by Ekaterina | Mar 15, 2019 | Blog, Lead Generation, Marketing Agency, Multichannel marketing, Small Business Marketing Blog, Social Media Marketing |
Happy Personal Brand Marketing Year!
2019 is well on it’s way! Welcome to the year of opportunities! At the start of a new year, we know most small business owners are looking for ways to build customers and contacts, and planning how to grow their business in the coming year. Being a business owner myself and managing a lead generation and digital marketing agency for over 15 years, I have the privilege to provide advice to my fellow business owners and entrepreneurs on which small business marketing tactics will help you achieve the business growth you’re looking for!
What is Personal Brand Marketing?
As the name suggests, personal brand marketing is all about the person (or people) who own and run a business, and how they network and build relationships with other business owners, clients and industry leaders. Personal Brand Marketing is about building direct, peer-to-peer personal connections with other business professionals. Through these real connections, business owners can introduce their companies to other business owners, and build trust with their prospects and customers. These days, business owners can build and nurture those direct personal relationships through a variety of social media platforms, maximizing their personal accounts to build and nurture ongoing relationships, and modern “word of mouth.” Here’s how you can use some of the most common online platforms to develop your personal brand marketing:
Build your personal network of peer relationships through LinkedIn, and get in the habit of sharing expertise through this platform. LinkedIn is a great place to maintain connections that you make in person at events, or you can seek and reach out to potential contacts who may be a good fit with your business. When adding new contacts, go directly to the person’s page, and write a personal message when you connect reminding them where you met, or telling them why a connection might be valuable for you both. LinkedIn also has groups for shared business interests, and for many industry organizations, so this is really your go-to-hub for b2b connections, business advice, hiring and more. And don’t forget to add your LinkedIn address to your business card!
Facebook Networking For Business:
Personal Networking on Facebook provides a variety of different opportunities for Personal Brand Marketing. You can invite fellow business owners to become your personal friends, and then request their help growing your business page following, and do the same for them. You can also look at joining existing groups that may be relevant to your business, or creating your own groups. Group participation is especially powerful, as any group messages you post notify group members directly, whereas the reach of your Business page posts depends on your advertising and/or post boosting investments. Making use of your existing personal networks, and working to expand them is a great way to get your personal relationships helping with your business growth.
Twitter For Business:
Twitter isn’t just for big corporations and famous Hollywood stars, it’s also for you, the small business owner! We recommend creating and managing a personal Twitter account to provide your followers with the real personality and passion behind your business. This is a great place to share your ideas and expertise, and have conversations with other business owners online. Twitter is also a top platform for journalists to hang out on, so if you’re looking to get a bit of publicity, it pays to explore which journalists write about topics related to your business, start following them and build a relationship. You can do this by commenting on relevant stories they post, and showcasing your knowledge. Building the right relationships with journalists will help you be top of mind the next time they’re looking for a topic expert on an article that relates to your business.
Instagram For Business:
As one of the most high-engagement online platforms currently in use, Instagram is an excellent place to build your personal brand, and share the real you that stands behind your business. And since Instagram is image-focused, many business partners find it easier to tell their story through great photos. A picture is worth 1000 words, and it’s a lot faster to create and share! To maximize Instagram for Personal Brand Marketing, make sure to direct message your followers thanking them for liking your images, and engage with their content regularly. These are just some of the tools you can use for Personal Brand Marketing. Overall what you need to remember about Personal Brand Marketing is that it’s direct, relationship-focused, and, well, personal! As long as you let your personal business passion shine, your friends, business connections, and potential customers are sure to notice, and feel excited to do business with you!
by sekaterina | Oct 25, 2018 | Blog, Marketing Agency, Small Business Marketing Blog, Social Media Marketing |
The world is an ever changing place, and right now we are in the middle of the digital age. Marketing professionals everywhere are stuck in a certain debate about which technique is better: Traditional or Digital Marketing? Many professionals believe that digital marketing is taking over the marketing world. Let’s find out if they’re right.
Defining Traditional and Digital Marketing
Traditional marketing includes many facets, mostly involving tangible items. These marketing items include print ads in newspapers and magazines, brochures, business cards, and billboards. Word of mouth and commercials on TV and radio are also typical avenues for traditional marketers to explore.
Digital marketing is currently evolving, and will continue to evolve as long as technology is advancing. Some of the strategic avenues that digital marketing professionals explore include websites, YouTube videos, banner ads, and social media. When you break it down, digital marketing can seem very similar to the traditional marketing route. The key difference between them is that digital marketing focuses on the use of digital devices. By using digital marketing, people will be able to find you from the comfort of their own home. This happens by surfing the web and coming across your company’s content and brand.
Digital Marketing’s Advantages
When choosing digital marketing, the results are much easier to measure. This is because you can see the statistics right in front of you. Another massive advantage found in digital marketing is that your audience is not limited. The internet allows your company’s content to reach an infinite amount of people. You can also control your marketing strategies better by varying your target markets for each campaign. Furthermore, digital marketing is a technique that is very interactive, especially when using social media. You get to interact directly with your audience and hear about what matters most to them. There can be plenty of direct contact between the audience and the business which means that the business can get some very valuable consumer feedback.
Can There Be A Balance?
As a marketing company, it is imperative to know all of the most up to date and buzz worthy methods of marketing. Our world has transitioned into a very digital environment, so it is key to use this to your advantage. Ebooks, online magazines, and reviews all happen in the online space now, as more and more of our time is spent on all things digital. It’s common sense to invest in a digital marketing campaign, due to this rise of the digital age.
Traditional marketing does still have it’s space, but digital marketing will allow you to become much more successful. Communicating with your clients and consumers has never been easier! You can even personalize your web pages and social media profiles to help connect with your clients. If you’d like to take the leap by using digital marketing campaigns, schedule a free consultation call with us. We’ll help you start off on the right foot, and we can’t wait to get started for you!
Prospect Solutions, October 2018
by sekaterina | Aug 27, 2018 | Blog, Lead Generation, Marketing Agency, Multichannel marketing, Small Business Marketing Blog |
by sekaterina | Jul 15, 2018 | Blog, Lead Generation, Marketing Agency, Multichannel marketing, Small Business Marketing Blog |
Social Media Strategies for Recruiters to Generate More Job Leads and Boost Placement Rates
As a recruiter, finding qualified candidates can be tough, but perhaps even more challenging is finding enough job vacancies in which to place your candidates. Social media strategies for recruiters are vital in order to:
- Grow and maintain a steady stream of job leads.
- Stay up to date with the latest market trends, skill bases, and industry news.
- Keep an eye on what their competition is doing.
- Create a greater selection of roles they are likely to recruit for.
Take your recruiting skills to the next level with the following social media strategies:
Wield the Power of LinkedIn
Leveraging more job leads can be done with surprising ease on LinkedIn, a social media site for professionals. Customize your profile to attract leads and join LinkedIn groups for the industries you’re recruiting for. Post, comment, and share often to establish your online presence in your niche industry.
One of the most powerful tools for recruiters to use on LinkedIn is the jobs database where you can search companies with job openings. Update the career interests section and then use the “jobs you may be interested in” feature that compares your profile settings against 300,000+ jobs in the database, practically hand-picking your ideal job leads!
Explore Other Online Platforms and Social Media Strategies for Recruiters
LinkedIn isn’t the only useful social media tool for generating leads. Find job vacancies on Twitter by using the advance search option to locate company Twitter handles, as many companies will tweet job openings. Even Facebook has launched their own job search feature that filters jobs based on your profile, interests, and desired industry.
Approach your search like a job-seeker would. Where are they looking for work? Find and follow any other blogs or websites targeting people on the hunt for work.
When you’ve found a website with good job lead potential, use a news aggregation tool like Feedly to stay alerted for new updates without having to constantly revisit each site for new content.
Become the Go-To Recruiter in Your Industry by Following these Social Media Strategies
Once you’ve generated more job leads, the goal is to build long term relationships with your ideal prospective clients. Create trust over time by listening to your clients’ recruitment needs and make each interaction about them.
Stay top of mind with both your candidates and clients after filling a role for them by routinely interacting with their social media posts and groups. If you took the time to establish an authentic relationship with them, they will come to you first when they are in a position to hire again.
Nurture your network and you’ll establish yourself as the go-to recruiter for your niche industry.
Conclusion
Success as a recruiter can be found through creating genuine relationships and utilizing social media tools. By creating a larger pool of job leads, you can zero in on quality prospects that will give you the placement opportunities most tailored to your niche and expertise.
by sekaterina | Jul 13, 2018 | Blog, Lead Generation, Marketing Agency, Multichannel marketing, Small Business Marketing Blog, Social Media Marketing |
Why Your Marketing Efforts Aren’t Successful
Many companies and entrepreneurs have claimed that marketing simply doesn’t work for them. But these are usually the same business owners who lack a structured strategy and take a short-term approach to marketing. Businesses that go this route often see a lack of progress or any real long-term results. They end up frustrated and feel that their marketing efforts were a waste of money.
But having the right marketing strategy can make or break a company. If you are struggling to see success with your marketing efforts, here are the four mistakes you could be making:
No Dedicated Budget for a Marketing Department
Instead of investing in a dedicated marketing department, many businesses settle for smaller campaigns. They are often one-off efforts that entail hiring a contract telemarketer or an SEO freelancer to promote their web rankings overnight. But a successful marketing strategy takes time to build, and should be an ongoing effort. Temporary marketers will come and go, resulting in a lack of any real long-term results. Having a designated budget for a permanent marketing team is essential to achieve long-term success.
Marketing Department is Isolated From The Rest Of The Company
Don’t isolate your marketing efforts to just your marketing team. The whole company should be a part of your marketing strategy. Providing stellar customer service, for example, has become a critical part of a successful marketing campaign. Positive reviews and feedback from customers will generate more business and build the company brand.
No Integrated Marketing Strategy
With the rise of the internet, integrated marketing has become more important than ever. Marketing is most impactful when the message remains consistent both online and offline. This means combining traditional methods, like newspapers or billboards, with online methods such as social media. Marketing campaigns are most successful when they are time-bound and measurable with KPIs or CRM tools. The data gathered from a campaign can help your marketing department understand what works and what doesn’t for when they plan the next one.
Not Staying Current with the Latest Marketing Tools
Outdated marketing tools are almost as bad as no marketing tools. Invest time and money to finding the best CRM technology for your business. Send your marketing team for training on a regular basis to keep their skills up to date. This is critical in order for your marketing department to stay competitive and on par with the rapid pace of change in today’s digital world.
Conclusion
A short-term, poorly strategized marketing effort will result in your company “winning battles but losing wars.” A business leader who truly committed to their company’s long-term success will make the proper investment their marketing department. Find marketing success for your business by growing an in-house team, or investing in an outsourced marketing department.
by Ekaterina | Jul 12, 2018 | Blog, Lead Generation, Marketing Agency, Multichannel marketing, Small Business Marketing Blog, Social Media Marketing |
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Today, almost every business has an active Instagram profile, but does not know how to turn Instagram followers into leads. Here are some useful tips on how to monetize your Instagram marketing:
Understand Your Target Audience
Sometimes, unresponsive Instagram posts could be simply a result of your poor knowledge of your followers. Make sure to design and write your Instagram posts with the target audience in mind. Before scheduling your next daily post – make sure to do your research, and know who is listening.
Appreciate Your Followers by Following Back
The best way to connect to a potential client is to contact them directly. If you are looking to turn your followers into leads, it’s important to let them know are aware of their existence. Next time you receive a notification of a new follower, make sure to follow them back, or even send them a quick Thank You note and ask them to check out your business website. Perhaps, this could be your next big client!
Highlight Your Current Clients
Whether you are a service industry or manufacture products, it is important to let your audience know that your are customer-focused. Highlight and Cross-Market with your current customers and clients, especially if they are a small business just like yours. Your current clients will be happier than ever, and your potential clients will be dying to learn how to get into your next post. Make sure not to forget to @tag some usernames!
Conclusion:
There might be over 50 different methods on how to engage your Instagram followers. With over 15 years of marketing experience, we decided to share the three top methods that worked best for our business clients. Not sure where to start?
Contact us to get a head start on fine turning your marketing and turn Instagram followers into leads.
Recent Comments