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Tag: Marketing Strategies

  • 11 Effective Marketing Strategies to Help Streamline Your Startup | Entrepreneur

    11 Effective Marketing Strategies to Help Streamline Your Startup | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Starting a new business is an exhilarating journey filled with opportunities and challenges. As a new business owner or startup entrepreneur, wearing multiple hats is often the norm. Among these, the role of marketing is paramount, as it lays the foundation for brand recognition, customer engagement and business growth.

    Let’s explore some practical solutions for managing both the owner and marketing roles, including when to use contractors, and highlight the best websites to streamline marketing tasks.

    Related: 9 Marketing Strategies for Startups to Boost Growth and Visibility

    1. Understand your target audience

    Effective marketing begins with a deep understanding of your target audience. Define your ideal customer by considering demographics, preferences and pain points.

    Conduct thorough market research to identify trends, gaps and potential competitors. Creating detailed buyer personas helps you tailor your marketing efforts to resonate with the right audience and craft messages that address their specific needs.

    2. Create a solid brand identity

    A strong brand identity sets your business apart from the competition. Start by developing a unique value proposition that highlights what makes your products or services special.

    Design plays a pivotal role in brand identity, so invest in a memorable logo and visuals that align with your brand’s personality. Consistency is key — maintain a uniform brand voice and message across all communication channels.

    3. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan

    A well-structured marketing plan is your roadmap to success. Set clear goals and objectives that align with your business’s overall vision. Decide on the most effective marketing channels based on your target audience and industry.

    Allocate your budget wisely, considering both online and offline strategies. Remember that flexibility is essential — be prepared to adapt your plan as your business evolves.

    Related: How to Create a Successful Marketing Plan: 5 Steps

    4. Leverage digital marketing

    In today’s digital age, online presence is non-negotiable. A business website serves as your virtual storefront. Ensure it’s user-friendly, informative and optimized for search engines. Implement SEO techniques to improve your website’s visibility on search engine results pages.

    Engage your audience through content marketing, such as with blogs, videos and infographics that offer value and showcase your expertise. Social media platforms are invaluable tools for connecting with your audience and promoting your content.

    5. Analyze when to outsource vs. when to use in-house marketing

    As a startup owner, it’s tempting to handle all aspects of your business, including marketing. However, there comes a point when outsourcing becomes advantageous. Contractors or agencies bring specialized skills and insights to the table, saving you time and potentially yielding better results.

    Assess your strengths and weaknesses to determine which tasks are best outsourced. This allows you to focus on core business activities while experts manage your marketing efforts.

    6. Try cost-effective marketing tools and resources

    Numerous online tools and platforms can simplify your marketing tasks. Canva and Adobe Spark offer user-friendly interfaces for creating graphics and visuals without the need for design expertise.

    Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Constant Contact facilitate personalized communication with your audience. Analytics tools such as Google Analytics help you monitor website traffic and track marketing performance, guiding data-driven decisions.

    Related: 9 Low-Budget Marketing Strategies Every Startup Can Afford

    7. Navigate social media platforms

    The choice of social media platforms depends on your target audience and the nature of your business. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn offer diverse opportunities to connect with potential customers.

    Develop a social media content calendar to maintain a consistent posting schedule. Engagement is key — respond promptly to comments, messages and feedback, fostering a loyal online community.

    8. Craft compelling content

    High-quality content is the heart of effective marketing. Content that educates, entertains or solves problems resonates with your audience. Develop engaging blog posts, informative videos and visually appealing infographics.

    Incorporate storytelling to create an emotional connection with your audience. Sharing your business’s journey, challenges and triumphs humanizes your brand and fosters authenticity.

    9. Measure and adapt

    In the fast-paced realm of startup marketing, metrics, and data serve as the compass that not only charts your course but also ensures you stay the course. Establishing relevant key performance indicators (KPIs), whether they’re focused on enhancing brand awareness, driving sales or fostering customer loyalty, is akin to plotting coordinates on a map toward success.

    The process doesn’t end there; it’s an ongoing expedition of interpretation and action. By immersing yourself in the wealth of data at your disposal, you unveil patterns and trends that illuminate the path forward.

    Regularly analyze the data to gain insights into what’s working and what needs improvement. Adapt your strategies based on these findings. Remember, marketing is a dynamic process that requires continuous optimization.

    10. Build great customer relationships

    Exceptional customer service is a cornerstone of successful startups. Delivering a positive experience builds trust and encourages customer loyalty. Actively seek feedback and suggestions from customers to improve your offerings.

    Implement loyalty programs and rewards to show appreciation for their support. Word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers can significantly impact your business’s growth.

    11. Scale up your marketing efforts — when you’re ready

    As your startup gains traction, consider expanding your marketing efforts. Explore new marketing channels and strategies that align with your growth goals.

    Hiring an in-house marketing team provides dedicated expertise, allowing you to handle more complex campaigns. However, ensure that you maintain a balance between marketing and other operational aspects to ensure sustainable growth.

    Related: 7 Ways To Scale Your Startup or Business

    Wrapping up

    Marketing your startup demands creativity, dedication and adaptability. By understanding your audience, building a strong brand identity and leveraging digital tools, you can effectively reach and engage potential customers.

    Consider outsourcing certain tasks to professionals, and make use of cost-effective resources available online. Through social media, compelling content and data-driven insights, you can craft meaningful connections and measure your progress.

    By prioritizing exceptional customer relationships and scaling your efforts strategically, your startup can achieve sustainable growth in a competitive business landscape. Embrace the journey of startup marketing with enthusiasm and an open mind, always ready to evolve with the changing needs of your business.

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    Mark W Lamplugh Jr

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  • 3 Peloton Instructors Share Their Success Strategies | Entrepreneur

    3 Peloton Instructors Share Their Success Strategies | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    At the onset of 2020, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, I purchased a Peloton bike. Little did I know that the company would spike in sales later that year, Peloton bikes and treads would be out of stock, and Peloton instructor names would become “household names.” My “lockdown” MVPs were my Peloton bike, my Airpods (for talking walks and calls outside) and Amazon.com (for just about everything else!)

    Three and a half years later, I still use my Peloton bike regularly and take advantage of their entire digital platform, including strength classes, pilates, yoga and a consistent sleep meditation. I have gotten to know some of their instructors personally, given that they have brought me so much joy, motivation and inspiration. Emma Lovewell, Cody Rigsby and Tunde Oyenenin are three of the many instructors I workout with, and I admire their authenticity and transparency.

    I had the pleasure of connecting with these instructors to learn more about their career beginnings, struggles, motivations and journeys towards becoming successful fitness entrepreneurs and brand ambassadors. In sharing my conversations with them, I aim to inspire with learnings that can help motivate and encourage us as fellow entrepreneurs.

    Related: How Fitness Can Ensure a Smooth Entrepreneurial Journey

    Emma Lovewell

    Q. You are a loved and well-known Peloton instructor, ambassador for many brands, and author, and you have your own business; what “tools” or daily habits do you use to juggle it all?

    I religiously use my Google calendar to make sure I’m on top of everything, and I will schedule “me-time” to make time for myself. On top of the fitness classes I teach, I schedule my workouts and bodywork appointments to take care of my mind and body and not burn out. I make time for my friends and family or date nights with my partner, Dave.

    Related: How Spending Time Alone Has Transformed My Life

    Q. Tell us about one of the most difficult moments during your life. What were your struggles? Fears? And how did you overcome this?

    I was living in California at the time and very lost in my career. I had left a fitness career in NYC to try something new and was personal training at a tech startup in Silicon Valley and at a PT studio making $20 an hour. Feeling tired and uninspired, I asked myself — What would I rather be doing? What would bring excitement and more challenge into my career?

    After months of feeling stuck, I finally decided to email the Peloton CEO, whom I had met the year prior when I took a $50 Craigslist ad to be a fitness model for the Peloton Kickstarter ad. That email was the catalyst for my move back to NYC and my job as a Peloton Instructor. I was instructor hire number 11.

    Related: 4 Tips Every Entrepreneur Can Use To Get Unstuck

    Q. What inspired you to write a book, and what are you most proud of regarding your book?

    A publisher who had been taking my Peloton classes reached out to me and asked me if I had ever considered writing a book. The idea scared me, and I am an advocate for doing things that frighten you, so I went for it. I’m proud to have taken that leap of faith. In the book, I share many of my personal stories, from past relationships and family illnesses to career wins, failures and insecurities. I’m proud that I followed through and put myself out there.

    Q. What are your “non-negotiables” in your day-to-day life?

    I start my day with a big glass of water. I take breaks from social media, and I don’t read most of my DMS. It’s hard to keep up, and there will inevitably be a mix of good and bad messages, so in order to protect myself, I stay out of the DMs.

    Related: Is Social Media Making You Less Social?

    Q. When you talk about progress and not perfection, what elements of “progress” are you most focused on in your career as an entrepreneur? What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

    I think about my goals and ask myself, “What’s next?” When an opportunity presents itself, whether it’s designing jeans with custom clothing company, Sene, or collaborating with a brand on social media, I think, “Does this excite me? Does this challenge me in some way, and does it inspire me or other people?”

    Progress means brainstorming and having those dream-big conversations with advisors and friends. If the idea or dream makes me laugh a little or terrifies me, I take a deeper look as to why. Nothing is off of the table!

    Related: Pursue Those Scary Dreams and Crazy Ideas to Make Every Day Your Best Day Ever

    Cody Rigsby

    Q. How did you get your foot in the door at Peloton and land the job as an instructor? What fears or insecurities did you have at the time?

    I found my way to Peloton serendipitously – I was at the right place at the right time. I was a dancer at a nightclub, and a director at the club had a connection to someone at Peloton who was looking to hire performers who could teach fitness. I felt insecure in that I had never taught a fitness class, but I didn’t know too much about the company so it was very low stakes at the time.

    Related: 3 Lessons Sales Leaders Can Learn From Peloton

    Q. You speak a lot about Self-Love in your book and encourage readers to adopt this. How do you succeed with Self-Love when focusing on yourself?

    Self-love takes a lot of giving yourself grace, knowing that you are not going to be perfect and haven’t figured it all out, and accepting that it is okay. Self-love also means spending a lot of time with yourself and your wild thoughts and recognizing that most of these thoughts are not real, nor are they you. I meditate to observe my thoughts and journal to understand what thoughts I need to give attention to.

    Q. Is there a specific moment where you knew you had made a turning point in your career? A day something happened when you realized you had succeeded as an entrepreneur?

    Unfortunately, something I struggle with is my own inner saboteur. I constantly doubt if I have reached success and judge myself for not being enough, but in those moments, I’ve learned how to be present and reflect on the richness of my own life. A big acknowledgment of my success was when I purchased my own home, which fed my own inner child that dealt with poverty and evictions growing up.

    Related: 5 Ways We Can All Silence Our Inner Crow

    Q. What are your “non-negotiables” in your day-to-day life?

    A non-negotiable for me, in the words of Nicki Minaj: I ain’t skipping no meals. I love food; it brings me joy. I try to stick to a morning routine that allows me to give myself a little bit of self-love, such as a quiet breakfast, coffee and meditation before turning to my phone and emails. I also prioritize spending time with the important people in my life and enjoy dancing, whether in the kitchen or with my friends on the dance floor!

    Related: How Practicing Self-Love Can Help Your Business Reach New Heights

    Tunde Oyeneyin

    Q. I heard that Cody recruited you into Peloton, and despite not making it after your first audition, you went back to do it again. Undoubtedly, not making the cut after that first audition must have been a tough pill to swallow. How did you feel after the first audition, and what actions did you take to prepare for your second one? I’d like to learn about how you embraced the failure to become stronger and go after the audition again.

    Not getting the job the first time around felt extremely heavy because I had gone into the audition with such certainty. I had visualized myself there and fully trusted what I believed to be true. I was certain and saw it so clearly that when it was time to audition, I didn’t see it culminating in any other way other than landing the role.

    A mentor of mine, Iris Navarrette, once told me, “While you are in the role that you’re in, always perform as though you are in the one that you want. So that when the opportunity presents itself, you will be ready.”

    When I didn’t get the job the first time, I didn’t go home and act less. I used every opportunity as an audition. I still acted and performed and instructed like each class was the one that would lead me to my next chapter. I took the time between the two auditions to build up my 3 C’s: Courage to believe that I still could, my Competency in the art of being an instructor and lastly, Confidence in my skill and ability.

    It was a matter of staying ready for the opportunity to come around again. Sometimes, it’s not that you aren’t ready for the opportunity, but rather, sometimes the opportunity just isn’t ready for you. It wasn’t that I wasn’t ready for Peloton. Peloton wasn’t ready for me.

    Related: Why Demonstrating Courage Changes Everything

    Q. Was there a specific moment in your life when you said, “I have to write a book!” If so, tell me about that moment and the inspiration for WHY.

    I’d been saying since the third grade that I wanted to write a book. We’re all more alike than we are different. When we’re vulnerable enough to speak to our experiences, we’re allowed to see ourselves in one another.

    Early in the pandemic, when I felt like we were all longing for connection, I sat down and began to write my story. While writing, I realized that in sharing the life-altering experiences I faced, I could reach people and speak to people in a new way. I could connect with those who experienced similar grief as I did. They could see themselves in me and in my words if I chose to let them, and perhaps that might have provided healing for them.

    Related: 5 Reasons Why Writing a Book Is a Smart Move for Entrepreneurs

    Q. You highlight five elements for living a life of purpose: Surrender, Power, Empathy, Authenticity and Knowledge. Which of these elements has been the most difficult one for you to embrace?

    The most difficult one would be Surrender — Surrendering is not only letting go but also letting go of the outcome of how we think things are supposed to go. As humans, it’s natural for us to want to be in control. Surrendering is relinquishing that control and trusting the unknown. It’s something that I continue to work on, but when I look back at different moments in my life, I realize that every time I surrendered, it led to change that led to growth.

    Q. You were a former makeup artist, and in my opinion, you teach some of the most inspirational and toughest classes. You show up to WORK and inspire others to do the same. Are there any lessons you learned as a makeup artist or in the beauty industry that carried over into your fitness career?

    My desire to gift people with confidence has been a through line between my career as a makeup artist and my career as a Peloton Instructor. Naturally, makeup can lift one’s perception of themselves. People put on makeup and like the way they look and, therefore, like the way they feel. Makeup is also the ultimate form of expression giving everyone an outlet to transform themself into whoever they want to be. Fitness cultivates confidence in similar ways. Not only does it lift one’s perception, but it gives everyone an outlet to transform themselves into WHOever they want to be.

    Related: How to Be Successful Even When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing

    Q. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

    The beauty of uncertainty is infinite possibility. When you don’t know what’s next, then anything can be next.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    I admire how Peloton as a company has allowed these instructors to show up and express themselves as their most authentic beings possible. Given the thousands of Peloton subscribers, social media mentions, and word-of-mouth conversations about my friends’ and colleagues’ favorite instructors, it’s undebatable that Emma, Cody and Tunde have used their life and career challenges and insecurities to help motivate their fans to accomplish their goals.

    I certainly look forward to my workouts with these three, and having learned their stories, I’m driven to hit my life and fitness milestones more so than before my pre-Peloton life. Together with other Peloton instructors, I work out with my friends, feel a strong sense of community and truly believe in their motto, “Together We Go Far.”

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    Elisette Carlson

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  • 10 Signs You Need to Rethink Your Marketing Strategy | Entrepreneur

    10 Signs You Need to Rethink Your Marketing Strategy | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With 25 years of marketing experience under my heels, I can tell within minutes of observation what a business is doing right with its marketing and what they are doing wrong.

    Most often, it’s simply the lack of a results-based marketing strategy. A marketing strategy is a plan of action designed to promote and sell a product or service. But often, companies I observe have no plan whatsoever — and worse, they aren’t tracking where their leads are coming from.

    You need to craft a unique marketing strategy for your company that meets your specific needs and goals. To identify whether or not you need to rethink your current marketing plans, I have laid out 10 things you’re doing right now that show it’s time for change.

    Related: 7 Pieces of Information Necessary for Any Marketing Strategy

    1. Your messaging is too broad

    If you keep your messaging broad to appeal to everyone, it’s likely you’re failing to stand out with anyone. Instead, identify your ideal customer and appeal to them specifically.

    Consider your best current customers and what they have in common. Do they share certain demographics or a specific reason for choosing you over the competition? You can always survey them and ask! The more information you have — and the narrower you can get your market — the better. Go niche to get the most out of your marketing, then slowly expand as you grow and get the hang of it.

    2. Your message is the same as your competition

    What makes your company different from the rest in your industry? If your branding, messaging and style look similar to your competitors, prospects won’t be able to differentiate you on anything other than price point.

    You need a unique selling proposition that sets you apart from everyone else. Why should a prospect choose you over others who offer similar services or products?

    Also, keep in mind that your unique selling proposition should be specific. Avoid anything too vague, like saying you have the “best product” or “best customer service” — something everyone claims.

    3. You feel forced to lower prices to attract buyers

    Are you lowering prices as a last resort to close customers? Consider how you can add more value to your products or services.

    How does your business make their lives easier, save them time or achieve their goals? What can you do to make your brand worth the higher price point? Once you have discovered how to add value to your product or service, communicate it clearly to your audience.

    4. You spend a lot of money on marketing but have no idea what’s working

    Differentiating your marketing channels is always a great idea, however, neglecting to track the performance of all those channels — and which channels lead to the most sales — is problematic. You’ll end up wasting money and resources if you have no idea what is driving revenue.

    The first step is to ensure you have a system for asking every new lead how they heard about you. At my company, PostcardMania, we ask every lead more than once — we ask on our website when someone fills out a form, via our live chat operators, and everyone who is a first-time caller. Don’t be afraid to drill this into your staff too, if you have to. We’re human, and we mean well, but we get easily distracted.

    Once you understand where your leads and sales are coming from, you can analyze other must-track marketing metrics.

    5. Your branding looks inconsistent

    Although it can be daunting to update all of your marketing collateral every time you update your website or logo, it’s crucial that your messaging, logo and imagery match. Even your print ads should look like your Facebook ads.

    You have a split-second to make an impression on prospects, and if your impressions aren’t cohesive, they aren’t going to help build awareness for your brand, and you’ve basically wasted your money. So, just remember: cohesive = consistency.

    Related: 5 Marketing Tips for Brand Success

    6. You have low customer retention rates

    Retaining customers should be easier than reeling in new ones. Look at your sales funnel for returning customers, and see where you can trigger them to return, such as sending out emails, postcards using a current customer list and even Instagram ads.

    You can also start a loyalty program that rewards customers for regular purchases. Discounts and other offers included in advertisements are also great ways to get people to come back to your website and browse for additional products and services.

    7. You have a small online footprint

    Believe it or not, there are businesses that still don’t have a website in 2023. If that’s you, get on it ASAP. Your business needs to be trustworthy, so if you have virtually no online presence, that’s going to set off alarm bells for prospects.

    If a website isn’t in the cards for you right now, at least get your business on Facebook, Instagram and Google My Business. Build up your profiles there by posting regularly. It’s important that prospects feel like you’re a legitimate business and they have an outlet for recourse (like a place to leave a review) if things don’t work out.

    I also suggest offering your services pro bono to a few friends and family at first, to help get you set up with a few good reviews right off the bat.

    8. You ignore or don’t solicit feedback

    Feedback can come from a variety of different places. As I mentioned, tracking your results and regularly reviewing your analytics will communicate what’s working and what isn’t. Certain key performance indicators like website traffic, phone calls, conversion rates and retention rates will help you get a health check on your marketing.

    You also get feedback from word of mouth, Google reviews, in-person conversations and more. Some of this feedback can be prompted, and some of it will come to you naturally. You may have noticed that bad feedback makes itself known more readily than good, so be sure to be proactive about finding the good. I use Podium to manage my online reviews and require that all of our account managers personally ask clients to leave a review after service. With this feedback, I can correct any errors that we may have made, improve my business and also reward staff for rock-star performance.

    9. You are missing out on referrals

    Imagine if every new customer — or even every other new customer — automatically became two. That would be an immediate 50-100% bump in sales! That’s the power of referrals.

    Research shows that 94% of customers will recommend a company they rate as “very good,” so the possibility of referrals is out there … you just have to be willing to go get them. A great way to do that is with a customer referral program that offers something — like a discount, a free item or the possibility of winning a prize like an iPad — to current customers for every referral they send your way.

    Just be sure to market your referral program to new customers through email, direct mail, regular newsletters and any other methods you use to stay in touch with clients.

    Related: How to Gauge Marketing Success in a Shifting Business Landscape

    10. You are trapped in a cycle of zero growth

    If you aren’t seeing any growth in your sales, it’s time to shake things up in your marketing. Try mailing postcards to prospects who visit your website and leave without converting. It’s a new technology called direct mail automation, and it can make a huge difference in converting leads that might’ve otherwise been lost. I may be biased since I sell postcards, but I also used them to build PostcardMania to a $97 million business. Direct mail works because it’s trustworthy. In fact, neurological research also shows that mail makes a deeper, more lasting impression on people.

    Lastly, my best piece of advice to stir up more sales is to increase your marketing. Whatever you are doing, it isn’t enough to change your business’s trajectory. The amount of money you put into your marketing will reflect the return. The greater the investment, the bigger the results.

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    Joy Gendusa

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  • This Is the Real Reason Why Your Marketing Isn’t Resonating | Entrepreneur

    This Is the Real Reason Why Your Marketing Isn’t Resonating | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Entrepreneurs often initially believe that niching down is a mistake because their product or service helps “everyone.” So instead, they decide to cast a wide net in hopes of garnering more sales.

    But for anyone who’s adopted this “forget the niche” mindset, beware. Because you may actually be undermining your business growth. In fact, understanding and embracing your specific niche could be exactly what your business needs.

    Related: The Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Your Niche and Target Market

    Why your business needs a clear niche statement

    Stating your niche clearly online is critical for your business growth. A niche statement outlines what you do and who you do it for. It gives potential clients immediate insight into whether your services align with their needs. Clarity helps you attract more ideal clients, boost sales and increase the bottom line.

    For example, say your business offers virtual assistant services for female entrepreneurs. This niche statement will instantly resonate with your target audience. A female entrepreneur will immediately understand that your service has her needs in mind. This crystal-clear clarity increases your chances of converting her into a client after she engages with your brand.

    How your niche and your brand work together

    This all-to-common fear of being pigeonholed often leads entrepreneurs to resist defining their niche (for a while, or forever). They’re concerned that niching down will restrict their business, limiting the audience they can reach. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

    While your niche describes what you do and who you do it for, your brand extends beyond these boundaries. It encapsulates your mission, values, personality and what sets you apart in your industry. It creates an immersive experience for your clients and includes all of your multi-passionate, multi-skilled aspects.

    Therefore, your niche serves as a beacon, making it easier for ideal clients to find you amid a sea of online options.

    Related: How Niching Down Gives You the Power to Dominate Your Market

    The most common niche marketing misunderstanding

    In online marketing, many people argue that you are the niche. This confusion between being a niche and carving out a niche often holds entrepreneurs back from making significant sales. The more you communicate what you do and who you do it for, the more you become the top choice for your target audience (a.k.a. establishing your niche).

    Many large corporations who are trying to do things differently put this strategy into action. Take Apple, for example. This tech giant carved out a specific niche for itself — premium consumer electronics for users who appreciate innovation, design and simplicity.

    Apple’s niche doesn’t limit them. Rather, it has enabled them to command a significant market share. They’ve established a loyal customer base and dictated their own prices in a competitive industry. This approach has contributed to their ranking among the most valuable global brands.

    Another notable trend is “micro-niche” businesses that are sprouting up in the digital space. They focus on serving a very specific subset of customers with unique needs.

    For instance, a business specializing in vegan cookies targets a very specific customer base. Despite the narrow focus, these businesses have seen remarkable success. They offer specialized products or services that mass-market businesses cannot.

    Unleash the power of niche marketing

    This conversation reminds me of a profound saying in marketing: “If you’re talking to everybody, you’re talking to nobody.” When you try to cater to everyone in the market, your message becomes diluted, vague and ineffective. Your voice gets lost in the noise.

    A niche helps your voice be heard. It amplifies your message to reach the people who need to hear it the most. And let’s not forget another key advantage of niche marketing: less competition. When you focus on a specific niche, you reduce the number of direct competitors, enabling you to stand out.

    Customers are willing to pay more for specialized services. They know that specialists have in-depth knowledge and skills to cater to their needs. This allows niche businesses to command higher prices than their generalist counterparts.

    Understanding your niche also helps streamline your marketing efforts. You can tailor your message to resonate with your target audience, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates. Knowing who you’re speaking to allows you to customize your offer. Thus, you can add more value and build stronger relationships with your customers.

    That said, don’t confuse your niche with a static concept. As markets evolve and customer preferences shift, your niche might need to adapt. This is part of your business growth; it is not a restriction. It shows your ability to understand and respond to market dynamics. You will stay relevant and continue to meet your customers’ needs.

    Having a defined niche doesn’t prevent you from expanding in the future. As your business grows and establishes its authority within the niche, you can start to explore related areas and broaden your reach. This reflects a strategic and sustainable growth plan, compared to an attempt at conquering the entire market at once.

    Related: How to Thrive in Niche Markets

    The true cost of a “forget the niche” mindset

    Choosing to speak to everyone, instead of specific ideal clients, could be the misstep that’s costing your business valuable sales and potential growth.

    So instead of viewing a niche as a limitation, treat it like a strategic tool carving out your unique space in the market. As you learn how to leverage it, you might just find that the world of niche marketing offers boundless opportunities for business growth and success.

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    Holly MacCue

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  • 4 Ways Creators Are Revolutionizing Marketing | Entrepreneur

    4 Ways Creators Are Revolutionizing Marketing | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As a marketer, I love seeing big brands break free from corporate norms and have fun with their marketing. Take Wendy’s, which is well-known for its saucy Twitter personality, or Mailchimp, which uses memes, business discourse and insights on timely trends on its TikTok. Both organizations boldly inject personality and humor into their social presence. And many others have similarly found their own groove.

    But the reality for most big brands (especially B2Bs) is quite the opposite: Bound by stringent corporate marketing guidelines, they carefully color within the lines, which can make for bland websites, stiff messaging and content that is out of date or outright misses the mark.

    It’s a stark contrast to the tactics I’ve seen popularized by some of the most marketing-savvy digital trailblazers: the creators and influencers developing breakthrough approaches to promoting themselves, attracting and engaging followers and building a loyal base of customers.

    I’ve had a front-row seat to how creators build their brands by passionately sharing their skills and knowledge in what is often raw, unfiltered and compelling content. Without the ties that bind larger companies, they can monetize their often small but engaged audiences. It’s time big brands pay attention.

    As someone who’s built a career on modernizing marketing approaches and helping B2B brands overcome their stuffiness, I believe it’s critical that big companies dip their toes into these waters — or suffer the consequences in a sea of marketing mediocrity. You don’t need to hire a Creator in Chief (though some brands have) to emulate creator content or approaches. These four steps will get you on your way:

    Related: Modernize your Marketing with these Brilliant Tactics

    1. Be a trustworthy teacher

    If there’s one common thread among the hundreds of thousands of creators who are marketing their businesses, it’s this: Freely sharing knowledge feeds customer needs — and keeps them coming back. Many B2B brands already know this and have prioritized educational content marketing.

    But creators have gone a step further to harness the power of education as a growth tool — creating courses, building communities and leveraging their skills and experience in more structured (and lucrative) ways. Our research reveals that microlearning is on the rise, and people are looking to short-term courses from trusted teachers to add to their skills and enrich life and work.

    Brands like Hootsuite, Shopify and Hubspot have hopped on the trend by establishing online learning academies, tapping into the growing demand for self-paced learning options. And, like creators, they’re discovering that this approach enables new revenue streams and customer loyalty.

    2. Don’t be afraid to be playful or cute

    When I worked at Hootsuite, we sent every email in the voice of our mascot Owly. It was cute, and research has shown that humans respond to cuteness. But when we expanded our marketing strategy to an enterprise audience, we thought twice about using Owly’s voice. Ultimately, we decided that a cheeky owl, no matter how wise, was not appropriate for enterprise customers.

    At the time, the decision felt right. But if I had to make the call again, I would stick with the owl. In today’s market, playfulness has become just as effective — and important — in enterprise marketing. Even enterprise brands are operated by humans. And humans appreciate levity.

    Of course, there are cases where playfulness is not appropriate. But in 2023, your marketing needs to be memorable, personable and fun. Creators are masters at this, whether they’re tapping into the power of viral memes, quirky self-deprecating videos or cultural hot takes, and they offer endless examples of how to do it effectively.

    Related: Creative Marketing Ideas to Get More Customers and Followers

    3. Show a little humanity

    A traditional marketing team wouldn’t typically feature their kids, partners or pets in their campaigns, but for many creators, like Brandon Doerksen, who runs the Thrive Training Institute, or Sunny Lenarduzzi, who teaches how to build an online business, that’s often par for the course. Providing a window into their whole lives is just how they do business, and it’s key to what has made creator marketing so engaging: it’s human and relatable.

    B2B brands, especially, often take the opposite approach: removing all traces of humanity from their content — or worse, forcing a human brand voice that comes across as fake or disingenuous. And this has only been exacerbated by generative AI. Studies have shown that customers want to align themselves with brands they can relate to on a human level, and these kinds of relationships lead to greater trust and loyalty.

    One way to make content more human is to literally make it about the humans behind your brand: employee profiles, customer stories and leader think pieces. Bring your people out from behind the curtain, and let your audience get to know them.

    4. Jump in on trends to test the waters

    Creators are nothing if not agile. They’re often early adopters of new tools and tech, and they jump in with content and products in spite of potential imperfections. It’s an approach software developers use, too: launching beta products with the intent to learn and improve as they go.

    This kind of agility is tougher for big brands. It’s something I’ve been pushing for years, and it always feels uncomfortable. Recently, we used this approach to put together a webinar on Threads to assist creators with the new social network hot on the heels of its launch. We did something similar with a 40-page AI for Creators report, which we developed within weeks. Both these trends were hot, and we knew we couldn’t wait.

    In a digital marketing landscape that moves fast, marketers need to react with agility. Part of that is having the confidence to do so by hiring people whose skills and judgment you trust. Give them some parameters and license to do good, fast work — otherwise, you will be behind the eight ball.

    Of course, you don’t need to jump in on every trend. Pick one that’s relevant to your audience, and see how it feels to channel your inner creator! I promise, the water’s warm.

    Related: 5 Digital Marketing Trends to Know for the Decade

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    Christie Horsman

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  • What Is Modern PR, and Why Is it Crucial for Your Brand? | Entrepreneur

    What Is Modern PR, and Why Is it Crucial for Your Brand? | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In order for brands to succeed in today’s cutthroat and highly competitive digital environment, sharing the right message at the right place at the right time is paramount not just to survive but also to thrive.

    The biggest gamble that brands can make is to overestimate their own capabilities, thinking that they can accomplish PR independently. To efficiently and effectively navigate the deep nuances and growing complexities of today’s global business ecosystem, the key is to hire a team of experts to construct a narrative, manage and control crises, target relevant audiences and help them own their categories.

    Think of it this way: Existing is not enough. Whether your organization’s mission is to disrupt an industry or you offer a range of game-changing, cutting-edge solutions, your brand will slowly but surely dwindle down if you don’t have the professional expertise to strategically place your offerings in the market, find your demographic and build a network of clients.

    This article will dive into the primary reasons why modern PR should be treated as a crucial business driver for growth, revenue generation, brand awareness and legacy building.

    Related: How Modern PR Differs From Traditional PR — and Why It’s a Crucial Part of Any Successful Business Strategy

    Traditional PR vs. modern PR

    The difference between modern PR and traditional PR is the dramatic expansion in the number of touchpoints available for communication. Before the internet and digital platforms took center stage, marketers only had a limited selection of channels through which they could disseminate their messages — including newspapers, television, billboards, flyers and a few others.

    The current PR landscape tells a vastly different story that calls for a modern, out-of-the-box approach. In a digitally interconnected world, there exists an avalanche of distribution opportunities, each offering unique ways to reach and engage with audiences. These touchpoints provide PR professionals with an unprecedented array of options to craft and deliver their narratives effectively.

    Why do touchpoints matter?

    Today, consumers make decisions influenced by a multitude of channels. While it’s true that certain touchpoints weigh greater importance than others, every PR pit stop offers a unique role in shaping a brand’s identity, establishing its position in the market and fostering awareness of its products or services.

    Digital publications, where news and content are disseminated through online platforms, are the primary target of all PR professionals, serving as the communication epicenter of all things business. On the other hand, blogs allow for in-depth storytelling and personal engagement with readers, stripping all the stiff formalities and connecting with the audience on a granular level that’s equally relatable and informative.

    Moreover, forums provide a space for community-driven conversations, where public discussions are raw, unfiltered and candid. This touchpoint gives audiences a POV through the public lens — a value that brands don’t often get from any other channels.

    Naturally, social media reigns supreme in the digital age, facilitating direct and real-time interactions with a global audience. B2B brands also take this opportunity to instill excitement and ferocity in their messaging, similar to how B2C does it.

    Other important touchpoints include newsletters, digital magazines, online media outlets, podcasts and video platforms — all offering innovative formats for storytelling, combining visual appeal and long-form audio content that’s accessible on-demand.

    Related: 5 Ways To Tune Into The Modern PR Mindset

    It starts and ends with value

    In a sea of communication channels and a myriad of touchpoints, one of the biggest challenges every brand faces is standing out in each one of them. For one, consumers face a downpour of information regularly, creating a storm of noise left and right. As a result, they filter the junk and get rid of the unnecessary data that comes their way.

    Now, it’s important to understand the headspace of audiences when it comes to information overload. What do they choose to consume? What do they disregard? What catches their attention? What makes them stop whatever they’re doing and want to learn more about? These questions are imperative in order for organizations to milk every opportunity at every touchpoint.

    It starts and ends with value. Remember, modern audiences are smart and efficient. They can read through pretense and discern which content matters and which content simply wastes their time. Provide value to reap value — ensure that your messaging not only captures their attention but also lives up to its hype through insightful and high-quality content.

    Yes, the jumping point of modern PR is quantity, but it’s quality that will enable brands to skyrocket to greater heights and unprecedented territories.

    Reaping the rewards of modern PR

    Modern PR serves as a protective shield for your brand, especially in the age of reputation and image. Brands can find themselves in challenging circumstances, especially with the proliferation of digital platforms — from a marketing campaign that misses the mark to a simple misstep on social media. In these critical moments, a well-thought-out PR strategy acts as a safety net, implementing crisis communication to minimize damage and safeguard the brand’s image.

    Moreover, modern PR is a strategic tool for building and nurturing essential networks. A thriving organization relies on a robust network, and modern PR plays a pivotal role in fostering enduring connections. Through various means, PR professionals cultivate relationships with media outlets, stakeholders, industry leaders and journalists.

    Related: 2 Keys to Gain Brand Awareness With Modern PR

    Furthermore, modern PR is beyond short-term brand building; rather, it establishes a bulletproof legacy that serves as the building block for a brand’s longevity. What’s more, modern PR humanizes brands, acquainting audiences with the inspiring journeys of company founders.

    From brand awareness, addressing pain points and value promotion, to legacy building, modern PR helps companies unlock doors to achieve a wider reach, better opportunities and a competitive advantage. It’s high time for businesses, big or small, to start thinking about their long-term growth and success, get rid of band-aid solutions and invest in experts to leverage their vast network of media relationships and solid PR strategies.

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    Omri Hurwitz

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  • 6 Key Tips to Improve the ROI of Your Google Ad Campaigns | Entrepreneur

    6 Key Tips to Improve the ROI of Your Google Ad Campaigns | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    An estimated 80% of all internet users see Google Ads on a daily basis. That’s about 4.4 billion people. So, if you’re not getting any leads or seeing a return on your Google Ads campaigns, it’s not for a lack of reach — chances are, you’re doing something wrong.

    There’s a reason Google Ads is the world’s number one pay-per-click (PPC) marketing service: It works! Don’t believe the naysayers. If a disgruntled marketer isn’t happy with Google Ads, it’s because they failed to diagnose the errors in their campaigns.

    If you’re seeing sluggish ROI on your Google Ads campaigns, I’ve got some tips to share. After nearly two decades of using Google’s PPC ad services, I know a thing or two about how to get the most out of this all-important marketing service.

    Related: How to Scale Your Business Using Google Ads

    Step 1: Diagnose the problem

    In my experience, Google Analytics is the best tool for self-diagnosing issues with Google Ads campaigns. Within their dashboard, you can see how each of your keywords and landing pages are performing. Use the Google Analytics dashboard to find the landing pages with the highest bounce rates and the keywords with the lowest click counts.

    If you’re running multiple campaigns at once, this will give you a great opportunity to explore what works and what doesn’t by comparing the top-performing and the worst-performing campaigns.

    Step 2: Check out your impression share metrics

    There are a bunch of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the PPC game, but in my opinion, none more important from an ROI-maximization perspective than Impression Share. Your Impression Share figure will tell you how much room you have to scale.

    If you’re capturing 80% or higher of the impression share for a keyword, you’re about to hit a ceiling. That remaining 20% is likely too expensive for you to target, and probably isn’t worth pursuing. You may need to change your keyword if this is the case.

    However, an Impression Share score of, say, 5% or 10% indicates that there is a lot of room for growth. By gradually augmenting your monthly ad spend budget, you can probably tip the scales in your favor.

    Step 3: Consider Google Ads Recommendations

    Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones. This is definitely the case with Google Ads, which offers a built-in “Recommendations” algorithm accessible on the left-hand panel of the Google Ads dashboard.

    Google Ads Recommendations provides your campaigns with an “optimization score” that, in my experience, is almost always accurate. If yours is lower than 90%, I suggest implementing the recommended changes that Google Ads auto-generates below your listed score.

    Related: Get More of the Right Eyeballs Seeing Your Google Ads

    Step 4: Reevaluate your keywords

    More often than not, a dud PPC campaign is caused by a keyword with low search traffic. Simply put, you’re not going to get any leads from a keyword that no one is searching for. That’s why I strongly recommend using any of the following services to identify which keywords are worth pursuing and which are not:

    • Ahrefs

    • Moz Keyword Explorer

    • SEMrush

    In my opinion, any keyword with fewer than 500 searches per month is a waste of time and energy. Personally, I prefer going after keywords with multiple thousands of searches per month — as long as they don’t have keyword difficulty scores higher than 35 or 40. These software services are paid tools, to be sure, but they are worth every penny if you want to improve your PPC marketing performance. Otherwise, you are basically taking shots in the dark without the data required to make informed marketing decisions.

    Step 5: Look into a Google Ads specialist

    Google Ads has become a cottage industry unto itself. These days, there are many certified Google Ads specialists who can help you optimize your campaigns and eliminate some of the friction involved in the creation, analysis and maintenance of Google Ads campaigns.

    Not only can Google Ads specialists pinpoint the vulnerabilities in your marketing strategy, but they can also take direct control over your campaigns so that they start converting on a more timely basis. Basically, they can take all of the legwork out of your PPC marketing.

    Step 6: Shift your location targeting

    Google has arguably the best geolocation targeting capabilities of any Big Tech giant — so use them! Within the Google Ads dashboard, you have three options when setting local targeting:

    • Presence or interest: People in, regularly in, OR showing interest in that location

    • Presence: People in or regularly in that location

    • Interest: People searching for that location

    The default setting is “Presence or interest,” which is not always ideal. For instance, someone who may be passing through the city for a day and searching your keyword might not be interested in visiting your dental clinic.

    If you aren’t seeing the ROI you want from your Google Ads campaign, I suggest tweaking these options. Specifically, I recommend narrowing your geolocating preferences to “Presence” in order to appeal to locals who are more likely to take an interest in your business.

    Related: 18 Ways to Nudge Your Google Ad Higher Without Paying a Cent Extra

    Contrary to popular belief, Google Ads is not a hands-off marketing tool. You can’t simply “set it and forget it” and ride off into the sunset while your bank account starts collecting zeros. It requires maintenance and testing almost every day if you want to succeed.

    Despite the fact that it’s a bit heavy on maintenance, Google Ads is still the best game in town for PPC services nearly 20 years into its existence. However, it’s only as useful as your capacity to use it. By following the steps outlined above — including diagnoses, keyword optimization, KPI analysis and geolocation changes — you can improve your ROI on your Google Ads campaigns.

    If that fails, don’t shy away from consulting with a Google Ads specialist. Fortunately for busy business owners, these professionals can take a lot of the heavy lifting out of your PPC marketing experience.

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    Amine Rahal

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  • How to Do Influencer Marketing the Right Way | Entrepreneur

    How to Do Influencer Marketing the Right Way | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As a longtime digital marketer, I’ve seen firsthand just how quickly the marketing and advertising landscape has changed over the past two decades. At the beginning of my career, the only “influencers” available for hire were celebrities in radio, print or television commercials — an expense seldom affordable to small businesses and marketing agencies.

    Over the last decade, all that has changed. Today, there are an estimated 50 million global influencers for hire. This means two things: that influencer marketing is now more affordable and accessible to more marketers, and that your influencer marketing campaigns need to be top-notch in order to stand out in today’s marketplace oversaturated with influencers.

    Whether you’re an influencer yourself or a marketer looking to hire one, this article will help you improve your influencer marketing campaigns in 2023. Here are the top tips that I’ve practiced myself in order to take my influencer marketing returns to greater heights this year, whether it’s Instagram influencers, LinkedIn influencers or YouTubers.

    Related: 4 Influencer Marketing Secrets Entrepreneurs Need to Know

    Keep it modest, plain and relatable

    While it may seem counterintuitive in a world where boldness and extravagance often attract attention, there are several compelling reasons for influencers to embrace a more down-to-earth approach.

    • Relatability and authenticity: A modest appearance and demeanor helps influencers connect with their followers on a deeper level by projecting an image of authenticity and approachability that fosters a sense of trust and credibility.

    • Widening the target audience: By adopting a plain and relatable persona, influencers can appeal to a broader range of people. Not everyone relates to or aspires to a lavish or extravagant lifestyle.

    • Timelessness and endurance: Trends come and go, and what may be fashionable today might fade away tomorrow. In contrast, a modest and relatable appearance and demeanor have a timeless quality that can sustain their relevance and influence in the long run.

    To capture these benefits, I suggest seeking out influencers (or becoming one yourself) that exhibit these traits over over-polished and extravagant ones.

    Never overpromise

    One thing I’m certainly not a fan of is influencers who promise results. Sure, it can be tempting to make grandiose claims or promises in order to attract attention and gain followers, but doing so can have detrimental consequences to one’s credibility and long-term success.

    Remember, preserving trust and authenticity is paramount. If you make a promise you can’t keep or allude to results not everyone is guaranteed to attain, then you’re setting yourself to break that all-important trust.

    Instead, focus on what you have been able to accomplish and what the audience may be able to get out of the product or service. Use conditional language, and avoid making promises or guarantees. Not only is this often dishonest, but it’s also illegal as well.

    Related: How to Create a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign

    Stay on-brand

    Brand consistency is important. Personally, I prefer to have a tight-knit relationship with influencers who work either exclusively or primarily with my own brands. This way, the influencer isn’t seen as representing a variety of diverse brands that may not even have consistent identities, messages or values.

    This isn’t about exerting control over the contractors you work with. It is, however, about making sure your relationship maintains the trust and authenticity your audience needs.

    Think about how your target market might feel if, as a vegan food supplier, your top influencer is seen working with a supermarket that carries meat and animal products. Although seemingly innocuous, it can cause offense and distrust among those whose trust you depend on.

    Choose quality over quantity

    This ties into my previous recommendation about opting for close-knit relationships with influencers. Personally, I work with only one influencer per vertical. This way, I can foster that all-important trust and familiarity between the audience and the influencer who constitutes the “face” of the brand.

    I recommend, in most cases, sticking with one influencer too. If you go on a hiring spree and start investing in multiple influencers, you lose out when it comes to face recognition and rapport-building that is, in my opinion, absolutely essential to a successful influencer marketing campaign.

    Set goals and hold yourself to them

    Goals work best when they have deadlines and key performance indicators (KPIs). For my campaigns, I like to evaluate their effectiveness in three-month intervals according to the following KPIs that are quantifiable and measurable with web analysis or SEO analytics software:

    If goals aren’t being met quarter after quarter, I reevaluate our campaign by making minor tweaks and ad spend changes. If that fails consistently, only then do I consider opting for a new influencer relationship.

    Related: How to Get More From Your Influencer Marketing Investment

    Let’s face it, many consumers are tired of influencers in today’s world. That’s why it’s your responsibility to focus on influencers who hardly seem like influencers at all — rather, influencers who appear more like honest, trustworthy and values-based spokespeople.

    If you can apply the advice above to your next campaign, chances are you’ll see an improvement in your ROI. At least, this is what has worked for me over the past few years. However, everyone’s experience will vary, and not all marketers nor influencers will see success by applying the same formula. Ultimately, everyone’s path to marketing success is unique.

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    Amine Rahal

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  • 5 Proven Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Amazon Sales | Entrepreneur

    5 Proven Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Amazon Sales | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With Amazon marketing being more competitive than ever, it can be difficult to cut through the noise. There’s lots of information out there, and it’s hard to know what works without making Amazon beginner mistakes.

    Luckily, as an Amazon Consultant with over 10 years of experience working with brands of all sizes, I’ve seen a lot. This allows me to share what Amazon marketing strategies really work to increase your Amazon sales, even on a small budget.

    Related: Want to Quickly Increase Your Amazon Sales? Here Are 3 Key Tips from an Amazon Consultant.

    1. Amazon Influencers

    Not only do Amazon Influencers drive sales and boost organic SEO, but they are suitable for brands of all shapes, sizes and budgets. This isn’t just because of the #tiktokmademebuyit explosion that likely prompted Amazon to get into the social commerce game either.

    Consumers are inherently skeptics and not interested in putting in significant product research effort, which means they don’t want to take your word for it or put in a lot of time researching.

    It’s because of this, you’ll find Amazon Influencer content taking up significant real estate both on and off Amazon resulting in sales. Regardless of your budget, you can take advantage of this Amazon marketing strategy because there are Amazon Influencers for every budget.

    Here’s how:

    1. Build relationships and partner with Amazon Influencers.

    2. Ask for Shoppable Videos and inclusion on their Amazon Influencer Storefronts and Amazon Livestreams.

    3. Request they promote your products to their audience on social media.

    That said, there’s another time-tested marketing strategy for Amazon sellers that allows you to capitalize on consumer skepticism and research habits.

    2. PR

    Using PR as an Amazon marketing strategy goes back all the way to 1996 when Amazon launched the Amazon Associates Program. Savvy Amazon sellers figured out that publications and platforms were going to recommend products on Amazon in exchange for affiliate commission anyway, so the products they recommend may as well be theirs.

    What’s more, I mentioned earlier that consumers are skeptics and don’t like doing time-consuming product research — that’s why articles like “The Best French Roast K Cups” and “Top 10 Inflatable Paddle Boards” do well not only on Google and social media but on content aggregators like Apple News, Google News and Flipboard as well.

    Your marketing strategy as an Amazon seller is clear: Get featured in product recommendation articles.

    Here’s how:

    1. Search Google for “best (insert what you sell here),” and compile a list of all the content that shows up prominently.
      EXAMPLE: “best tasting recyclable coffee pods”

    2. Build relationships and reach out to the journalists and editors responsible for the content.

    3. Get included in the existing content or on the next list they compile.
      NOTE: Updating content regularly is great for SEO, so updating the content will be to their benefit.

    Speaking of platforms — having your own platform, such as an email list, is an extremely powerful and time-tested Amazon marketing strategy.

    3. Email marketing

    To rank high in Amazon SEO, you need to be able to send external traffic to your product listings on Amazon. This Amazon marketing strategy accomplishes that and much more.

    Having an effective email marketing strategy with a sizable email list ensures that you have buyer intent traffic ready to send to your Amazon product listing on demand. The best part? Email marketing doesn’t cost you every time someone clicks, and the audience data is yours, not Amazon’s.

    What’s more, Amazon will pay you up to 10% commission for sending external traffic from your email list from the Brand Referral Bonus program with the Amazon Attribution platform.

    Here’s how:

    1. Collect potential customer emails on your brand’s website through lead magnets, giveaways partnerships with Amazon Influencers and more.

    2. Create reasons to email your customers such as promotions, sales, deals, coupons, holidays and more.

    3. Send well-designed, targeted emails to your potential customers with strong calls to action and a sense of urgency using your Amazon Attribution link.

    Sending traffic from external sources outside Amazon onto Amazon isn’t the only proven marketing strategy for Amazon sellers. There are strategies on Amazon, too.

    Related: How to Increase Your Product Sales on Amazon Today

    4. Amazon advertising

    Amazon advertising is considered a minimum viable effort for Amazon sellers for a reason. It’s because it’s a necessity to get visibility on the marketplace, and it even fuels Amazon SEO. The thing is, most Amazon sellers get this wrong.

    To avoid those mistakes, you want to focus on customers searching with buyer intent keywords.

    Here’s an example:

    Since Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes click-through rate and conversion rates, you want to get in front of customers with buyer intent.

    Here’s how:

    1. Use your favorite Amazon keyword research tool, and compile a list of buyer intent keywords.

    2. Segment these keywords into themes.

    3. Create one campaign per keyword theme as Exact Match and another campaign as Phrase Match.

    Educating Amazon that you can get a high click-through rate and conversion rate on your keywords will also help boost your Amazon SEO.

    5. Amazon SEO

    Amazon SEO is the quintessential marketing strategy for Amazon. The truth is, Amazon SEO can go very wrong if you’re not careful.

    The good news is, each of the previous Amazon marketing strategies contributes to effective Amazon SEO. You can rank high by focusing on those and on the basics.

    Here’s how:

    1. Complete the keyword research mentioned in the Amazon PPC strategy, and add all of those keywords to your product title, bullet points, search terms and alt text for your A+ Content and Premium A+ Content.

    2. Get as many product reviews as you can as quickly as you can, and sustain it.

    3. Focus on creating the most effective customer experience on your listing from gallery images and video to A+ Content.

    You can avoid the dreaded “trial and error” by sticking to the Amazon marketing strategies that stand the test of time.

    Related: 3 Essentials for Taking Your Amazon Sales to the Next Level

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    Tanner Rankin

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  • All the Tools You Need to Master Digital Marketing in 2023 | Entrepreneur

    All the Tools You Need to Master Digital Marketing in 2023 | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Digital marketing in 2023 is like navigating through uncharted waters. With global digital ad spending projected to reach $626 billion by year’s end, cutting through the noise and making an impact is more crucial than ever.

    The catch? It’s not about what you spend but how well you blend the art and science in your marketing strategy. So, if you’re all set to master the art of creativity and the science of data in digital marketing, let’s delve into this exhilarating journey of marketing success.

    The creative heart of digital marketing

    Creativity is the cornerstone of any exceptional digital marketing campaign. Remember the viral success of Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign? Users eagerly awaited their personalized, end-of-year music stats, transforming Spotify from just another streaming service into a music curator that understood their unique taste.

    The takeaway here? The campaign was successful because it touched the heart. It connected with users emotionally, striking a chord with their identity. This brings us to the art of audience understanding, the soul of any successful digital marketing strategy.

    Related: Avoid These 5 Pitfalls In Your Digital Marketing

    Understanding the audience

    A profound understanding of your audience is at the heart of successful digital marketing. Building customer personas isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s an absolute ‘must-have.’ A customer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

    They help you understand your customers better, making it easier for you to tailor your content, messaging, product development and services to meet their specific needs. Developing a deep understanding of your customer personas, interests, behaviors and pain points helps refine your content to resonate better. It’s about offering value that speaks directly to them, in a language they understand, through a medium they prefer.

    This personalization is the key to unlocking engagement and conversion. A study by Accenture revealed that a staggering 91% of consumers prefer brands that offer personalized recommendations and offers.

    That makes sense, right?

    People crave recognition, understanding and brands that tailor their experience to their unique needs and wants. So, remember, digital marketing isn’t just about flashy ads and catchy slogans. It’s about understanding your audience, engaging them personally, and, ultimately, converting that engagement into action. Personalization isn’t just a trend—it’s the backbone of effective digital marketing in 2023.

    Related: How ChatGPT Is Changing Digital Marketing (for Better or Worse)

    The analytical brain of digital marketing

    For all the creative flair we can muster, the undeniable reality is that digital marketing has a formidable analytical core. It thrives on data — numbers and metrics that drive crucial decisions. But why is data so critical?

    In 2023, data-driven marketing has taken the spotlight, acting as a GPS for marketers to navigate the complex digital landscape. By leveraging data analytics, companies can understand consumer behavior, predict trends, and make informed decisions.

    For instance, Netflix, known for its intelligent use of data, customizes its content based on users’ viewing habits, significantly increasing user engagement.

    Underlying this data-driven approach is the dynamic trio of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Big Data. These aren’t just buzzwords; they’re game-changers. AI and ML help analyze copious amounts of data in real-time, helping businesses personalize experiences at scale.

    An excellent example is Amazon. Using AI to understand customer behavior, Amazon offers personalized product recommendations, improving customer experience and increasing sales. Big Data is the fuel that powers these intelligent machines. By analyzing vast datasets, companies can glean insights about customer preferences, habits, and behaviors, in turn guiding marketing strategies.

    But all this tech talk is meaningless without the right tools.

    In 2023, tools like SEO and competitive analysis, HubSpot for CRM and content management and Hootsuite for social media management are vital assets in any digital marketer’s arsenal. There’s also Google Analytics, a fan-favorite for website analytics, and MailChimp for email marketing. In summary, understanding this fusion of technology and data is key to mastering digital marketing in 2023.

    Related: Why data is the world’s most valuable resource today

    Mastering the 2023 digital marketing landscape

    Mobile marketing — If there’s one thing digital marketers can’t afford to ignore in 2023, it’s mobile marketing. With over 5 billion people using mobile devices worldwide, a mobile-first approach isn’t just smart; it’s essential. Statista reports that 73% of all retail e-commerce is expected to be generated via mobile commerce by the end of 2021.

    Successful mobile strategies are aplenty, but Starbucks stands out. Their mobile app, incorporating a loyalty program, mobile payments, and personalized offers, is a masterclass leading to a 12% rise in revenue.

    Influencer and social media marketing — In a world where influencers influence 49% of consumers they follow on social media, influencers have undeniably changed the marketing game.

    Today, social media platforms are the new marketplace; each platform offers unique ways to reach audiences. With its visual appeal, Instagram is perfect for lifestyle and fashion brands. LinkedIn, with its professional network, is ideal for B2B marketing.

    Understanding the changing digital marketing landscape in 2023, marketers can strategically use mobile, influencers and social media platforms to reach their audience in more personal, authentic, and effective ways.

    Conclusion

    In the 2023 digital marketing landscape, the interplay of art and science is more significant than ever. It’s not just about crafting creative campaigns but understanding your audience deeply and making data-driven decisions catering to their needs. Starbucks’ mobile strategy and Glossier’s influencer campaign are examples of this blend at work.

    So, as we navigate this exciting terrain, I’ll leave you with this: Are you leveraging the right data to fuel your creative efforts? How can you better combine the science of data with the art of understanding your audience to drive success in digital marketing?

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    Mohamed Elhawary

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  • How Social Media Can Build Trust and Engagement In Your Community | Entrepreneur

    How Social Media Can Build Trust and Engagement In Your Community | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook as little more than a student prank in a dorm room, he could have hardly guessed that he was about to create one of the world’s favorite connecting tools. But not only that — in one fell swoop, Zuckerberg also developed the first of several powerful platforms used by brands to connect to their communities.

    By now, social media platforms offer brands more than simply one more location for advertising messages. These platforms have become instrumental in building brand trust. They are creating genuine connections that allow brands to engage with their customers on previously impossible levels.

    The importance of brand trust

    In 2020, the Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report indicated that 70% of consumers believe that trust in a brand has never been more critical than today. The result was the same across different demographics. So, what is brand trust? Marketing researchers at Northwestern University define brand trust as the respect and loyalty customers have for a brand or the strength of their belief that a brand will be able to deliver on its promises.

    Brand trust is based on several factors, including:

    • Product and service quality
    • Public perception
    • Brand mission and reputation
    • Customer service experience and others

    In this digital age, consumers have never been subjected to more marketing messages. In this crowded marketplace, with thousands of companies vying for consumers’ attention, brand trust is critical to help a brand stand out.

    Related: How to Enhance Your Brand Through Thought Leadership

    Understanding the power of social media

    More than 300 million Americans are using social media platforms. The vast majority of them connect with others on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok every day. By 2028, experts predict that the figure will have increased beyond 300 million.

    While the time of use and preferred platforms vary between age groups and other criteria, one thing is clear: social media offers brands unprecedented opportunities to connect directly to their audiences. Compared to traditional media, there is no barrier between the messages brands communicate and those that audiences see.

    Plus, by reaching out to potential customers on social media, brands connect where people are already hanging out rather than forcing audiences into a different setting.

    Related: Using Social Media Alone To Build Your Brand’s Online Community Means You Risk Losing It All. Here’s Why.

    Build brand trust through authenticity and transparency

    Social media has the reach as well as the coveted audience insights that brands look for when they choose where to connect. However, to run transformational campaigns, marketers need more than reach.

    They need authenticity and transparency to build trust in their brands. On social media, authenticity is built on genuine interactions with customers. Of course, brands can leverage auto-reply tools, but they are only a stopgap. Consistent messaging and open communications are key to genuine connections.

    Transparency is just as essential. Never have consumers had this much access to information, and they expect brands to share the truth about products and services. Most customers will understand that even the best product will occasionally have problems if the brand is open about their resolution.

    How to leverage social media for engaging content

    Social media platforms were built with engagement in mind. While the original intention may have been focused on individuals, the concept works just as well for brands looking to engage with customers by using one of the following approaches:

    1. Listening and Responding to Your Community — Social media turns target audiences into communities that interact with the brand and each other. For brands, that creates a unique opportunity to listen into conversations, actively participate and respond to their community’s needs.

    2. Building an Authentic Brand Personality — Social media channels are among the best-performing tools for brands to establish their own voices and personalities and allow their communities to get to know them. The platforms create relatively informal settings that foster conversations that would not happen via email inquiries or direct mail marketing.

    3. Influencer Partnerships and Collaborations — Working with influencers who are trusted in their community automatically builds trust in the brand, by extension. These partnerships can expand the brand’s audience, too. However, they need to be well chosen to be effective for both sides.

    4. Crisis Management and Reputation Building — Social media channels allow brands to talk directly to consumers in a crisis, for example, when a product recall becomes necessary. Rather than relying on third-party media outlets, these channels help brands explain their position without a filter.

    Related: Why Interactive Content Will Boost Your Customer Loyalty

    Measuring success and adjusting strategies

    Not every social media platform will work for every brand. Researching audience demographics and matching those against target audiences is key for successful campaigns. Brands must also be prepared to adjust and iterate their campaigns and even their overarching strategies regularly as they learn more about audience engagement.

    Some of the most effective key performance indicators include overall reach, engagements, conversions and impressions.

    Example: Dove’s campaign for real beauty

    Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty stands out for its longevity – it will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year – and its ability to connect and engage. Having started even before most consumers started using social media, the campaign has consistently evolved to reconnect with and engage audiences.

    One of its successful social media-based iterations included 2019’s #ShowUs campaign on YouTube, designed to smash beauty stereotypes. At the same time, the brand has also been critical of social media excesses, which increased authentic engagement with its target audiences.

    Conclusion

    Social media channels offer brands many opportunities to connect with and engage audiences. Authenticity and transparency are key to successful campaigns, whether brands focus on their community, work with influencers, or use social media for crisis communications.

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    Jessica Wong

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  • Creating Your Marketing Strategy? Make a Pot of Gumbo First | Entrepreneur

    Creating Your Marketing Strategy? Make a Pot of Gumbo First | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Recently, my in-laws came to visit. While they were here, my mother-in-law mentioned someone’s gumbo she recently tried and how it was different from hers. They’re from south Louisiana (like real Cajuns), so I should mention that in case you’re wondering why I am writing about gumbo in the first place.

    She talked about how they had a lighter roux than what she usually makes, they added okra and also went with a seafood combination, different from her usual chicken and sausage staple.

    “It was good,” she said, “but it just wasn’t the right combo for her.”

    You all know I like to write about food analogies in marketing, so it immediately hit me how similar gumbo and marketing are!

    Stay with me for a minute here…

    There are tons of different ways to make gumbo. As I mentioned above, you can have a lighter roux (this is where you burn the flour without actually burning it — Google it), and you can have a variety of seafood or chicken with sausage, or both! You can add okra (word of advice — don’t). You can use chicken, beef or vegetable stock instead of water. You can add more liquid to make it thinner or keep the heavy roux. You get the picture.

    With marketing, you can use thousands of options to market your small business. The question is, which ones are the best for you and your business? What is going to move the needle quickly? Which channels are your people hanging out on? What kind of content do they like to consume (podcasts, blogs, videos, etc.)?

    Let’s dive in before we all get too hungry to concentrate!

    Related: 7 Strategies for Entrepreneurs in Partner and Affiliate Marketing

    Start with your foundation

    This is obvious and simple but so often overlooked.

    For gumbo, you’d need your butter (or oil) and flour to make your roux. Cook your roux to your desired color, and then throw in the holy trinity (onion, bell peppers and celery). This is literally the foundation of any gumbo.

    In marketing, you need to know who your people are (AKA buyer persona or ideal client), what they’re struggling with and where to find them. This is the holy trinity of marketing, and answering these questions will help you create the strategy that will resonate with your potential and current clients!

    Like a roux, go slow and don’t rush mastering this stepping stone of effective marketing.

    Related: ‘Barbie’ Was a Publicity Machine — Here’s How Barbie and 4 Other Blockbusters Mastered the Art of Marketing

    Create your recipe or strategy

    Again, in gumbo, which ingredients are you going to use? Seafood? Chicken and sausage? Will you throw some (slimy) okra in? What are you trying to accomplish? What do your guests like? What side dishes will you create to accompany your gumbo? (Potato salad is the traditional choice by the way). You will likely craft your recipe and entire meal based on these answers.

    In marketing, what channels and tools will you use to achieve your goals? Where are your potential customers hanging out (off and online)? What are they typing into Google to find answers to their problems? What message are you sending them? People want transformation, plain and simple. They have to be able to see themselves where they want to be by using your product or service. So, how can you say that (multiple times and in multiple ways) so that it will grab their attention and resonate with them?

    Grab some paper or a recipe card and start brainstorming your unique strategy!

    Related: 10 Small Business Marketing Strategies That Actually Work

    Analyze and get feedback

    You will get feedback from anyone who tries your gumbo — that’s how it is. They’ll comment on your roux and what ingredients you used, not in a bad way, but in fun, “Huh, I never thought to add XYZ to gumbo!” Or, “I liked how dark (or light) your roux was. I will have to try that next time!” kind of way.

    In marketing, this is where you talk to your people and look at your numbers. Both will tell you tons! Numbers tell a story, but entrepreneurs often don’t look at them long enough to see what they are telling us. What is performing well? What is driving traffic? What is converting? Where is traffic coming from? What kinds of content get the most engagement? Call or email your current clients and ask them what they want and need. I promise they will tell you. A lot of times, it’s not what business owners think, and there is another kind of “Huh, I wouldn’t have thought that!” when they look at their numbers and get feedback from their clients.

    Related: 9 Marketing Strategies for Startups to Boost Growth and Visibility

    Repeat!

    Once you have figured out what works and what people like, you can keep doing it! This will not only be more effective, but it will save time as well.

    For gumbo, you can cultivate your own memorable recipe and do the same with your marketing! People remember a great meal and the feelings that accompany it. When you craft your marketing plan with strategy, creativity, and genuine empathy to help the people that need your product or service, they will remember it!

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    Nicole Bernard

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  • ‘Barbie’ Was a Marketing Masterpiece. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

    ‘Barbie’ Was a Marketing Masterpiece. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Barbie, the iconic doll that has captured the hearts of millions worldwide for over six decades, was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel.

    Barbie was inspired by Ruth’s observation that her daughter enjoyed playing with paper dolls representing adult women. Ruth envisioned a three-dimensional adult-like doll that would empower girls to imagine and role-play different professions and aspirations.

    The first Barbie doll debuted at the American International Toy Fair on March 9, 1959, in New York City, instantly gaining popularity and sparking a cultural phenomenon.

    Over the years, Barbie has evolved to embrace diversity, representing various ethnicities, professions and body types while remaining a symbol of inspiration, creativity and limitless possibilities for generations of children worldwide.

    Related: What the ‘Barbie’ Movie Can Teach Businesses About Effective Multicultural Marketing

    ‘Barbie’ debuted on July 21, 2023, to a historic $162 million opening weekend domestically, coming in way ahead of the anticipated $90 million to $110 million and, perhaps even more remarkably, surpassing its $146 million production budget.

    But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here because you’ve got your marketing hat on and are wondering, “Is marketing important when launching a product or a service?”

    ‘Barbie’ reportedly had a $150 million marketing budget. Here’s the breakdown of some of the marketing campaigns:

    While the essence of a great film lies in its storytelling, there’s no denying the impact of marketing in propelling a movie to phenomenal success. The marketing plan for ‘Barbie’ definitely paid off because ‘Barbie’ had the biggest opening weekend of 2023 at the US box office.

    In the fiercely competitive world of filmmaking, creating a successful movie requires much more than just a compelling script and talented actors.

    Over the years, several films have demonstrated the art of investing heavily in marketing to achieve box office triumphs and leave an indelible mark on pop culture. Let’s explore some of these movies that became cinematic juggernauts by strategically investing in their marketing campaigns.

    Related: ‘Barbie’ Is Driving a Huge Surge in Vintage Car Buying Says Hagerty CEO

    1. Avatar (2009)

    James Cameron’s groundbreaking sci-fi epic, “Avatar,” took the world by storm and revolutionized how movies were made and experienced. With an estimated budget of $237 million, the film’s marketing campaign spared no expense. Avatar couldn’t rely on brand (franchise) recognition to sell tickets, so it came up with an innovative promotional strategy:

    • Imax 3-D screening of the film on 130 screens (16 nonsequential minutes) to raise awareness about the new 3-D technology for four months before the film’s debut.
    • A video game trailer.
    • Mattel action figure set.
    • Partnerships with McDonald’s, Coke, LG and Panasonic.

    The efforts paid off as “Avatar” became the highest-grossing movie ever, earning over $2.8 billion worldwide.

    Related: From an Airbnb Stay at Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse to Frozen Yogurt Flavors and Park Benches—The ‘Barbie’ Movie Team Is Going All In on Marketing

    2. The Avengers (2012)

    Marvel Studios’ “The Avengers” was a cinematic event that brought together Earth’s mightiest heroes in a colossal ensemble spectacle. Marvel’s marketing team meticulously laid the groundwork for this epic team-up, starting with individual character films like “Iron Man,” “Captain America” and “Thor.”

    Marvel orchestrated a 5-year marketing plan by planting seeds for the all-star “The Avengers” movie in its preceding global hits:

    • Iron Man (2008) – gross revenue of $585 Million
    • Thor (2011) – gross revenue of $449 Million
    • Captain America (2011) – gross revenue of $370 Million

    If even one of the prior films had flopped, it is likely that “The Avengers” film would not have happened. The result? “The Avengers” became the first film to gross over $1 billion without the help of a re-release.

    Related: The ‘Barbie’ Movie May Have Caused A Global Pink Paint Shortage

    3. “Jurassic World” (2015)

    Revisiting the beloved “Jurassic Park” franchise after a long hiatus was risky. Universal Pictures, however, made sure “Jurassic World” was a roaring success. With a substantial marketing budget, the studio launched a nostalgia-driven campaign that honored the original while presenting fresh, exhilarating content:

    • JurassicWorld.com — designed like a park, including an interactive map, camera installations and digital tour of attractions.
    • Jurassic World Youtube channel — corporate/educational videos about the park’s staff, videos by Simon Masrani, park founder, on the park philosophy, and collaborations between lead actor Chriss Pratt and prominent YouTube channels.
    • Shazaam app partnership — turned posters into dynamic content.

    The film’s marketing campaign paid off spectacularly, becoming the first movie to gross over $500 million worldwide in its opening weekend.

    4. “Deadpool” (2016)

    “Deadpool” defied conventional superhero movie norms by embracing its R-rated nature and quirky humor. Ryan Reynolds, who played the titular character, played a significant role in the film’s marketing success. He actively engaged with fans on social media, shared witty promotional material, and even took part in offbeat marketing stunts, like posing as a faux bear for a Russian travel show. Some of the unconventional marketing campaigns:

    • The Emoji Billboard – AdWeek described the billboard as “So Stupid It’s Genius.”
    • Valentine’s Day prank – jokingly released as a romantic comedy.
    • Marketing on Tinder – users would match with Deadpool on the dating app.
    • 3 Hours of Ads – Spike, MTV, and VH1 advertised nothing but Deadpool for 3 hours straight.

    The unconventional approach worked wonders, and “Deadpool” became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

    The success of these movies is a testament to the power of marketing in the entertainment industry. By wisely investing in strategic and innovative promotional campaigns, studios were able to capture audiences’ imaginations and generate unparalleled box office returns. Beyond their compelling stories and visual splendor, these films are shining examples of how marketing can elevate a movie from merely successful to a cultural phenomenon.

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    Kevin Kaminyar

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  • The Secret to How Businesses Can Fully Harness the Power of AI | Entrepreneur

    The Secret to How Businesses Can Fully Harness the Power of AI | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Generative AI — when harnessed correctly — has the potential to revolutionize the way companies operate, innovate and compete. But one question still remains: How can businesses effectively tap into this potential? The answer lies in setting up an AI center of excellence that combines IT with learning and development to serve the needs of business operations.

    Any company can set up an AI center of excellence, large or small — and smaller ones can be more nimble and flexible in setting one up, allowing them to get ahead of their larger competitors. And that center of excellence itself requires a two-pronged approach to establish what it means to be excellent at using AI: observing the application of generative AI in other companies and understanding its use within their own ranks.

    Related: What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Here Are Its Benefits, Uses and More

    Learning about AI best practices

    The first step in the journey towards effective use of generative AI is to look outward. Companies that have already integrated AI into their operations can serve as valuable case studies. These pioneers have navigated the challenges of implementation, and their successes and failures provide a roadmap for others to follow.

    For instance, a number of companies report having marketing teams using AI to generate creative content, while the sales team uses it to predict customer behavior. By identifying these practices, companies can consolidate their efforts and create a unified strategy for AI usage.

    The second prong of this approach involves looking inward. Companies must understand how their own employees are already using generative AI. This internal audit can reveal surprising insights about the company’s current AI capabilities and areas for improvement. This internal exploration is not just about finding existing uses of AI, but also about encouraging employees to come forward with their ideas and experiences. This can foster a culture of innovation and make the integration of AI a company-wide endeavor.

    However, it’s at this step that I most often see problems in companies for which I consult on integrating AI into their workflow. Initial evidence suggests that AI can significantly boost personal efficiency for individual employees by anywhere from 20% to 70% for many tasks, with the quality of output surpassing that of tasks completed without AI assistance. This is a testament to the transformative power of AI when used as a personal productivity tool, especially when operated by someone within their area of expertise.

    However, it’s important to note that the current state of AI primarily enhances individual productivity rather than organizational productivity as a whole, as highlighted by Ethan Mollick, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This is because AI, in its current form, makes for rather unpredictable software. It can be inconsistent, prone to error and generally doesn’t behave in the way that traditional IT is expected to behave. As a result, AI doesn’t scale well in its current state.

    But don’t let this deter you. The key is to recognize the potential of AI as a personal productivity tool and to harness this potential within your organization. By doing so, you can empower your employees, improve efficiency and pave the way for the future integration of AI on a larger scale. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect it to become more reliable and scalable, eventually becoming an integral part of organizational productivity.

    Establishing an AI center of excellence

    Once a company has gathered this information, the next step is to establish a center of excellence for using Generative AI. My clients found the most success when this center was co-led by a team from IT, who can handle the technical aspects of AI, and HR, who can oversee learning and development.

    The center of excellence serves as a hub for AI-related activities within the company. It provides guidance, sets best practices, and ensures that all departments are aligned in their use of AI. This centralized approach ensures that AI is used effectively and ethically throughout the company. Moreover, the center of excellence can also serve as a platform for continuous learning and development, keeping the company up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI.

    But what makes a center of excellence truly successful? There are several guiding principles that underpin its operation, each of which can be applied specifically to the integration of generative AI.

    Firstly, the center of excellence should have a clear vision and mission. This includes defining the strategic objectives of the center and how it aligns with the overall business strategy. For instance, if a company’s strategy is to leverage generative AI for content creation, the center’s mission could be to develop and implement best practices for using AI in this area.

    Secondly, the center of excellence should foster collaboration and communication across the organization. It should act as a bridge between different departments, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and best practices. For example, if the marketing team is using generative AI to create content, their insights and experiences could be shared with other departments through the center of excellence.

    Thirdly, the center of excellence should focus on continuous improvement. This involves regularly reviewing and refining its processes and practices to ensure they remain effective and relevant. In the context of generative AI, this could involve staying abreast of the latest AI technologies and updating the company’s practices accordingly.

    Lastly, the center of excellence should be committed to promoting a culture of learning and development. This includes providing training and resources to employees to enhance their AI skills and knowledge. For example, the center could offer workshops on using generative AI tools, or provide resources for self-learning.

    Establishing a center of excellence is a critical step in harnessing the power of generative AI. By adhering to these guiding principles, companies can ensure that their center is effective, relevant and capable of driving AI integration across the organization.

    The ultimate goal: Serving business operations through an AI center of excellence

    The ultimate goal of this two-pronged approach and the establishment of a center of excellence is to serve business operations. Generative AI has the potential to streamline processes, improve efficiency and drive innovation. By learning from others, understanding internal usage and establishing a centralized hub for AI, companies can harness this potential and transform their operations.

    The center of excellence plays a pivotal role in this transformation. It serves as the nerve center of the company’s AI initiatives, guiding the integration of generative AI into business operations. Whether it’s using AI to automate routine tasks, generate creative content or predict market trends, the center of excellence ensures that these initiatives align with the company’s strategic objectives and adhere to best practices.

    For instance, if a company wants to use generative AI to streamline its customer service operations, the center of excellence could develop a roadmap for this initiative. This could involve identifying the best AI tools for the job, training customer service staff on how to use these tools, and setting up a system for monitoring and improving the AI’s performance.

    Moreover, the Center of Excellence also plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. It keeps the company up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI, encourages employees to explore new ways of using AI, and promotes a culture of experimentation and risk-taking. This culture of innovation is key to harnessing the full potential of generative AI and staying ahead of the competition.

    Related: AI Can Make Some Jobs More Difficult and Time-Consuming — Here’s How

    Conclusion

    The journey towards effective use of generative AI may seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can lead to unprecedented growth and success. So, take the leap, look outward and inward, establish your Center of Excellence, and watch as AI propels your business into the future. Remember, the future of business is not just about adopting new technologies, but about understanding them, integrating them effectively, and using them to drive operational excellence. The Center of Excellence is your guide on this journey, leading the way towards a future powered by generative AI.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • Your Public Messaging Strategy Starts With Your Inner Circle | Entrepreneur

    Your Public Messaging Strategy Starts With Your Inner Circle | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Public messaging strategy for any startup or business must include a broad, audience-capturing strategy designed to build and keep a solid customer base. As entrepreneurs and startups, hours are spent planning strategies for public messaging and brand awareness. While time and money are well spent, in many cases, it assumes your family, friends, closest colleagues and collaborators, vendor partners, and other verticals understand what you do. Guess what: They probably do not. In many cases, clear messaging should start here.

    Instead, many entrepreneurs immediately feel tasked with getting what they perceive as the “best messaging” to as many as possible. Mistakes, such as ad spending with no clear direction or strategy are made. We have all seen the little league sponsorship, billboard ads and ineffective social media ad buys. Before any spends are made, the strategy must come first.

    For those lucky enough to start with referrals and a strong lead flow, build and own that before launching into costly campaigns, as it is almost always easier to build on an existing customer base than trying to spend time and money pursuing new audiences. While eventually necessary, maximize what you have before launching into new ad spends. For those who have to build from scratch or start with just a few core customers, it is vital that strategy comes first and consistency second. If what you do cannot be explained by your own family and closest friends and colleagues, how can the general public adequately explain or be compelled to purchase?

    Start with your inner circle

    First, you. Start over if you cannot explain the problem you solved in two to three sentences. Depending on how long it takes to explain, anything from key messaging to all-new brand strategy work may be needed. The fastest way to determine what is required is when working on the explanation or “elevator pitch,” how quickly can you get to the core of the message that the ideal customer will care about and visually see themselves benefiting, rather than the capabilities or capacity your business offers that you care about.

    Far too often, entrepreneurs and founders get stuck in their messaging, using an ongoing explanation of features, capacities and how great the company or customer service is rather than directly addressing the customer’s need or problem. Every part of key messaging must be narrowly focused on solving customer problems, making better solutions for their needs and making the path to those solutions easy to utilize.

    Second, speak with your inner circle. After multiple conversations, if your own family, friends and colleagues cannot adequately explain what you do and why you do it, how can a potential new investor or new customer?

    This is a practical and undervalued way to start developing key messages and different sets of “elevator pitches” for different audiences, depending on the spread and diversity of your customer base. The best way to start is to choose those not involved in the same industry yet understand how vital getting key messaging right is to your business. While they may already understand some elements of your business beforehand, how you solve problems and provide solutions typically is not understood.

    Consider this an inner circle focus group, and get them to ask questions and make suggestions. While not all will be helpful, you may be surprised by some of the responses, and if conducted properly, it will get you thinking about how much is being left on the table regarding sales with a lack of understanding from your customer base.

    Third, customer base. Your customer base should be your most vital referral partners, with vendors a close second. Do they fully understand everything offered by your business to purchase more than what they currently are and to start referring others?

    Too often, startups in growth mode want to push to gain more traction with a broader audience without first building on the existing audience currently purchasing. Start by asking this question: Has the purchasing power of the existing customer base been maximized, and is our public messaging strategy working to pursue this outcome? Does the existing customer base feel your brand’s value and see increased spending on higher-cost goods and services as an investment and a better purchase?

    How do key messaging, education of services and brand positioning employed by your business produce outcomes where existing customers would recommend not only purchasing from you but purchasing higher priced and better-valued goods and services repeatedly?

    Build with public messaging strategy

    Every successful marketing strategy must include a solid public messaging component that presents to the right audience the problems solved and the solutions offered. Without it, you may have the best solutions to save millions for other businesses or organizations. Yet, only some will understand how those solutions directly help or address their problems or needs.

    Public messaging must capture a feeling of value, preferably by finding a space where your brand is seen as the only or the best place to purchase. From there, messaging must own that value, hold onto it and consistently tell that story repeatedly.

    This is an area too essential to assume your brand has it right. Establish the core of the business, stay consistent and remember that you are not just selling products and services but a brand story. Tell it well and consistently.

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    Adam Horlock

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  • Why Focusing on KPIs Too Much Can Backfire | Entrepreneur

    Why Focusing on KPIs Too Much Can Backfire | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Bureaucrats love their key performance indicators (KPIs) – metrics that presumably allow them to gauge the health of various business activities. And to be fair, they can be quite valuable as part of an overall strategy that prioritizes data analytics and data-driven decision-making.

    But listen. There’s a big problem with glorifying KPIs — or at least relying on them too much. And too many companies today are falling into this trap.

    The “right way” to see KPIs

    Okay, let’s be reasonable here. KPIs can be useful — and powerful for guiding an organization’s direction. When used properly, KPIs are objective, easy to interpret and measured with specific intent. These are truly reliable data points that can be used to empower decision-making.

    However, even in this hypothetical perfect scenario, it’s important for organizational leaders to use these metrics properly. You should never use a single metric to fuel your decision-making, and you shouldn’t use metrics alone to guide all of your visions for the future of the company.

    You can think of KPIs as being different types of food in a well-balanced diet, or as different assets with different strengths and weaknesses as part of your overall investment portfolio. They’re incredibly useful, but they’re only a portion of your strength in organizational decision-making.

    Related: How Key Performance Indicators Can Actually Kill Key Performance

    The KPI monsters we’ve created

    Why have we deviated from this vision? There are a few explanations worth exploring. Personally, I think it’s mostly about disproportionate evaluation. Collectively, we’ve come to see KPIs as being more powerful and informative than they actually are. That’s not to say that they’re not powerful or not informative; this is merely an assertion that we’ve overestimated and misinterpreted them. Let’s take a look at some of the specific ways this manifests.

    An exercise in vanity

    Vanity metrics are a prime example of how KPIs can be misused and misinterpreted. Put simply, vanity metrics are metrics that make you feel good about a specific outcome or strategy, without really providing information on how things are running.

    For example, follower count is a commonly tracked vanity metric in social media marketing. It does have some value, and it certainly feels good to see your follower count increase. But your number of followers has little to do with more measurably impactful things like follower engagement, brand awareness, conversions or revenue generated.

    Ambiguous meanings

    Sometimes KPIs carry ambiguous meanings. Let’s take a commonly used one in the customer service and customer experience world: net promoter score (NPS). Hypothetically, NPS helps you estimate consumer sentiment, and you measure it by asking people how likely they are to recommend your business to others. But sometimes, these answers have little to do with consumer sentiment. It’s nice to know that some of your customers would hypothetically recommend your business to others, but why would they do this? What’s driving them? And how likely are they to follow through on this?

    There are tough complexities to work out with almost any KPI; attempting to boil down large, complex topics into a single measurement is an exercise in futility.

    Misleading data

    You can use data to support just about any argument you want. For example, let’s say we’re using data to compare the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. There is one strategy that’s very challenging to pull off, but if you use it successfully, it’s incredibly powerful. If you want to make the argument that you should use this strategy, you can cherry-pick the best case studies and prove how powerful it can be. If you want to make the argument that you should not use this strategy, you can take a measurement of the average results and show that typically, this strategy isn’t worth using.

    In this way, data points can sometimes become crude tools with which we simply assert our previously formed opinions. In their best applications, KPIs should challenge us and force us to think critically.

    The almighty incremental change

    Embedded growth obligations (EGOs) drive countless companies forward, forcing them to grow, grow, grow. And on a smaller scale, organizations are sometimes held back by a focus on incremental change, shackled by the KPIs that guide them.

    Once you identify that a KPI is important, the organization becomes incentivized to keep pushing that KPI higher. The goal is usually to see a change of at least a few percentage points after each predefined time period. Obviously, incremental growth is a net positive in most cases, but sometimes, it’s better to take a short-term KPI loss in pursuit of a more fundamental, disruptive change that leads to better long-term results.

    In other words, obsession over incremental changes can limit the true potential of organizational development.

    Lack of actionability

    One final problem to note about KPIs is that they sometimes lack actionability, or a “so what” factor. It’s great that your organization is seeing higher CSAT, but what does that mean for the organization, how should it change your decision-making, and where do you go from here?

    None of this is meant to suggest that you should stop tracking KPIs or using them as part of your approach to organizational decision-making. But we need to get real about our obsessiveness and misuse of these sometimes-trivial and sometimes misleading data points.

    Let’s be better data analysts.

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    Anna Johansson

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  • 5 Key Strategies to Boost Your Content Marketing | Entrepreneur

    5 Key Strategies to Boost Your Content Marketing | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Content marketing for B2B SaaS brands is a leading source of business success. According to ProfitWell, SaaS brands that prioritize content marketing experience a higher growth rate than those that don’t.

    Utilizing content marketing for your B2B SaaS brand can be a profitable venture. But not all content marketing strategies work optimally.

    Good content marketing involves lots of planning to produce desired results for your B2B SaaS business. There are ways to boost the performance of your B2B SaaS content marketing, and you are about to find out how.

    Related: Top B2B Marketing Strategies for SaaS Businesses

    What is B2B SaaS content marketing?

    Content marketing is a brand marketing approach that involves the creation and distribution of relevant and valuable content for your target audience.

    For SaaS B2B brands, content marketing is targeted at satisfying the content needs of target users for every stage of the buyer’s journey in order to generate leads, conversions and customer retention.

    Why is content marketing important for SaaS?

    Reports show that 92% of marketers view content as an integral asset to their business. Good content marketing can generate over 448% ROI for SaaS brands. This is why lots of marketers are utilizing content marketing as a strategy to grow their business.

    Also, content marketing is a cheaper alternative to traditional marketing. Content marketing costs 62% less and generates three times more leads than traditional marketing. This makes it a more cost-effective marketing option.

    More so, content marketing is a great way to connect with your target market. Ninety-five percent of B2B buyers say that content provides a trustworthy parameter when evaluating the business. This means that your content is usually the first or most impressionable point of connection to your brand for your target users.

    The right content gives them an insight into your business and a reason to trust your brand as an industry expert with the right solutions.

    For example, a blog post on how to create beginner-friendly graphic designs by a graphics design brand like Canva can draw in users to the brand and its product services.

    Saas content marketing examples

    Adobe:

    Adobe uses an online magazine and publication site CMO.com as a social platform to engage users. Here, users can learn, share and get help from one another.

    While this content marketing strategy might seem elaborate, it has generated business success for the brand, and the publications are evergreen for specific content needs of users.

    Monday.com:

    Monday.com uses videos in its brand’s content marketing. They create instructional YouTube videos which enhance their organic traffic.

    This clever content marketing style is great for attracting users and getting the best engagements.

    Mailchimp:

    Mailchimp uses brand storytelling through short films and documentaries to deliver relevant content to its audiences. This is a great tool for brand awareness that sticks in the minds of users.

    The outcome of this high-performing content marketing is trustworthiness and brand loyalty for the B2B SaaS business.

    Related: 6 Key Tips to Level Up Your Content Marketing Strategy

    5 ways to boost your B2B SaaS content marketing

    1. Conduct proper research

    Proper research will enhance the odds of high-performing content for your SaaS B2B content marketing. It gives you an insight into your target market and the kind of content that works.

    This involves researching the target buyers, your competitors and the market behavior of your target industry. You can track the market through surveys, trends and engagements as well.

    To get the best outcome out of your research, creating a buyer persona from your research can be useful.

    2. Focus on the buyer’s journey

    The content needs of your target market for every stage of the sales funnel in their purchase journey are different. This is why your content marketing has to expand beyond a single focus.

    For example, an existing buyer will require content that keeps them engaged and loyal to your brand, whilst a prospective buyer needs more persuasive content to attract sales conversion.

    You can use blog posts, newsletters, podcasts, videos or user-generated content like reviews and testimonials for different stages of your buyer’s journey.

    However, every buyer’s journey is different, and this means the type of content that works for them in each stage differs. This is why creating a buyer persona can be handy.

    3. Utilize keywords strategy

    For users to find your content, you have to use the right keywords that are relevant to their search queries.

    For example, content with the keywords “best project management tools” will be relevant to a search query for someone looking for project management tools, and it will appear on the search engine results page (SERP).

    The important thing about utilizing keywords in your content marketing is research and placement.

    Keyword research will help you know what your target audiences are looking for, giving you an idea of what content to create. Also, you can use keyword tools to understand how your audiences want to see the keywords in your content.

    For example, if users are asking “Why is email marketing good for your business?” you may want to add that to your content to improve your chances of ranking on the SERP with related content.

    4. Build content authority

    One of the factors that contribute to your brand’s trustworthiness is the reputation attached to your brand. Content marketing is great for building a reputation as an authority in your industry.

    Whilst this can be done through the relevance and high-quality information that is contained in your content, you can really enjoy the brand authority more if you are referenced by other brands.

    This means you have to create content that can be a data resource for other brands’ content or participate in guest posting to get external links from other sites.

    Also, external links boost your reach because your content is exposed to new and larger audiences that are different from your own audiences.

    5. Use social media

    Social media is one of the most successful ways to reach an audience. However, it is vital to choose a platform with the right demography of users for your business.

    B2B brands generally do better with more professional social media platforms like LinkedIn. Ninety-four percent of B2B SaaS brands use LinkedIn as a distribution channel for their content.

    Related: 5 Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy That Actually Works

    Platforms like Medium, Reddit, Quora and Twitter are great, too. However, you can succeed with your content marketing on social media if you create engaging content.

    For example, videos and trending topics can drive traffic to your content. Also, user-generated content like hashtag campaigns can be helpful for social media content marketing.

    The performance of your content marketing is based on your content marketing strategy. Knowing what to do and how to do it can really go a long way in producing the desired result. It also helps to evaluate your content through regular content audits. You can always update or recreate content when necessary.

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    Toby Nwazor

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  • 5 Essential Tips for Mastering Your Next Brand Photoshoot | Entrepreneur

    5 Essential Tips for Mastering Your Next Brand Photoshoot | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In today’s digital age, creating a magnetic brand presence is the key to success. With 65% of the population being visual learners, adding captivating imagery to your marketing strategy is an obvious choice to capture the attention of your audience.

    In fact, 75% of content marketers shared that they receive better ROI when they add visuals to their content, according to a recent poll by Contently. But simply grabbing stock images won’t cut it in today’s overstimulating online world. As a brand, it’s important to develop a visual identity that is both memorable and personable.

    This is due to consumers being more careful with their money and more aware of marketing strategies than ever. As this trust barometer report shows, 81% of consumers across the globe share they need to be able to trust the brands they buy from.

    The best way to create a personable, trustworthy brand is to have a face and personality represent the brand. By using branded imagery to position the CEO or a spokesperson as an expert, you unlock potential benefits such as heightened engagement, higher conversions, and increased brand awareness. And when it comes to capturing your brand’s essence, a well-executed photoshoot can make all the difference to tell your brand story.

    Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or an established business owner, planning and executing a brand photoshoot requires careful consideration. To help you navigate this creative process, I’m sharing my top five tips on how to create captivating visuals that truly represent your brand.

    Related: How to Use Personal Brand Photos to Stand Out on Social Media (and Be Remembered)

    1. Plan ahead and embrace your brand colors

    When it comes to brand consistency, colors play a pivotal role in establishing brand recognition. Before diving into your photoshoot, take the time to plan ahead and align your outfits with your brand’s color palette. A shared Pinterest board can be an invaluable tool for determining poses and outfits in advance. By doing so, you can avoid any potential clashes between your wardrobe and your brand colors. Your brand’s visual identity should be harmonious across all touchpoints, and your photo shoot is a prime opportunity to ensure you are staying aligned.

    2. Invest in a package with ample options

    Your brand is multi-dimensional, and your photos should reflect that. While wanting to be cost-consciousness is understandable, don’t skimp on the number of photos or outfit changes during your shoot. Opting for a package that offers a variety of options is key to capturing the essence of your brand. Consider your website photos as an investment rather than an expense. These photos will play an essential role in attracting and engaging your target audience, so it’s worth investing in visuals that tell your brand’s story from various angles. Remember, versatility is the key to keeping your audience captivated.

    3. Communicate your usage needs to your photographer

    To make the most of your brand photoshoot, effective communication with your photographer is essential. Clearly convey how and where you plan to utilize the images, whether it’s for your website, social media or other marketing materials. By doing so, you ensure that your photos align with the specific requirements of each platform. For example, if you need wide, landscape-oriented hero shots for your website, make sure your photographer captures images accordingly. Similarly, if you plan to incorporate text overlays, ask them to allow enough space in the composition. By articulating your usage needs, you set yourself up for success in maximizing the ROI of your brand photos.

    4. Scout for the perfect location

    The location of your brand photoshoot can make or break the visual impact of your images. Consider places that align with your brand’s personality and values. Whether it’s a natural outdoor environment or a carefully curated interior, the backdrop should complement your brand’s aesthetics and resonate with your target audience. Take the time to scout different locations and envision how they will enhance the overall visual narrative of your brand. The right location(s) can elevate your photos and create a powerful connection with your audience.

    Related: How to Prepare for a Personal Branding Photoshoot Like a Pro (and Why It Matters)

    5. Incorporate props and brand elements

    To highlight your personality in your brand visuals, consider incorporating props and brand elements into your photoshoot. These can be items that represent your products, tools of your trade, or objects that reflect your brand’s values and story. By integrating props strategically, you add depth and visual interest to your images while reinforcing your brand’s message. However, it’s important to strike a balance and ensure that the props enhance rather than overshadow your brand’s core message (or come off as cheesy). Thoughtfully chosen and well-placed props can create a cohesive and engaging visual experience.

    Follow these steps, and watch your brand identity shine through. Remember, a well-executed brand photoshoot is not just about capturing beautiful images; it’s about telling a compelling story that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression. By implementing these expert strategies, you’ll be equipped to showcase your brand’s authenticity, connect with your target market on a deeper level, and establish a strong and memorable presence in your industry.

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    Tiffany Neuman

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  • How to Balance Ecommerce and Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Expectations | Entrepreneur

    How to Balance Ecommerce and Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Expectations | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    When ecommerce activity skyrocketed during the pandemic, many were quick to call it the death of brick-and-mortar retail. But now that the 20%+ growth rates in ecommerce have fallen into single digits, many others are saying it was all just a fad.

    The problem with both accounts is that they pit the ecommerce vs. brick-and-mortar as competing formats rather than recognizing their co-existence as concurrent, even complementary, channels.

    It’s not about the channel. It’s about the customer.

    As more paths to purchase emerge, the customer journey from awareness to sale becomes more complex. Retailers don’t need to pick a winning channel. They need to pick a winning strategy.

    Customers don’t want to be forced to choose one over the other. They want more options and less friction. So retailers need a strategy that helps customers shop, buy and receive goods however and whenever they want.

    Related: 3 Kinds of Ecommerce Data Insights Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Must Use to See Significant Growth

    The rise (and plateau?) of ecommerce

    When ecommerce first entered the scene, it enjoyed double-digit growth rates for years. It reached a particularly noticeable spike during the pandemic. As pandemic restrictions eased, customers rushed back to stores, and ecommerce growth rates fell back to the levels expected by a more mature industry.

    The pandemic disruption of 2020 has now settled to more stable levels, with both ecommerce and retail growth rates forecasted to maintain single-digit levels for the foreseeable future. It’s not a zero-sum game. One is not eating into the other.

    Retail’s staying power

    While many retail stores did shutter both before and during the pandemic. Data from Coresight Research shows that U.S. store closures between September 2021 to 2022 fell 55%. Despite the growth in ecommerce over the past few years, only 20-25% of sales occur online. That means 75% to 80% of sales still take place in a physical store.

    The outlook is that while the rate of growth for ecommerce is slowing, it will continue to grow faster than physical. Meanwhile, physical sales will still grow, but at a slower rate than ecommerce.

    Clearly physical retail is holding its own just fine. But the role of the brick-and-mortar store is evolving. Retailers are adapting in different ways. Some have converted stores to ecommerce fulfillment centers. Others are opting for showroom-style stores that display physical products, paired with ecommerce sales and delivery. Others are just opening smaller stores. There’s a lot happening.

    Related: Why Brick and Mortar Is Here to Stay

    What consumers want

    In our Consumer Trends Index – Retail Forecast, published earlier this year, we found that 51% of consumers are doing more research before buying, and 47% are waiting for items to go on sale. Also, 50% are “showrooming” or browsing in-store before buying online or elsewhere. Over half (52%) made a purchase directly as a result of an email (up 4% on last year), while 55% used their mobiles to research potential purchases.

    For these reasons, marketers must do everything they can to be more personally and contextually relevant to a consumer whose behavior has become quite unpredictable. That means understanding the role of the store in the buyer journey and rethinking the role of messaging, digital media, loyalty, rewards and more in driving traffic as part of an omnichannel customer experience.

    Three things marketers can do right now to make that happen are:

    1. Build relationships: The first step is building relationships that matter, from knowing who and what to send, to using multi-variant testing, automation and journeys to get noticed.

    2. Strengthen relationships: Getting noticed is just the first step. Follow with strengthening and deepening the relationships developed, offering multiple channels for sending and actionable data to improve and refine the content that adds value.

    3. Invest in relationships: Finally, keeping customers means investing in them, through preference and zero-party data that continues to deliver personalized content, as well as offers like coupons and rewards that build brand loyalty.

    Related: Omnichannel Retail: How Is the Combination Of Online And Offline Channels Proving To Be the Next Big Thing For Startups And MSMEs?

    We live in a fluid world. Things change, formats shift, and technology evolves. Trying to predict or control how consumers respond to these changes is a risky way to respond. Far safer, and more productive, is to focus on the things you can control, which is how you collect, store and use customer data.

    Some consumers will go all-in on ecommerce. Others will want a traditional retail experience. Still, others will want a mix of both. It’s not on you to choose the one “right” way for all. Instead, simply ask your customers (through constant interaction) what camp they fall into. Then you can communicate the right offers and experiences that align with the format they prefer.

    And when those preferences change, which they often do, you’ll be armed with the information necessary to react appropriately. Ecommerce vs. brick-and-mortar isn’t about predictions or picking winners. It’s about data and relationships and removing friction between what customers want and what you can provide.

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    Michelena Howl

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  • 10 Lessons I’ve Learned In 10 Years of Running My Own Business | Entrepreneur

    10 Lessons I’ve Learned In 10 Years of Running My Own Business | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In 2013, I made a life-changing decision. I decided to “take a break” from my dream job, which while amazing, was also fast-paced and demanding. I gained invaluable experience, opportunities, connections and more as a law firm partner, but my personal life suffered.

    I was fortunate to have had financial success that enabled a break, and this difficult decision catapulted me into becoming a full-time entrepreneur. While I miss some things about being a part of a law firm, I love setting the pace of my own life and that I still help others daily, just in a different way.

    Becoming a business owner has revolutionized my understanding of the realities of running a company. I now believe you cannot tell someone else how to run their business if you have never successfully run one yourself. In celebration of 10 years as a fully self-funded female business owner, here are ten things I’ve learned.

    Related: Are You a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur?

    1. You can actually start your own business and be successful!

    I never intended to become an entrepreneur. However, after deciding to pause, I was asked to consult with lawyer friends who had previously been competitors. Unlike work, it sounded fun, and I could do it while “on a break” from law firm life. Ten years later, I manage a team of marketers and work with law firms across the country, helping my team members and my clients succeed.

    Related: 10 Tips for the First-Time Business Owner

    2. No matter how good you are at what you do, some people will still treat you like you aren’t

    You might expect that after over two decades as a lawyer and achieving both legal industry accolades and marketing industry awards, those I talk to and work with would always treat me with respect. You’d be wrong. No matter how many years of schooling, degrees, years of experience and awards you have, some people will always try to make you feel small, treat you as if you do not matter and belittle your skills.

    Don’t work with those people. Don’t employ those people. Don’t allow those people to impact your energy and success.

    3. You cannot control your clients, but you can only control how you respond to them

    Most marketing agencies do not refund client money after being paid. I used to feel the same way — I did the work, you paid me, and I deserved to be paid. Fear of having done a bad job, fear of not being able to afford to refund that money and fear of that client keep owners myopic. Success has allowed me the privilege to evolve.

    I had a client who was negative and abrasive and refused to collaborate. Even though we delivered everything they paid for, the firm was still unhappy. So, I fired them and refunded every cent of their money. While this made my business lose money, the financial price was worth it.

    4. You do not need a physical office to be a seven-figure company

    I spent my legal career working in business attire in a professional setting in office buildings. Once the pandemic hit, the beautiful corner office on the top floor of a building in my neighborhood I had painstakingly searched for and decorated became a source of stress. Our team became remote, not really by choice, and we stayed that way. Now I pay no rent and reallocate those funds. I miss working collaboratively in person, but my team is thriving. We have been able to take on more clients than ever before, all without a physical office.

    5. If a new hire is troubling you early on, they are likely not going to work out

    A successful business owner told me that I would know within two days of working with a new hire if they would work out. I scoffed at what sounded like a lack of care and a lack of willingness to try harder when onboarding.

    After ten years, two days still seems pretty quick, but it does not take long to know if a new hire is the wrong one. The longer you wait to deal with it, the worse things get for the new hire and the existing team. Cut your losses early, allowing that person to move on and you to start looking for the right fit.

    Related: How to Find, Hire (and Fire!) Rockstar Employees

    6. Narrowing services offered means increased expertise

    As a 21-year lawyer, legal marketing is my consulting focus. Because there are a lot of lawyers, and most law firms engage in marketing efforts, I have a decently sized national marketplace from which to obtain clients. One of my strongest selling points is that I have a niche business focused on one industry and am a licensed expert. Expanding into other industries I know less about and have no footprint in would dilute my biggest point of differentiation. Stay focused and grow within your niche.

    7. Saying “no” leaves room to say “yes” to opportunities you don’t know about yet

    It is scary to say no to paid opportunities early in the life of your business but remember, each engagement is a partnership, and you should only partner when it can be mutually successful. Prevent doomed collaborations on the front end.

    Gauge compatibility by paying attention to how they speak to and email you, the “story” of how they came to be in their current position, and more. Every client you choose to work with can come at the expense of being able to take on another, better opportunity you might not know about yet.

    8. Being your own boss is addicting

    Over time, being my own boss has become a commodity worth significant value to me. I greatly enjoy not having to ask permission to spend a full weekend day uninterrupted with my children. The scary part of being the boss is being responsible for yourself, your team, your clients, and many others, but the benefits of determining how to handle those responsibilities are worth it.

    Related: 5 Essentials for Succeeding When You Become Your Own Boss

    9. Set boundaries early and do not compromise

    Boundaries are important in both our personal and professional lives. The legal industry cultivates a culture of constant availability and immediate response, which is stressful. Now, running my own business, I make conscious choices to shape our company culture differently.

    No one on my team is required to work outside of normal business hours. No one on my team has their work email on their mobile device. I no longer provide clients with my personal (and only) cell phone number. Establishing boundaries like these makes work healthier and more productive.

    10. If you can’t pay yourself as an owner, you are not doing it right

    A surprising number of business owners I consider successful cannot and do not pay themselves at all. Their businesses do not generate sufficient revenue to allow the owner to make an income. If you cannot pay yourself (after a reasonable startup time, of course), you are not succeeding. You should reevaluate your financial position, overall business plan, and whether or not owning a business is the right choice for you.

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    Stacey Burke

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