by Miriam Hara | Jul 9, 2024 | Business Success, Communications, Social Media
Like many social platforms, the LinkedIn social platform has evolved. It launched itself as a social platform for professionals and to a large extent it has maintained that unique edge. I would argue that LinkedIn has somewhat devolved into a professional Facebook platform, with the many animal posts, inspirational/motivational posts or even sharing family milestones. But that’s a debate for another time. I’d like to discuss why we, as professionals are on LinkedIn, and what benefits that it provides.
Regardless of how many feel some posts are inappropriate for the platform, I still feel that LinkedIn is foremost a professional platform. That is how I use it as a professional and for my company.
In today’s world of hybrid remote working habits, coupled with company cell phones, the concept of the ‘cold call’ is becoming chillingly extinct. Reaching out to potential clients and trying to connect when there is no prior personal relationship or knowledge of your company is becoming increasingly difficult. Or is it?
Essentially, there are viable options for business development. We can all raise our arms in exasperation, but that leads to nowhere. Or, professionals and businesses alike must embrace the change of today’s business world and quite frankly celebrate the opportunity!
While the conventional cold call may be going the way of the DoDo Bird…. the new way of cold calling is quite liberating. As professionals our world has become way larger. The world is your oyster, and any segment you chose to pursue, a pearl can be found! No longer are we limited to geography, albeit, there are political considerations and possible limitations of transferable skills in regulated industries, but still our “professional” world is bigger. Who we can reach, how often we can become visible to our intended audience/target/potential clients has multiplied.
The Pros:
- No matter the industry, you’ll find a LinkedIn group/community that you can join. More importantly, you can participate in as a professional looking to increase your personal brand, or as your company.
- No matter where you reside, the acceptance of remote working, has provided many professionals with greater prospects that would have otherwise not have been possible, without relocation.
- The shear number of potential prospects that can be accessed via LinkedIn would never have been feasible, even by attending conferences physically and meeting face to face.
- If, finding the perfect lead is like the proverbial needle in a haystack; then, with LinkedIn, you can poke at numerous haystacks…simultaneously.
- The definition of relationship has opened up. You can now begin and have a relationship and connect with people you have never experienced a physical handshake with.
It does take effort to reap the benefits of LinkedIn, on a personal and business level. Here are the top 5:
Optimize Your Profile. Ensure that your profile is concise and utilizes keywords that clearly articulates your role. LinkedIn has its own search engine, so make sure that these keywords appear on your profile.
Keep Your Company Page Current. A company page shouldn’t sit there collecting dust. It must constantly be relevant and what is posted there must showcase company culture, brand values and mission, minimally.
Share Often. Share company updates, articles, and industry news to keep your audience informed and engaged, both on your company page and on your personal page.
Engage Consistently. Foster a community by engaging with followers through comments, shares, and discussions. Respond to inquiries and feedback to build trust and loyalty.
Build Visibility. Publish articles, create a company newsletter, promote products or services and post consistently.
Business development has definitely evolved, but that isn’t a necessarily a bad thing. I hope you found this helpful. I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn, or connect with me here.
by Miriam Hara | Jul 7, 2023 | Agency, Branding, Creative, Design, Marketing, Social Media
A brand style guide is more than just a collection of fonts, colours, and logos. It’s the roadmap that leads every piece of your brand’s communication, ensuring consistency across different platforms, media, and teams. An effective style guide is the cornerstone of a strong brand identity, guiding your brand’s voice and visual representation while leaving room for creativity and evolution.
Consider, for instance, the brand style guides of Mailchimp and Shopify. These aren’t just sets of rules or constraints; they are comprehensive narratives that tell the brand’s story.
Mailchimp’s style guide is renowned for its perfect blend of clarity, detail, and brand personality. It outlines the brand’s tone of voice, typographical choices, colour palette, and even provides specific examples of do’s and don’ts. It’s not just an instruction manual; it’s a reflection of Mailchimp’s quirky and friendly brand personality.
Shopify’s guide, on the other hand, strikes an exquisite balance between aesthetics and functionality. It delves into the details of the brand’s visual elements, typography, and even provides guidance for writing product copy. It’s a testament to Shopify’s commitment to providing user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing e-commerce solutions.
So, how do you create a brand style guide that informs, inspires, and tells your brand’s story? Here are some best practices:
Understand Your Brand: The first step in creating a brand style guide is understanding your brand’s mission, vision, and values. What does your brand stand for? Who is your target audience? What is your unique selling proposition? Answering these questions will provide the foundation for your brand’s visual and verbal identity.
Define Your Brand’s Visual Elements: This includes your brand’s logo, colour palette, typography, and imagery. Be specific about when and how to use these elements. Provide clear examples and guidelines to ensure consistency.
Establish Your Brand’s Voice and Tone: Your brand’s voice is its personality, and its tone is how it communicates in different contexts. Is your brand voice professional, friendly, or playful? How should it adapt to different situations? Outline these in your style guide.
Include Practical Examples: Don’t just tell; show. Include real-life examples of how to apply your brand’s style in various contexts. Mailchimp’s style guide, for instance, showcases specific examples of how to use (and not to use) their logo, typography, and colour palette.
Keep It Flexible: A brand style guide should be a living document that can evolve with your brand. Allow for flexibility and updates as your brand grows and adapts to new trends or market changes.
Creating a brand style guide is an investment in your brand’s future. It ensures consistency, aids in decision-making, and sets the foundation for all your brand’s communication efforts. Above all, it tells the story of your brand – a story that is uniquely yours.
Share your brand’s story here…we’ve love to hear!
by Miriam Hara | Jun 9, 2023 | Communications, Content, Marketing, Social Media
In the realm of digital communication, the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” has never been more pertinent. It’s not about replacing words with visuals, but rather about merging these elements to create compelling visual storytelling that resonates with your audience. And in today’s world, visual storytelling does not only refer to images…but videos! True, this is nothing new. Motion pictures…commercials, they’ve been always been around for decades however, videos are now a media that is available and accessible for all brands, regardless of the budget, and industry!
According to a study by Wyzowl’s 2022 State of Video Marketing Report, 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 63% in 2017. This uptake in video use isn’t accidental. The same report indicates that 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, and 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
These figures underscore the power of visual content in influencing consumer behaviour and decision-making.We all consume so many videos on a daily basis I shudder to really think how many videos I watch on my feeds and in my day to day life! We’ve all personally seen how video content has taken over social media platforms. Regardless of how many videos are offered up to us on a daily basis the fact remains that this the preferred form of communications today. And that mean brands need to get on board in the right way.
From a brand’s perspective, it’s crucial to know how to go about creating compelling visual narratives. Here are some insights I’d like to share with you:
Understand Your Audience: Knowing who you’re communicating with is the first step in creating effective visual content. Understand your audience’s preferences, interests, and pain points to create content that resonates with them.
Tell a Story: Us Humans, we love stories!. They evoke emotions and create connections. Make your visual content more than just an image or a video. Use it to tell a story that speaks to your brand values and mission.
Quality Matters: Go high resolution!. High-quality images and videos not only look professional, but they also communicate your brand’s quality. Remember, a brand is the sum of all it’s communications and that includes the production value of the communications.
Keep it Simple: Be focused! Creating engaging and dynamic content, doesn’t mean you can do it all in one … Don’t overcomplicate your visuals. Single focus can and is often be more impactful. Aim for clear, clean, and concise visual narratives.
Embrace Authenticity: Authenticity…even though it’s the most overused word of the decade, it is imperative. Resonating with audiences can only be achieved by being authentic. Don’t be afraid to create genuine connections with audiences by using real-life scenarios, customer testimonials, or behind-the-scenes peeks into your business.
One great example of a brand effectively harnessing the power of visual storytelling is Nike. This world recognized campaign always features high-quality videos telling emotional stories of athletes (professional and not) overcoming obstacles, aligning perfectly with their tagline, “Just Do It.”
Ultimately, visual storytelling needs to be way more than a pretty picture. It’s today’s method to communicate a brand’s identity, values, and message in a way that connects with and engages audience.
So, are you ready to unleash the power of visual storytelling for your brand?
Visual storytelling is a powerful way to connect, engage, and create lasting relationships with audiences especially on social properties (Instagram, Facebook, Tim Tok) The narratives you create reflect your brand’s identity, mission, and values. Invest the time to know and empathize with your audience, create authentic stories, and show them off!
Your brand’s audience is out there, waiting for your brand’s stories to be told. So, what are you waiting for? Start your journey in visual storytelling today. Craft narratives that resonate. Speak volumes without writing a word. As Nike has shown us, ‘Just Do It’. Your audience is ready, are you?
Remember, in the realm of digital communication, a picture could be worth a thousand engagements. So, take the leap and start harnessing the power of visual storytelling now!
by Miriam Hara | Aug 28, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Business Success, Communications, Content, Interactive, Latest, Management, Marketing, Social Media
In life, we need a plan. To create rich content, we need a plan.
There’s a lot of buzz around content and content creation. For those new to content and content creation, it can get confusing. What is content? In a nutshell: content = information. Rich content = great information.
I’ll give you an example of what’s meant by content (information). As an ad agency, there is:
- The content (information) our clients hire us to create using a variety of vehicles: billboard ads, print campaigns, outdoor advertising, videos (including YouTube videos), TV spots, radio spots, advertorials, brochures, packaging, websites, Social Media, etc. … you get the idea.
- Then, there’s the content (information) we create for the agency: our internal marketing and advertising. This could be news and views delivered via our website, blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, pins on Pinterest, Instagram, posts on LinkedIn and on business-to-business sites, etc.
Rich Content – What’s its job?
Content’s job is to add value and provide insight. To do this, it must be engaging. To be engaging, it must be informative and interesting (i.e. ‘rich’). To be effective, it must be targeted. This is important. 3H’s content reach is wide-ranging and eclectic. We speak to our clients, to large corporations, small businesses, executives and non-executives, the business-to-business market, people in the creative field and students (particularly those in the arts and communication). A content piece may not (and likely, will not) resonate with all of these people, all of the time. So at 3H, we vary the content regularly, to make sure there’s something for everyone. And we’re strategic with our content. We put it in places where the people we want to see it, will see it.
Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How?
A helpful way to plan for engaging content creation is to think the way a news editor or journalist thinks when developing a piece. Answer the four “W” questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And answer the ‘H’ question: How?
Who?
Define your target market(s) — the people you want to speak to, the ones you want to engage with your content.
What?
What do we want to say to our audience? This will also help establish a tone for your content and a voice for your organization. Your business is unique; tone and voice help get that across.
When?
When will we reach our audience? Plan to reach out regularly, in the same places, so that not only do they expect you, they search you out. Appear sporadically and you’ll lose your audience. Be flexible and adaptable: if you notice your audience gravitating to new places (and with the pace of technology, this happens regularly) — be there for them.
Take advantage of established media events, things such as Earth Day, Labour Day, Heart Month, Diabetes Month, Valentine’s Day, etc. If your business is geared toward any of these things, piggy back your content on the media excitement.
Every business experiences an ebb and flow. Make the most of slower times to come up with new ideas for content.
Create events, unique ones that belong only to you. Then wrap content around these events. Content is about engaging your audience. Give them a reason to get excited, to celebrate and to connect with you.
Where?
Where will we reach our audience? Where do they hang out? If you’re not sure, do a little research.
Why?
Why do we want to create rich content? Sounds pretty basic, I know, but it’s important. Why do you?
As you plan moves along, the “why” should stick around. You’ve implemented a plan, but don’t set it and forget it. Review. Regularly. How is your content being received? This leads to important answers to questions, such as: “Why is this type of content working well for us, but this other type isn’t?” The success of your content is measurable. For example, you can measure the progress of your Social Media efforts with metrics (The 5 Easy Steps to Measure Your Social Media Campaign). You can measure response to your website Five Keys to Success for Measuring Your Website.
You can measure it by the comments and feedback you’re getting. If you’re never getting any feedback, start asking why?
A good plan has legs
A good plan has legs, it evolves; it can take you to new places with new insights so that your content consistently delivers value. Gives your audience a reason to keep coming back.
A good plan needs a good team
Content creation should not be the sole job of the content creator(s). I’ve said this before: Everyone in a company can and should have input. It makes for a much richer, collaborative and enjoyable experience and ultimately, content will benefit, in quality and quantity.
HOW?
How will you do it? It’s all about fiber …
- Meaty and rich content.
- Make it regular.
Add value! Provide Insight!
If you don’t feel comfortable or confident enough to create your own content, hire a content creator. It really is that important!
STICK TO THE PLAN!
(If it’s a good plan.) If the plan’s not working, find out why and fix it. Then … STICK TO THE PLAN!
Want to delve deeper into Content Creation? Download our free eBook: Content Creation Understood. 21 short snappy insights (we call them biz-isms) that will help you wrap your head around creating great content.
by Miriam Hara | Jul 15, 2015 | Advertising, Latest, Social Media
I hate to break the news to you, but the social media channel is media; as such, it is a channel that is increasingly necessitating the use of advertising. Advertising is alive and well … and the social media channel can be thanked for that!
Advertising, or successfully advertising, is about reach and frequency. Of course, it’s about creative and messaging too. But if you don’t have reach or frequency, well, it’s like winking in the dark. Your message won’t be heard, let alone seen. Reaching your target audience, casting a wider net, etc., is what advertising “promises” and how and what it delivers. Ultimately, the very definition of advertising is the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, or need; using paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, and yes, digital properties.
Those saying that advertising is going the way of the Dodo bird, well, they might be in for a surprise – they may just look outside and see a Dodo walking around in their backyard!
It’s not hard to make the leap to understanding why the social media channel is, or should be, considered as advertising. Understood, the aspect of “paid” is inherent in advertising. However, I would challenge this type of thinking. Paid for distributing a message, or paid in terms of creating the message, still makes it advertising. Content marketing has developed as a core tactic because of the social media channel, and content, no matter how “grassroots” or professional it is developed, is still advertising. You only have to look at Facebook. The different formats of social media advertising available to brands is quite varied. You can build your brand page — that in itself is a form of advertising — where your target audience can choose to follow you, come and see what your brand is up to on a daily basis, if you desire. You can “boost” your brand post, for a nominal fee of course. You can create display advertising, targeted to your niche, which I feel is pretty “conventional” thinking. Suffice to say, all this what I term as social media advertising.
The social media channel with all its diverse properties was made for advertising.
Or did the reverse occur? Advertising has evolved the social media channel into an advertising channel, simply because of its potential and ability to reach niches and masses alike. The creative aspects of creating the messaging based on the media channel will vary, of course. But then again, they always have! You wouldn’t create a magazine ad and place it on an out-of-home billboard? (Although, I have seen that, unfortunately). Advertising, done well, delivers the appropriate type of creative for the channel. Advertising on the social media channel is no different. Posting on your business blog is advertising, isn’t it? It establishes your business as a leader, as an expert. It garners relationships and spreads the word about your business. Advertising has never been about one-way relationships. The essence of advertising is about awareness and provoking an action: “Hey look at me! I’m here. Come see me. Get to know me”. It has transcended the relationship between product and customer, brand and consumers, business and client from pure physicality to one of connectivity and viewership.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”#SharedWisdom #ExceedBeyond”]What are your thoughts on the role social media plays in advertising?[/inlinetweet]
