training

Are you using the Notes’ Tab on Facebook?

February 9, 2020 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Marketing, Uncategorized

Have you been wanting to start blogging but don’t have a website to host them on?

Think about using the ‘Notes’ tab that Facebook has provided for us on our Business Pages.

The Notes’ tab is great for creating blog style posts. It has the same features as what you would do if you had a website to host them. You can change the fonts, you can make bullet points, you can upload visuals within the written part of the post, you can add a variety of links…..just like writing a blog 🙂

Now, the first thing you need to do, is add the Notes Tab to your main page. Once added, you will see it down the left hand side on your Business Page with the other tabs.

Go to Settings on your Business Page (please do this from your computer, much easier)
Click on Templates and Tabs
Once in here, you will need to scroll to the bottom and click on Add a Tab
Look for the Notes’ Tab and add it
Now, the Notes’ Tab will be listed down the left hand side on your Business Page and you can click it to take you inside, where you can ‘create a note’

I have a video on YouTube that will walk you through working with the Notes’ Tab as well as an actual Note that I wrote on my Business Page to show this.

Watch it on YouTube HERE
Read my Note HERE

What can you write about, using the Notes’ Tab?

How did you start your business
Tips that go into further details
Recipes
DYI teachings
Anything educational
Clients’ before and afters with details
Free downloads
Statistics (for example: Real Estate market information)
Your thoughts on a subject
Tutorials

Have fun with this feature!

Blockages with using Social Media

January 21, 2020 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Instagram, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

So…..I hear from so many people that they are not really using social media to build their business because they struggle with content writing, how much time they need to commit and not knowing what to do each day. I also here alot of “I am not computer savvy”.

The first thing you need to know is that you are definitely not alone, we all started out this way. We all have blockages and sometimes, we just can’t get past them and we have to admit that we need and may have to outsource the work. However, I hope that this blog will give you some encouragement to try and tackle it yourself.

When we talk about content creation, the frustration is not knowing what to write and how we should write it. We think we are not writers, we can’t write content like the professionals. Well, I am here to tell you that if you just write with how you talk in person, it will make things a little easier. Don’t worry so much about what others are writing, instead focus on how you write, showcasing you and the words that you would use. When sitting in front of the computer, tape a picture of a group of people that you would potentially meet at a networking event and talk to this picture as you are writing (this also works well when trying to do videos, especially if it is out of your comfort zone).

You know, when someone at a networking event asks you to tell them something about yourself or when they ask what it is you do, or maybe why you got into the business. Answer those questions out loud, while looking at the picture, and type what you are saying. As long as you are YOU, you really can’t go wrong. You don’t need to be like everyone else because you are not them.

Put together a list of topics that relate to what you are selling, then under each topic, write questions, tips, ideas, business promotion, humour, quotes, etc., with it all relating to the topic. Then start talking out loud and write what you would say if those people were sitting in the same room as you. Don’t focus so much on “am I writing the right words”, “am I saying it correctly”…..just be you, relax, talk and type. It may take some time to master this because your mind will keep stopping you to question if you are using the right words, you need to ignore those thoughts and keep writing. You could even reach out to mentor and ask them to read over your posts to see what their thoughts are. The key element out of all of this, is you just need to be you and not try to be perfect, just be real.

Now, when we talk about how much time we need to spend on Social Media, this can vary depending on how many platforms you are using. It can get very overwhelming because we think that we need to be on every platform and master them all. BUT the reality is that not every platform has your target market. You need to do some research on each platform, understand who is using it, the type of content that you need to be posting, what are the best features or what you need to make sure you are doing to benefit you and your business. At that point, pick your primary and secondary platforms and master them. Learn what you can about each one (visit YouTube for tutorials on using each platform, you will find a ton of information), make a plan based on the topics we talked about earlier and start working it. It will take you more time in the beginning, but once you master this, you will find that your time commitment will reduce. Also, look for any other platforms that can help to save you time. For example, if you decide that Facebook and Instagram are your platforms, then check out Facebook Creator Studio as it will allow you to schedule your posts for both platforms. Then, you can commit a Sunday evening or a Monday morning, to scheduling your posts for the week, the month, etc, and therefore only having to monitor the platforms for notifications, engagements throughout the days.

BUT I have no idea what to do each day on Social Media to benefit me? This is where you need to create a daily checklist of the different tasks you must do each and every day that will create the presence you are trying to achieve.

Here is a sample of a daily routine that you can think about incorporating. It will take you more time in the beginning to get in the groove but I promise, that you can get this timeframe down to about 30 mins per day. With this daily checklist, you can add it to your calendar or create a separate document, listing each task, print it out and have it on your desk to reference each time. If you wish, you can download my FREE Facebook Daily Checklist HERE.

Post on Facebook Business Page
Share posts from Facebook Business Page into a variety of groups for more exposure (make sure you read the Group Rules before doing this, so you understand what the expectations are) Also, keep your shares under 10 so that you don’t end up in Facebook Jail for spamming.
Engage in 3-5 different Groups on Facebook that are value added groups (Networking Groups, Support Groups, Learning Groups, Community Groups)
Post on your Facebook Personal Timeline
Go through 10 posts in your news feed and engage where appropriate (it is important to engage on other people’s posts)
Post on Instagram, adding the appropriate hashtags (not sure which hashtags to use? Go into Google and type “top 10 hashtags for XXX” and it will give you the most popular ones that you can use)

This daily checklist will help you to keep you consistent and doing what you need to do each day on Social Media, therefore bringing you more exposure and growth.

I hope that I was able to help reduce some of the fears or unknowns that you have felt with Social Media.

If you want to pick my brain even further, feel free to reach out to me at tammy@tammyhudgin.com, I would be more than happy to help.

GUEST BLOGGER: Tuning Visitors into Leads by Alex Szaki

November 29, 2019November 29, 2019 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Marketing, Uncategorized

We all need a website for our business but is yours working for you or against you?

It’s one thing to get your website up and running, and to get people to visit your site, but there still remains one more question you need to ask yourself…

What happens when they arrive there?

These questions are very important and depending on how you answer, can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

As a local business owner you must think carefully about what you present to your website visitors when they first arrive. Remember the saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”?

Well this quote has never been more accurate and the reason is, our attention span is very low these days and dropping every year.

With this in mind. Here are few things to consider when looking at your website.

What do you want your website visitor to do?

Do you make it easy for them to do it and is it obvious?

You see, the objective of your website is to turn visitors into customers, right?

This is the first issue with most websites. They treat it as a brochure and not a tool to attract customers.

So, take a look at your website. I mean really look at it and not from your perspective but from the eyes of a new visitor who has never heard of your business.

Is your contact information clearly visible? One simple but very important detail that many businesses leave out is having their phone number at the top. This is key if you do nothing else.

Do you have a working contact form that people can easily access to get in touch with you?

Is your website front page confusing or is it easy to read and navigate?

Does your website talk about you and your business or does it explain the benefits of your products or services?

All of these questions need to be answered honestly because when done right, your visitor will become a fan of your business and have no reason to look any further.

Always remember, when people are searching the Internet they will not hang around on a website that is confusing, difficult to understand or read.

You want to make it simple and clear for people when they arrive at our site.

Think of the one thing, above everything else, that you want to present to your customer, and the one action that you would like them to take when they visit, and make it abundantly clear how to do that one thing.

One of the ways to achieve this is by setting up an e-mail capture form on your web site. You may even offer an incentive for visitors in exchange for their name and email.

There are several creative and very effective ways to accomplish this. It can be a free report, a quiz, questionnaire, free eBook, access to an informative video, a coupon or discount code.

The list is endless, but what is important is the fact that we offer something of value first. Think about it this way. Would you rather be offered something of value without being asked for anything in return when you first meet someone? Of course.

We are always being sold to so don’t you think your website visitor would be more likely to do business with you after you give them something of value? Absolutely!

Costco comes to mind as I write this post. If you’ve ever been to a Costco I’m sure you have noticed that they set up small sample tables, usually around the frozen food section.

You’ve probably also noticed how many people are waiting in line to get their free sample. Right?

What you might not have noticed but is very strategic is that they very rarely ask for the sale. They just smile and hand out samples.

When someone likes the offering, they ask where they can find it. The person working the sample table usually just points a few feet away and the sale is complete.

No advertising, no high pressure sales tactic and they let the product sell itself. Well, this is what you want to achieve with your website.

Think of your new website visitor experiencing a warm smile, feeling welcome, offered a sample of your product or service and knowing you’re available if they need more information or want to purchase.

The bonus for you that Costco doesn’t have is you are able to gather contact information which when done right, can now nurture your new prospect with more goodies and offers. Oh, and best of all, it can all run on autopilot!

The bottom line is, create a soft place to land and focus on the customer and not you or your business. I’m very sorry to say this but they don’t really care anyway. They just want information on how you can serve THEM.

Now that you have a better understanding of what your website should do and offer, you’re probably wondering what you should do next, right?

Here are a few options to consider. If you created your business website yourself then go ahead and add some type of optin box to start. Most hosting companies that have website builders will have the option of adding a landing page or optin box.

They can probably also create a pop up. You’ve seen them I’m sure. You get to a website and within a few seconds a box appears with an offer usually.

Some people hate them but if you offer value and don’t ask for a sale, people are usually ok with that. As a side note, they convert really well no matter how many people say they hate them.

If you need help, most hosting companies are also very good at helping you with these projects so don’t be afraid to ask.

If you had your website creating by someone else, reach out to them and ask if they can add some type of option box for you.

If both those options won’t work, I would really consider creating a new webpage (not a full website) as a sister site to your main website.

This would be a single landing page, with a headline and offer. It’s meant to be simple so don’t worry about it looking great. After they provide their information you can then send them automatically to your main page anyway.

In the meantime you will be emailing them the information they requested.

The best part of having more than one website or single page is you can direct traffic any way you want. If you want to offer something of value you send them to your single page and forward to your main site.

If you don’t have an offer or specific promotion, send them to your main website. Think of it as having a benefit packed brochure for each service or product you provide but only using it when needed.

In regards to your free offer, don’t over complicate this. For now just send them a discount offer of some sort but get that email list started.

If you really like the idea of offering a report or short ebook but don’t have the time to create it, use a service like Fiverr. You can find thousands of people who are more than happy to create something for you and make it look amazing for less than $100.

Finally, if you want to do it yourself, write down 10 questions you have been asked about your products or services and head over to Canva. There you can create a report using templates that look amazing and download it as a PDF file. All for free!

You really don’t need to overthink this project but remember, once it’s done, you will use it for years and it will attract many new customers for you while you do other things.

If you are stressed out just at the thought of doing any of this, help is available. Visit us at www.marketingforlocal.com and schedule your FREE 30 minute call so we can discuss your options.

We would love to help you set up a system that attracts new customers to your business and one that runs on autopilot so you can focus on taking care of your current customers.

At the end of the day the only thing we want as local business owners is to help others with our products or services and do it with the least amount of stress possible. Having a website that works for you is just one way to accomplish this.

I hope you found this post helpful and if it made you take a look at your website in a different light, I’ve done my job.

Cheers,

Alex

Alex Szaki

Alex Szaki helps people scale their businesses with predictability. He is an expert at helping people get clients using online methods and making things super simple to understand.

If you’re interested in scaling up and getting clients then definitely reach out and request a free strategy session today.

What to post on your Facebook Personal Timeline

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

Since Facebook states that we cannot use our Personal Timelines for commercial use, many people are unsure of what they should post to bring visibility to their business.

The goal here is to be talking about all the elements that make up your business, where you are going, what training you are taking, who you are working with, where you are speaking, what deliveries you receive; all elements that ultimately indirectly sell you and your business. This is a great way to showcase everything that you do to enhance your business, enhance what you offer your clients, the knowledge you have, what you are learning to improve on your business.

I have put together some examples to help you think about how you can showcase your business.

Excited to be one of the table speakers at the Rock Your Biz event. My focus will be finding out where business owners are stuck and give them some tips on how to get past it.

Another GREAT meeting with the ladies from FemCity Bradford!

Attending the WinterFresh Trivia Night to help raise funds for the York Region Food Network. I am thankful for these women, who are small business owners but also great friends, as they helped me survive my lack of trivia knowledge lol

Thanks to my girlfriend Darla for accompanying me to the CDC Lunch n Learn where I was one of the speakers, talking the world of Facebook.

Excited for another Zoom Facebook Training today, I love teaching!!

Look who I ran into at Rogers TV this morning!! We were all guest speakers on the show!

P.S. I would actually tag both of these ladies in the post which ultimately brings all of us more visibility.

Today was all about learning from Guest Speakers, building relationships and selling our businesses.

P.S. I would tag each of them as well

As you can see, I have inserted a variety of different elements that make up some of the things I do but also showcases some fun things, like the Trivia night as I was with other business owners. At no point, did I directly sell anything, I am just showcasing what “Tammy” is up to.

I also do two main posts, one on Mondays and one on Fridays.

Mondays I focus on outlining my week, what is going to keep Tammy busy.

Fridays, I look back over my week and I review all the different success elements and I pick one to talk about. I tell them why I feel that it was successful for me and also include some type of quote to support it.

Moving forward, I encourage you to sit down and make a list of all the activities that you do for building your business and determine what type of pictures you need to take (the more of you the better as people love seeing photos of us).

I hope this helps you to think a little differently about what you are posting on your personal timeline.

GUEST BLOGGER: 5 Methods to Power-up your Business through Behavioral Marketing By Kimberly Maceda

September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Marketing, Uncategorized

Imagine that you’re walking on the men’s section of a department store looking for a new suit to buy. Then, one attendant suddenly offers you a baby diaper on sale. How likely are you to grab that offer, very unlikely, right? You’ll most probably even be bewildered by the offer.

The situation above is comparative to digital ads that are not targeted correctly. But with behavioral marketing using email marketing automation software, you won’t be giving content which is out of place. Instead, you will be providing product suggestions, promotions, and contents that are appropriately based on the users’ behavior. As an example, with the situation above, a proper offer will be ‘tips on choosing a great fitting suit’ or a coupon code.

Behavioral marketing gathers information using surfing and searches data, IPs and cookies. This collection of data is used to create an exhaustive user profile, and then the marketing content is could be perfectly tailored.

If done right, behavior-targeting could boost email open rates by 56.68%, and it will ultimately lead to a boost in your sales. Amazon, for example, uses behavior data for their recommendation algorithm; which drives 35% of their revenue.

Here Are a Few Behavioral Marketing Strategies You Must Implement

Use transaction history to recommend products

As mentioned above, recommendation drives a lot of profit for the biggest e-commerce companies today by using upselling and cross-selling techniques.

Cross-selling is offering products that complement the original item. For example, you can cross-sell a tripod to a customer who bought a camera or socks for a user that ordered shoes. By showing what the consumer needs at the right time, you increase your chance to get higher revenue.

On the other hand, upselling is providing a better version of the item your client is currently interested in. Upsell examples can include a version upgrade, customization, and an extended service period.

Both upselling and cross-selling are great for increasing your profit. But you don’t have to choose between the two. Always use them simultaneously. Using behavioral data, your upsells and cross-sells will can be on point.

Monitor your visitor’s action using URL tracking

URL tracking is one way to assess and recalibrate your marketing techniques. If you know what visitors are exactly clicking on before making a sale, you can allocate your resources effectively. It also allows you to remove unnecessary links on your website.

Using this technique, you can arrange marketing campaigns to boost referrals. A unique link is spread across different platforms on the web; ads, social forums, blogs, emails, or socials media. The links are then tracked to see the quality and quantity of traffic from all sources.

Every time a visitor clicks on the link, he or she will be redirected to your destination page. Data about the source and location are then collected.

Use online behavior to provide personalized content

The competition for a viewer’s attention can be won through personalization. But you can’t possibly personalize if you do not know your audience. Aside from transaction history as mentioned in number one, there are other online behaviors you can monitor. For your email subscribers, you can track what content they are opening, when, and for how long.

Though conversion is the end goal of marketing, it isn’t all about sales. You need to establish trust and build relationships. To do this, you must provide valuable content in different forms. The content will resonate most with your users if you personalize them using online behavior data.

Implement retargeting to increase sales

Statistically, only 2% of users convert at their first visit. So are you going to let those 98% slip through your fingers? Fortunately, you don’t have to. You can use retargeting also known as remarketing to reach out to the viewers who have expressed interest in your product but they might not be ready yet.

This technique is a cookie-based technology which places a pixel on your site. Each time someone visits your website, the pixel leaves an unnamed browser cookie. When the user leaves your site, the retargeting provider will serve ads related to the content or product you have been browsing. Retargeting works effectively and efficiently because you will only spend on viewers who have already exhibited interest in your brand.

Send offers guided by demographic data

Demographic data is basic but it shouldn’t be overlooked. Demographic data is a crucial indicator of someone’s behavior, needs, and interests. This includes gender, location, age, ethnicity, and marital status.

With demographic targeting, you can reach a specific group with shared characteristics. It prevents wasted impressions. For example, if you have an e-commerce shop with assorted products, you will show products according to gender stereotypes and social conventions (man’s or woman’s wear). In today’s PC era, it might seem inappropriate but it does boost sales.

Conclusion

Behavioral marketing is a sophisticated way to market your business online. You can leverage behavioral marketing by using transaction history, URL tracking, providing personalized content, retargeting, and sending offers based on demographic data.

Stop wasting your marketing resources with generic ads and content. You have all the tools you need like email marketing automation software and other behavioral marketing tools to drive your business to the next level.

Author Bio:

Kimberly Maceda is a Content Writer for ActiveTrail. She writes for some top online marketing sites and blogging advice on email marketing and marketing automation. Activetrail is a leading provider of professional-grade email marketing and automation software for growing businesses.

Facebook, is it over for businesses?

August 26, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Social Media, Uncategorized

Since Facebook announced the algorithm change for Business Pages, back in January, many business owners have either left the platform or have given up.

The reality is that as a small business owner we can still continue to grow on Facebook. There are many elements available through Facebook that allow us to keep building our businesses. You have your personal timeline, groups and YES, your Business Page.

What I have seen and heard, is that it was the larger companies, those who had larger followings, that got more affected by the change than us ‘little’ guys. Reason being is that they had huge amounts of engagement (like/comment/shares) than we had, so the decrease in numbers were much more noticeable.

I will tell you that I personally, did not see a difference in my “number of people reached” on each of my posts, I am still averaging 600 daily reach on my posts. Why?

I have been using Facebook for 10 years for business, with the last 6 focused on my Facebook business. During those 10 years, I spent more time building relationships through the different groups, than anything else. I realized the impact of this for my business, so I knew that I had to dedicate DAILY time to doing this. I knew that my Business Page was not the ONLY thing I needed to focus on. I also learned that my personal timeline could make a HUGE impact.

By working these 3 main elements of Facebook, it ultimately, will affect your following and your engagement on your Business Page. People will want to follow you because you have built a relationship and in turn, they will tell their friends and your following starts to grow. HOWEVER, this is not the only way, this is just a small fraction of what you can do.

Really think about what you are posting on your Business Page. Does it provide value? Is it something that will create engagement? Does it show you as an expert in your field? Does it show who you are/your personality? Is it ANOTHER business promotion?

What we post on our Business Page is the KEY to creating engagement, even against the algorithm. When people make sure that they are seeing your posts, then they are engaging, that will draw in more attention. Facebook loves engagement, so we need to do what we can to create it. P.S. Did you know that when you ‘share’ your Business Page posts onto your personal timeline and into groups, this is considered engagement?

As you are growing and learning which type of posts work best, DON’T get discouraged by your numbers if they are not all great, every day. Just keep moving forward and focus on improving what you are doing.

Here is a great article from Buffer talking more in-depth about the Facebook algorithms and some suggestions on what you can do. READ HERE

Working Facebook for your Business

August 11, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Social Media, Uncategorized

If you have decided that you are only going to use Facebook to build your business, then it is important to invest the time into it.

When I first started using Facebook, over 10 years ago, I would be on there 6 hours a day, YES, 6 hours per day. It wasn’t just about popping in and doing a post, then logging off, it was about having a plan and working it. I also recommend that you use your desktop/laptop to do the work as the Facebook App isn’t as user friendly plus it will save you time than working off of a phone.

The Daily Plan

Work your personal timeline/profile to get your messages out there.
- Post a status telling people what you are up to, what your tasks are, what you want to accomplish, what your successes are, BUT don’t sell to them.
- Share some personal elements that you are comfortable about sharing.
- What you don’t want to do is push your family and friends away by having them hide you in their news feeds.
Go through your news feed and interact on other people’s posts, either by liking or commenting. You will want to do this numerous times throughout the day.
Go to the “pages feed” tab (found on your ‘home’ tab, then down the left under the ‘explore’ tab) and scroll through and interact on other Business Pages’ posts. I like to do this once in the morning and once in the evening.
Find 3-5 groups that have more of a networking element to them, and interact DAILY within these groups.
- Ask questions, post inspiration, share ideas, share tips, post humour, promote your products/services.
- Take the time to scroll through the Group wall and interact on other people’s post with a like and/or comment.
- Participate in any online events the group offers, like Dance Cards, Coffee Dates, Split Lives, as this is an opportunity for you to meet more people.
- Check the same groups at the end of the day and do more interactions.
Post on your Business Page
- There are many different opinions on how often you should post on your Business Page in one day. For me, personally, I only post once per day, at 8 am. I have found that this works very, very well for me, as it allows my post to be seen throughout the day.
- If you want to post more than once per day, then I recommend you space out the posts, don’t do a whole bunch at once as you will drive your audience away. Think about posting between 8-9 am, between 4-5 pm and after 9 pm.
- Mix up your posts so you are not always trying to sell to people. Post questions, inspiration, some personal elements that reflect your business, tips, humour, ideas on how to use your products/services, and of course promote.
- Use pictures of yourself where you can, people love pictures of us.
- Do videos to get more visibility as Facebook is a huge supporter of the video platform.
- Keep on top of your Business Page notifications and make sure to either like/comment when people interact with your stuff.
- You want to make sure you are also checking your messages regularly and quickly, as Facebook tracks how quick we are to answer messages and actually posts this on our pages to let the public know what our response rate is.
- Share your posts into a variety of groups and randomly (but strategically) on your personal timeline. Facebook considers ‘shares’ as interaction, so you can help push up your reach. Don’t do more than 7-8 shares per post as Facebook will consider it as spam and you could end up in Facebook jail for 7-10 days.

I hope this helps in giving you a daily plan to work Facebook and build your business. Again, it is important that if you are only going to use online to build, that you work it.

I do have a free ‘daily checklist’ that you can print off that will help keep you organized, download it HERE.

GUEST BLOG: How to Develop Your Personal Brand

July 30, 2018July 25, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized

Making the choice to start your own business will likely be the best decision of your life. The freedom and flexibility of working on your own, combined with the earning potential and sense of self-satisfaction, make entrepreneurship very attractive to many people.

But things are a little easier said than done. Competition is fierce, especially online. Every minute of every day, people are exposed to countless emails, advertisements and social media posts. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Your best defense is your brand.

Your brand is your identity, and a strong one will help you stand out. It also facilitates a connection between you and your customers that can improve loyalty and engagement. And it makes your company more valuable, which will become relevant if you ever decide to sell your business. Developing a brand, though, requires a focused, dedicated approach. Here’s how you can build yours.

Highlight What Makes You Unique

The first step is to determine what kind of brand you want to be. And one of the keys to a strong brand is authenticity. If you try to be something you are not, your customers will see right through you. This can have a really negative effect on the image of you and your company. You’ll come off as phony or insincere, which will really damage people’s perceptions of you.

So, to begin building your brand, start focusing on what you do that’s unique to you. What makes your company different or special? If you’re not sure, then you likely haven’t thought about it hard enough. Everyone is unique. It’s just a matter of figuring out how and highlighting it.

To help give you some ideas, research your competition. Successful businesses in your field will likely have already done this exercise, so it should be easy to figure out what they consider to be their competitive edge. Go through each one and figure out what makes you different from them. And after you’ve done this, you should be able to devise a list of the different things that separate you from your completion.

Know Your Audience

Whether their conscious of it or not, people expect things from the companies with which they do business. It’s important you be sensitive to these expectations so that you can develop a brand strategy that will resonate with your target audience.

There’s no one way to do this, though. The best strategy is to conduct surveys and focus groups about your target audience. But these can be costly, and if you’re not careful about how you design your studies, then they can produce unreliable results.

Ideal Customer exercises and Customer Journey maps are useful ways of understanding what your audience is looking for in the brands with which they engage. These activities involve you creating fictitious audience members and thinking through how they live their lives to determine their values, beliefs, pain points and expectations. Here’s a great resource for helping you do this exercise effectively.

Another option is to simply test things out. Try out some branding messages and see what happens to engagement. If you’re not getting the response you want, then try something new. While this will take a little longer, it will help you hone your messaging to meet audience expectations, enhancing its effectiveness.

Concise Communication

Once you determine the essence of your brand—that which makes you unique—it’s time to start crafting your messaging. The key here is to be as clear as possible. The more words you have to use to describe your brand, the harder it will be for people to understand you, and this will hurt your chances at making a connection with them.

Think about some of the world’s most successful brands. For example, Nike, which uses the slogan, “Just Do It.” They have been using these words to describe their brand for as long as any of us can remember, and they’re perfect because they quickly and clearly communicate Nike’s brand identity. When we hear these words, we think of perseverance, drive and dedication, as well as hard work. And this is exactly how Nike wants us to perceive the company.

You won’t be able to catch-up with Nike right away—they spend other-worldly amounts of money on branding—but you can certainly mimic their approach. Work to determine a slogan or description that captures the essence of your brand, using as few words as possible. Images are also helpful, and make sure the colors you use on your site and other communications also reflect your brand identity. Remember, the slogan alone isn’t going to establish your brand, but confusing your audience can have disastrous effects.

Be Consistent

As you start to market your brand, consistency will be key. You can never know for sure when or where someone will come into contact with your brand. As such, ensure every piece of content you create accurately reflects the brand you want to promote.

And this goes for social media, too. You can’t be posting about things that are completely irrelevant to your brand, even if they’re attracting shares and likes. The exposure is enticing, but you’ll be sending mixed messages about your brand identity, making it harder to build the so-desired connection with your target audience.

Consider drawing up some brand guidelines to help you stay on message across your different platforms. These will outline the types of content you will publish, and they will also help you stay consistent with how you present your messages, something that is also very important for effective brand management. This will also be helpful should you decide to outsource some of your content creation.

Start Building Your Brand Today

A strong brand will give your company a significant competitive edge. It’ll work like a magnet that draws your target market towards you, and it’s also something people can connect to, which will help develop loyalty to your brand. Follow the steps outlined here so that you can start building a strong personal brand today.

About the Author: Jock is a busy entrepreneur and the founder of Digital Exits, an online brokerage service. He enjoys sharing his thoughts on entrepreneurship and business and offering advice to others. Find Jock on Twitter here or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Blogging…..Should you do it?

July 17, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Social Media, Uncategorized

So many of my clients and business friends ask “is it worth me to start blogging?” YES!!

Here’s the deal…..I am not a blogger, I don’t know enough about SEO but what I can tell you, is that since I have starting blogging, it has brought me more visibility, especially from people through Google whom don’t even know me.

When I blog, I just write. I write how I would talk to people if they were sitting across from me. I write exactly how I would talk. I don’t use fancy words, I don’t focus on what I should or shouldn’t be doing, I just write. I share my thoughts, ideas, tips, just write.

Yes, there are many rules to blogging (like how many words to use) but to be completely honest, I don’t follow the rules, because I just write. For me, I believe it is a great way to bring more traction to our website, but also to share/teach others more, that hopefully can help them, whether it be personal or business.

BUT how do you come up with all the content? How often should I be blogging?

I am no specialist here, so I am not the one who ask those questions to but I will tell you that you need to just start doing it!! One main tip I can give you is to ask others to be guest bloggers for you. There is no cost for them to do this, it brings you visibility to their followings because you are sharing your blogs onto Social Media and tagging their business to thank them, and it helps with adding more content. Look for those who can compliment your business and provide value to your audience. Just ask, since most will say yes (actually I would be surprised if someone said no).

Once I do a blog, I share a portion of it on my Facebook Business Page, with a link to the actual blog (which of course is on my website, driving traffic to everything else that is available) and I also post it on my Google+ (this is where I have received great visibility)…..I will also share my post from my Business Page into a variety of groups for more exposure.

So, just do it!!

Are you committed to Social Media?

June 24, 2018 by Tammy Hudgin, posted in Facebook, Social Media, Uncategorized

Having structure, being organized, is key to keeping on top of your Social Media work. In order to build a presence, to being consistent, you need to put together an actual plan of how you are going to work your Social Media on a daily basis.

I wish I could tell you that you can just “pop” in and out but it is not going to bring you the return you are looking for. With competition being so high in Social Media, people need to see you, hear from you, learn from you, talk to you, on a daily basis. I am not saying you have to bombard them, but you need to be present daily.

For me, personally, we know that I am very active, and I am sure that people unfollow me, but I have reached a point in my presence and building my business, that I am okay with that. It is a mental thing that you have to get past.

When you are starting to make this list, you need to understand what your end game is. Are you looking to build a following, looking to get new customers, looking to build a referral based business? What is your ultimate goal?

Are you looking to work all Social Media sites or just focusing on one/two?

Where is your target market sitting?

What information will benefit them?

What are the reasons why someone would want to use/buy your product/services?

Answering these questions will start to help you formulate your Social Media plan. It will guide you as to where your focus needs to be as well as what parts of specific Social Media you need to focus on (for example: Facebook Business Pages, Videos whether recorded or live, Groups, etc.)

Once you decide on which Social Media sites answer all your questions, you then need to do some research to find out what works best in each of these sites. What time of day is best to work it? Where do you need to focus for that site? How often do you need to post? (For example: Twitter you would need to tweet at least 5-7 times per day). What are some of the key elements you can take advantage of that is popular in that site?

The research is important for you to understand how you are going to move forward and how much time you need to commit, on a daily basis, to build the presence you are looking for. Once you have established this, you NEED to commit, you NEED to schedule the time on your calendar, and you need to STICK with it!!

Building a presence, getting attention, is work. Remember way back when, people walked hours and hours, going door to door to sell their products/services, because they were determined to make a living, build a successful business. Well, we are fortunate that we are able to do this from the comfort of our homes, in a relaxed environment and behind a computer. It doesn’t get any easier than that 😉

P.S. If you decide that Facebook is one of the sites you are going to be focusing on, download my FREE Daily Checklist HERE!!