Question: What makes a business stand out and engage on social media?

Plenty of businesses make the fatal mistake of being non-human. And it’s surprisingly easy to do.

Being corporate is fine.

Being formal is fine.

However, being a brick wall made purely of corporate messages, sales promotions and business jargon is not. These businesses are using this brick wall to alienate their customers. They’re being the opposite of engaging, and the result is that they push their target market away.

It’s a fact: People buy from people. We all desire the ‘human’ interaction, and social media humanises our business and personal brand.

We MUST follow the golden rule: humanise your brand.

But how?

1. First and foremost, remember that everyone who will see you on social media is also a human. They think, feel and act like humans. Even your boss. It doesn’t matter if they’re using a personal or business account. They have interests, likes and dislikes, and a...

Generating awareness, engaging with your target audience and growing your brand can be challenging and complex - even for us marketers!

It's good to know there's a wide range of free tools and paid-for software which can help you plan, manage and measure your marketing activity.

One of the common questions I get asked when coaching is, what tools and software do I use in my business - so, here's my top five list*... I hope it provides some value to you all :)

1. Kajabi https://lnkd.in/ganWHic

2. Lumen 5 https://lumen5.com/

3. Buffer https://buffer.com/

4. Stencil https://lnkd.in/gRJu_kt

5. Ubbersuggest by Neil Patel https://lnkd.in/gh7mmGD 

*Please note - some of the links are affiliates for which I may get paid a small commission.

Creating content (such as blogs, video, eBooks, Infographics, etc...) can be time consuming, especially if you’re constantly trying to create new content to share across your social networks.

However, by repurposing our content we extend our reach and exposure, saving valuable time and resources to run our business.

“When you repurpose a piece of content […] you’re doing one of two things (or both): changing the format of the content, and/or changing the target audience for the content.” Ref: HubSpot

In my video post I’ve mentioned 5 different types of content, which can be repurposed, from a single blog post. Below I extend that further to 10 pieces of content... all created by the same blog post. Enjoy!

1. Write a blog post – say 500-1000 words and post on your website. This can then be promoted across all your social networks.
   
   
2. Upload the blog post into video software (such as Lumen 5), which will turn your blog into a video post.
   
   
3. Create a...

How effective is your Personal Brand?

We all have one, but only some people are more aware of it than others.

Some have maximised its true potential to grow their business. Whilst others don’t realise just how powerful it is - take it for granted and never use it to their advantage.

I’m referring to your ‘Personal Brand’ – the most powerful marketing and sales tool we all possess in business. The intrinsic mix of your passion, values, experience, professional network and of course, skills and expertise.

Authenticity is the key factor as never before has the mantra 'people buy from people' been so relevant. Anyone who wants to stand out in an increasingly crowded and challenging marketplace must embrace the concept of personal branding and how it can influence their future.

Here's my 5 Tips to help you promote and grow your Personal Brand.

Social media can be complex and challenging at the best of times - planning activity, creating content, connecting and engaging...

So how do you know if you're using the most appropriate social network?

How do you know if the platform you're using to promote your brand, products or services is the 'right' social network for your business?

Here are my 5 tips for helping you to decide which are the best social networks for your business. 

Is your website the most powerful marketing tool that you have within your sales arsenal?

There’s a lot more to this digital asset than you may think – and it’s not nearly enough to simply have a website that looks aesthetically pleasing and rather shiny.

In this video, I will share with you my top 5 tips for SUPERCHARGING YOUR WEBSITE! and ensuring that your - 24 hour, 7 days per week, 365 days per year - online sales person is truly working as hard as it can for you.

(Apologies in advance for the heckling seagulls!)

How do you know if your marketing is working?

How do you know if all the time, resources and investment are delivering the desired results for your business?

This is a question I'm asked on a regular basis.

Here are my four key areas for measuring the effectiveness of your marketing activity:

• Brand Awareness
• Engagement
• Lead Generation
• Sales

Enjoy the video!

#marketing #entrepreneurial #marketingstrategies #strategicplanning

"Social Media is a waste of time and money - unless you can convince me differently, I will no longer be using it!!"

This was a statement made to me a few months back by an extremely frustrated business owner who was about to give up using social media for marketing his business.

When I viewed his business profiles across LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, I could see why...

- content was heavily sales driven 'buy this', 'discount offer', 'price match', etc...
- too much waffle and not enough substance - no value proposition!
- no real target market identified - trying too hard to appeal to everyone...
- boring images and lack of creativity...

I could go on...

Sadly, this is a common trend across many business social media feeds... dull, uninspiring content being used to aggressively push products and services rather than trying to engage, listen and build relationships.

So, here's my top five tips for creating engaging, interactive and noticeable social media posts. 

#marketing ...

Managing social media… So, you’ve got your Facebook page and you’re desperately trying to be ‘Liked’. You’re tweeting for England while you’re LinkedIn profile is receiving invitations from people you’ve never met. But not to worry because you’ve got some great office ‘selfies’ in your Instagram account, not to mention your Google+ page and YouTube channel.

Sound familiar? Then you’re not alone.

I recently visited a new client to talk about managing social media marketing requirements. Within ten minutes of our introduction, they informed me that social media wasn’t for them. It didn’t ‘work’ and therefore there was no need pursuing that avenue any further. When I asked why, they proceeded to tell me about the numerous social networks they had subscribed to in order to ‘stay ahead of the game’ and the types of ‘content’ they had inflicted on their...