Which Social Media Platform Is Best for You?

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I know… social media can be daunting.

Today, there are so many social media platforms. In addition, there are so many features ON each platform.  It all can be overwhelming.

However, if you are in business, a solopreneur, author or speaker, social media is a African american woman using computer laptop at kitchen serious face thinking about question, very confused ideanecessity.  It is the fastest way to reach your audience, establish your voice and create a brand.  It is a critical vehicle for promoting your products and services and taking your brand to the next level.

But which platform should you use?  Below are a few tips when figuring out which platform to use:

1.) Focus on One.  Yes, I’m on several social media platforms, however, I put most of my energy and strategic efforts on one platform. You will make more impact and can dig deeper instead of going wider.

2.) Know Your Audience.  Once you know your audience and what they really want, then you can make a decision about where to plant your social media feet.  Some platforms are more visual, some rely on more content.  How does your audience consume information?  What do they want?

3.) Clarity Comes from Action.  Your audience may be in several places.  So if you are confused and realize they are all over the place, choose one platform and keep going. Stay consistent with one.  You just need to put in the work and the effort… every day.

4.) How Do You Communicate? Perhaps you are not a writer and very short with words, but you like video – then you will know that YouTube is critical for your brand and communicating to your audience.  Think about what works for YOU, your strengths and how you most effectively communicate.

If you are struggling with your social media platform choice and need to talk it out, feel free to contact me for a complimentary 15 minute session and let’s CONNECT!! Or perhaps you need a clarity session because you are unaware of your target audience or how you best communicate, contact me!

 

The Magic of Having Clarity

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Life can get so busy, with a million distractions every day.  These constant distractions can easily lead to a lack of clarity in our life, business and even relationships.

Each time I engage with a new client, my primary objective, despite their business or industry, solopreneur, author, minister or executive, is to help them find brand clarity.

What is Brand Clarity?

Brand clarity is the core values, feeling and purpose of your brand, whether it is your personal brand, business or organization. Once you are aware of your brand, your values, your purpose, your why… it is critical to make sure this is communicated throughout your brand consistently.

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Why is Clarity Needed?

Confidence. I am convinced, that true clarity equals confidence.  And when you have confidence, you also have courage.  Just imagine where your business or career would be if you had ultimate confidence in yourself, your business and your brand.  The things you would do, the people . you would approach and where you would network.  How big would you dream?  What would you go for?  The words you would say to yourself.  It would be the ultimate courage, right?

Storytelling.  Brand clarity is also needed to to tell your story to your clients and customers. Storytelling is the foundation of branding. Have you ever heard someone tell a story and get lost in the details, miss the punchline or critical points to the story.  You tune out, right?  The story becomes less interesting and the storyteller loses credibility.  You should know your story, connect your dots and tell it in a concise and interesting way.

Personality. You also need brand clarity because people buy from people. A buyer wants to fall in love with YOU.  Your brand needs a personality and style.  This comes out in your logo, your colors and even your content.  But when you are not sure of who you are and your core values, then you may communicate several different messages and voices.  You will talk too much, to too many people, in too many different ways.  This creates confusion.  When there is no clarity – people either do not buy or take longer to buy.  Let the personality and style of your brand shine.

Time & Money.  When you are clear in your branding (or any aspect of your life), you can easily make decisions. You know what to say “no” to and who to align with, which events to attend, where to invest your time and money.

Clarity is priceless. Take the time to find clarity with your brand, business, career, relationships and even your money. When you are clear, things change.

If you are struggling to find clarity,  consider a session with me.  Sometimes we are too close to our brand to see it clearly.  Feel free to contact me for a session.

 

Tips on Managing Your Mailing List

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So many of us spent time trying to figure out why our photos were not loading on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  This isn’t the first time major social media platforms crashed.  It is happening more often, including issues with security and data privacy.  This is one of the reasons why brand owners, companies and organizations cannot solely rely on social media to communicate with their audiences, nor rely only on social media for their marketing strategy. laptop woman.jpg

Below are some tips for managing your mailing list:

1.) Offer value.  No one wants another email in their crowded inbox.  However, the right audience is always looking for value.  What kind of value can you offer in your newsletter.

2.) Collect Emails.  Think of every communication you have with new contacts, whether it is at an event, trade show, answering questions or a transaction, make sure you collect email addresses.

3.) Focus on Quality.  It’s easy to get caught up in the number of people joining the mailing list.  However, the key is to focus on the quality of the contacts.  Not everyone will be interested in what you have to offer.  Getting quality contacts, even if it’s a low number, should be the goal.

4.) Make it Easy.  Make everything easy for you customers and clients, this includes signing up for the newsletter.  There are different ways to sign-up, but be sure to only capture information that is needed.  Resist the temptation to have a long sign up form.  Keep it simple.

5.) Don’t Ignore Them.  It doesn’t matter how many people are on your list, take care of them and speak to them.  Decide how often you want to communicate and provide value to your list and remain consistent.

If you need assistance with your marketing or branding strategy, please let me know.  I would love to help you.

Was this article helpful?  If so, let me know or be sure to share.

Get Your Business Ready for Summer

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Summer is almost here! Yay!

Time for vacations and to slow it down a little.  But hey, don’t slow it down too much. This is the time to build your pipeline so that you can finish strong in 2019.  Time to think about what you will offer and sell for the holidays.

So how do you build a pipeline?

Below are some quick tips on building your pipeline to create momentum in your business for the rest of the year.

1.) Focus on a Few.  You may have been doing mass marketing all year – social media, watts marketing challengespublic speaking, etc.  Who stood out during your efforts?  Were some potential clients more engaged than others?  If so, focus on those people for the rest of the year.  What do they need?  What services can you provide?

2.) Create Your Bag of Tricks.  What are those things of VALUE that you can offer to your customers or potential customers that don’t require a lot for you to create?  Perhaps its an audit or a top ten list.  Create 3-5 “trick” or value adds that you use to create more relationships with your current or new audience.

3.) Use Your Referrals.  Referrals are sooo important in growing your business.  Using your referrals is a brilliant marketing strategy.  Be sure to take time to put your referrals on your mailing list, check on them, talk to them, engage with them.  The more they trust you, the more they will talk about you.

Don’t let the summer pass you by!  If business is slow, that is the time to focus on marketing and growing your pipeline.

Podcast: How to Show Up for Yourself in Marketing and Branding

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On today’s podcast, I offer three ways you can show up for yourself when marketing your brand. Marketing can be vulnerable. But there are ways to conquer it and do img_7842marketing with CONFIDENCE.   Check out today’s podcast and SHOW UP for yourself.

 

Get Refocused on Those Goals

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So here we are… at the end of the first quarter?

How did you do? I’m sure many of us started the year off with high hopes and admirable goals. Were you able to accomplish some of those goals? Were you able to follow-through on your to-do lists and make some great things happen for your brand and business?

If you did – congratulations! Great job… keep going and stay focused.Lee office

If you did not do move the needle in your business for the first quarter of 2019, no need to fret! Don’t get discouraged. There is still time to make amazing leaps in 2019. Some seasons are just for dreaming and planning.

Below are 5 tips for revisiting those goals and plans and jump starting your marketing for the second quarter of 2019:

1.) Get moving: I know… this doesn’t sound like marketing and branding advice, right? But its true!! Body movement forces your brain to gain clarity and get creative. If you are dragging and feeling uninspired, try getting some exercise in your life (cardio, yoga, strength training). Find the right exercise and body movement for you. It will instantly give you a boost and clear your mind.

2.) Photo Shoot: Yes, new photos are always a great way to get you refocused and alerts your audience that some thing new may be coming from your brand. If you can’t afford a professional photo shoot right now, grab a friend with some great photography skills and do your own photo shoot. Share the photos on social media and your email marketing to get generate some energy around your marketing.

3.) Live Video: Don’t be afraid! Just do it. Doing live video on Facebook or Instagram is a great way to get engagement from your audience, which is always a great boost for your brand and business. Decide what you will talk about and move forward with launching a video

4.) Network: Find an organization or event to attend the second quarter of the year. Networking and meeting other like-minded individuals can instantly get you re-focused and ready to take your band to the next level. If you don’t have an accountability group or a business bestie – find one!! Attend networking events together and share books and thoughts on growing your business.

5.) Hit the books: Is there an area or skill you need to work on? Grab a book or take an online class or course! Or it may be something simple by listening to new podcasts that challenge you. Learn something new and put it to practice. This will help you feel re-energized and ready to conquer some new areas in your business.

6.) Revisit those goals: Some times our best laid plans go astray due to unforeseen circumstances. There will be things that come up that you didn’t anticipate. It is perfectly acceptable to revisit and rewrite those goals. Don’t feel stuck with the goals you wrote 3, 6 or 9 months ago. Building a business is about being flexible.

If you need any assistance with gaining clarity and setting your next quarter goals, check out my goal-setting clarity session!

Podcast: Saving Marketing Dollars when Starting a Business

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On today’s podcast, I discuss how to save marketing dollars, especially if you have a start-up or launching a new business, organization or even if you are an author.  Marketing find-work-online-fbudgets can spin out of control quickly, however, if you are strategic and focused, you can grow organically and save marketing dollars.

 

Getting Clear on Brand Clarity

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Are you clear on your company, organization or personal brand?  Brand clarity is critical to growth, efficiency and budgeting.

Below are some signs that you may not be clear on your brand:

  • Do you struggle to articulate what your company sells?
  • Are you unsure of what makes your company/organization (or self) stand out?
  • Do you waste a lot of money on marketing?
  • Are you not sure what to say “yes” to or what to say “no” to?
  • Do you find yourself offering various products or services with no clear connection to your brand?
  • Do you struggle to know or understand your target audience?

If you answered yes to 3 or more of these statements, you may need more clarity.

Why is clarity important? 

Below are just a few reasons why everyone should focus on brand clarity and revisit it in their marketing and branding strategy regularly:

  1. Brand Clarity = Focused Messaging
    • When you are clear on your message, your audience knows what to buy and why.
  2. Brand Clarity = Attract Clients 
    • Clients and customers respond to brands that are clear on who they are and who they serve. People don’t always buy the best, they buy what is clear.
  3. Brand Clarity = Save Money  
    • When brands are not clear, they spend marketing dollars on events, technology, ideas and products that don’t fit their brand or reach their audiences.

If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to me for a strategy session!

P.S. Have you missed some of my other newsletters? To catch up on my blogs and writing, visit my website and blog by clicking here. Or if you are not following me on IG or Facebook, be sure to click the link and follow me to stay updated!