3 Reasons YOU Should be on Stage
3 Reasons YOU Should be on Stage
There you are, Â sitting in yet another conference listening to a speaker review something that you have heard 100 times before and all you can think is, âGood GRIEF!â (I assume you watched the Peanuts as a child, too), âI have so much more powerful information to share, things that would actually give this audience some REAL value!â Well...let me give you 3 reasons why you should get yourself together and get on the next stage.
**Please do NOT remove the current speaker from stage - letâs find you one of your own!**
- The more you have a microphone in your hand the more of an expert you are.
Listen, the raw truth is that no one is going to call you an expert until you say it first. There is no âauthority fairyâ that is just waiting for you to reach a magical point of experience, education or innovation to give you your set of wings. You have to take the leap.
On a physiological level, the simple appearance of being on stage (in front of a room speaking with authority) creates a subconscious understanding that you have information to give and that you are an authority. The more often you are seen on a screen, stage or in print the more people know and begin trust you. As you start that relationship, with 10 or 2,000 people at a time, you have an opportunity to connect with them much more quickly and deeply when it is time for the next step.
- Â The Bloom Effect
In this content-heavy world, we are all looking for opportunities to create effective blogs, articles, videos, newsletters, and on and on. With one speaking engagement, you can use that single event to spread your marketing message wide.
- Post on your site
- Write your speech and a blog at the same time
- Video your speech and create 5-7 short burst videos
- Spread through your social media
- Engage with other organizationâs social media, website, event programs
- Cross promote with other speakers at the event
- Etc.
- Be the Change
If you are not in business to change the world and make it a better place, this is not for you. For those of you that have the vision, that truly believe that what you do has a major impact on your clientâs lives, you need to plant the seed. Our organization is focused on changing the lives of SMBs through providing them with the profit they need to care for their families, invest in their communities and create abundance for others. If that is truly what we are here to do and we keep it under wraps, we have failed tremendously.
This is why we take stages with a message of professional love. We tell the stories that give people a reason to care. We create empathy, provide tools to foster change and lift others up around us. If you were to apply those ideas to your business and look at your impact through a community if not worldwide filter, what would your keynote speech be?
Not sure where to start? Letâs find some time to chat...who knows, the next âchatâ you have might be on stage! Â
marie@revenue.wp10.staging-site.io
Ensure 2018 Measures Up: What to watch, do and look for in your marketing
Ensure 2018 Measures Up: What to Watch, Do, and Look for in Your Marketing
With all the time, energy and money that goes into marketing, itâs critical you know what you are getting out of it. The team at @revenue put together our top tips and notes to ensure your 2018 marketing plan is measuring up.
Social Media
Successful social media is so much more than how many people like or follow you. The success is in building a community who interacts, shares and ultimately, buys. How do you know you're building a community?
- Go beyond vanity metrics (page views, number of followers). They may feel great, but the point of social media is to be SOCIAL!
- Carve out time in your calendar to engage and connect with those in your community. The more you engage, the more engagement you can expect from them.
- Monitor the actions people take on your content and the conversations people are having with you and one another. Leverage free tools like Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, Instagram for Business and LinkedIn post analytics to find more meaning in your measurement.
You can't just post articles and content, you have to connect and engage to be the most effective on social media. Connect with Sue Koch to identify the best ways to build your audience, respect your tribe and make sure to have fun with it for your needs!
Â
Email metrics are widely available through your email service provider, but there are a couple of key things to keep your eye on. Ensure your email is as effective as possible by measuring, optimizing and improving key elements.
- Make sure your emails are getting read by monitoring your open rate. Try testing subject lines and your from line to optimize visibility. It doesnât hurt to throw in an emoji here and there! ????
- Your next level of engagement are your clickers. All of your emails should have very specific calls to action that will engage your audience brings them that much closer to a sale. Be sure to make your email clickable by linking images, headlines and large buttons. The more options they have to click, the more clicks you get.
- Less common than clicking, some recipients will actually reply to your marketing email! This is much less frequent than just clicking but provides the highest level of engagement. Be sure to respond quickly and take advantage of the outreach.
You don't need the fanciest, most advanced email servicer to make a big impact in your marketing campaign. Talk with Megan Robinson today to effectively engage, connect, and rank your email list!
Â
Search Engine Optimization Â
Getting on Google search's first page is the name of the game. We measure SEO success by our keyword rankings (the higher the better), volume of targeted traffic (the more the better), and the number of conversions on the site. Â
- SEO success is ultimately measured by how well your website ranks for specific keywords. Make sure you are looking for consistent improvement month over month and maintain your position.
- Although ranking well is important, we do it to get more website traffic. Be sure to monitor the traffic you receive and the quality of it. Is your bounce rate increasing? Is your time on the site getting shorter? Make sure that the traffic you are getting is of high quality.
- We not only want to rank well and get quality traffic to the site, but we also want to make sure that traffic is converting. Whether making a purchase, filling out a contact form or picking up the phone and making a call, visitor conversion is the ultimate goal and indicator of SEO success.
Networking
Effective networking is every bit as critical to your success as a solid digital presence. If you are sitting in your office relying solely on your website to fill your pipeline you will have a lot of really good opportunities to organize your office supplies! But how do you quantify effective networking? It takes some elbow grease but when you have an additional 30-50% of your leads coming from the relationships that you've built, you will be singing a different tune!
- Identify organizations that cater to your specific verticals or sizes of business. Associations should be a part of your research, not just Chambers of Commerce or high priced networking opportunities.
- Try it, track it, change it. You must have a system (CRM, spreadsheet or other) that allows you to track what your investment in the networking is. This includes travel time, time at events, follow up time, etc. Use your hourly rate to calculate your total investment and after 6 months compare that to the anticipated value of leads received. Check this number every six months.
- Keep in mind that Strategic Partners (those that can refer you LOTS of business) are often as valuable if not more than just one lead. These are the folks that you build deeper, long-term relationships with, invest your time and track the results. You will get a stronger ROI and create a more significant network than just hoping to get leads from events.
If you aren't tracking your results from networking, you are simply socializing. Make sure that you give your effort the proper value!
Oh you don't do 'business cards'? Greeeeat.
Oh You Don't Do 'Business Cards'? Greeeat.
If you have been out networking lately, you may have come across a new kind of networker. The ultra-cool, tech-savvy business professional that no longer involves themselves with the incumbrances of archaic tools such as...the business card.
Typically, you will get a response like, âOh, yeah, I donât DO business cards, but I will find you on LinkedInâ or my favorite (and yes, this is a true story) âIf people want to find me, theyâll find me. Just remember who I am and search for meâ. I kid you not. Allow me to share with you why this is not only an ineffective business practice but is, for all intents and purposes, blatant poor manners.
If you are at an event where business building is the purpose, others have come with the intention of connecting with you, engaging with you, (if you are in the right group) finding ways to connect you and following up with you. Not having a business card forces that other person to either find a place to make a note on how to find you or who they wanted to connect you with. This is a person that WANTS to be of service to you, to help you, or to send you business...why make them work for it?
If you are going to connect to them via LinkedIn, that only creates more work for you. Typically, the connection starts with a connection request and then an IM and then eventually it moves into an email or phone conversation. If you have a card, that person not only has a physical representation of your brand but a way to reach out to you without having to search all over the place or wait for you to connect with them. In networking, effective follow up is the name of the game, and your lack of card starts you out with a disability. Â
In the professional networking world, brand and first impressions are EVERYTHING. They are the first step in establishing trust, integrity, and professionalism. Itâs such a small investment that has such a huge payoff. Once that card is in someone elseâs hand it also allows you to track things like:
- Do they follow up like they said that they would?
- Do they remember what I do and does my card give them enough info to remember?
- How many cards am I going through vs. how many people am I truly connecting with?
Being able to effectively measure your efforts is key to business building, and if all it takes is a solid business card, isnât it worth it?
Need help with your networking strategies, brand or a new business card? Weâd be happy to help! Â marie@atrevneue.com
Is Business Networking Obsolete? Not If You Follow These 5 Commandments
Is Business Networking Obsolete? Not if You Follow These 5 Commandments
Blair Nicole (Business 2 Community) featured our co-founder Jim Rosas in her article on effective networking.
âDo you think face to face business networking is something best left in the stone ages? If so, youâre probably missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential partners, influencers, and even customers. After all, no amount of digital marketing compares to eye contact and a firm handshake.
The problem is that most people go about business networking completely wrong, and in some cases, create a bad name for themselves in the process. But business networking done right can truly set apart novice business owners from seasoned hustlers.
Here are five commandments from expert business networkers, to help you go from schmo to pro in no time.â Continue reading on Business2Community.com
Are you getting the most from your networking efforts? Attend our monthly Executive Brief.
Facilitating Powerful Networking Events
Facilitating Powerful Networking Events
After facilitating high-level networking groups for a decade, I must say, I LOVE THEM. Why, because I control the environment to ensure success. That might sound arrogant or "controlling" but it's not, it's what's needed.
A few tips about running great networking events are:
1. Facilitate your own so you can set the tone.
I run lunches that have 8 members that come every month.
Each member commits, on a contract, to be there every month with a decision maker level or deeply networked guest. We spend 1.5 hours in a highly structured but fun environment getting to know one another's business. And before I close the lunch, I ask EVERY attendee to publicly announce with whom they can help and how.
I've personally generated Hundreds of Thousands of dollars from these events over the years.
2. Host as few drinking events as you can.
I always tell my clients that they need to understand, "networking is work. It's not net-drinking, it's networking!" These events rarely result in a return on the investment of time and effort. If youâre going to have one, host it as a party more than a networking event.
Having said that, a nice structured dinner and wine event from time to time is always nice for those clients/contacts that will appreciate them.
3. Be picky about who attends.
There is not always strength in numbers. I recommend âpurposeful networkingâ. Think about who you want to invite and then scrub your network to find purposeful guests. This is an instant winner for your attendees and sets you apart as a force in the networking world.
Â
A few tips when attending an event.
4. Have a plan before the event.
With whom do you want to spend time? Recruiters, business owners, accountants, etc. Be purposeful about how you execute your plan by focusing your time on the right people that you can help and that can help you.
5. Go to give.
Don't go with the mindset of "I'm going to find business today". Instead, go with a determination to enhance others networks by making strong connections. This mentality will set you apart from many at the event. And I guarantee, if you go with that mindset, business will come and you will not be disappointed.
6. Understand that networking is not a leads group.
Many people attend events with skewed expectations. Networking is about identifying strong likable people to whom you want to open your network and who want to reciprocate for you. This can take a follow-up call, a personal 1:1 meeting and a concerted effort to identify and introduce people to one another. Expecting to get business by dealing out 50 business cards will only set you up to frown upon networking. It doesnât work!
7. Don't give up too easily.
Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment, disappointment often leads to giving up. If you plan to join a group, be picky. Once you find one that makes sense, make a commitment to give it all you have for a year.
8. Offer solutions, don't point fingers.
We've all been to bad events. If you have a suggestion to make one better, talk to the facilitator. If they are real networkers, they will appreciate the input. If not, go build your own with best practices.
9. Track your Return on Investment.
I recommend to my clients and I insist for my members to track the ROI. Return on Investment or Results, Outcome, Impact. Sometimes connections add value in other ways than the bottom line. They find you a new office space, a deal on furniture or travel, etc. ROI may not be just dollars.  But if you add up your financial investment in a group, the time you spend, measured at a reasonable rate and then you run the numbers for a year, you BETTER be getting an ROI. If not, stop it, and find something that works. Like starting your own group and then running it like a machine.
As you can probably tell, I am deeply passionate about networking and the powerful impact that it can have. Being a coach and the co-founder of @revenue, www.atRevenue.com, Iâm happy to talk more about my passion for making networking work for you.