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Lisa Orrell, The Promote U Guru 
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The Beauty of Branding: What It Means to Your Business SuccessJuly 07th, 2015The benefit of consciously shaping a Personal or Company Brand is focus. When you know with utmost clarity what you want you, or your company, to be known for, it is easier to develop an effective brand platform…and that will impact everything you do as a small business owner, book author, or professional speaker! So, what is a “brand”? It is a person’s emotional feeling about you and your company and it is a promise for a specific experience with you and/or your business. Your branding touches everything pertaining to your company…everything you say and don’t say, and everything you do and don’t do.  Lisa Orrell was voted one of the “Most Influential Brand Gurus in the World” in 2013 & 2014 by over 22,000 industry professionals. A key concept that I strongly recommend burning into your brain is this: When someone has contact with your brand in-person or virtually, one of two things happens: your brand is reinforced…or it is weakened. This is why it is so important to know what your brand value, brand differentiators, brand positioning, brand promise, and brand personality, are. They need to be reinforced and reflected in everything you say, do, write, and create. However, many small business owners don’t focus on this and then wonder why their business isn’t doing well. Once you “know who you are”, it makes it much easier to express it to potential customers. Plus, it enables you to have consistency across all of your business-building efforts, such as: your website, social media networks, marketing & sales materials, PR efforts, etc. And, for those of you who have (or will have) employees or contractors working for you, they need to be aware of your brand promise and values, too. As the leader, you’re the brand evangelist of you and your company, and that means making sure anyone working for you focuses on also positively reinforcing your brand, not weakening it. Basically, they are not only representing themselves, but they are also representing you. One of the best things you can do to create a positive brand platform is focus on being people-centric. This means to: always be open to listening to feedback; have a top-to-bottom commitment to making your customers, employees and co-workers your #1 priority; and always look at your decisions from their perspective, not just yours. Think about it as a consumer of the brands YOU like. You’re a customer for a wide variety of products and services. Why are YOU loyal to their brand(s)? I bet it’s probably because they promise a specific experience with their product or service and consistently deliver on it. So if you can make a person’s experience with your Personal and/or Company Brand consistently consistent with your brand promise, you are heading down the right path. However, it ALL has start with you getting clarity, and then effectively projecting that in everything you do. And, although you may have a tight budget, please be mindful of how your marketing materials look, especially your website. If you need help, hire a Consultant to help you! That may sound like common sense BUT it’s not common practice…think about how many awful websites you come across! Be aware of these fast facts:
Make sure all of your marketing, business, and sales tools look professional, and that things like colors and fonts are consistent across all of them. Don’t have purple and green the main colors on your website but then use yellow and blue on your business cards, collateral, or even on things like your invoices. You also want to make sure your social media page designs are consistent with your website. Again, branding is not just about how you describe and run your business; it’s also about how your business appears visually. In a nutshell, Personal or Company Branding becomes the “behavior barometer” for you as a small business owner. Once it’s established, you’ll find yourself often asking: “Is this decision going to support or weaken my brand?” And THAT type of mindset will enable you to build positive awareness for your brand, increase your sales, and grow your business!  Bad Social Media Etiquette Could Be Killing Your BrandMarch 19th, 2015Hi All! Back in 2012 I wrote a blog post entitled “Do You Suffer from Social ‘Me’dia Syndrome?”. It was picked up by tons of other blogs and also led to my being asked to write variations of it for several online business communities and magazines. I bring this up because yesterday I spoke to a client of mine who was asking me about Social Media strategies. After my chat with her I realized that it was a good time to revisit this topic in 2015. Why? Because MANY people are still clueless about proper Social Media etiquette! And that impacts your Personal Branding!  Have YOU forgotten the word “social” in Social Media? Here’s the deal…you have to participate to make it work for you. If you make it all “about you”, you’ve lost the entire essence of what Social Media is about! I find that many new clients who come to me are not getting much out of their Social Media and online marketing efforts because they’ve forgotten ONE little detail…they forgot about the word “social” in their Social Media strategy. Here are a few tips that will quickly illustrate my point: 1. Comment on other peoples’ blog posts. If you have a blog and want people to comment on your posts, you have to comment on OTHER peoples’ blog posts to start generating traffic to yours. It’s simple: If you read a blog post you like or have an opinion on, don’t just “keep it to yourself”. POST A COMMENT! 2. Retweet other peoples’ tweets: If you like a tweet from someone else, take a split second to click on the retweet button to share it with your followers. That’s why the retweet icon exists! To SHARE info with everyone and help cross-promote each other to help increase awareness for other people. It’s amazing how much more tweet-love and traffic you’ll get if you retweet, reply and comment on other peoples’ tweets. AGAIN…it’s part of being “social” in tweet-ville…and it’s part of Social Media etiquette! 3. Comment or Like other peoples’ posts on Facebook or in LinkedIn Groups: If you want more people to comment and/or click on the “like” button on your Fan Page or Profile posts, then do it more for other people! It takes less than one second to click “like” under someone’s post and sometimes just a couple of seconds to write a comment. Again, if you see a post that you like or find interesting, rather than just THINK to yourself, “That’s funny!” or “That’s cool!” or “That’s interesting!” or “That’s really helpful info!”, move your cursor up to the word “like” under it and simply click. Or type a short comment to acknowledge what that person posted! This may all sounds like common sense BUT it’s NOT common practice…which is why millions of social media hobbyists and small business owners are involved in Social Media but frustrated with it. They constantly just focus on posting stuff about THEM, their businesses, their products or events, their books, their families, their vacations, their kids, the songs they like, food they like to eat, etc., but they rarely take the time to acknowledge what other people post and share online. So…here’s my challenge to YOU: If any of this describes how YOU participate in the world of Social Media, make “improve my Social Media etiquette in 2015″ one of YOUR resolutions this year! You’ll be pleased with the results and will truly be participating the way the world of Social Media was intended. Cheers & Happy Marketing! Lisa 10 Tips to Write Articles to Build Your Personal BrandDecember 07th, 2014Hi All! If you want to increase awareness for your Personal Brand and drive more traffic to your website, you need to write articles. Not only can this strategy immediately position you as an expert in your field, it can attract clients and media interviews to you. And, if you’re an Author, writing short articles with content from your book, even AS you’re writing it, is a way to also generate interest in your book and increase your book sales! It’s also a way to continue interest in your book topic even if it has been out for a few years. Here are ten tips to make the articles you write get results and become a valuable marketing tool for you:
Okay! Brainstorm some topics and start writing to build your brand, credibility and online traffic! Cheers & Happy Marketing! 10 Social Media Tips for Effective Book MarketingAugust 31st, 2014Hi All! With the boom of self-publishing, most authors don’t have the backing of a traditional Publishing House to handle the marketing of their books. And, nowadays, even if you do land a book publishing contract, many Publishers don’t provide the marketing support they used to. So, regardless of whether you self-publish your book OR sign a book deal, you’ll find yourself having to be your own Publicist and Marketing Expert. Unless, of course, you can hire someone to do it for you. However most authors who contact me are on a tight budget and can’t afford a costly Publicist. That’s why authors hire me to provide them with customized strategies and plans that they can execute themselves and/or with the help of a cost-effective Virtual Assistant. Please keep in mind that Social Media is just ONE strategy in your overall book marketing mix. You need to also include PR, media outreach, and other marketing strategies for effective book marketing. And I’ve written plenty of blogs and articles on those, too. But in this article, I’d like to focus on 10 tips that you can use to promote your book, increase your book sales, and build your brand, using Social Media: 1. Embed a Retweet Button Who doesn’t love a free sample? Give one chapter away for free to your audience and embed a retweet button in strategic locations, motivating readers to easily share it with their followers on Twitter. Side Note: Avoid just sending tweets that are all about “Buy my book!” with a link to it on Amazon. 2. Promote Your Personal Brand Promoting your Personal Brand as the author is as important as promoting your book! So in your Social Media posts, make your prospects want to connect with you. Share stuff about your hobbies, interests, your writing process, and expertise. Let the audience (who could be prospective buyers of your book) get to know you as a person by not JUST focusing your content all about your book. 3. Ask Readers to Spread the Word Ask readers of your book to tell their networks about it. This is something MANY authors don’t think of doing. Don’t think that just because someone loved your book they’re going to remember to share the news with others. People get busy and forget! Remind them about your book and give them a little nudge to tell their networks about it. 4. Network with Other Writers in Your Genre Find authors who target the same audience that you do for your book. Don’t look at them as competitors even if those authors have written books on the same topic as yours. Promoting other writers can help attract readers to your book, and those authors may reciprocate. Get involved in their social networks: “Like” their Facebook Pages, follow them on Twitter and retweet their posts, and ask them to write a Guest Blog for your blog, and ask if they would accept a blog post from you for theirs. Building relationships with other authors in your genre is a great strategy for cross-promotion that benefits you both! 5. Create a Video Contest Run a contest asking readers of your book to share a video about why they liked your book so much, and award the person who provides the best one with a $25 or $50 Gift Card (i.e. for Starbucks or a VISA gift card). You can then post the Top 10 videos (or all of them) on your YouTube Channel, your Facebook Page, on your website, tweet the links to the vids, share them in your e-newsletter, etc. Those videos all become marketing tools to promote your book in a wide variety of ways. 6. Use Hashtags Use hashtags of your industry to promote your book on Twitter (and elsewhere) to reach a larger audience who are interested in your topic. Confused by hashtags? Read this great article for an overview and tips! 7. Participate in the Conversation Monitor the conversation about your book online, and post responses to comments. Engaging with your audience will grow your audience base and encourage others to join the conversation. Again, it’s another strategy for people to get to know you as a person, and that can forge bonds with them. 8. Go Niche Search Google to find social networks in the same niche as your book. Become a fan of these networks or pages. Participate in the conversations and when appropriate, mention your book. But be sure to avoid only posting comments promoting your book because that will annoy people. 9. Mention Your Book in Your Social Network Bios I’m always shocked by how many authors who contact me DON’T have their books mentioned in their bios on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. Your book, and a link to it, should be added to every online bio you have. 10. Add the Book Title to Your Email Signature Again, this is another very simple thing to do that many authors don’t think of. Add your book title and a link to it in your email signature block so that EVERY person who receives an email from you sees it. Three Ways to Engage and Attract Millennial CustomersAugust 05th, 2014Hi All! For Sellers to more successfully engage, attract, and develop new customer relationships, it’s important to be aware of this interesting fact shared by J. Walker Smith, Ph.D. and Ann Clurman, Co-Authors of the book, Rocking the Ages: “Generationally determined lifestyles & social values exercise as much influence on buying and purchasing as more commonly understood demographic factors like income, education, and gender do – maybe even more.” How Millennials (aka: Gen Y), Generation X, and Baby Boomers each prefer to be engaged with is different. And it’s critical that Sellers educate themselves on these preferences as it can greatly improve the results of their sales and marketing efforts. However, for this article, the focus is on Millennials. Not only are they the newest generation of young, adult consumers, they are the most unique. Thus, they’re worth learning about. Why? For starters, they are the largest generation the U.S. history. Plus, by 2025, 75% of the U.S. workforce is going to be comprised of Millennials. As a result, not only will Sellers and Employers be working with them more as colleagues, but they’re going to be heavily competing for them as customers. There are many ways to attract, engage and build brand-loyalty with this unique generation. Here’s an example of three to be aware of:
Smart companies are investing a lot of time, effort, and money into learning everything they can about the Millennial mindset; both as employees AND consumers. Furthermore, Sales Teams all over the globe are learning how to better engage with them as our next generation of key decision-makers in the workforce. With $1.5 billion in annual spending power, and being a generation 85 million strong, it’s easy to see why companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations care about them. The eldest Millennials are now around 30 years-old…so they’re not just “clueless kids” anymore. Cheers & Happy Marketing! Lisa Four Ways to Market Your Content (that Most People Don’t Do)July 14th, 2014Hi All! You feel you have created a masterpiece in the form of your long-form content, such as an article or blog post. But it is of no value to you until others read it. You need to spread the word to attract traffic. So your content needs publicity; just like big brands that advertises products regularly to stay fresh in the minds of their target audience. Here’s a phrase I use a lot because it’s true: This may all seem like common sense BUT it’s not common practice. Everyday I’m contacted by small business owners, speakers, other types of self-employed people, and authors wanting to increase book sales, who want my help with their company or personal branding, PR, publicity, and Do YOU Market Your Content Effectively? Most people don’t! marketing. So I can honestly say that the following tips are NOT regularly used because the people who initially contact me aren’t doing them! How can you market your content? Keep reading: Smart Use of Keywords SEO is more about smart placement of keywords. There is no place for keyword stuffing in Google. Any articles that are flooded with keywords won’t rank well in the search engines. Therefore, proper keyword placement is important. Let’s say you HAVE done your homework of accurately placing keywords at the right places in the content. But it won’t help much if you do not include keywords as #hashtags in your text. Remember to use your brand name, main topic, and subtopics as hashtags. However, avoid crowding your posts with hashtags. Use Interesting Images Your headline won’t always attract readers. With so many status updates and posts on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook from friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. flooding their profiles, most social media users simply move on unless you grab them. And oftentimes it’s an interesting pic that will get their attention first and cause them to pause to look at your topic headline. Expert Advice When sharing your content on social media sites, do not forget to make smart use of expert advice in your posts. Consumers today look for advice from experts in the industry, and if you can prove yourself as an expert, you will likely attract more readers of your content. You can also include the insights, quotes, and tips from other experts in your industry in your content to “enhance” your position as an expert, too. You’ll be “guilty by association” and that’s a good thing! Share to Get Shared Again, this may sound like common sense BUT it’s not common practice by most of the new clients who come to me. They spend all their time focusing on “them” versus sharing other people’s content. Bad move! How can you expect people to retweet your tweets, share your posts and spread the word to THEIR followers if you NEVER do that for them? Several years ago I wrote a very popular article about how people suffer from Social “ME”dia Syndrome, and the concept is STILL relevant TODAY…if you’re suffering from that get help quickly and start supporting others in your social networks. Ya gotta GIVE to GET! Cheers & Happy Marketing! Three Ways Authors Can Get Media Coverage for FreeJune 18th, 2014Hi All! On a regular basis, I have Authors contact me who are extremely frustrated because they’ve spent tons of time and effort (and oftentimes, a lot of money) writing their books only to see the sales of it minimal. But typically this isn’t because their books aren’t good! Rather, the lack-of-interest and low book sales are the result of most people not knowing their books exists.  You can get media coverage without a big budget or Publicist! That’s where PR and Publicity can help. Yet most Authors who I speak with never even issued a Press Release announcing their book was published; let alone put effort into an on-going media outreach strategy. PR and Publicity is a critical component to building awareness for your Personal Brand and attracting more interest in your book, so it shouldn’t be overlooked. If you’re experiencing frustration and low book sales, keep reading. It’s time to be your own “Publicist” to achieve that “all important” awareness you’re lacking after you publish. Here are three PR strategies that don’t require a financial investment. They simply require an investment of your time: Don’t Make Your News General: The media wants key tips, interesting lessons, and compelling angles that come from your book, and they normally want you to provide them with that info. Don’t make them have to dig for it in your Press Release (or book) because they rarely will. Basically, GIVE THEM article or segment ideas. Don’t give them a “general” Press Release just about your new book and hope they’ll think of a reason to interview you. But AFTER the release of your new book has become “old news”, the strategy above is one you can use on an on-going basis to continue getting media coverage…and your book will always be mentioned in any interviews you do. It’s like getting an Oscar! Once an actor is nominated or wins one, they are never introduced again without that being mentioned along with their name. Be Sure to Pitch the Right Media: Make sure the media you pitch actually reaches the target audience YOU want to reach! This may sound like common sense, but it’s not common practice. You have to create a targeted list of print media (i.e. magazines/newspapers), online media, blogs, podcasts, and Radio and TV shows that cover topics like yours. Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re a Leadership Coach who has written a book on effective management skills, don’t waste your time pitching ideas to a Top 40 radio “morning zoo-type” of show that primarily reaches young people between 14-21 years old. The Producers won’t be interested in your topic so they won’t book you as a guest on the show. Follow Up is Key: After you have emailed the media contacts your pitch and/or Press Release, FOLLOW UP! This is where most non-professional PR people drop the ball. It normally takes more effort than just sending them one email. The media gets pitched a lot so it’s important to send several follow up emails and even leave 1-2 voicemail messages. Being the squeaky wheel is sometimes required to get their attention. And once you do, they’ll quickly tell you whether they’re interested or not. But please note that just because they may not be interested in your topic right away, doesn’t mean they never will be. Maybe they just covered a topic like yours so they don’t want to do another segment or article on it again quite yet. The good news to that is twofold: you know they ARE interested in topics like yours, AND you will now be on their radar as a “Topic Expert” for future stories they do. In closing, getting PR and Publicity for your Personal Brand and book is not complicated. It just requires some time and effort. You really can get massive media coverage even without a budget or the help of a professional Publicist! Tips for Using Instragram to Grow Your Small BusinessMarch 04th, 2014Hi All! With social media ruling the roost in business promotion, it’s hard to ignore any social networking platform these days, and Instagram is no exception. What started as an iPhone only app has expanded into one of the fastest growing and most vibrant social media networks; Instagram for business is a great marketing tool, especially those targeting younger audiences. With over 150 million users already, Instagram is the ultimate visual marketing tool to showcase to your prospective customers your social and human side. Instagram is all about pictures and videos, and thus is a great marketing tool for your business. After all, pictures directly appeal to emotions, increase interaction rate, and strike a chord with prospects, thus making your brand visible to a larger audience. Here are a few tips for using Instagram for building your brand, increasing sales, and growing your small business: Introduce your employees You may not know but most of your followers are keen on knowing the people associated with your brand, especially those who keep your company going. By introducing your team through Instagram photos, you humanize your brand, thus building a connection with prospects and customers while enhancing their experience. Cultivate a following It’s easier than ever to increase your following on Instagram for business by linking it with your Facebook account. Connect specific brand images to your Facebook business page with a relevant, popular hashtag that aligns with your brand image or marketing campaign. This is a necessary step to show to your Facebook fans that you’re on Instagram. Use relevant hashtags (#yourbrandhere) to increase your brand exposure and reach out to a wider audience for leads while helping people find your account. Be polite to follow Do not forget to follow your followers on Instagram. It’s a good idea to follow other brands that relate to your specific brand so as to create strategic relationships on the platform. Give your followers a sneak peek into an upcoming event or a news feature often can help keep them hooked to your page. Not only this, make your loyal followers feel special by sending them updates about an upcoming product, the latest launch, or new releases. This is one of the easiest tips for using Instagram for business – helping build anticipation in prospects and keeping them coming back for more. Don’t be content with static As a multimedia platform, Instagram now allows you to upload 15 second video clips. So why remain static when you can use the visual feature to upload behind-the-scenes peeks at different business activities. A few businesses even use this video feature for customer testimonials and product demos, helping prospects see your human side. Further, you may wish to embed Instagram video in your website or blog to reach a larger community and boost your business exposure. Share positive emotion more often When using Instagram for business, carefully curate your photos considering the likes and dislikes of your target audience. Figure out what kind of photos they would be more interested in. It is human nature to like smiling faces more than sad ones. You may use a serious post occasionally to make an impact, but prefer to share positive emotion more often. Let the powerful imagery in the images evoke emotions that words often fail to express. Encourage followers to share their story with you to build a relationship and show them that you care, unlike most other businesses that merely focus on self promotion. Powerful Pinterest Tips to Help Grow Your Small BusinessDecember 11th, 2013Hi All! As the third most popular social media network after Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has over 48.7 million users, recording more than 25 million monthly visitors. And it has become a powerful social media platform for product-based businesses, bringing in more traffic than Yahoo and Bing. Plus, statistics show that prospects are likely to spend 70% more money with you when they are driven to your website from Pinterest. That alone makes it all the more important to take this newer social media platform seriously! That said, here are a few tips for using Pinterest effectively to grow your small business and increase your sales: 1. Increase Your Brand Awareness Provide useful, educational information to your followers. Your purpose is to become a reliable source of the most accurate, valuable information; not just to promote your products and business. This will ensure that your followers see you as an authority in your industry and look to you as the go-to place for all relevant information about your niche. Done right, you’ll inspire interest and build trust online, and that can lead to increased customer loyalty, greater audience reach, and referrals from others. 2. Expand Your Reach Other social media networks have given small businesses amazing tools to expand reach and grow business, and Pinterest does, too. Using the group board feature on Pinterest and collaborating with popular pinners, you can easily expose your brand to a greater audience and expand your reach. Make each board theme specific, with a catchy title and keyword-focused relevant content. As the audience follows the focused boards, your follower numbers will tend to spike. 3. Make Your Business Site Pinnable The best way to spread the word about your business is to make your Pinterest site visual. You may use Flickr, Shutterstock, Photo Pin, iStockPhoto, or Fotolia to find unique, interesting, exciting, and pinnable photos on a regular basis. However, don’t forget to check the copyright of images. Be sure to give credit where it’s due. The most successful pins are a combination of valuable content and great images. 4. Add Pinterest Logo to Your Website Adding a Pinterest logo to your business website will help increase your fan following and remind site visitors to pin your content. Also, to ensure a positive brand image, send messages that express the real identity (the voice) of your business. So plan out your boards accordingly, keep your content organized across different boards, and clearly outline the information you want to share with your fans. 5. Engage with People Engage with your audience to better understand what they want to generate better boards that they’ll like. Use the Repin option to stay current with what is trending on Pinterest by examining the pins of the most popular Pinterest users and keep your pins sharp, current, and targeted. Also, be sure to keep an eye on your competition to see what they are doing to attract traffic and create engagement. These tips may seem like common sense to some of you, but they’re NOT common practice with many pinners! I constantly hear from people who ask me, “I’m on Pinterest (or Facebook, or YouTube, or LinkedIn, or Twitter)…but what should I be doing there?” That’s more proof that opening an account on a social media platform doesn’t immediately make you a marketing expert. Learn the basics of Pinterest, get comfortable with using it, and then start experimenting with more tools and features they offer. It can work for you as long as you’re persistent and consistent! What is Relationship Marketing and Why Care?October 18th, 2013Hi All! In this “age of the consumer”, smart marketers understand the true value of customers to their business and are increasingly focusing on becoming a Youtility for them; marketing what is wanted by them, instead of marketing what you THINK they want or need. Relationship marketing is the key to competing for attention today by appealing to the senses of the people you are trying to attract. Here are five tips to succeed at relationship marketing: 1. Changing from “What We Do” to “What You Need” While you compete for attention in the marketplace, the key to marketing and sales success lies in discovering precisely what your customer’s need, rather than wasting their time telling what you have to offer. The idea is to understand your customer’s basic needs and coming up with a solution they are looking for. If you can hold their hand at this time, it will be the beginning of a long-term relationship. 2. Communication is Key Constant and frequent communication with clients is the key to enjoying a successful relationship. If you’re not communicating with existing and potential customers, you are missing out on big business opportunities! Establishing a constant communication connection with your prospects and customers will boost your relationship marketing efforts. Lack of constant contact will give your competitors a chance to step in between the two of you, making you vulnerable to losing business. 3. Retain Existing Customers It is even more cost-effective to focus more on selling your services to present customers rather than splurging dollars on marketing to your target audience, as existing clients can help promote your business through word of mouth endorsement, build referrals, and reduce marketing expenses. Your success at retaining existing customers will pay off in the long run, and save you time and money. 4. Position Yourself as an Expert It is important that your audience sees you as an expert in the field, who has answers to their problems. The more knowledgeable you appear to prospects, the more attractive you become to them and the greater the chances of further engagement. Focus on building a Personal or Company Brand, that can be trusted on all levels! 5. Grow to Meet Client Needs One of the keys to improving business-customer relationships is by being flexible and scalable to cater to the ever-changing needs of them. It is crucial that you take time to ensure you grow to meet those requirements. Conduct regular surveys and polls to be aware of the changing client needs and market demands. Valuing your customer’s changing needs and offering solutions accordingly will help expand your relationship marketing campaign and boost your business and branding. Pay close attention to client feedback and use it to improve your offerings. The key to a long-term business-customer relationship lies in presenting yourself as a resource center and positioning you and your business as the obvious choice for consumers…but that won’t happen if you don’t focus on THEM first! Cheers & Happy Marketing! Lisa
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