Blog | Page 34 of 81 | Social Speak Network Social Media + Digital Marketing Education

What should every entrepreneur have in their business?

We are so excited to have had Russ Barnes on our radio show August 12th, 2017. He is such a remarkable person! Here are just a few topics we covered:

1) Customer, customer, customer – without the customer you are out of business. Listening to the customer will help you improve your product or service.
2) Message, message, message – in order for customers to find you, they must believe that you can solve their problem in such a way that they are willing to pay for the solution.
3) Value, value, value – the more value you can deliver, the less resistance you will experience when acquiring customers.
4) Target market – be a big fish in a small pond. The idea that EVERYONE can use your product or service positions you as a tiny fish in a huge ocean. When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.
5) Decision making – successful business is certainly what you do, but it is more effectively achieved by how you think about what you do. Resource management is critical.
6) Progression – understand what it takes to get from where you are to where you want to be. This is your growth strategy.
7) Advisors – build your team of advisors carefully. No one develops a successful business alone. Cooperate and collaborate, but compensate. No one wants to work for free.
8) Earn money to hire experts. Focus on what you do to make money and then pay experts to do what they do best to help you maximize your time and rapidly achieve outcomes. Know the calculation that will tell you whether you can hire an expert and when you can hire the expert.
9) Don’t get complacent. Never stop learning. Perhaps we can talk about books, magazines, webinars, libraries, incubators, or other educational resources that business owners can access for little to no money.
10) Love, love, love what you do or find a way to transition into something that you do love.

Here is a little bit more about who Russ Barnes is:

Russ Barnes, USAF Colonel (retired), MBA, MS

Colonel Russ Barnes is the CEO and Senior Business Advisor to Entrepreneurs and Executives at Systro Consulting, an organization design firm specializing in small business development. He has more than 30 years of experience in organization development drawn from military service, franchise ownership, academic programs, and strategy consulting, specifically with small businesses.

As an aviator, Russ flew combat missions during Desert Storm and later held senior leadership positions in several higher headquarters staff organizations which include Air Combat Command Headquarters, the Pentagon, Strategic Command Headquarters, European Command Headquarters, and Central Command Headquarters. He has received the Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and more than 20 other peacetime and wartime decorations.

After retirement from the military, Russ grew his franchise territory from zero to profitability in less than three years. His growth was based on a clear vision, building an effective network, consistently delivering a quality product and maintaining a relentless focus on customer service.

Russ is a graduate of the Referral Institute Certified Networker program where he received extensive training in referral marketing. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Manhattan College (NY), his MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and his Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies from Air University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Organization Development at Benedictine University.

Contact Info:
Email: Russ@systro.org
Website: www.systro.org
Social media: www.linkedin.com/in/rcbarnes
Phone number: 813 520-5770

August 12, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Business Advice, Business Management, Internet Marketing

Tips for Creating a Successful Online Business

Not too long ago, people would visit the local stores and endure the long lines just to get the things they need. Today, however, people prefer to shop online. In fact, studies revealed that consumers make 51% of their purchases online.

With the growth on online retail and shopping, many of you probably have an existing e-commerce business or looking to start an online business.

Here are some tips for creating a successful online business.

Bring your products to life

Product photography can mean the difference between losing customers and making a sale. High quality product photos are a must when trying to persuade people to buy your stuff.

Internet users are bombarded with ads, emails and news stories. With so many businesses vying for their attention, you only have a few seconds to capture the attention of your target audience. Unique and visually appealing photos can help you do just that. If you’re selling clothes, we recommend that you hire a model. This way, people will have an idea how the clothes look like when worn.

Clean and user-friendly design

A professionally-designed and user-friendly website can go a long way in the success of your online business. It also adds credibility and will help increase trust in your company.

According to studies, 42% of online shoppers base their opinion of a business based on the overall design of their website. Majority of consumers didn’t push through with the sale because the site has poor aesthetics.

Fast loading time

An average person has an attention span of 8 seconds. Yes, you read that right. They want to get things they want fast. This is why we’re in the age of fast – fast cars, fast foods and fast websites.

Survey revealed that people expect websites to load in 2 seconds. They would leave the site if it doesn’t load within 4 seconds. Slow loading time can drastically affect your sales. People aren’t going to stick around if it takes a while for your website to load.

Easy payment process

Most people prefer to shop online because it’s more convenient. As such, you want to make the shopping process easier for them. The more methods of payment you offer, the more likely a customer will buy.

Credit cards and Paypal are the quickest and easiest ways for customers to pay. You may also offer cash on delivery, money order, personal cheque, direct deposit into your bank account.

August 7, 2017/by Caitlin McDonald

Social Media

3 Types of Social Media Content to Help Increase Engagement

#1 VIDEO:

A study by Animoto asked 1,000 consumers what they want to see with regard to social video. It also surveyed 500 marketers to determine whether they are fulfilling those expectations.

Highlights from the study were compiled into an infographic, which includes the following findings:

39% of consumers are more likely to finish videos that have subtitles. (The infographic reports that, according to Digiday, 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound.)
Preference between pre-recorded video and Facebook Live was split nearly down the middle, with pre-recorded video having just a slight edge (52% vs. 48%).
81% of marketers optimize their social videos for mobile.

#2 GIFS:

GIFs are the newest, coolest trend on social media and getting a lot of attention because not only are they easy to view, they also usually offer a call to action. Fun Fact – We may think that GIFs are a recent phenomenon in the world of digital marketing, BUT animated GIFs have been around for more than two decades!

Here are just a few ways how to incorporate GIFs into your digital marketing strategy:

The attention span of your audience is very low. GIFs are a smart way of reaching your target audience with a living picture of your message.
GIFs are an easy way to get engagement from your target audience and show them how something works.
Another way to use GIFs is through your email marketing, blogging, and other digital materials. It has been reported to raise the click through rate as well! GIFs are fun to watch, easy to find and easy to upload.
GIFs can be about a new process you have, new products, telling a story, explaining a situation, tell a joke etc.
GIF format can be done through Boomerang, GIF Keyboard, and GIPHY. There are tons of options out there for you!

#3 Infographics:

Remember last week we talked about ‘Stopping the SCROLL’? Great article by B2C:

6 Step Process to Amazing Infographic Design

Step 1: Choose your topic and research your audience.
Step 2: Take a look at your data and consolidate it.
Step 3: Craft the copy.
Step 4: Design!
Step 5: Review, review, review.
Step 6: Publish and promote.

August 4, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Social Media

5 Social Media Tips You Need For Your Business

Social media can be overwhelming and daunting as a business owner, some even tend to avoid or do the bare minimum when it comes to social media marketing. We want to help break through that confusion, frustration and make it easier for you as a business owner to be successful with social media marketing!

Here are 5 of our favorite tips when it comes to social media:

Have a purpose and goals:

What are you wanting out of social media? What is your purpose and goals ? Is it for brand awareness? To drive people to your website? To position yourself as an expert in your field? Whatever it is, write it out and make sure each and every post moves you towards that goal and purpose.
Have a plan:

Once you know why you are on social media, create a laid-out plan and a content calendar. The content calendar can be weekly, monthly, or even quarterly, whatever works best for your business. This one tool will make social media so much easier for you. Think about it, if you know the topics you are going to write and talk about on social media, the content will flow! Think of different causes you are a part of, websites you visit, company news, events, myths, trends, etc.
Choose 1 platform and grow from there:

This is KEY! Yes, we want you on all the social media platforms but don’t worry about being on all of them all at once. Select 1 – ideally, it should be the social channel where you can find the bulk of your target market or niche. Get to know this social channel inside and out so it becomes second nature to you and your business. THEN, and only then, move on and grow from there.
Always provide value:

What’s in it for me (meaning your audience) Steer away from the selling mentality, we all want more business, but just selling on social media without value isn’t the correct move. If your audience will not benefit from the post, it may be time to re-think your message.
Measure your results:

Make sure that whatever you select as your purpose in tip #1 it has the ability to be measured. If you can’t measure your results, you will never know if you are on the right track or if you need to pivot and adjust your messages.

BONUS TIP: Your main goal with social media marketing should be STOP THE SCROLL!!! Remember to make each social media post, image, graphic and video compelling enough to stop people from scrolling on by. Keep your followers intrigued and offer something unique to keep them engaged with your social media account.

July 29, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Facebook

How Your Business Can Capitalize on Facebook Live

Facebook live has become increasingly popular with businesses, organizations and the general public. It allows you to stream and share live videos with your fans and followers. It has opened a whole world of opportunities for businesses from around the world.

Facebook live in more than just broadcasting a brief episode on Facebook. It can add a personality to your brand and really work to broaden the sincerity and breadth to your business on Facebook.

What topics can you discuss on Facebook Live?

Whether you are camera shy, feel like you don’t have anything to put out there, or are just dragging your feet, I highly recommend jumping onto Facebook live. This list should help you feel more empowered to find a topic to discuss live!

Hot topics in your business or industry
Q&A or review the FAQ on your website in a video
Breaking news
Conduct an interview
Are you a performer? Perform!
Give a behind the scenes look at your profession
Record a demo or tutorial and teach your fans.

What topics have you found to get a lot of response from your viewers?

Now that you have decided on a topic, there are some tips to help you get the most views and engagement.

6 Tips for Better Facebook Live Engagement

Tell fans you are broadcasting
Make sure you have a strong internet connection
Add a description to your live before you actually click to go live on Facebook
Take the time to say hello to your live viewers and respond to their comments in real-time
Don’t always keep it short – longer broadcasts pick up more viewers
Use a closing line to signal the end of a broadcast

Here are 4 ways your business can capitalize on Facebook live.

Real time engagement

One of the biggest benefits of using Facebook live is that you get to engage with your audience real time. You can see how many people are watching your video, ask for their opinion, and determine whether or not your content is working. Because of the real time connection with the audience, studies suggest that Facebook live gets 10 times more comments than other contents.

Most business use social media to interact with their audience. You can take it to the next level by using Facebook live. We’ve seen a lot of business use this to conduct Q&A sessions. People can ask whatever they want. Since this is a live version, they can get an answer to their questions in an instant.

It is more convenient

Business owners have a lot on their plate. Sometimes, creating new content can be time consuming. If you want to increase engagement without spending too much time creating new content, Facebook live is the way to.

You can conduct a Q&A session without all the big production behind the content. Live streaming also provides an easy way to disseminate information to your fans and followers. It’s a lot easier than writing a blog post or newsletters.

Create better relationship with your audience

Live videos are spontaneous. They are not rehearsed. There are no cuts. There are no edits. People want authenticity. It’s the total transparency that draws people in. Through these videos, they get to see the people behind the company and interact with them directly. It humanizes your brand and creates a new level of trust. It also provides a more intimate level of engagement.

Reach more people

People have a very short attention span. They prefer to watch a 1-minute video than to read a 1,000 word blog post. Considering that there are more than one hundred million active users on Facebook, you are likely to reach more people with Facebook live. What’s great about live streaming is that it people can watch the video even after it has ended. That means you can engage new audience.

July 25, 2017/by Caitlin McDonald

Social Media, Social Speak

How do you incorporate your offline and online marketing?

Here are 3 social media tips to help your business:

How should your online and offline marketing efforts work together?

It is important to have the same branding online and offline. For instance, your website, social media and even email signature should have your logo; same colors, and even your slogan should be the same as your print media. What people see on your marketing materials, ads etc., should look and feel the same.

If you use different logos or colors in your email signature, website, brochures and business cards, people won’t recognize your brand. You may start to lose customers. It’s all about the brand message and being consistent!

Marketing Materials – What should you have on them??

Your marketing materials are all about the first impressions, right? You want to make sure your marketing materials are simple and, yet, effective. So, let’s talk about what makes your marketing materials effective.

The purpose behind your Marketing Materials:

Inform customers and potential customers about your business
Attract more customers
Maybe get the word out there about an upcoming event, conference, workshop you are hosting
The BIG thing is to create a positive customer experience

What needs to be on all your online marketing and offline marketing materials:

Business Name
Business Logo and Slogan
Business Phone Number (Is it ok to text?)
Business Email Address
Business Address – if you have a physical location
Business Website URL
Social Media links to Facebook, Twitter, instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Wherever you are consistently posting is what you want to promote

Here is a great resource we will add to our website that talks in more detail about how to create effective marketing materials: http://inkbotdesign.com/effective-marketing-materials/

Monitoring your metrics – how do you know what is working?

As a business owner, it is important to know that your efforts are paying off! In the social media world, we would love to be able to say, if you post 3 times a week with these types of posts you will make this much money . . . BUT it doesn’t happen like that, unfortunately! SO, social media works different for each business.

A few resources that you can monitor to see what is working for you would be:

*Google Analytics – This is a tool that is embedded into the backend of your website and monitors all traffic that comes to your site; where they are coming from, such as country, state, social media platform, email links, and so much more. Google Analytics also tells you how long people are staying on your website, what pages they are looking at, and your bounce rate; are they getting what they want from your site? This is a great big picture tool to monitor!

*Facebook Insights – It is important to look at your Facebook Insights on your business page on a monthly or even weekly basis, just to see what posts are getting the most engagement, what time did you post it, what did you post, etc. This will help you figure out what types of posts you should be posting and what times, so you are reaching your audience when it’s the best time for them!

* Buffer and Hootsuite – These are two FREE resources as well that help give more of an overview of all your social media metrics, like Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, so you can see everything in one area – what is working best for you, from a social media standpoint; then you can see what the numbers look like and if you should continue with each platform. You might want to consider letting one go or spend less time on one. Remember, you always want to focus on where YOUR target audience is.

July 22, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Branding, Social Media

3 Social Media Trends To Pay Attention To

Here are the 3 social media trends we covered on our radio show this past Saturday. Each week we will bring you new social media trends to help grow your business and your social media strategy!

Brand Loyalty:

Celebrate your fans and followers and build loyal brand followers on Facebook. Post special % off discounts only available on Facebook. Also use Facebook ads to help grow your brand awareness and brand loyalty. Grow your following and your brand by offering unique content on a regular basis. Stand out and be leader in your niche.

Online Reviews What to do??

Check online reviews constantly and respond to the good and the bad. A bad review is the opportunity to start a conversation and turn it into a positive. When responding to a bad review, handle it off line and in a private forum. Where to check your reviews?? Google, Facebook, Yelp

Building your followers organically or paid??

There are a couple of reasons why this is not a good idea.

Low engagement. Purchased likes and followers are not your ideal customer. You will never be able to engage with them or have a successful purchase history with them.
Think about your brand reputation before even considering buying likes or followers. It looks spammy and suspicious when you jump from a few likes to thousands in a short time.
Algorithms. Social media channel algorithms are smart. If they record a suspicious jump in likes and followers, your organic reach may be compromised.

July 17, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Social Media

5 Social Media Trends to Follow

Here are 5 social media trends we spoke about on our radio show that are important to pay attention to while putting together your social media strategy.

1) Content

How to use video and images to stop the scroll, text to image ratio, A video on Facebook receives 135% more organic reach (non-paid advertising) Thank a single photo posted on Facebook. Stop the scroll! Make sure your posts are interesting enough for people to want to stop and view, watch, listen and read your content.

2) Apps

There a hundreds of different apps you can use, there are just a few of our favorite. Best apps to use to create compelling images and posts are WordSwag, Ripl, Flipagram, Typorama

3) Brand Message

Did you know that people like Facebook for online shoppers – is it clear and add shop button to FB page, 42% of people who like a business page on Facebook do so to receive coupons and special offers. What have you offered in your business page lately? Adding an offer to your business page is a great way to track marketing efforts!

Roughly 93% of online shoppers consult social media before buying. Online shoppers read social media reviews, monitor brand engagement and get to know the brand before making a commitment to buy. What message is your brand sending on social media?

4) Emojis

Emojis can help you show emotion through content with your social media posts, texts and even blogs. You may experience a 33% increase in comments and engagement when you do!

5) Content Calendar

Keep posts simple! Did you know? Posts with less than 150 characters get up to 60% MORE engagement! Create an editorial calendar. By doing some planning up front, it will really save you time on being consistent in your message on social media. When planning your editorial calendar of content, don’t forget to plan in content that works well with annual holidays and the seasons of your business. Remember to be flexible with your calendar so it allows you to pivot and make room for trending topics that may impact your business. Make sure your team has a copy of the editorial calendar so they can stay focused on what your business’ message is month to month.

July 17, 2017/0 Comments/by Caitlin McDonald

Boulder Marketing, Connecting with Customers, Internet Marketing, Social Media

4 Simple Ways to Attract Customers to Your Small Business

In today’s saturated marketplace, getting ahead in the business world is tougher than ever. They need to amp up their marketing efforts in order to thrive and succeed. If you’ve tried different strategies, but you still haven’t achieved your desired results, don’t fret. We’re here to help you out.

Use these simple and inexpensive tips to attract customers to your small business. Try any of the methods listed below to see which one works best for you.

Identify your target audience

The first and most important step is to identify who your target audience is. Have a crystal clear picture of who exactly you are targeting. You wouldn’t know where to start looking if you don’t know the type of customers you seek.

You may have great products and a marketing campaign in place, but this won’t help you reach your bottomline without a composite of your ideal customer.

Online advertising is the way to go

Living in the digital world, most people spend most of their time online. They would log in to their social media accounts to get in touch with their family and friends. Some even rely on the internet to know what is happening around them. So if you are looking to capture the attention of your target audience, online advertising is the way to go.

Get listed on popular local directories, be active on social media, post blogs regularly and update your website from time to time. With all these strategies combined, you are guaranteed to build a strong online presence and attract a lot of potential customers to your business.

Start a contest

Everybody loves free stuff. This is why contests are always a big hit. It’s not just the idea of receiving free items that encourage people to join contest, but the thrill of beating others and winning.

Let’s say you’re in the wedding business and you sell wedding rings. Couples who are planning to get married will be very much interested in joining. But first, they need to share their love story in order to enter the contest. The couples that get the most number of likes wins. Contestants will need to share this with their family and friends in order to get as much likes.

Yes, you’ll be losing money since you’ll be giving away a pair of wedding rings, but imagine the kind of buzz this could create for your business.

Offer deals and discounts

Everybody is looking for a way to save money. People see deals and discounts as a great way to save money. This is one of the best ways to capture the attention of your target audience.

Since deals and discounts are offered for a limited time only, people are tempted to buy something even if they didn’t plan to. After all, it’s cheap, and the items would revert back to their original prices after a few days, so why not buy now?

Now before you jump into these methods to attract your tribe, make sure you also know where your audience is online!

Which Social Media Channels Fit Your Target Audience

You may have amazing products and provide great services. You also spend time creating good quality content. No matter how engaging or persuasive your content is, you won’t be able to achieve great results unless it reaches your target audience.

Most business use social media to engage with their fans and followers and even build a relationship with them. Considering there are several social media channels out there, do you ever wonder if you’re reaching the right audience?

Which social media channels fit your target audience? Keep reading to find out.

Twitter

Twitter makes use of hashtags that allows businesses to target people who are talking about and engaging with topics related to their business. This social media platform is ideal for sharing real time information, timely trends or live events, and will result in high levels share and engagement.

Use this social networking platform if your target audience is young adults. 24% of internet users log in on their Twitter account on a daily basis. Younger, more educated crowds aged 18 to 29 uses Twitter. 29% of college grads use Twitter and lots of it.

Facebook

Facebook is the biggest socal networking channel, with over 1.86 billion monthly users. Yes, Facebook is crowded, but it gives you the ability to narrow down that 1.86 billion users by gender, age, location, interests, marital status, employment, and income; thus, making it easier for you to reach the right audience.

Majority of the entire adult population is on Facebook. In fact, 88% of milennials and 62% of adults aged 65 and up use Facebook. As such, this would be a great place to start with your social media campaign.

Instagram

Instagram is geared towards younger millennial users. A hefty 38% of female internet users use Instagram. To make the most out of your social media campaign, make sure that you provide attention grabbing photos and high quality videos to your audience. Remember, content is king on Instagram.

LinkedIn

People tend to use LinkedIn for interacting with clients, influencers and other professionals. This is a great option for business whose products or services are highly specific to professionals. It is also ideal for B2B marketers.

Just like Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to target users based on gender, location and age. In addition, it also allows you to filter based on field of study, company industry, company size, degrees, job title etc.

July 17, 2017/by Caitlin McDonald

Business Advice

Reasons Why You’re Not Generating Qualified Leads

Nothing is more frustrating than spending time, money and effort only to find out that you’re not getting the results you want. You sent out emails, printed flyers and blasted your social media followers. Despite the effort and hard work, you’re still not getting the leads you need to grow your company.

If you’re having trouble generating qualified leads, you are not alone. There are several reasons why you’re not getting the leads you deserve. Here are some of them.

You’re targeting the wrong audience

When working on your marketing campaign, the first and most important things you need to do is to identify your target audience. This is a critical step that shouldn’t be skipped. If you don’t know who your target audience is, how could you possibly attract one?

Learn as much as you can about your target audience – demographic, interest, buying habits etc. If you fail to identify accurate buyer personas, you may end up reaching too broad of an audience or marketing to the wrong customers.

Your content sounds like a sales pitch

Creating new content is a great way to capture the attention of your audience and generate leads. But if your content sounds like a sales pitch, then people are not going to notice them. With the amount of advertisements we see every day, people learn to ignore them and focus on things they need instead.

If you want to capture the attention of your target audience, you need to come up with unique, interesting and informative content. Share your knowledge with them. Write blogs on a regular basis and make sure they are share-worthy. Eventually, people will see you as an expert and convert into a loyal reader or a customer.

You didn’t provide a call to action

A lot of marketers and business owners will take the necessary steps to acquire qualified leads. Your customers are actually where you want them to be. The problem is that you failed to provide a clear call to action.

People don’t know what exactly it is you want them to do unless you tell them. Keep your call to action simple – subscribe to our newsletter, get a quote now, contact us today.

You’re not active on social media

We know how powerful social media is. It allows you to interact and build a relationship with your target audience. If you are looking to drive traffic to your website, we highly recommend that you share your content on social media. With just a few minutes, you’ll be able to reach thousands and thousands of people. Not everyone who visits your site will turn into a paying customer, but you need traffic to get qualified leads.

July 4, 2017/by Caitlin McDonald

Tips for Creating a Successful Online Business