I have been producing quick, nonstudio-produced videos on LinkedIn the past five weeks. I know this is a small sample size, but I want to share my research on what is working and the formula behind it. It is always about human behaviors, not the technology.
The formula for video success is: Drop the mic!
Drive emotion
Relationship first
Offer a solution
Prod the next step
DROP is the core of the video.
Trust the journey
Humble position
Empathy for others
THE is the core place of your why and your mindset.
Minute one
Invite conversation
Comments need fuel
MIC is how you increase engagement in the published video.
Drive emotion-Open with a hook- evoke emotion, don’t write an introduction to the video, don’t script it or read from your screen or whiteboard, be vulnerable. Think about one core area that you want to cover in the video. Keep it simple.
Relationship first-Share what you are facing, enough details so you pull the audience in and something they can relate to
Offer a solution-Provide a solution, share your expertise, how you overcame the situation, lesson learned
Prod the next step-Give the viewer a clear call to action (Ask a question, solicit feedback)
Trust the journey-It isn’t easy to hit the record button, it isn’t easy to put yourself out there to be judged. To push through the fear, keep in mind if you impact one person it is worth putting yourself out there.
Humble position- Don’t boast, don’t act like you have it all figured out (no one has it all figured out anyway)
Empathy for others-Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Understand what your target audience might be going through and how you can come alongside them.
Minute one-Don’t ramble on. We decide in the first 3 seconds if we are going to continue to watch your video. We also hover over the video and decide if we are going to invest our valuable time watching it or not. When I see 4 minutes on a video, I move on. You?
Invite conversation-Tag others that you think will play with you or tag someone that you are talking about in your video.
Comments need fuel- Don’t just say thank you when people respond to your video. Comment in a way that encourages back and forth conversation. Example: “Thank you versus Thank you, when will I see your video?”
*Don’t forget to upload your video natively to the platform. Don’t post a link to your video from YouTube or Vimeo. Check your lighting, audio, and angle of the camera (no one wants to see up your nose).
All of this creates a rich experience for all involved. I look forward to hearing about your video success.
I would love to have you join me at one of the following events. You have requested that I share where I will be presenting. I love sharing practical strategies and tactics for using digital to grow your business.
January 11
Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association (GCHRA)
HR How To: Leverage Social Media and Technology in Human Resources
8-11 Program (Credits)
January 11
Leadership Council for Non-Profits (members only)
2-3 Program at Interact for Health
How to stay on top of digital trends
What digital trends can we incorporate this year
Free or cheap tools to get things done
January 19 (over 80 people are registered)
Clermont Chamber at the new Crossroads in Eastgate
Digital and Social Media Trends for 2018
8:00-8:30 Breakfast and registration
8:30-9:30 Program
February 14
Wyoming Business Association at the Wyoming Civic Center
9-10 Social Media Panel discussing:
YouTube ‘adpocolypse’
LinkedIn’s rebirth
Facebook News announcement made last week
Register:https://www.facebook.com/events/1868949796510978/
February 15
B2B Digital Marketing AMA
Office Key in Rookwood
8-9 What is hot in B2B digital marketing for real results
*yes, updates regarding the Facebook changes in how they handle business pages and what you can do about it will be covered
If you are not aware of the changes Facebook announced on January 11, please read: https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/01/news-feed-fyi-bringing-people-closer-together/
February 27
Pardot User Group
8:30-9:30 What is hot is digital for 2018
Office Key Conference Room Rookwood
March 21
Little Miami Chamber
11:30 Digital Strategy and Trends for 2018
March 27 & 28
Midwest Digital Marketing Conference in St. Louis
Don’t miss this amazing conference. 100 sessions to attend https://bestmarketingconference.com/
April 11
CREW at Graydon OTR
8:30-9:30 LinkedIn Program
April 24
EACC
8:30-9:30 Program
April 24
#LinkedInLocal Cincinnati
Announcing the #LinkedInLocal Cincinnati kickoff event! ?
When: Tuesday, April 24th from 6-8pm at Standard Textile.
We have a great panel of speakers talking all about the power of their network: MC’ing the event –Judy Sroufe, VP of Brand Marketing & Communications, Standard Textile
Your #LinkedInLocal Cincinnati hosts/panel moderators: Brian Wallace, Infographic Expert and Ash Norton
Panelists:
Akosua Boadi-Agyemang – going viral on LinkedIn, getting her a Microsoft internship — and even congratulations from Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft!
Kendra Ramirez – on helping small business and B2B
Space is limited – RSVP link in the comments – hope to see you there!
October 19
Midwest Tech Summit
Sharonville Convention Center
October 30
West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance
8:30-10
Building Your Digital Strategy Blueprint
We all know “going digital” is important, but just what is digital marketing strategy, anyway? In this workshop, you’ll learn:
How to create a digital marketing program that reaches your target audience and powers business development.
Determine which channels your target audience uses, content frequency.
Content planning and research.
What and How to measure success.
November 14
Held at the Devine Group from 8:30-11
Video for Social Media Success
Are you afraid to do video but you know you need to do it? This is for you. We will address mindset, content, gear and so much more. All you need is your phone and an open mind. We got you.
Over the last few months’ time and time again the topic of “sales is sleazy”,”I don’t do sales”, or we are experiencing “sales reluctancy” in our organization has come up in our discovery sessions.
Individuals and companies need stop looking at it as “sales.” You aren’t selling anyone. You are a problem solver and educator. You started a business or job out of a passion. You are simply sharing your passion and knowledge with others. You have to have confidence in what services or products you are offering is THE solution to the potential client’s problem/challenge. Just get it (sales) out of your head.
Everyone is selling every day but you just don’t realize it. What would the conversation look like at a backyard grill out or a coffee with a friend? That is the language you should be using. Not sure why but along the way we have stopped what we would naturally do or say to someone face to face when communicating in an email or online. Sales is all about relationship building. I tell my clients to change the language if the word “sales” is tripping them up. Call it knowledge meetings or education meetings. Don’t call it a sales meeting. Don’t call it sales goals. Call it impact goals as in how many people have we helped or impacted this week or month. Play whatever game you need to play to trick your mind into not feeling nervous about reaching out to potential clients to share your knowledge and passion.
You have to watch this quick video by Mel Robbins as she explains the 5 second rule.
Our brain wants us to stay comfortable. It is there to protect us. Unfortunately, it is protecting you from growth outside your comfort zone. Just move forward with the thing that scares you in “5 seconds” of bravery. You can do this. The world needs your solution, service or product.
Everyone is a salesperson in the organization. Every person is impacting their internal and external customers. Every conversation counts no matter the title! People remember how you made them feel not your perfect “pitch.”
Today, I see that when reviewing a website, proposals, marketing materials or presentation content it is all about the company and not about the client or problems that you solve. The potential client wants to see themselves on your website, proposals and presentations. How are you engaging them? What are you trying to help the “fix”, “avoid”, or “accomplish”? How are you guiding them to the solution they need to solve their business challenge? Think about how you like being sold to….. What has worked to get you to make a decision in your business?
Are there things that frustrate you on how others are selling to you?
If there are things that frustrate you on how others are selling to you, like the immediate pitch after connecting on LinkedIn, grabbing your email address and adding you to their enewsletter, the lengthy email that talks how they have been in business since 1948 doing “x”, etc. Then why do we continue to do those exact things in our sales process? When we have coffee with a new friend, we don’t show up and say let’s get married. We ask questions to learn about them and their interests. This is exactly what happens when we do land that first meeting.
I am genuinely curious about people, what they are trying to accomplish and how I might be able to help them or be a connector for them. Conversation is easy for me. I get that isn’t true for a lot of people. I have been given the gift of gab from my mom.
Steps to overcoming sales reluctancy: Be human-what would you say when having coffee with a friend (gaining new information–who, what when, where, how…)
Be curious-ask questions, seek to understand, really listen not listen to respond
Bring value -Share your knowledge and passion
Be brave-5 seconds to success, get out of your head
It isn’t sales. It’s a conversation! You are a problem solver. Now, go solve some problems!
Some of us have developed some bad or lack of business development habits. Not naming any names. Don’t worry your secret is safe with me.
What are habits?
Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to researchers, habits account for about 40-45% of our behaviors on any given day.
Your life today is essentially the sum of your habits. Your scale of how healthy or not healthy you are. A result of your habits. Your scale of how happy or unhappy you are? A result of your habits. Your scale of how successful or unsuccessful you are. A result of your habits.
Changing habits is a 3-step process –>trigger, action and benefit to make them stick.
Trigger: What is something to trigger that you need to focus on business development activities? It is as simple as putting it on your calendar, printing out your goals and putting them on your desk, account reviews with your manager, accountability pack with a teammate?
Something that triggers your need to work on your business development activities and not put it off.
Action: Then do it. Pick up the phone and call that prospect, email that referral partner, email the prospect, comment or engage with prospect on social, search LinkedIn for mutual connections, do some research on the prospect,
Benefit: Then reward yourself for it. You called or emails x# of people today from the goals that you set. You did it! Now, celebrate. Take a quick walk, step away from your desk, grab something to drink not that kind of drink, high five your coworker, text your accountability partner and let them know you did it.
As humans, we love routines. We are out of sorts when we are off our routine. Routines take the guess work out of our day. Find a way to make your business development efforts to become a habit. Don’t do random acts of business development. Figure out your numbers: how many emails/calls to land appointment, how many appointments land in proposals, how many proposals can I close and then repeat. Know your numbers.
It takes 21 days to make your new habit stick but that stat came from research done in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz. A 2009 study revealed that it is more likely 66 days to form a habit.
If you want a deeper dive into creating and breaking habits check out The Power of Habit. It is a great read on this topic and scary how programable we are.
What works best for you on making sure you are taking action on your business development activities?
Wow! I just found out that I am a recipient of this prestigious award for the class of 2017. I am honored for this opportunity.
The John F. Barrett Entrepreneur Vision Award celebrates local business leaders who, through their willingness to take risks, stand out as community leaders who have built successful businesses that stimulate our local economy. The award is given annually to outstanding entrepreneurs who truly embody the entrepreneurial vision and spirit of Cincinnati in its evolution as a world-class city.
I am thrilled to announce that I have been asked to speak at the first Cincinnati Women in Digital Conference! My talk will focus on how larger corporations struggle to find their digital footing and how you can stand up and inspire change from within.
Women in Digital is a great organization I am so fortunate to be apart of. With a network across the country, they are expanding rapidly and are beginning to host conferences in more cities—like Cincinnati! Members of Women in Digital strive everyday to empower women in the digital industry through networking, conferences, and mentor/mentee relationships.
The conference is on April 6, 2017. Visit Women in Digital’s website to learn more, and register to attend the conference here.
Last month, I appeared on 55KRC for a segment called “American Dreamers,” a radio show geared toward business owners that celebrates and connects small businesses. The iTunes podcast was sent out to 18,000 subscribers, which is awesome!
I spoke with co-hosts Tom Tasset and Robynn Anton about my job as a digital strategist, networking, and LinkedIn’s major upgrades—but we also had some fun discussing goldfish and MySpace!
Here are some highlights of the show:
As a digital strategist, I work with my clients to improve anything of theirs that is digitally consumed. This includes websites, social media, e-newsletters, landing pages, etc. I also work with them to develop benchmarks, strategies, and goals, as well as to determine the target audience and how to best reach those customers.
Use LinkedIn to form meaningful connections. Connect with those who you can help and vice versa, and take advantage of your contacts to introduce you to new clients.
Before creating a social media channel, consider which platform(s) match your target demographics and goals. What do you expect from Facebook versus Twitter versus Instagram, etc.?
LinkedIn redid the entire user interface of their desktop version in order to complement its mobile app. More updates include live video, chat function, and the loss of the free advanced search option.
Learn how to save your LinkedIn profile to a PDF.
Generate content from business conversations. What questions do you/they have? That’s a blog post.
I had so much fun with Tom and Robynn and am thankful for the opportunity to speak on “American Dreamers!” You can listen to the full podcast here.
When: Tuesday, April 24th from 6-8pm at Standard Textile.
We have a great panel of speakers talking all about the power of their network: MC’ing the event –Judy Sroufe, VP of Brand Marketing & Communications, Standard Textile