Five questions to ask that will form the foundation for your influencer marketing In this article, we take a look at how to gather the information you need when designing your influencer marketing program, ambassador program, or affiliate program. Before you begin reaching out to potential influencers or ambassadors, there are questions that need to be answered. The way in which you answer these questions builds the foundation for your program. Think of each question as a stone or brick, and with these you are laying the ground for a powerful…marketing engine…to mince metaphors. (I’ll be using the words influencers and ambassadors interchangeably throughout this post by the way. They’re similar enough terms and programs that this really applies to both.) Maggie If you’re reading this post thinking that I’m going to give you all of the answers…
It’s better for you, and everyone else involved, if you don’t wing it with your influencer marketing programs. In this series of articles, we’re going to take a look at how and why you should plan your influencer marketing program, to get it right from the very start. These programs can be very powerful and lucrative for both the brand and its influencers, if they’re done right. After all, that’s why everyone is moving in this direction. Who doesn’t want trusted personal endorsements of their products and services over paid ads and advertorials? I’m not sure if it’s the excitement over starting an influencer program, or the myriad of different advice on what works out there, but we’re rushing into these things. As a result, there’s no momentum built, and…
My answer to the most common blogging question I’m asked When I sit down with a new client to discuss blogging and their content marketing strategy, the most common question I’m asked is: How often should I post? When I sit down with a new client to discuss blogging and their content marketing strategy, the most common question I’m asked is: How often should I post? If you Google this or similar questions, you won’t get a hard and fast answer. If you do, I wouldn’t trust the source. The unfortunate answer is that there is no magic answer. There’s no hard and fast rule. You’re probably thinking, “well thanks Maggie, that’s really helpful”. I’m not going to leave you hanging here. Together, we can figure out what the right…
Trust a Wordsmith as a knight would a blacksmith You are an expert in what you do. You’ve worked hard, gained the experience and knowledge required to successfully start your business. But there are many facets to that business. In order to grow, you need professional content around your brand, your products and services, and the various topics relevant to your customers. A knight, an expert in his craft, doesn’t forge his own blade, armor. He doesn’t make his own saddle. Trust a wordsmith as a knight would a blacksmith. What’s a wordsmith? Me. Someone who works with words and writes professionally. Why trust your business to a wordsmith? It’s simple: Trust and professionalism. McKeating Solutions isn’t any wordsmith. I’m a professional that you can trust. I take the time to sit down with my clients…
A brand, is a dream with clarity and direction Today a friend and fellow entrepreneur, Baked True North, shared an instagram quote: “Your dreams don’t have to make sense to anyone else”. Rachel HollisAuthor – Girl Wash Your Face Its a realization that all entrepreneurs and small business owners come to, and it’s the crux or the point where we embark on our solo journey. Eventually, we’ll pull other people in along the way, but the start can often be lonely. People don’t yet understand our dreams and they don’t make sense to them. Honestly, how can they? You haven’t yet shared what you see in your dreams. They don’t see you planning and plotting your course. All they hear is a wistful thought that you had the courage and audacity to utter. Dreams…
Gaining Google’s trust and your SERP ranking through a solid link building strategy Recently, I’ve had some questions on linking and link building strategies come up. And it’s no wonder why. By getting pages to link back to your website and it’s pages or posts is one way to prove to Google that you are an authority on your selected topic. But there are nuances to creating a solid link building strategy and like any good thing, there is such a thing as too much. What is a link building strategy? If you aren’t a well known website, or have a large network of industry experts willing to link to your site, it might sound getting a series of links back to your site is impossible. It’s not, it just takes a bit of strategy. Step 1: Research…
Would your dog want you to be repetitive, pushy, and solely focused on making money? I don’t know your dog personally, but I hazard to guess that he/she’s pretty awesome…because, well dogs are awesome. And they wouldn’t want these things for you. So it’s pretty safe to say that they wouldn’t want them for your business either. When you’re an entrepreneur, small business or startup, your time is limited. It’s limited because there are so many things that you have to do. Write content to attract your potential customers is just one of many tasks. Because of this crunch, we sometimes fall victim to easy content – the content that is on brand, sells our product, or tells customers why our products or services are different. Woah there Mags are you saying that…
Rather than focusing on the big milestones, celebrate the many wins along way. When you first start your business it can be a very exciting time. As the days, weeks, months and years roll by, and you are slaving away to meet your big lofty goals and ultimately become successful, motivation can wain. Energy can drop. Morale can sink. In this post I’ll dig more into this topic and how strategically setting milestones can help you achieve the really big ones. Starting your own business requires a lot of all of these: motivation, energy, morale. And yes, at the beginning they seem abundant. It’s like starting out on a long voyage at sea. When you first leave the dock, you have everything you need. But the hard work along the way can tap your reserves and leave you wondering if you have enough to make it…
When working to get your business, your brand in front of your customers, Content Marketing can make a positive impact. Your customers are searching for businesses like yours every day, but if you haven’t designed and started executing a content marketing strategy, they aren’t able to find you. Think about, Google searches happen every second of every day. Search used to be relegated to computers, but now with smart phones, and smart home devices, the number of searches per day is sky rocketing. Content Marketing can play a huge role in helping your customers find you, which is key to successfully bootstrapping your business. Bootstrapping means going it alone, ie generating revenue rather than taking investment capital. Many of us small business owners are working hard daily to make a go of it either on our own, focusing on generating sales rather than making investment deals…
Learning navigation lessons for the journey through the Messy Middle The other day I came across an interesting book, called The Messy Middle. It’s a book that helps guide you through the crucial period of project, the part that is neither the beginning nor the end. It’s written by Scott Belsky, founder of Behance. Learning to Navigate The Messy Middle Today is my first day with the book. I’m only a couple of pages in and I can tell that it’s going to be a good one. Right now, I’m in the Middle. And I’m taking a moment to be introspective; about myself as an entrepreneur, about my business, and about my clients. Where they are in their journey. In the first couple of pages, Belsky lays it flat out and calls us on our fluff. We’…