Tag: Marketing

#BuildYourTribe – How to Engage Your Tribe

Jeff Goins once said “Something I’ve learned about building a tribe is that it’s not who you know, it’s who you help.” When you’re ready to engage your tribe, you need to keep in mind that you must connect on an emotional level with them. That connection has to be authentic and sincere.
Here are some fantastic ways to engage with your tribe:
  • Share a struggle. Highlight the pain point and be vulnerable in a way that makes you uncomfortable. People connect with humanity. Keep your audience in mind during this process and try not to get too personal in areas that will make your tribe members uncomfortable continuing to follow you.
  • Talk to them in one-on-one conversations. It’s okay to be the tribe leader and send your message down the pipeline, but if you don’t engage with them on a personal level, their loyalties may shift elsewhere.
  • Help your tribe by offering valuable insights. Appeal to your community, and teach what you know.
  • Ask them what they’re currently struggling with by asking the question (either through social media or through an anonymous survey): “What is your biggest struggle regarding _____?” You fill in the blank with a general topic that you’re familiar with. Leave the answer open. Don’t give a multiple choice. You may be surprised what your tribe struggles with. When you get the results, start looking for ways to help them overcome those obstacles.
  • Be yourself. Do the things you love to do. Share the joys of your life with your tribe.
  • Supportive and positive is the key. If you are constantly negative or passive aggressive in your conversations, your tribe will pull away from you. Every time you find yourself ready to say something negative, try to spin it into something positive. Remember, the only failure in life is the person who doesn’t get back up when they fall. They give in when they should persevere.
  •  Encourage them to share their stories, their successes, their stumbles, and their joys with your community.
  • Don’t let your tribe get stagnant. Focus on the less vocal members as well and encourage new blood. You don’t want an unofficial hierarchy to form. That can lead to isolation and frustration within your tribe. 

Take the time to cultivate your tribe and you’ll find them ready to move on anything you share. Their willingness to go the distance for you depends on your willingness to provide content they enjoy. They need that emotional connection in order for this to work. So make sure you do your part.
Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!
Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#BuildingYourTribe – What is a Tribe?

Essentially, a tribe is your community. When it comes to your business, a tribe is a unique group of friends, fans, customers, brand advocates, partners and followers who are willing to become a voice to your message. Some call it “1000 true fans”. It’s a place where you belong, can be heard, and known. Most of all, it’s a place where you can make a difference.
Before we delve into the key aspects of a tribe, we need to spend some time talking about what a tribe IS NOT.
A tribe is not a pedestal you use to dictate your awesomeness.
It is not fame.
It is not a number.
It is not a group of people who agree with everything you say at all times.
It is, however, a core group of people who help you think, force you to move beyond your limits, and keep your world positive around you. Constructive criticism is not negativity. It’s a chance for growth. They challenge you to be better, inspire your creativity, and spread the message because they genuinely believe in what you have to offer.
Your tribe supports you when you feel like giving up while providing energy and strength when you least expect it. You can create life-long bonds that can never be broken. Best of all, this tribe can help you turn your passion into your livelihood.
You may already have tribe members supporting you, and you don’t even know it. Who picks you up when you’re down? Who pushes you to try harder, learn more, become a better version of yourself? Who stood with you when you wanted to step out on your own? Those people are your tribe.
They are your most loyal and devoted fans. Right now.
It’s not a numbers game. I have to stress this. There’s a lot of bad advice out there. Numbers do not equal loyalty.
In future posts we’ll be discussing who makes up your tribeand how to build it from the ground up. In the meantime, why not try this exercise? Write down, either on paper or in the comments, at least one person who supported you when you were willing to give up. It doesn’t have to be about your current pursuits. It could be a teacher who encouraged you to write or read. A coach who told you he believed in your efforts. A boss or fellow worker who reminded you that it was okay to make mistakes and rise from them.
Then, when you’ve finished writing down those names, close your eyes and remember those moments. Try to bring those emotions back to life.

Your tribe is an emotional connection. Don’t forget that. Understanding your tribe, your community, is a way to tap into the best type of marketing – word of mouth. Those who know how to #BeAwesome in business also understand the value of having a dedicated tribe.
Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!
Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#Develop Strategy – Why Strategy in Your Marketing is Important

When you are running a small business it can be difficult to maintain all the different facets of running a successful company. Owners need to manage the work, the clients, the numbers, the team, and the marketing. It can be both daunting and overwhelming. Many entrepreneurs and business owners simply overlook marketing due to a lack of time, energy or experience. However, business growth is dependent on your marketing strategy. 
Business Plan
First, you need to have a plan. The more detailed your plan the easier it will be to set measurable and achievable goals. Your plan should incorporate what you intend to do during the year – the amount of work, the level of profit, staffing, expenses, purpose and messaging. Leave no rock uncovered when you sit down and develop your plan. This will include your marketing strategy for the year. 
Branding & Storytelling
What a lot of business owners don’t understand about their brand is that it exists whether you develop it or not. How the public views you, and your company, makes up the elements of your branding. Owners that ignore this fact will find that the public has 100% control over how their work is perceived. Smart companies understand the power of creating a business message – a method of storytelling for work – that projects the image that business owners want their staff, clients, competition and the general public to associate with their work. Understanding your own brand and company story is the first step in developing a marketing strategy.
Target Audience
We no longer live in an age where we market our services to everyone. Traditional advertising is slowly becoming a marketing tool of the past. Why? Because it is ineffective to sell to a wide group of people without narrowing down the demographics. Want an effective marketing strategy? You need to hone down exactly the type of people that make your ideal client. The time and effort involved in sales and marketing should be utilized only in areas where your target audience works, plays and relaxes. If you don’t have a picture of your ideal client, then you need one right away.
Types of Marketing
Now that you know your message and where your clients hang out, you need to determine the types of marketing that will be most effective for what you do. This will be different for every business. The variety of marketing options feels endless. This list alone will have your head swimming. 
In 2016, online marketing is the place to be. This means social media marketing and content marketing are huge right now. Building a mailing list (or funnel) is another area that many marketing experts say is essential for your business. Developing content and booking stages is a type of marketing as well, called influencer marketing, and can be quite effective for establishing expertise and presence. Relationship marketing is a great way to build a village of partners that are invested in you and what you do. 
This article showcases a study that proves the younger generation does utilize social media when it’s time to make purchasing decisions. Another reason that demonstrates how knowing your audience is vital. 
Marketing Plan
Having an editorial schedule with goals and focus for your content, messaging and social media is practically essential.  If you are not certain which direction to take, do some initial experimentation. For instance, you can concentrate on one type of content or platform each month, while maintaining your other marketing channels.  If you switch it up and continue focusing on different platforms over a 3-6 month period, you can see which platforms are doing the best for you and get a better understanding of each option. 

If you know one choice will work well for your business, focus your energies on developing that area first and then slowly begin incorporating other channels. Often it’s better to do one thing well than to do a variety of marketing tactics on a sub-par level.
Networking
Networking is another way to grow your circle of connections.  You can do this both on- and offline.  Recommendations back and forth are extremely beneficial.  You can also reach out to your network if you have questions about how to get the most out of your marketing, social media platforms, content and emails.  You might have a connection who is masterful in a certain aspect of marketing you are you’re interested in.  You and your connection might work in the same industry, but have different niches.  If you both have blogs, you can refer to each other in your content. This is a great way to develop both referral and power partners for your business, not just new clients!
The best advice is to have fun!  Think of your marketing strategy as an adventure.  You will learn so much about how you want your business to look, feel and present itself to the world. 

Having trouble creating your company’s story? Don’t have a clue how to put together an editorial calendar? Just don’t have time to deal with all the little tasks involved with staying on top of your marketing strategy? Give the team at The Social Media Advisor a call – we specialize in small business marketing strategy development!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don’t get left behind ~ 


Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#ReviveYourMarketing – Your Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

There is a lot out there about branding, and message and company image. You’ve been preached to about the do’s and don’ts of marketing since you first started your business. Some of it makes perfect sense, some of the advice is contradictory, and all of it is overwhelming. What happens when we get overwhelmed? You got it. We end up doing nothing at all.
This month I’m on a mission to help your revive your marketing. Promoting yourself and what you do is the key to business success. Fortunately, there are a lot of different ways to approach marketing and, even if you have let it slide, it’s easy to pick that ball back up and run with it.
The most important thing I want to emphasize is…. your marketing doesn’t need to be perfect. If you get hung up on the right image, or the right tagline, or utilizing the right social media platform – you will get nowhere at all.
It doesn’t matter what move you make, but it’s vital that you start moving. There isn’t just one way to approach marketing but here is a general outlineto get your forward momentum working.
Branding
If you aren’t clear about your brand or your message, you might as well be target shooting in pitch-black darkness. It’s possible you will find a small percentage of people interested in what you do, but it’s so much more effective to develop a brand that does your marketing for you. If you create a clear cut brand and use it to promoteyourself in person and online, you will find that people start coming to you instead of you chasing them. Why? Because they already have a feel for you before the first conversation occurs.
Develop a Marketing Strategy
Spend some time figuring out who your target audience is and where they enjoy spending their time. Then create a marketing strategy that focuses on where they already are. Instead of just putting your marketing out there and waiting on your clients to find you – put effort into creating a marketing strategy that showcases your company right where they are.
There are a lot of options to choose from and plenty of advice. Email newsletter? That’s a great way to build a list and funnel. Social media? Get your voice heard and establish an online presence. Advertising? Depends on your market and your budget. Content marketing? It’s a great way to gain traction online. Influencer marketing? That’s the perfect way to establish that you are an expert in your industry or niche.
The point here isn’t to try everything. That kind of thinking is going to keep you stalled. The purpose is to pick the one you think will offer the best results and just dive in! Something is better than nothing when it comes to marketing and you can work on making it better over time.
As you get good at one strategy, you can look into ways to automate or outsourceand then bring another technique into the fold. It’s better to do one thing well than several things in a mediocre fashion.
So, cut yourself a bit of slack and give yourself permission to focus on the marketing without worrying about perfection.
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
John Steinbeck
Need some advice or an expert to point you in the right direction? Give The Social Media Advisor team a call and let us help you #BeAwesome at what you do!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don’t get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn,Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube,Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them. 

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