Unlock the Potential of Summer: Effective Marketing Tips for the Summer Season

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Summer brings not only sunshine and vacations but also unique opportunities for businesses to connect with their target audience in a vibrant and refreshing way. While many companies and firms take a break from too much marketing activity, this is actually a great time to increase your marketing and business development efforts. In this article, we’ll explore key steps to create a successful summer marketing strategy that will help your company shine. 

Here are a few strategies below:

  1. Understand Your Target Audience: To create an effective summer marketing strategy, it’s crucial to have a deep understanding of your target audience. It’s not just about knowing their title or the type of company but it is also considering their pain points during the summer months. What are their summer aspirations, pain points, and purchasing patterns?
  2. Embrace the Summer Vibe: Summer is always a great time for some company swag.  With so much fun, relaxation, and adventure, it’s a perfect time to connect with current clients or put your brand in front of new clients with some fun gifts at golf outings or other events your company may sponsor during the summer.
  3. Leverage Seasonal Events and Holidays: Summer is packed with special events and holidays, such as Independence Day, summer solstice, music festivals, and sporting events. Align your marketing strategy with these occasions to maximize your reach and engagement. Leverage social media, email marketing, and influencer partnerships to amplify your message and connect with the audience who are already in a festive mood.
  4. Collaborate with Referrals and Partners: Partnering with referrals or other companies with similar audiences can amplify your summer marketing efforts. Identify those referrals and raving fans of our business whose audience aligns with your target market and collaborate on networking events or content.
  5. Monitor, Measure and Collect Feedback: Regularly monitor the performance of your summer marketing campaigns and track key metrics to evaluate their effectiveness. Utilize analytics tools to assess website traffic, social media engagement, conversions, and client feedback. Adjust your strategy as needed based on the insights gained from the data to optimize your results and prepare for a great final quarter of the year.

A well-crafted summer marketing strategy can help your business leave a lasting impression on your target audience. By understanding your customers, embracing the summer vibe, and collaborating with referrals and raving fans, you can create a strategy that drives brand awareness, increases sales, and fosters customer loyalty.

Leveraging Conference Attendance for Business Development

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As I was listening to several of my clients discuss their conferences and events in the upcoming weeks, it suddenly occurred to me that we are in spring conference season! Conferences are an excellent business development strategy for generating leads, deepening current client relationships, expanding your networking, and gaining more visibility.

Here are some strategies you can use to leverage a conference for business development:

  1. Set clear goals: Before attending a conference, define your goals and objectives for attending. This may include finding new leads, networking with potential partners, learning about new trends, or showcasing your company’s products or services.
  2. Plan your schedule: Once you have identified the conference sessions, events, and activities that align with your goals, create a schedule that maximizes your time at the conference.
  3. Be prepared to have great conversations: Attending great sessions is definitely valuable at a conference. However, for business development purposes, meeting people and having great conversations is key. Plan out powerful questions and freshen up your knowledge on some interesting news and trends in your industry.
  4. Network with other attendees: As mentioned, networking is one of the most valuable aspects of attending conferences. Make an effort to meet new people, exchange business cards (or digital cards/LinkedIn profiles), and follow up with them after the conference. For important connections, get a commitment to talk again, either during the conference or after it’s over.
  5. Share on social media: Whether you love it or hate it, social media is a powerful tool and can reach more people than we can normally reach in a given day, week, or month. Sharing highlights, pictures, or simply that you attended the event can reinforce your specialty, interests, or niche area in order to deepen relationships or start new connections.
  6. Follow up with leads: One of my favorite phrases is “the fortune is in the follow-up.” After the conference, follow up with the leads you have collected. Send personalized emails, connect on social media, or set up follow-up calls or meetings to deepen the relationship. Develop a plan to consistently stay top of mind with those that may become a good referral source or future client.

Remember, the key to leveraging a conference for business development is to be proactive, prepared and focused on your goals.

Personal Brand vs. Business Brand: Which Comes First?

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As a business owner, it can be challenging to determine an approach when working on a brand strategy. I am often asked which should be addressed first: the company brand or the personal brand. Or worse… people will only want to address the business brand and allow the personal brand to blow in the wind.

Let’s first address the differences and similarities of a personal brand and a business brand. They definitely have some similarities, but they are also quite different. Here are some key differences between the two:

  1. Focus: A personal brand is built around an individual’s personality, skills, and expertise, whereas a business brand is focused on the products, services, and values of a company.
  2. Ownership: A personal brand is owned by the individual, while a business brand is owned by the company.
  3. Longevity: A personal brand can last a lifetime, whereas a business brand can evolve or change over time as the company’s products, services, or values change.
  4. Scope: A personal brand is typically narrower in scope, focusing on a specific niche or area of expertise, while a business brand can be broader, encompassing a range of products or services.
  5. Audience: A personal brand is often targeted at individuals, while a business brand is aimed at a broader audience that includes customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
  6. Marketing: A personal brand is often marketed through social media, personal websites, and other personal channels, while a business brand is marketed through advertising, public relations, and other traditional marketing channels.
  7. Branding Elements: Personal branding typically uses the name of the individual as a central branding element, while business branding incorporates logos, taglines, and other visual and verbal elements.

A personal brand is built around an individual’s personality, skills, and expertise, while a business brand is focused on the products, services, and values of a company. Both types of brands can be valuable and powerful, but they serve different purposes and require different strategies for building and maintaining them.

Both should have specific strategies, however for most industries and companies, it is critical that a personal brand should be developed and focused on first. People tend to follow and emotionally invest in the stories of personal brands. This does not mean we don’t also tell the brand stories of a company.

However, if your company works closely with individuals and there is an element of trust and credibility, a personal brand should be addressed first.

Please contact me if you have any questions about personal branding. I would love to help you connect the dots!

7 Ways to Establish Brand Authority 

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Establishing brand authority involves building trust and credibility with your target audience, demonstrating your expertise and leadership in your industry, and positioning your brand as the go-to source for information and solutions related to your niche. Here are some steps to help you establish brand authority:

  1. Define your target audience: Identify who your ideal customers are and what they need. This will help you tailor your messaging and content to their specific needs and interests.
  2. Build a strong brand identity: Develop a strong brand identity that communicates your values, mission, and unique selling proposition. This will help differentiate your brand from competitors and establish a consistent message across all channels.
  3. Create valuable content: Produce high-quality content that provides value to your audience. This can include blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, videos, webinars, and social media posts.
  4. Demonstrate expertise: Share your knowledge and expertise through thought leadership content, speaking engagements, and industry events. This will help position your brand as an authority in your niche.
  5. Leverage social proof: Use customer testimonials, case studies, and awards to showcase your brand’s success and credibility.
  6. Engage with your audience: Engage with your audience through social media, email marketing, and other channels. This will help build relationships and establish trust with your target audience.
  7. Monitor your reputation: Monitor your brand’s online reputation and respond to feedback and criticism in a timely and professional manner. This will help build trust and credibility with your audience.

By following these steps, you can establish your brand as a trusted authority in your industry, which can lead to increased brand awareness, customer loyalty, and revenue growth.

Are You Breaking Those Glass Ceilings

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We are nearly thirty days into the new year! And what a first 30 days it has been! We continue to battle through a worldwide pandemic, as well as witness racial tensions and challenges. But we also watched with awe and amazement some inspiring moments for women in leadership. We watched the first woman become Vice President of the United States. How amazing!

This, in addition to watching a host of other women start and grow their businesses, climb corporate, academic and political ladders remind us of what we are capable of being and what we can we accomplish.

More than anything, it is a reminder of how big we can dream. That we can break the glass ceiling.

What is the glass ceiling? It is those impenetrable positions, tables and rooms to the vast majority of minorities and women. It is real. It is shocking. The numbers tell us: For example, only 10% of women in leadership in the workplace. Women make up only 23% of C-Suites. Women of color make up 4% of C-Suites. Women make up 4.1% of Fortune 500 CEOs.

So how do we keep cracking and breaking through the ceiling? Here are a few of my recommendations. You may have some additional thoughts of your own that I would love to hear. Be sure to email me or comment below with more.

Tips for Breaking the Glass Ceiling:

Ask for Feedback: How many of us take out the time to ask our colleagues and supervisors for feedback. Not just when its time for reviews, but throughout the year?

Stretch Your Mindset. As we are climbing the ladder and breaking ceilings, we must know our worth and what we bring to the table. When asked, be ready. Know your value. Your complete value – the “resume-able” stuff and the emotional intelligence value, as well.

Find a Champion. Mentors are great, but you also need a champion. Someone who will fight for you behind closed doors. We all need that person who is also looking for opportunities for you to shine and grow.

Know what You Want… and Ask for it. Do you know what you want? Often we don’t really know what we want and therefore we are not ready to ask for it. Know what you want with specificity.

Don’t Focus on the Ceiling. What we focus on grows. If we continually focus on what holds us back or the challenges – it gives more power to our growth. Focus and visualize your best life and circumstances. Give more attention to the life you want and not the challenges.

Leverage Your Brand. Of course I can’t end this without reminding everyone to work on your personal branding. Who are you and what do you want to be known for? Be sure to understand and know your brand, then consistently communicate it to your community.

Now… are you ready? Ready to break some glass? I want to hear how you are breaking glass ceilings in your world! Let me know so that I can highlight you and your business in my next issue.

Clarity Comes With Action

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Hey Friends…

There is a quote:

“We see in order to move; we move in order to see.”

Clarity comes from action. Whether it is the right move, or the wrong one. We see and understand more clearly once we begin to move in a direction. Try and fail. Start and test. Action.

As we are head into the third quarter of the year, we have just a few more weeks and Quarter 1 will be over! Can you believe it?

Now may be the time you need a little clarity about your branding, marketing or get clear on the next steps with your business.

Or you may just need a creative brainstorming session. My favorite thing to do. I am here for it!

You don’t want to head into the next quarter unsure or unclear of the message, story, or strategy you want to use moving forward. Let’s clear it up now. Let’s develop a strategy. Let’s get some ideas for your business and your next level!

Prepare for the Fourth Quarter… Now!

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Hey Friends…

It’s a new month! And…we are quickly heading into the final quarter of the year and into the fall season. Although I am a summer – August baby, I absolutely love the fall season. It reminds me of the spring season; people are reassessing their goals and priorities and deciding how they want to end the year.

I know you are thinking …

1.) How I will end the year with my business goals?
2.) Should I do more marketing in the 4th quarter?
3.) What can I do now to prepare for next year?

Here are a few things you may consider with your business and marketing as you head into the next season and final quarter:

1.) Review Your Analytics: Now is a time to review your KPIs and analytics and benchmark where you are and how you want to improve before the end of the year. Perhaps some areas are not as strong and it’s time to reassess your strategy.

2.) Holiday Season: Do you have a strategy for the holiday season? What will you sell? How will you engage your customers/clients?

3.) Stay Top of Mind: The final quarter of the year is a busy time. Social media feeds are flooded with advertisements and calls to action. How will you stand out? How will stay top of mind?

4.) Take Care of Loyal Clients: Are you taking care of your referrals and your favorite customers and clients? The end of the year is a great time to show appreciation for your clients. Create a plan!

I hope this was helpful to you. Stay tuned for more tips on an end-of-the-year strategy!

Are You Mastering Your Personal Brand?

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We all have a personal brand. Your stamp. Your reputation. Your lasting impression. Sometimes we are completely unaware of the personal brand we have developed. In order to grow professionally and even personally, knowing your brand and controlling it is key.

Just like a company differentiates itself to stand out from its competitors by identifying and articulating its unique value proposition, you should do the same.

I know you are thinking …
Do I really need to worry about my personal brand?
I don’t have time to worry about my personal brand.
Here are a few tips on how to manage your personal brand:

1.) Google Yourself: How often do you Google yourself? Do you know what your online story says about you?

2.) Create a Web Presence: If you are not seeing what you like about yourself online, create your own website with your name, resume or bio, and professional pictures. Use this website to help share your story and brand.

3.) Be Clear on Your USP: Yep, your Unique Selling Proposition. What is unique and special about you? What sets you apart from others? What is your differentiator? Your magic?

4.) Share Content/Thought Leadership: Whatever is special about you, your magic, your USP – how are you sharing that with the world? This is the key to developing your personal brand.

5.) Know How You Will Share It: This is where your social media presence kicks in. Or you may decide on a newsletter, podcast, YouTube channel, or another platform. How will you share your personal brand?

There are soooo many more tips on developing your personal brand.

If you need a consultation or personal branding session – be sure to click here to set up a branding session today.

6 Ways You Can Implement Digital Marketing Immediately

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I recently shared a quote on my IG (if you are not following me, click here so we can follow each other) about leaving money on the table if you are not using digital or online marketing. That can seem shocking or a bit dramatic. However, it is absolutely true. If you are business or looking to increase your personal brand, showing up online should be a critical piece of your marketing mix.

Digital marketing can sound intimidating and a bit much, however, it can be comprised of various initiatives and activities. Not all of them require special expertise. The goal is to just get started doing it … with some strategy, of course. Below are some ideas for digital marketing and how you can show up better online.

Advertising: If you have a brand or business, doing advertising or a boost on a post may provide you with the visibility you need.
Email Marketing: Social media can’t be the only way you reach your clients and customers. Be sure to reach out to them via email and stay top-of-mind by providing value.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization: is your website attracting the right audience and doing what you need for it to do?
Content Creation: Thought leadership through creating content on podcasts, blogs, etc. is the perfect way to create trust and credibility with your audience.
Retargeting: Who is watching you online and clicking on your content? How can you strategically keep them coming back and ready to buy?
Social media marketing: Most of us are doing some sort of social media marketing. I encourage you to make sure you are doing it properly and with strategy.