Be Visible

With the world changing so rapidly, now is not the time to scale back and hide your magic, your business or your brand.  Now is the time to let the world (your audience ) know how you are able to solve their problems and add more value.

Below are a few quick tips on how to raise your visibility in your industry:

  1. FB and IG Stories:  If you are on Facebook or Instagram, we are discovering there is a lot of power in the stories feature of each platform.  Using stories more often (and strategically) can help your visibility.

  2. Add More Content:  Do not get overwhelmed with the word “content.”  It doesn’t always mean creating a blog or newsletter.  Content can mean tips, videos, interesting pictures, quotes, etc.  Content helps create an emotion.  What emotion are you creating with your audience?

  3. Get Consistent:  Consistency is key.  People notice and trust brands that are consistent.  How are you being consistent?

  4. Invest in Paid Ads: Targeted ads can help gain visibility for brands or a new campaign. Careful keyword selection, targeting and ad copy creation will help keep budgets from getting out of control and make it affordable.  

  5. Don’t Ignore SEO: This will help potential clients and customers find your company or organization when they are looking for solutions and may not know whom to turn to. If you can identify the types of terms they are looking for, you will broaden your audience and reach. By using keywords within the copy and headers of your web pages and in the way you talk about your services, you will bring people to your website and social media.

These are just a few recommendations.  I’m certain there are more things you can add to your list.  The key is not to second-guess yourself or hesitate on your greatness.  That is one of the biggest hurdles we often face.

Just go for it!!

Working From Home, but Always On: Personal Branding Tips for Video Conference Meetings

Below are a few tips to remember before jumping on a video call with your team or a client.

1.)   Look Behind You. When setting up your work space, look at what your viewers will see behind you. We are human; therefore, we will be distracted. Does your background represent what you would want your clients and colleagues to remember about you? Take a moment to create an atmosphere that serves your professional brand and values, or choose a simple, clean wall background. The some video conferencing platforms will allow users to choose a background. Choose wisely. The bottom line is that you do not want your background or surroundings to be so distracting that people are not able to pay attention to the value you are offering during the call.

With our current crisis, many of us are faced with new work from home (“wfh”) strategies and routines. Video conferencing has been an essential component to working effectively. However, are we putting our best foot forward when jumping on a call with colleagues and clients? With so many team meetings and work being done via video conference, it is still important to be professional and consider your personal brand.

2.)   Professional Grooming. Although most people are more relaxed right now, we should be careful not to be too relaxed. We are not on vacation, we are still working. When you show up for work on a video call, be sure you still are well groomed and casually professional. A disheveled team member and can result in less trust and credibility from a client or colleague.

3.)   Know Your Angles. Understanding the best camera placement is important. The wrong placement can be awkward, and again distracting. I was recently on a video call and one of the participants had the camera very low on the ground, with the camera facing up… sigh. Try to place the camera as close to eye-level or shoulder-level as possible. 

4.)   Let Your Light Shine. Lighting is important on video calls. You want viewers to see you and not a dark shadow. Make sure the majority of the light is behind the camera or side light for the best lighting. Natural light is always best. Also, take a moment to clean your camera to ensure there is not dust or a fog on the camera.

5.)   Hit that Mute Button. As soon as you enter the video conference, be sure you are familiar with where the mute button is located and able to use it. When you are not speaking, as a courtesy, stay on mute. There are noises around you that you are likely not aware is happening. Microphones will pick up typing, movement, sirens, etc. In addition, when it is time for you to contribute to the call, you want to be able to do this seamlessly.

6.)   Eat and Drink Later. Just as we would not likely come to a client meeting with a large Big Gulp fountain drink or eat a full course dinner during a meeting, be discreet with eating and drinking on video calls. It can be distracting to see someone turning up a bottle or struggling to keep lettuce from dropping on his or her lap.

7.)   Join the Party. If the majority of the team is joining via video, try your best to also join via video. Try to avoid being the team member that decided to not turn on video and only join via audio. Engaging and showing a friendly face is important during these times when people are craving connection. 

These are just a few fun and practical tips to remember when jumping on a video call and remaining professional during this time of working from home. 

Let me know if any of these tips were helpful to you. 

Tips & Tricks to Facebook

Facebook. It is still around and still relevant, specifically for a specific age group or brands that have significant content.  This social media platform continues to be the standard.  However, like other social media platforms, the algorithms continue to change and throw us off.  If you have a brand, business page or fan page, knowing best practices of Facebook is critical.

Below are some tips and tricks on how to work with Facebook algorithms.

1.) Engage.  I know we have heard this many times, but it important.  Think of Facebook woman on facebooklike a person… you can’t expect them to “like” you or show your page, if you only come to talk about yourself and leave.  Set a timer and spend time liking and commenting on other posts.  Facebook is watching.

2.) Respond.  This is another one that seems obvious.. but when people comment on your posts (personal or business) respond back.  The longer a post stays “active” – the longer Facebook will keep it living on the feed.

3.) Good Content.  Most of us believe all our content is good – right?  But Facebook favors those posts that actually engage others and add value or education.  Posts that are simply selling product or services – with no real value – FB will not promote as much.  Their goal and mission is to create conversations among users.

4.) Live Video.  Seriously.  If you are a brand and not doing some sort of video (specifically live) you are missing out.  This is one of the best ways to generate engagement and work with Facebook’s algorithms.  It supports the essence of who they are… engagement.  So they will continue to keep video (lives) on the feed.

5.) Be careful with links.  So here’s the tricky think with Facebook… it wants you to keep people on their platform.  So when you do too many links encouraging people to go away from Facebook, it hurts engagement.  This is not for every post that includes a link – but if you review your business page and notice all your content is sending people away from FB, develop a new strategy.

So there we have it – five Facebook tips and tricks for you. The important thing to remember is to see Facebook as a friend; would your friend like you if you never said thank you when they said “nice outfit”?  Would you want a friend to come to your house for a party and then ask everyone to go somewhere else?  Remember the goals of FB and learn to work WITH the algorithms and not against them.

Get Your Business Ready for Summer

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.

Get Refocused on Those Goals

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!

Are You REALLY Ready to Succeed?

I recently attended a leadership luncheon for women entrepreneurs.  It was great to see so many female entrepreneurs from all different types of backgrounds and talents.

The question was posed: “Why is that so many female entrepreneurs make less money than male entrepreneurs and their businesses fail faster?”  Many hands raised with various answers.  The majority of people landed with the belief that often women don’t support each others businesses enough. Really?? That’s why we are not succeeding at the same rates?

I completely disagreed with this being the reason why we are not succeeding in our businesses.

From my experience with clients and others that I encounter, many people don’t understand the numbers for their business.  Often, women come up with a great idea or a beautiful dream, with lots of great talent.  However, they have NOT done the numbers to make sure it is a profitable business.  Many times, we don’t know our bottom line numbers, our profit margins, our items per transaction, our customer acquisition rate, or revenue percentages.

It is so important for business owners to understand the numbers of their business.

BUSINESS IS A NUMBERS GAME.

Do you know your numbers?

As we go into 2019, let that be your goal.  Let’s know our number and how that can translate into profit for our companies.

Stay tuned for seminar on January on how to learn your business numbers!

In the meantime, keep connecting those dots!

Lee

P.S.  If you are not following me on IG or Facebook, be sure to click the link and follow me to stay updated!

Tricks to Smashing Goals

It’s that time of the year when so many of us are focused on setting goals for the end of the year and to kick off the next year with focus and rigor. We have all seen the social media posts and the encouragement to smash the goals and become a “goaldigger.” But what are some tricks and tips to setting goals? Most of us know about setting SMART Goals (Specific, Measure, Achievable, Results and Time). However, is there more? Are there other tips that can help us get to where we want to go.

Below are some of my quick “Busy, Bossy and Branded” tips on setting your goals and accomplishing them.

1.) Set goals that excite you! Yes, get excited. Of course we have things that we need to do that don’t get us very excited. For example, getting your taxes done is not very exciting, however if the goal is to “Organize my finances to increase my savings account” – that may be exciting! One of the action items for this may be: Create a buget or File Taxes.

2.) Put some action to it. Action items underneath your goals is critical. It can be somewhat easy to come up with a “dream” goal list. However, the power behind goal setting is the action list. When creating your action list, keep it simple. Keep it VERY simple. Try to limit your action items for each goal to 3-5 activities.

3.)holidays office Celebrate Your Successes. I believe in celebrating. There is something power about celebrating your successes, big and small. It creates momentum and keeps your mindset in a positive and growth mode.

4.) Embrace it Everyday. Your goals list should be a part of your everyday life. Put it in several places throughout your home, office and electronic devices. Look at it every day, several times a day to make sure you are moving in the right direction and your mindset is aligning with what you want.

5.) Repetition. I hope you are writing your goals down, however, in addition to writing them down, speak them and write them often. As stated in the fourth point, your goals should be a part of your everyday life. Record them and listen to them a few times a week. Repetition is the mother of success!

I hope these tips and tricks are helpful to you! I would love to hear about how you have smashed your goals and created new ones! Email me at [email protected] if you have any questions or want to share your goals.

How to Practice Intentional Marketing

How intentional are you?  Intentional is about knowing why you are doing what you are doing and making a decision to go in a specific direction.  It always comes back to our WHY.  Are you intentional with your business?  Intentional in your relationships?  Intentional in your finances?

African female executive at work

Intentional living defines your life before circumstances destroy it.

The quality of our lives should not be an accident or a mystery.  When we live an intentional life, specifically with our businesses, we don’t get as distracted with mishaps or detours.  We realize that we have been so intentional and clear on our WHY and DIRECTION, we know that we are still on the right path.  We treasure our moments and are energized with even the mundane activities.

As we begin looking at the end of the year, I want to encourage you to be intentional with your time, with your business and your marketing.

Below are some quick tips on being more intentional:

    • Set daily, monthly and quarterly goals
    • Use a calendar
    • Know what you want (many of us don’t know what we really want)
    • Write it out
    • Change your mindset
    • Practice Gratitude
    • Declutter your life
    • Master your mornings
    • Make an appointment with Lee Watts 🙂 

If you need clarity, have questions on how to be intentional with your marketing or want to set new goals for your business, email me. I’d love to help you!

Are You Listening & Watching?

The Power of Listening to Your Clients

Many companies have excellent services or products.  I also see amazing brands, with great taglines, logos and sales pages.  However, no matter how great your product or service, if you are not listening to your clients and customers to discover their needs, your business will only go so far. pexels-photo-110473.jpeg

I am still amazed when I speak with excited and ambitious entrepreneurs that design their wonderful plans and strategies based on their strengths and talents. Business and marketing plans should include your strengths, however, without listening and responding to clients needs or wants,  you don’t have a business.

Below are five ways to listen to your clients:

1.) Client or Prospective Client Visits:  Never underestimate the power of an in-person visit. When a business owner or professional visits their customers or clients, just for a check-in visit, more often than not, it turns into a business opportunity.  Many professionals have projects and needs sitting on their desk or in their inbox that they have not assigned or sought help for yet,  If your business is solving a problem or making someone’s life easier, visiting a potential client is a great way of reminding them about your value.

2.) Online surveys:  Online surveys are great and easy way to receive client feedback.  Not everyone will complete the survey,  however, you still may be able to collect enough information to impact your marketing strategy.  The key is to make the surveys easy and brief.  There is a strategy to creating surveys.  Be sure to be thoughtful and strategic when surveying your audience.

3.) Watch Your Analytics:  Notice what your audience is responding to on social media.  If your followers are not responding to your posts or asking more questions, you are not listening to your audience.  You should reevaluate your content and create content that is valuable to your clients.

4.) More Social Listening:  Not only should you watch your analytics, but also watching what your clients and prospective clients are responding to or sharing on social media provides competitive intelligence.  Look at your top clients and prospects.  What are they sharing or reading?  This should give you more insights on your clients.

5.) Create Forums:  Part of effective and strategic marketing is creating a community or a “tribe.”  It takes time to do this and it depends on your industry, however if you are able to do this, it helpful in gathering feedback. Within this “tribe” – you are able to ask questions and get feedback on new initiatives and products.  A tribe can be created and maintained through a private online group or focus groups.  Think about your industry and what make sense for your business.

If you listen and watch, your customers will tell you what they need. How are you listening to your audience and learning more about their needs?  If you need assistance with developing a plan to reach out to your clients or prospects, please contact me.