your LinkeIn profile, take time to explore what others are doing.  Learn from others that are in your same industry.  Think about what type of strategy they are using (especially if it is working for them).  Do not be afraid to mimic what is working!

Once you are onboard, it is all about your social media charm.  Figure out ways that you can help people fill a need.  Then, interact and engage.  Or, as Guy Kawasaki would say….Enchant!