The Essential Role of a Unified Brand Voice and Visual Identity on Social Media
June 14, 2024
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Should You Start A Podcast To Help Promote Your Business?
The popularity of Podcasts are sky high with no signs of slowing down. Not only is it relatively inexpensive to start your own Podcast, but it’s pretty simple to get started. The questions really are, will it be worth it to you to have your own podcast, and will it make that big a difference in growing your brand and your bottom line? Here is a great article that will break down the best reasons for why you should start a podcast for your business.
“The meteoric rise of smart speaker technology means that having a voice strategy for your brand is no longer optional.
But if you aren’t convinced yet, consider this: JPMorgan Chase recently announced it had appointed an agency specifically to handle its voice marketing, as it seeks to “amplify” (intentional pun?) its strategy around voice.
Financial institutions aren’t known for being early adopters of new trends, so this may be an important signal that voice is here to stay.
The financial giant’s chief marketing officer, Kristin Lemkau, had this to say:
Voice is not only coming; it’s here. And in a multitasking world, it’s significant.
Uh, what Kristin said.
There are elements you should include in a voice strategy, including optimizing your content for voice search.
Another one is podcasting.
In fact, more and more savvy brands are turning to podcasting as a marketing tool.
Google itself has just announced a new podcast-specific strategy, which aims to double the number of global podcast listeners.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.
Podcasts are Exploding in Popularity
In the United States, four-in-10 people have listened to a podcast.
Furthermore, 67 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly—an increase of 14 percent in just one year.
And because Europe tends to follow U.S. trends, podcasts are becoming hugely popular in the U.K. One-in-ten adults in the U.K. now listen to a podcast every week.
Lately, my friends and I are more likely to enthuse about our latest podcast discoveries rather than the latest Netflix box sets or Hollywood blockbuster….”
How To Keep Tabs On Your Competition
When you started your business you needed to know who your competitors were and what they were up to, and it’s the same story now. You must keep up with what your top competitors are doing, so you can stay one step (or more) ahead of them.
Competition is a good thing, it’s a healthy thing, and it can keep us all on our toes. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the businesses that you go head-to-head with can offer insights into growing your business in a way you could have never thought of on your own.
Luckily, in the era of technology that we’re living in now, the internet offers a vast array of tools that can help you keep tabs on your competition. This type of strategic thinking can pay off big, so take a look at the list of tools to help you build a competitive advantage in your market…
“1. Google Alerts
No list of online monitoring tools would be complete without Google Alerts.
This tool is about as easy to use as it gets. Simply sign into your Google account to get started. If you don’t have one, it will take only a couple of minutes to sign up.
Next, input the names of your competitors. Google takes care of the rest.
You’ll get an email report every time a competitor on your alert list gets mentioned online. You can set it up for links and keywords as well.
It all depends on what you want to track.
Google Alerts is great because it’s free to use. You’ll get notified when your competitors are mentioned so you can stay up to date on the latest information.
2. Social Mention
We know 71% of small businesses use social media to engage with their customers. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. That’s why Social Mention is one of my favorite monitoring tools.
It’s super easy to use. Simply search for terms, keywords, or the names of specific brands, and the platform will show you what people are talking about across social networks and blogs.
The tool will tell you how often the brand gets mentioned as well.
This is a great opportunity for you to see what actual people are saying about …“
What Every Digital Marketer Needs to Know About GDPR
For those that don’t know, GDPR stands for (General Data Protection Regulation) On May 25th, these new laws will take effect that change the way personal data is collected and used online. These rules apply to anyone and everyone who markets online.
Navigating data regulations is never easy, so it’s understandable that becoming GDPR compliant may feel a little overwhelming, but we’re all in this together.
The folks at Digital Marketer have done a good job of summarizing everything you need to know about the new regulations…
“The new GDPR rules go into effect in less than a month (May 25th to be exact), and if you find yourself unsure how or if GDPR applies to you, you’re not alone.
GDPR is about processing personal data. For example, something as simple as having someone’s name and email address. If you have data from citizens of the EU, you’ll need to comply.
And failure to comply is NO JOKE.
Fines have gone up to €20 million or 4% of your worldwide turnover for the last 12 months.
Now, if you’re a small company, you might think, “Those fines are for big companies, like Facebook. Even if it’s a law, who’s going to find out if I’m doing anything wrong? Who’s going to enforce it, etc.?”
Even if you’re not being slapped with heavy fines, there will be reputational damage for not complying. And with all eyes on the commercial use of personal data right now,…”
Why Your Business Needs To Be On Instagram
Did you know that engagement on Instagram is 10 times higher than engagement on Facebook? Instagram has 800 million monthly active users, so I think it’s time to get your brand on the Gram and start testing some lead gen activities. The ability to generate leads on Instagram is more than just posting pretty pictures, you have to have a strategy. But even before we start going deep on Instagram lead gen strategy, I think it’s important to share the reasons why Instagram is a place where you should invest your efforts in promoting your business.
Here is an article that explores why your business needs to be on Instagram now, and in the future…
“In 2012, $1 billion seemed like an awful lot to pay for Instagram, given that the photo-sharing network had just 30 million users.
But, Facebook was weak on mobile in those pre-IPO days, and the purchase of Instagram allowed an immediate shoring up in that area.
Mark Zuckerberg was lauded for his commitment to keeping Instagram independent, and not just Frankensteining the technology into the parent Facebook app. Now, six years later, his quotes are even more interesting:
“For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.
We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and…”
How a Home Builder Used His Youtube Channel to Grow His Business From Zero to 20 Million
Eddie Woods here – In the video below, you will discover how Matt Risinger, who started his own custom home building company, scaled his business to 20 million dollars by leveraging his Youtube Channel. Matt now has more than 130,000 subscribers to his Youtube Channel. The interview is conducted by David Meerman Scott who mentored Matt and is a big reason for his success. Check out the interview now…
How to Attract New Prospects With Online Reviews
If you think that getting more online reviews from your satisfied clients is out of your control, then your eyes are about to be open. I’m sure that you’re aware that online reviews are one of the keys that can make or break your business. Almost 80% of consumers who are searching for products and services online say that they are influenced by online reviews when it comes to making a purchasing decision.
Here are 5 important strategies that will get you more online reviews and help you attract new prospects and clients to your business.
“Effectively marketing your business has always been about finding a way to stand out from the pack. After all, grabbing their attention is the first step in client conversion. But the act of drawing customers in has truly become an uphill battle in a world so heavily saturated with choice.
Hick’s Law, which is often summarized as “the paradox of choice,” states that when people are presented with more options, the time they take to make a decision actually goes up rather than down. We need to learn to empathize with the paralysis customers feel when trying to make a choice and actively address it if we want to win their business.
But in a world of too many options, what tactics can you use to make their decision easier?
I recently partnered with my friends over at icuc.social to unpack this heady subject. We put together both…”
How To Market Your Business On A Budget
When things get tight in most small businesses, the first expense to get cut is usually the marketing budget. This is the way that most business owners think. They need to keep the day-to-day operations going so they decide to cut the one thing that if done correctly, can actually bring them more business.
But this knee-jerk reaction is wrong minded. In this age that we live in, there have never been more cost effective ways to market, and cost effective tools to market with. Here are some brilliant marketing ideas by my good friend Neil Patel that will get you results even when your marketing budget is tighter than you’d like…
“You don’t need to spend tons of money on marketing. Trust me, I know from experience.
I’ve gone through both paths with my business ventures. There were times when I spent tons of money on marketing and other times when I paid as little as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying spending doesn’t always pay off. But there are still plenty of marketing tactics you can use that won’t break the bank.
I’ve outlined the top low-budget strategies to promote your brand. I’ve seen results with these methods in my own businesses and those I helped in my consulting work.
These are the top 10 ways to market your business on a budget.
1. Create and distribute videos
Despite popular belief, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to create video content.
You can easily do this yourself without hiring a professional. Don’t waste money on fancy equipment. You can probably get away with using your smartphone to record videos.
Otherwise, invest in a decent camera and microphone. Those will be your only expenses….”
How to Use Facebook Messenger to Market Your Business
Ignore Facebook Messenger to your own detriment. People are actively using Facebook Messenger to communicate with businesses to the tune of 2 Billion messages per month. If that stat has got your attention, then you really need to read and study the following article.
You can use Facebook Messenger to communicate with your prospects and customers at scale, and also individually through automation, and also self generated. Through messenger you can communicate about your products and services, upcoming events, customer service issues, holiday specials, you name it! Check out this deep dive into using Facebook Messenger for your business now…
“The key to success for Facebook Messenger marketing is built into Facebook’s policies:
- Get better at marketing
- Get better at talking to people
- And get better at building long-term relationships
With Facebook’s renewed focus on relationship building, if you do Facebook Messenger marketing right, you’ll stand head-and-shoulders above your competitors—because you’re reaching people where their attention is already focused.
But to succeed with marketing on Facebook Messenger, you shouldn’t approach the platform from a marketing perspective alone.
Instead, think of yourself as a social engineer.
You need to return to the basics of good marketing.
If you want people to click on your ads, you need to figure out what they’re struggling with or what they’re trying to make progress on…”
Key Takeaways from Jeff Bezos on How He Runs Amazon
Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. So when he gives any insight into how he runs his business, we should all just shut up, listen and take notes.
“In Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos‘ annual letter to shareholders, he shares seven “essentials of what we’ve learned (so far) about high standards inside an organization” in this age of “customer empowerment.”
His first rule: Intrinsic or Teachable? … People “are pretty good at learning high standards simply through exposure. High standards are contagious.”
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How to Sell on Social Media Without Being Salesy
One of the questions that I get a lot from my clients and members of my mastermind, is “How do I sell more of my products and services on social media?” Well folks, the trick is to not to try to sell directly in your social media posts. Now I know that sounds counter to what you probably thought, but you must remember that most people who interact on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and others are there to socialize, not to be sold to.
If you’re confused now, don’t worry… here is a great article from an outstanding digital marketer named Luisa Zhou, who has all the right answers and methods if you’re interested in using social media to sell more of your stuff. Check it out here:
“We’ve all seen those posts…
You’re in a Facebook or Linkedin group, or browsing your newsfeed when someone shares one of those purely promotional updates. The kind that says, “Hey, I’m so excited to share my XYZ!”
Usually these posts have no likes or comments, with good reason.
People are happy to buy when they know something will meet their need, but they hate being sold to. Our defenses naturally go up when someone approaches us with a traditional salesman-like approach.
This principle also applies to using social media for business and as a sales tool. Especially depending on what people’s reasons are for being on social media in the first place (more on that later).
Being one-sided and promotional is the wrong way to make sales on social media.
One of the most common questions I get is, “How can I promote on Facebook (or LinkedIn or [your platform of choice]) without being salesy?”
Social media is one of the most powerful ways…”