Thank you so much for attending my session today on Demystifying Branding and Marketing. As promised here are some great resources that we covered in our time together. Enjoy!
It is so important to really understand your target audience and what they value. Most of the time you are not your target audience. Understand what they need, what their interests are, where they play, how they like to communicate and so much more. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on expensive focus groups when starting out. Simply ask your customers and clients a few of these questions in the buyer persona link from Hubspot and LISTEN. Document the conversations so you don’t lose those golden nuggets your customers are sharing with you so you can go find more customers and clients that look like the good ones you are attracting. Yes, sometimes we attract the wrong clients. It is a learning process.
Cincinnati Regional Digital Workshops and Speaking Events for 2019
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.
I will be leading a breakout session for Business Owners on Demystifying Branding and What is Working in Marketing for Businesses
October 17 NKY and Cincinnati Chamber
Business Networking Panel Event
October 18 Reset Women’s Conference
VOA Lodge Lakeview Room, West Chester
8:30-11:30 am
Reset your mind
Reset your story
Reset your relationship
Speakers: Erin Fritts, Patrice Borders, Sandra Vogel and Kendra Ramirez
Reserve your ticket here: https://thereset.co/
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!
I am a giddy little girl. I literally squealed when I was asked to be a part of this amazing line up. So honored.
Social Media Day is not only a huge social media event with an opportunity to learn and network as industry thought leaders share their insights, but it’s also a day to celebrate the opportunities and innovation that have come from these platforms that we are all engaging with everyday of our lives.
SPEAKER LINEUP
Keynote: Brian Fanzo, Change Evangelist – “Think Like a Fan: From Content to Customer Experience” @isocialfanz
I am blown away by everyone’s support! I was ecstatic when I was nominated as a top 10 finalist for the AMA Marketing Legend award as we have such a wonderful and large marketing community. Then to be notified that I was voted in the top 3 and named an AMA Marketing Legend at the Pinnacle Awards Dinner is so humbling! This prestigious new award recognizes professionals who have made a lasting impact, and brought acclaim to the city of Cincinnati and the profession of Marketing. Unfortunately, I was out of town and couldn’t accept the award in person. Here is the video I submitted as my thank you while out of town. Thank you for this incredible honor!
A few of the nomination comments:
Kendra has been a market leader in the digital marketing space since 2005. She recognized the power of digital marketing long before others, who told here that “you can’t make a business out of that”. Well she has, and in doing so, has helped dozens of companies in the area improve their top line performance and brand image. Kendra understands the power of digital marketing and has a knack for explaining it clearly and simply to those that may not get it, yet write the checks. Her clients love how she actively listens to understand the problems to be solved and goals to be achieved. Her ability to crystallize the goals and message into a strategy has made her a valued business partner to her clients. Kendra recognized the power of digital marketing early on when others didn’t see it. She then made it her mission to educate companies on how to harness this strategy for their own success. For these, and many other reasons, Kendra is truly one of Cincinnati’s Marketing Legends. ~Mark
Kendra not only is a pioneer but she’s a humble one that brings others up with her. She’s always ALWAYS and always willing to help others without hesitation or expectation of anything in return. Humility and caring are not two typical attributes of pioneers. She possesses those traits and much much more. ~Ray
I think Kendra was the first Digital & Social Media guru in Cincinnati. She started publicly speaking on the topic in 2005. She proved that it is possible to build a career around Social Media. She has assisted hundreds of job seekers for free update profiles or navigate social for finding jobs. She is an amazing connector! She finds joy in helping others to be their most successful version of themselves! She is certainly a Cincinnati Marketing Legend! ~Nikki
Leader in digital marketing strategy. Was one of the first in this region. When she started, business “coaches” told her “it’s a fad” and that she couldn’t make a living doing it. Kendra forged forward. Lucky for Cincinnati she did!
A very special shout out to Debbie Siegert who was kind enough to accept the award on my behalf. Thank you so much.
I am often asked what tools we are using with our business and for our clients. These are great tools for small to mid-size businesses. Most of the tools below are free or charge a minimal fee. Of course, you don’t need all of them. With over 5000 digital marketing tools, it can get overwhelming. Let me know if you have a tool that you love that we should add to the list. Thank you for visiting.
Video and Visuals
Pixabay free images
Pexels free images
Librestock to search over 40 free images sites
PicMonkey image editor
Ripl images with movement
Lumyer images with movement
Canva to create images
Animoto for slideshow videos
Adobe Spark for videos and images
Social Media Management
Hootsuite
Buffer
CoSchedule
*remember to schedule Facebook posts in Facebook not through a 3rd party tool
LinkedIn
Hunter Chrome extension for finding email addresses
Instagram
Repost app for sharing other people’s post
Upload images from your desktop-Chrome extension click on Ctrl-Shift-I and click on the device mode icon
Twitter
Tweetdeck
Analytics.twitter.com for data
Followerwonk for searching bios
Quick tweet Chrome extension for managing multiple twitter accounts
NAELB, Blue Ash Business Association, SummitUp, Home Builders Association and African American Chamber, Oh My! So many wonderful learning opportunities!
NAELB event in Memphis on April 28. Two great sessions on Digital Strategy Success and LinkedIn for Business Development
Blue Ash Business Association event: Grow your business and brand using social media
Join us at The Northmark Business Center on May 18 from 8-10 a.m.
Oftentimes, we think of live video as a B2C marketing tool. Brands can use live streaming to interact in real-time with the customers who will directly use their services or purchase their products. As a result, live video is a largely untapped tool in the B2B marketing world—which is why you should be utilizing it.
General Electric (GE) recently spoke about why their executives utilize Facebook live to connect with other businesses. “You have to go where the world is, and everyone’s on Facebook,” said Beth Comstock, GE’s Vice Chair. Communications Specialist Alaynah Tombridge adds that live video “is a real-time feedback loop…the conversation can sometimes go in different directions. And there’s something much more authentic about that.”
Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and other live stream media outlets are ideal for B2B marketers because conversations among businesses can develop organically, similar to a face-to-face meeting. B2B marketing is about transparency, honesty, and accessibility, and all of these things are present in video live streams. Your credibility and trust level increases when others can connect with you live.
Not only are there tons of things you can capture on live video, but you can repurpose those videos to generate YouTube videos, blog posts, and website content. Going live at a seminar, conference, or company event allows people to connect with your business and industry in a way that they couldn’t before.
Live video can be used for a variety of B2B marketing strategies:
Entrepreneur/startup community: share and learn with one another
Recruiting: share culture, employee testimonials to connect with passive candidates
Going “behind the scenes” to learn more about a company/industry
“Ask an expert” to share your passion and knowledge around a topic
The importance of live video in B2B marketing is just another example of why professionals need to get comfortable with being in front of a camera in 2017. Sharing your thoughts, passions, and insights via visual and audio elements is the ideal way to connect with other businesses, your customers and peers.
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