 What is the secret to being successful on social media? The answer is simple: Delivering value. This might sound obvious to you, or perhaps it's just confusing. Either way, it's undeniable and perhaps the best way to explain what I mean by this is to show you the opposite. DIGITAL DUCHESS: Check out my website if you want to grow your business Which happens to be how most brands use social media. The Mistake The way that a lot of businesses use social media is to set up their accounts and then occasionally post to them. They're not posting regularly enough to be considered consistent but what's worse is the nature of what they're posting. That's because they are alway posting about their products and services. You've probably seen these kinds of social media posts in the past. DIGITAL DUCHESS: Check out my website if you want to grow your business They say things like: Our new product is the best in the industry Check out our new range of clothing! For service you can trust, give us a go The thing you have to ask yourself then is: Why would anyone want to read that? What incentive are you giving for following your page? This is something that a lot of businesses simply forget about; In order to get people to listen to them, they need to be offering something in return. The best test you can always use is this: Would you follow your own page? DIGITAL DUCHESS: Check out my website if you want to grow your business Offering a Service The solution is to turn your thinking on its head and to change the way you approach social media. Instead of thinking of this as a chance to promote yourself, think of it as a chance to provide an additional free service to your audience. This should be the same audience you're trying to monetise but in this case you're offering something completely free whether that is information, entertainment, news or inspiration. Either way, people need to look forward to your posts and they need to know what to expect. DIGITAL DUCHESS: Check out my website if you want to grow your business Maybe you sell fitness products? In that case, you could provide a good service to your audience by posting new workout ideas or inspirational quotes every day. Maybe you sell clothes? In that case how about posting images of outfits to give people ideas? Then, when you want to make a sale, you offer a genuinely exclusive discount. You have the ears and the trust of your audience and now you're providing a limited time and exclusive opportunity. That's how you influence through social media! DIGITAL DUCHESS: Check out my website if you want to grow your business Try changing what you post on social media and watch the difference it will make to your business. To Your success! Lindsey xx
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 When you hear the word brand, you probably think of things like Apple, Microsoft, Virgin or Coca-Cola.
These are some of the biggest brands in the world and we have pretty good ideas of what to expect from their products and services, of what their logos look like and of what their guiding principles are. But what about Angelina Jolie? David Beckham? Tim Ferriss? How about Kim Kardashian? Or Hulk Hogan? Because actually, these are brands too. We know the name, we know the look and we also know what they're all about and what their mission statement is. These people have managed to turn themselves into brands just like those companies and have built up the same amount of recognition, trust and exposure that they have. And you can do the same! How to Become a Personal Brand If you want to make your own personal brand, all you need to do is to put yourself at the forefront of your marketing campaign, web design and message. You might call your website JoeBlogs.com and have a photo of yourself front and centre. You can then tell people about you, what service you provide and why they should trust you. This of course means that you need to be willing to expose yourself to a large audience. And that also means that in many ways, you need to strive to become the embodiment of the message you're selling. If you're a health and fitness guru then you need to be in some kind of decent shape! Advantages While there are some downsides to a personal brand, there are also a lot of upshots. One is that it makes social media considerably easier. Once you have a personal brand, you are trying to get to know your audience personally. That means you can treat them almost as you would your own friends and that you can post the same kind of content. Rather than needing to find exciting industry news, it's now okay to post about your lunch especially if your blog is about healthy eating! That means as well that maintaining an Instagram account can become a matter of posting some images of your day from your phone camera. And all this is going to help you to build a lot of trust and familiarity with your audience. These people have seen what you had for breakfast, you clearly have nothing to hide, so they might well decide to buy your products or listen to your advice! If you want to be a personal brand then sit down with a cuppa and jot down some ideas on how you can put yourself out there and then take action to make it happen. To Your Success! Lindsey xx  When you start promoting yourself on social media, you need to make sure that you choose the right social media channel for the specific message you're sharing and for the audience you're trying to reach.
In other words, if your business is all about gardening then you might have a slightly older audience, in which case Instagram might not be the best place for you. This requires research of course. But almost every business should have a Facebook page. Facebook is the biggest social network in the world in terms of users and also comes with a number of powerful tools that you can use to promote yourself further. So how do you go about creating your Facebook page and what can you do to help it thrive? Facebook Pages & Some Advanced Features Creating a Facebook page is just as easy as creating a profile page. Once you've set up a new page, all you then have to do is to start populating it with the usual information and the images. That means a profile picture and a cover image which should be something crisp, large and eye-grabbing. But the devil is in the details and there are a lot of cool additional things you can do to get more exposure and success for your new page. Insights You should definitely check out the Insights tab along the top of your page. Here you can see which of your posts is performing the best and how many new followers you're getting on a regular basis. This information lets you see what's working so you can do more of it! Publishing Tools Likewise, the publishing tools option is a great way to do things like drafting or scheduling posts. The latter allows you to spend a day writing some posts and then have them get posted automatically. Call to Action Thereís a link just over your cover image in the bottom right. This is your call to action and it can send visitors to your website, to your shop or to a squeeze page. It's worth adding! Store Did you know you can actually add a store to your Facebook page if you're using WooCommerce or Shopify! This is a great way to increase your Facebook ROI! Become a Local Business If you have a high street store then be sure to let visitors check in! Click the About button, choose Page Info and then insert your address. Make sure to tick the option to let people sign in! To Your Success! Lindsey  Looking to improve your stress levels? Ironically, this can end up being stressful in itself! Knowing you have a problem with stress is of course the first step towards getting better but it also means you now know you have a problem and it means you have a long road stretched out in front of you to recover. FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur Do You Have a Stress Addiction? The first point of order is to consider the possibility that you may have a stress addiction. Unlikely though it may sound, stress addictions are common as we find ourselves unable to pull away from work and other high intensity activities. * If you thrive under pressure and if you can never take time off, you may well have a stress addiction. * If you feel bored and fidgety when you're unwinding, you may have a stress addiction * If your friends and family complain that they never get to see you, this is a sign of a stress addiction * If you feel constantly wired then you may have a stress addiction. The first step to overcoming stress then is to recognise that you may feel it's difficult to change these habits: but you must in order to gain freedom from stress. FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur Identifying Your Stressors A good place to start when tackling stress is to look at your stressors. Stressors are things that cause stress and these can include things like work and debt. At the same time though, they can also include slightly smaller things in many cases. Common stressors include: - Impending deadlines - Calls you need to make and don't have time for - Angry bosses - Awkward colleagues - Friends or partners who are angry with you - Arguments - The commute to work - Untidy homes - Health problems - Inability to pay bills/debt What you'll notice is that some of these things are rather small and easy while others are big and abstract. FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur A good place to start is by dealing with the smaller problems that you can tackle more easily. You might also be able to break down bigger problems into smaller issues. For instance work can actually mean: - Awkward colleagues - Bad bosses - Uncomfortable working environments - Unpleasant commute - Painful working hours - Large workloads - Impending deadlines So even if you can't change your job, you may be able to deal with some of these specifics. FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur Where will you start? Good Habits A lot of these problems wouldn't occur if you were to use good stress/time management habits. Here are some good examples: * Little and often instead of letting your dishes pile up, try tackling them sooner so that they never build up to that level. * Are you prone to procrastination? Get around this tendency by using the pomorodo technique: segregating your working hours into periods of work and rest using a timer. * The 80/20 law ñ if you're self-employed, you might find that 80% of your work comes from 20% of your clients. Cut the rest. * Close open loops and don't let things continue to stress you out over the long term. If you have a call to make, make it sooner and close the loop. Lifestyle Changes FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur You should also apply these lifestyle changes to make stress easier to cope with: 1. Make sure you sleep well by going to bed at a similar time every day, by having 30 minutes to calm down with a book and by relaxing into bed 2. Make sure you give yourself breaks and holidays occasionally! No one should work 365 days a year! 3. Exercise as exercise improves stress and energy in numerous ways. 4. Eat healthily 5. Wake up with a daylight lamp, not a blaring alarm! Dealing With Acute Stress Finally, try to learn to deal with acute stress. Some things that can help here include: * Breathing more slowly which will activate the parasympathetic nervous system * Learning mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy * Reminding yourself of why you shouldn't be stressed * Removing yourself from the situation There you have it: you now have all the tools and know-how to begin your move towards a stress-free life! FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur Take one step at a time and watch your stress levels disappear. To your success! Lindsey xx FREE Course: How to go from being a dreamer to being a successful entrepreneur 
Building a mailing list is a fantastic marketing strategy in terms of ROI (return on investment). That is to say, that the amount you have to spend on building a list is relatively very small compared to the amount you can potentially stand to earn. This is one of the biggest appeals of this form of marketing and particularly for very small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs.
At the same time though, there certainly are some expenses involved in creating a mailing list. For starters, you'll have to pay for your autoresponder. Then there's the cost of hosting and of your domain name. Then there's advertising. It's not a lot but it adds up! This is why it's refreshing to find that there are actually numerous things you can do to build more subscribers completely for free. Here we will look at a few of them: Ask Your Subscribers to Spread the Word Once you have built up a small number of subscribers, there's no reason you can't ask them to help you in increasing your list. Ask them to spread the word if they enjoy your content and potentially even incentivize them to do so. Do an Ad Swap Likewise, if you know another email marketer in your niche, you can make a pact to promote one another. It's completely free and because you're getting an endorsement from someone who has already built up trust, it can be highly effective. Promote Your List on Reddit Reddit is an incredibly potent platform when it comes to extending your reach. Here you can find targeted viewers who are interested in your niche and get your message seen by countless people! Make Your Giveaway 'Limited Time Only' Want to create a sudden surge of people signing up for your list? Tell them that the current giveaway is only going to be offered for the next week. This applies time pressure which is a fantastic way to drive more conversions. Tweak Your Page Simply moving your 'subscribe' button to the bottom right of your page has been shown to increase conversions. The same goes for making subscribe buttons red. Either way, these are simple and easy changes you can make with very immediate results so it's a great way to try and get more people to sign up. These are just some of the things you can do completely for free to get more e-mails. Give them a go and how easily you can profit from zero investment! You don't always have to spend to accumulate. To Your Success! Lindsey xx 
Join Me for a 1-on-1 Call that Could Change Your Business ForeverThere is no sales pitch or fluff and business BS, just simple tips and advice that will make a huge difference to your marketing efforts within 7 days.
Do you struggle with your social media? Is your website not making any money? Are you email marketing properly? Can you write a traffic generating blog or create a video to promote your business? Have you got the mindset for Internet marketing? Being a small business owner can be so overwhelming and lonely. Well there is no need to struggle any longer because my coaching call will give you all the support, advice and practical steps you need to take in your business in order to work smarter, not harder. Join me on a 1-to-1 call for just £99 (around $130 USD) Here’s what you will get: A 1 hour call packed full of advice you can implement straight away in your business Exclusive Facebook membership of The Digital Duchess club where you can ask me anything you want and network with other small businesses A training guide on your chosen digital marketing subject Digital Marketing checklists and resource sheets that will give you short-cuts and turbocharge your business The call is not for you if: You don’t want to get ahead of your competitors If true financial freedom isn’t for you If you are not going to take action on what I tell youHere is How it WorksSchedule Your Call: After signing up I will contact you within 24 hours to schedule your 1-on-1 call. There are lots of different times and days available that will work around your busy schedule. Pre-Call: Before your call we will chat via email about exactly what you want to talk about during your 60 minute session. Skype or Phone: You can decide how you would like us to chat and on the day we will go through your training and what you need to succeed in your business. Business Bonuses: After your 1-on-1 session you will be sent a training guide plus checklists and cheat sheets on your chosen subject. Exclusive Facebook Group: You will also be given access to the Digital Duchess Business Club.  Touted as one of the most popular social media platforms today, Facebook has its own unique advantages and benefits. Apart from personally connecting with the members of your family and friends, it's also an awesome tool that can be used for advertising and promoting your services and products.
Marketing strategies play a vital role in the success and growth of any business because they are used to attract customers' attention. This is where a Facebook business page has the advantage over any existing company website. Here are some advantages of using Facebook marketing: Using Facebook for business is a low-cost type of marketing strategy. Signing-up on Facebook for free is ideal especially for small and medium start-up businesses that are on a tight budget. Without going for expensive marketing activities that cost a fortune, companies can target millions of people with the click of a button and a percentage of these people can turn into potential paying customers. Large businesses also take the opportunity to use Facebook for their trial marketing plans and concepts before trying out bigger campaigns. Business information can be shared. Since Facebook is the right avenue to promote a business, it is important to provide information about the business name, address and contact details. In order to draw more customers, a business page should also contain brief descriptions on every aspect including its products and services as well as its history and staff listing. It's interactive. Apart from posting text the uploading of photos and videos is also allowed, thus, making Facebook easier to personalise than a company website. There are no technical skills needed in order to maintain, customise and personalise a Facebook business page because it's pretty much the same as managing a personal Facebook account. It's also brilliant because you can communicate with current and prospective customers through exchanging messages. Listening to feedback regarding products and services is essential in Facebook marketing. It is easier to provide customer support on Facebook. Questions can be posted directly based on the customers experience in using a particular product or service. This is more effective than taking phone calls as customers can already see common queries and responses from other people. As a result, problems and issues can be quickly resolved. In addition, these can increase the satisfaction level of customers. Brand awareness can be raised through Facebook likes. Apart from word of mouth, liking the Facebook page will increase the popularity of a business page. It can increase website traffic by including page URLs on posts. Exposing these links to Facebook users can also convert visits into potential business purchases. If people click on your website link then make sure you have a sign up form on the page you direct them to so that they can join your email list. Advertising can be targeted to a particular group of people. Businesses can maximise the creation of Facebook ads for certain people that have listed a particular interest by making these ads appear on the right side of their Facebook pages or in their news feeds. Facebook is the only social media platform that can provide these advantages. Therefore, take the opportunity to use Facebook marketing as it could make a huge difference to your business and ultimately your bottom line. To Your Success! Lindsey x |
AuthorLindsey Archibald is a Journalist, Broadcaster, Digital Marketer, Author and Business Coach. Archives
February 2017
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