Committing to Your Success

We all have at least one good idea that we can make become our reality. If this is true, then why are there not more successful people? Unfortunately, there can be a large amount of obstacles that entrepreneurs face. Even though becoming successful can be an uphill battle, it is important to not make excuses and to act on your plans.

Time: You may feel that you do not have any spare time for yourself to help grow your business and ideas. This might be true that you are sparse on extra time, but if you do not start accomplishing your goals, someone else will accomplish them in your place. Most people take too much time planning and waiting on others. You need to hire the right people to help you accomplish the projects that you cannot. While the other person that you hired is working on your task, do not wait for them! Continue to work on your end goal instead of focusing on where you are today.

Commitment: You need to make a full commitment to your business. This does not mean you need to quit your job as it may not be financially feasible. You do need to commit mentally and set goals for yourself daily. For example, you could commit to filming one video a week, or posting twice on your business social media page, or calling five leads each day. The possibilities are endless and will vary depending on your business. Lastly, it is important to create a schedule that is a roadmap of your entire day. This gives you the ability to commit to each task at the time scheduled so that you do not go off-course.

When you first begin to market your product or service, you will need to be PATIENT with your results. It takes time to produce exposure and leads but this is not time wasted! You should be IMPATIENT with your activities; continue to try new things. Many of your ideas will fail, but it is important that you continue to try new things. If an idea fails, have a backup plan so that you can avoid waiting and proceed toward your goals. If you continue to stay on the same path, you will never succeed. It is important to continuously look for opportunities to better your business.

Selling Your Expertise

Each one of us has the ability to sell our expertise, but how do we do this? Throughout our lives, different events have occurred that shape us into the individuals that we are today. These experiences make us become more knowledgeable in a variety of topics.

Think of one topic that you excel in; this means that you know something that not everyone does. You have ability to teach and inspire others, best of all you can create your income while doing it!

You have untapped knowledge in your brain, you have the ability to vocalize your thoughts, now all you need is an audience. It is easy to get run down by pitching your amazing product to anyone that will listen if you’re constantly being rejected. Yes, you may get lucky and find someone that is willing to buy your product but, at what cost? Most speakers are pitching to the wrong audience.

Let’s think about this more…

If you are selling a self help motivational service, you would think you should pitch your service to struggling individuals that are not prospering financially. The reasoning behind this would be that your product will help encourage the individuals to make their goals become a reality. If you are thinking this way, you need to alter your way of thinking. You need to pitch to the wealthy and successful individuals. They have already made it, and they became successful by learning from others.

They made the decision to invest in themselves. The successful individuals will be more likely to buy your product because they have seen it work before in their lives. They are already convinced that self help is a good investment, and if you simply show them how your service will get them past the plateau they’re in so that they can up level their business, the sale is simple. You’re providing a solution who already values what you have to offer.

It is important that we change our way of thinking; we need to think logically on who will PURCHASE your product instead of who NEEDS your product. If you do your research and pitch to the right group of people you will begin to see your sales increase!

Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Open Rate

1. Create an Engaging Subject Line: When looking at your open rate, the subject line means everything. It is important that you intrigue your potential customer’s eye with a short phrase that makes them want to open your email. Companies have been using email marketing for years, but in some ways, they have failed to progress with the times. In your subject line, it is very important that you do not use all capital letters. This makes it more likely that your email will be sent to spam. A way to combat low open rates is by create interesting subject lines. This can be done in countless ways! You will have to use trial and error to find out what works best for your email list. A few ways to increase your open rate is to start a conversation within the subject, making the email look more personable. You can follow that conversation throughout the entirety of the email. Use a deadline alluding to urgency and instilling the fear of missing out. You can create a funny pun or joke, but make sure it does not go over the reader’s head. Lastly, people are drawn to numbers, so including numbers in the subject the email is a great way to make your email more likely to be opened.

2. Optimize Your Timing: Timing has a very large effect on your open rate. Studies have shown that Tuesdays are a popular day to send and open emails. You should try to avoid emails during the weekend. Individuals want to rest on the weekends and your emails may be seen as an annoyance. Timing for every organization will be different so it is important to perform split tests. Throughout other studies that have been conducted, it was concluded that the best time to send an email is late morning to early afternoon!

3. Make Your Emails Personable: When writing an email, it is important that you are seen as a friendly face and not a corporate boss. People are more likely to read emails that are personable. This can be done by customizing your greeting and signature. Additionally, do not speak over your audience – use a vocabulary that your reader can understand.

Keep in mind, most people do not look forward to reading emails. They usually push off reading emails, which is why it is important to create amazing content that your customer will look forward to reading. It is important to be consistent when writing emails so that your customer continues to want to learn more.

At times, it can be discouraging to see a low open rate, but it is important to keep your head up and continue to create more enticing emails! You can bring value to people’s lives through emails, all you have to do is get opened!

 

What’s the Buzz with Facebook Retargeting?

Facebook retargeting is instrumental to your success because it is EFFECTIVE!

A large amount of time and money is spent on Facebook growth. Facebook is an amazing platform where you can grow your business and social following. It is very important that you create compelling ads that attract future customers, but you also need to target the correct individuals. Unfortunately, some businesses are marketing to all Facebook users, instead of segmenting their customers and retargeting them with similar offers.

Let’s think about this…

You wake up in the morning and you open up Facebook. You begin to scroll through your feed which is filled with your sister’s birthday photos, your best friend from college moved into a new house, and then you see a comfy red sweatshirt. You click on the image and look at the sales page. The sweatshirt is only $20 dollars, so you put it in your cart. You think to yourself that you could use another sweatshirt and comfort is key!

You look at the clock and see that you are late, you were unable to check out and buy the sweatshirt, but it is still sitting in your cart. This isn’t a problem because you probably didn’t need the sweatshirt to begin with.

The next day, you are scrolling Facebook again during your lunch break and you see the same sweatshirt with slightly different copy.

This is retargeting! You have already showed your potential customer this item before. Therefore, you bypass the initial step of exposure. Then you give the potential customer a limited time coupon code. This makes the customer more likely to purchase your item and then projects your product further into their minds. There you go, you have just made a sale because of retargeting!

This is the importance of retargeting, you have the ability to expand your company’s business and service with Facebook. If you continue to show the same offer to the same group of people your exposure and sales will increase!

 

Would you like to know how to grow your following and increase engagement on Instagram?

The key to Instagram is simply showing up.

Why do people post on Instagram? A business goal is to increase engagement; this can be executed both on a personal or business account. We are all trying to increase our following as customers will begin to know, like, and trust us.

One key way to create engagement on Instagram is by liking, commenting, and tagging. Unlike Facebook, Instagram makes it more difficult to share the exact post that someone else has posted. Therefore, tagging within comments and on pictures is the main way to increase your following.

In order to expand your market, you need to use Instagram’s algorithm to your benefit. The way that Instagram works is when you like, tag, or comment on different accounts, your next post is more likely to be shown to them on their feed if they’re following you. This grows your engagement and following by simply being active!

A forgotten key to Instagram is your bio! Your bio should include four things:

  1. Explain your title in easy to understand terminology. You should be precise and state exactly what you do within your company.
  2. Name your customer, this can be done by naming who this account is for and how you are different from other competitors within your market.
  3. Remember to add your locations, especially if you are at a physical business. If your business is a restaurant, your location is very important to your success. You can also add a hashtag in your bio and posts of the city where your business resides. If you are an insurance company, it is not as important where your location is, as your service can be performed over the phone or online, but do add a location if you’re licensed in specific states or regions. In either scenario, it is still helpful to add your location to attract local potential customers.  
  4. It is beneficial to give the potential customer something of value. If you are a restaurant, you can disclose a PDF recipe in your bio. Service based businesses might create a promotion that would attract customers to your business. This creates trust between you and the potential customer. This potential customer can then become a devoted customer by creating value through a promotion.  

In short, it is vital to the success of your Instagram account that you have an enticing bio that brings customers in and urges them to follow you.

Additionally, it is very important that you stay active on other accounts by liking, commenting, and tagging. This increases your engagement and, in turn, you will begin to see more activity on your personal Instagram account!

Get More Out of Twitter

 

  • Understand the Algorithm: It is very important that you are extremely present and active on Twitter. It is in live time, which means as soon as you tweet, it begins to scroll to the bottom of your followers feed. Twitter’s algorithm is not as advanced as Facebook’s; a major downfall regarding this platform. A way to help combat this algorithm is by liking, retweeting, and responding to your tweets and mentions. Many businesses are lenient when creating a Twitter as this is a platform where celebrities hang out and tweet. Even though this is true, Twitter is still a beneficial platform to grow and connect to more potential customers.

 

  • Condensed Content: Twitter only gives their users 280 characters for each tweet. Using fewer words to get your point across is most beneficial. This allows your content to be read and retweeted quickly. We recommend posting at least six times a day to help ensure that you will reach your followers.

 

  • Use Videos to Your Advantage: When posting on Twitter, videos are the best in terms of performance. You can also go live, which allows your followers the ability to connect to you on a more personal level.

 

  • Hashtags and Trends: It is very important to stay relevant. This can be done by researching hashtags and trends. Topics that are trending now are seen by millions of people. You can retweet and respond to comments to help grow your following and outreach. This shows that are you are a part of the conversation!

 

  • Follow the Right People: When thinking about social media, you always want to grow your following as fast as possible. It is important to gain followers, but you want them to be individuals that are interested in your offer or goal. If you have 100,000 followers but none of them meet your demographic of an ideal client, this is not beneficial to you. It is important to follow people who share your values and interests, along with industry leaders.

 

Even though Twitter is filled with influencers and celebrities, you still have a voice on this platform! It is important that you show up and stay engaged with your followers.

 

7 Tips and Tricks to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out!

1. Professional Profile Pictures: It is extremely important that you are putting your best foot forward. This means you should have a professional photo of yourself as your profile picture. Also, try to pick a photo that you are smiling in, profiles that capture someone smiling are nine times more likely to convert, and twenty-one times more likely to be viewed! Lastly, dress for success, first impressions mean everything especially within the virtual world!

 

2. Headlines That Catch Your Eye: By default, LinkedIn uses your last job as your headline. You are able to change this within settings to reflect what job is most beneficial for your goal. You only have 120 characters so make it something catchy that reflects you as a person and employee.

 

3. Create a Well-Written Summary: LinkedIn gives you the ability to describe who you are in the workplace. It is important that you list your areas of expertise along with your accomplishments. It is also important to add in your contact information so that potential employers will be able to contact you about opportunities. This also helps you grow your network and expand your community of business professionals.

 

4. Make Sure Your Work and Volunteer Experience is Up to Date: You should add all past work and volunteer experience. This shows that you are a well-rounded individual and that you are capable of handling a variety of situations. It is also important to write in first person, as this is a story about your work and volunteer experience.

 

5. Add Your Educational Background: Not only will this show everyone where you earned your degree, you will also be able to connect with fellow alumni to grow your network.

 

6. Create Keyword Specific Skills: When people search on LinkedIn, they can search by key phrases. This will allow your profile to be viewed more often and will increase your likelihood of finding mutual connections.

 

7. Communicate With Connections. Do not stop at simply adding the people to your network. Send them a message to see what they are doing and how you may learn from them. This allows you to create a deeper connection and network to help you grow within the workforce and as an individual.

Facebook: Behind the Curtain

In recent weeks Facebook has drawn back the curtains regarding their business platform. Facebook is known as the world’s top social media platform, many of us are guilty of spending countless hours scrolling through our feed, but Facebook has progressed into something greater than just that. No longer is Facebook only known as a place to share with friends; it has become a place of transparency and community between businesses and customers!

It comes as no surprise that Facebook has a vast amount of powerful tools for businesses to expand and advance by reaching more potential customers. Businesses do this by running paid ads, creating groups, going live, engaging their audience, and much more. Before this update, businesses could run paid advertisement without the potential customer seeing the “behind the scenes” web of ads that coax them into buying. This means that companies must develop a greater relationship with their customer, and establish deeper trust. Why? Because it’s harder to sell to someone who knows they are being sold.

Businesses aren’t only exposed to the eyes of their potential customers, but their competition as well. Now, the secret ingredients of a business’ marketing are “on the label” for all to see. Though this will no doubt increase competition, it will also create a better user experience on facebook. Facebook advertising has always been about causing the least amount of disruption to the user. Hopefully, when everyone can see what works, ads on the platform will become more seamless and easier to interact with.

When reflecting on the controversy of whether this is helping or hurting businesses here are some things to consider…

Pro

  • Facebook is becoming more transparent and proactive. Therefore, people feel more comfortable to use this platform.
  • Human nature is to find flaws, this is one less hole within Facebook’s story.
  • Facebook encourages connection and being open continues to shows that they want to build community.
  • You can see what is working for others by doing research, because of this less personal resources are spent with experimenting.  

Con

  • People that market on Facebook with paid advertisement may look more vulnerable.
  • Everyone can see what your sequence is to success and failure so others can use your tools for their own benefit.
  • Unable to leverage ones business to competitors.

No matter where you stand within this debate, Facebook has changed people’s lives and they will continue to merge the gap between business and personal life.

By: Sophia LaMore