Better Your Business By Blogging

If you run a small business, chances are you are wondering if blogging is worth the time and effort. The short answer is a resounding YES! Blogging on a frequent basis is a relatively easy, inexpensive way to enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your site, and attract more perspective customers.

Once you attract them, it’s important to engage with your consumers online.  Consumers are learning about services and products through social media and search. Your online marketing and brand strategy cannot rest on logo and trademark alone. Regular blogging about relevant issues in your field will increase your visibility. Once someone relates to a blog you have written, it can go viral increasing your audience and potential consumers.

Blogging also allows you to put forth a more authentic voice behind your logo, trademark or website. In a blog you can provide analysis on the specific benefits of your products. Also, including the latest research or cutting-edge matters in your field will distinguish you from your competition and will build your credibility as an expert.

Still Not Convinced?

Here are some of the most important benefits of having a blog for your business (multi-level marketers and agents within a business too):

1. Boost Search Engine Optimization-Search engines love fresh content. What better way to provide frequent content than with blog posts. By blogging consistently, you give Google and other search engines new content to index and you create opportunities to plug in those all-important keywords to increase your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPS).
   
   
2. Develop Relationships with Potential and Existing Customers-Blogging allows you to connect with your site visitors. This can be accomplished by asking your readers questions at the end of your posts to get the conversation going or by simply allowing comments and feedback. By reviewing and responding to readers’ comments, you can create a rapport with your audience, build trust, and gain valuable insight into what your customers are looking for.
   
   
3. Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader-No matter how small your business is, you can build trust and clout within your industry by providing valuable, expert information in your blog posts. Over time, you become a “go to” resource for helpful, informative content, which can ultimately lead to higher customer conversion rates. This is especially important for small businesses looking to gain credibility to compete with larger companies.
   
   
4. Connect People to Your Brand-Blog posting allows you to show a personal side of your business that perspective and current customers won’t see through outbound marketing techniques. Blogging gives others a sense of the corporate standards, vision, and personality of your company.
   
   
5. Create Opportunities for Sharing-Every time you blog, you create an opportunity for your audience to share your blog with others. Whether they link to your blog post, tweet it, or email it to others, it’s free marketing and it further validates you as a credible business.
   
   

From a practical standpoint, blogging just makes sense. With minimal effort and expense, you can build credibility, boost search engine rankings, increase website traffic, and foster relationships with potential and current customers. This is an opportunity no small business or individual agent should pass up.

If your writing isn’t stellar or you’re not sure where to start or what to write about, we can help!  Don’t just write to write.  Write to educate.  Write to inspire.  Write to drive business. If this is not your cup of tea – it’s okay to hire the experts!  www.stonekingconsulting.com  

Attention Millennials: What You Post Online Becomes Your Brand

We often think about branding as something done only by large corporations, but everyone has a personal brand.

Think about your friends; there are probably a handful of ways you could describe them. Those words are probably part of the individual friend’s brand for why you like him so much.

While branding used to only apply to your regular social circle, the Internet now means that everyone carries an online persona that is part of their brand. This is both good and bad. If you go on a racist rant on Twitter, that rant will become negative branding and can hold obvious consequences.

There’s a lot you can do to improve your online brand beyond obvious tips like “don’t go on racist rants.”

Here are a few small things which can help you stand out from the crowd with your online brand:

1. Know your strengths and apply them.

A brand is a fundamental reflection of your personality. If you’re not funny in person, trying to be funny online is going to look strange. You have to identify what you’re good at in personality and skills, and make it part of your brand.

Identifying your strengths is much harder than it sounds because people are far more generous, kind and intelligent in their own minds than in reality. Instead of trying to identify your strengths yourself, contact people who know you in a wide variety of settings — from professional to personal — and ask them to tell you.

Discussing your strengths with many different people can give you a better picture of what your strengths actually are.

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2. Too little is better than too much.

No one has the time to be active on every social media site out there. Pretty much everyone has a Facebook account, but what about other websites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram?

No matter the outlet, remember that your online brand relies on regular, interesting updates. Even posting about something as mundane as what exercises you did over the weekend can help elevate your brand and humanize you.

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3. Clean up your social media accounts.

If you have a successful brand, people are going to look you up. The more successful your brand is, the deeper people are going to look.

That can be a serious problem. Even if you aren’t serious about building your brand, remember that certain photos or Facebook posts can be a serious detriment to your work or relationships.

Employers look at social media accounts of potential workers and more than 80 percent of them have said they are less likely to hire someone with an unprofessional account. They are also just as willing to fire someone who they catch making unprofessional posts.

So, take a moment to clean up your Facebook. Also, Google your own name to see if anything unsavory comes up. It’s better for you to do it than your boss, or friends.

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4. Don’t talk about only yourself.

The entire point of building a brand is so that other people become interested in what you have to say. But, it’s a reciprocal relationship. If you aren’t interested in other people, why should they be interested in you?

While your brand should be about yourself and what makes you special, don’t hesitate to give shout-outs to others. If people have comments or questions, answer them.

Always look for a chance to make a friend online. More friends means more links which results in a bigger online brand.

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5. Don’t give up.

Building a brand is something we do every second of our lives, so creating a new one can be challenging.

But don’t give up. Keep tabs on the progress you’ve made, and pat yourself on the back when you’ve accomplished something. When you look back on your hard work, you can feel proud of how you managed to present yourself online.

What you post should be relevant.  What you post should be authentic.  What you post is a clear reflection of your true personal brand.  If you need help determining YOUR brand and how to set yourself apart (in a positive manner) from the crowd, contact us!  

Marketing for Introverts

In the workplace, part of having a successful career often comes down to personal branding. While stepping outside of your comfort zone can be scary, it’s important to take some risks and forge connections with others in the industry. This can be really tough for introverts who often crave alone time and tend to be shy. If you’re an introvert, you may have searched for ways to promote yourself without being annoying.

Personal branding can be really intimidating when finding yourself in a professional world where you’re forced to work alongside extroverts who are usually very sociable. The workforce does not have to be overwhelming for those who are not comfortable spending a lot of time around others building their personal brand.

Here are six tips to help introverts make their way down the path to personal-branding success:

Don’t be shy to talk about your accomplishments.

Oftentimes, introverts fail to get well-deserved recognition because they don’t promote themselves or bring attention to themselves. Many people don’t know the ways to brag about your accomplishments without coming across as arrogant. It’s not smart, though, to rely exclusively on others to talk about your accomplishments. Letting them go unnoticed may get in the way of promotions in the workplace. Take the time to decide just what you want to say about your accomplishments to make sure you receive credit where credit is due.

Work hard to forge strong relationships.

It’s typical that introverts seek a mentor to help them find success, especially because introverts may not know who, when and how to ask for referrals. Forging strong relationships with people will speak up on your behalf can be valuable when you need a person to vouch for your skills and abilities.

Share your ideas.

You don’t have to turn into Chatty Cathy, but feel free to open your mouth and talk about a new idea or opinion you have. Doing so is a way to help ensure a boss or manager will be aware of your contribution to the organization. If this is a struggle for you, mentally lay out what you plan to say prior to saying it.

Do not over-analyze your performance.

It is common that introverts are hard on themselves because they tend to become really self-conscious when in the limelight. Don’t beat yourself up over your “mistakes.” Instead, concentrate on your successes.

Rehearse before situations that make you nervous.

If you have a presentation around the corner, practice for it. Utilize a mirror or entrust in the help of a friend to make yourself more comfortable. The more times you do something, the less foreign it becomes.

Always have a plan.

If you have networking events on your calendar, take a moment to lay out a plan. Have a few conversation starters in mind, such as comments about things many people can easily discuss, like current events or movies. Small talk flows more naturally for people when you find things you have in common.

Introverts often say they feel more comfortable communicating online instead of in-person. Personal branding is important, and introverts should make sure to take advantage of the various online networks for young professionals, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, to gain more contacts in a less stress environment. The professional world can seem daunting to introverts, but any person out there can learn proper networking skills to boost their personal brand.

If you need help building your confidence or just coming out of your shell, we can help!  The more confidence you have in yourself and your brand, the more adept you will be at talking about it.