Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

7 Ways To Create A Memorable Brand

 

Think of some of your most memorable brand experiences… Were they experiential? Was it something the said? Something they did? Now think of your brand. Do you know how to leave a great brand impression? Are you connecting with your target audience in a way that will help you grow a community of loyal customers?

Here are 7 ways to create a memorable brand and help you connect with your customers in a meaningful way.

1: Develop a strong value proposition

Figuring out who you are targeting and exactly what you have to offer them will be key to figuring out how to create a memorable brand!

2: Put some effort into your brand name

There are a lot of different ways you can come up with a brand name. You can use an existing word, combine words together, come up with a new word altogether, or use an acronym. Regardless of your approach, make sure you think it through and consider these things:

  • Make it personal. Your brand should mean something to you.
  • Keep it simple. Making up new words might sound unique, but you need to educate people more to help them remember it and how to spell it, which takes more resources. Not everyone can come up with a new word and make it stick…

Key Consideration: Brainstorm among your team or with a group of friends or fellow entrepreneurs to help get you on the right track.

3: Think through your visual identity

Your brand is more than just your logo. Before creating any sort of visual identity, you need to figure out what your audience will respond to. Get to know what they like and dislike through market research, social listening, and competitor research. Then you can use your findings to select your brand colours, fonts, and create an impactful logo and wordmark. Once you have your basic brand identity in place, figure out how you want people to see your brand by identifying the types of imagery you want to use and your social media presets (filters, colours, etc).

Key Considerations: Try to step outside of what your competitors are doing when possible to help differentiate yourself.

4: Create your brand personality

Even though you are a company, there is still a person behind the brand – and you are marketing yourself to other people. So think of your brand as a person who has a personality. Your brand personality has everything to do with how you make people feel, how others see you, and the impact you have on your industry, community, and important causes. Are you fun-loving and care-free, using a flippant, conversational tone? Or are you more serious with a professional tone? Regardless of your answer, the only right answer is one that will help you to connect on a deeper level to your customers.

Key Considerations: Take this brand quiz to figure out your brand personality.

5: Consider how your target audience sees you and how you make them feel.

You really should listen when your customers give any sort of feedback related to your brand, customer experience, and overall business dealings. It’s one thing to have an idea of how you want to come across, but it’s a totally different thing when you talk about how you ACTUALLY come across to your target audience.

Key Consideration: Introduce audience listening into your overall strategy.

6: Get comfortable telling your story, not what you do

People relate to and remember stories, but there are likely hundreds or thousands of other businesses who offer the exact same product/service that you do. That is why you should answer “why” instead of “what” when you talk about what you do. Focus on the benefits of your product/service offering rather than the features of what you have to offer.

Key considerations: Figure out the difference between your features and benefits to make a difference in how you talk about your brand.

7: Talk about your brand… a lot

When it comes to marketing your brand, if you want to have a memorable brand you can’t be shy and just hope people discover you. You have to engage with your target audience regularly and consistently. Stay on brand message so you don’t try to be all things to all people. You invested in developing a memorable brand, now let people get to know who you are.

Creating a memorable brand doesn’t have to be difficult, but you do need to put the work in to make sure you have a great business and brand foundation set up.

 

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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How To Grow Your Side Hustle: Four Top Tips

According to new research, the Canadian side hustle is on the rise.

The study by Vistaprint revealed that almost one-quarter (22%) of Canadians have already turned a creative hobby into a side hustle, while a further 60 percent aspire to do so in the future.

Despite many of these side hustles starting out small as a creative interest or hobby, they don’t have to stay small. In fact, of the respondents surveyed, over one-third (38%) hope to grow their business in the coming year.

But where do you begin if you are trying to grow your side hustle? Vistaprint asked successful side business owners for their top tips:

 

Identify growth opportunities

The side hustlers surveyed suggest focusing on the tasks that generate the most cash, as well as setting long-term goals. Looking ahead will help you take your business to the next level, as well as providing perspective on what products or strategies really bring in the most revenue.

You can start by focusing on the tasks that require the least effort but provide the most impact. This might mean scheduling social media posts which drive new sales, rather than responding to low-priority emails, or attending a networking event instead of redesigning a webpage which doesn’t get many visits. Working this way means that you’re less likely to get bogged down by tasks that don’t translate into revenue.

If your ultimate goal is to take your side hustle full-time, identify how much money you will need to be making each month to make that a reality, and brainstorm ideas for reaching that goal. Whether it’s expanding your product line or setting time aside to create a marketing plan, getting a clear idea of ways to grow your revenue will help create a realistic growth timeline.

If taking on more work isn’t a reality right now, creating long-term goals will still push your business into the next stage of growth. Whether you’re hoping to hire your first employee or redesign your website, having these objectives in mind will keep you focused on growth opportunities. Setting challenging, yet achievable goals will also help you feel motivated as you track your progress.

 

Get social media savvy

Social channels like Facebook and Instagram create great opportunities for growing your client base, so building a social media presence for your business is key.

It’s not just about promoting your products online, though. Make sure you create authentic two-way conversations with your customers and share content that they find engaging. A great way to test this is by monitoring your likes and comments on different posts to identify those that get the best response and engagement from your audience, then adapting your social media strategy accordingly.

If you’re not sure about what to share on social media, consider launching a blog where you can answer your customer’s questions. Quality is key here – focus on creating helpful, relevant posts rather than just writing several blog posts a week. If you’re not a natural writer, consider vlogging. You can create short videos about day-to-day life at your business, helping customers connect with your brand.

Facebook is also a great place to build a bank of positive reviews. Most customers are happy to leave a social media review if they are happy with your service – the key is asking for them!

 

Network with like-minded business owners

Networking with other successful business owners is a great way to motivate yourself and build a community to reach out to when you need advice.

Check out networking events in your local area you can attend, and have your business pitch ready, just in case! Brush up on your business card etiquette and be ready to hand out as many business cards as possible. After the event, go through all the business cards you collected and connect with people you met on LinkedIn, or email them to arrange another meet-up.

Keep in mind that networking is a two-way street – ensure you’re willing to help others as well as getting advice and support yourself.

 

Make sure it’s something you enjoy

A side hustle is the perfect opportunity to turn your passion into an income stream, and with more than one-third (38%) of Canadians reporting being unable to find a job related to their interests, it’s no surprise that more and more Canadians are turning a creative hobby into a business.

That said, there’s no denying that having a side hustle means putting in extra hours. In fact, the average Canadian side hustler spends 14 hours per week working on their business. This means that it’s especially important that you enjoy what you’re doing. Late night emailing, after hours brainstorming and cutting into your free time for work events won’t feel like such a chore if you’re truly passionate about what you’re building.

Your customers will respond to this passion for what you do – whether it’s spending more time curating your product line, or providing outstanding customer care, it won’t go unnoticed. Your enthusiasm will encourage customers not only to come back to your business in the future, but also to recommend your products or services to friends and family.

 

By scaling up your side hustle and taking steps to build your online and offline presence, you’ll find it easier to reach long term goals and transition from side hustler to full-time entrepreneur.

By Erin Shea, North American Market Lead at Vistaprint.

Vistaprint is the leading provider of customizable printed and digital marketing materials, empowering millions of Canadian small businesses of any kind to market themselves professionally and affordably.

In Praise of Women Entrepreneurs

 

Entrepreneurs have incredibly full lives. This is even more true for women entrepreneurs with familial responsibilities. Taking care of a home and family takes up more time than our society will ever acknowledge, and then there is the business we gave birth to that occupies most of our waking hours and keeps us up many nights!

I don’t know about you, but despite the many systems put in place over twenty-two years in business, there is always something I remember just as I start dozing off or before I even open my eyes in the morning. Something that needs to be attended to immediately and involves a customer, a supplier, or a team member! And holidays are never 100% holidays, because our business is in our phone and continues to cry for attention all year—and it usually cries harder when you say you are out of range!

Most of us wouldn’t dream of giving up our business for a soul-deadening J-O-B, but sometimes, just sometimes, a little voice asks us if it’s worth it. The voice is loud on days when you feel sick and can’t call in sick. It’s louder on a sunny Sunday when you would rather be out enjoying a stroll like everybody else but must work on a business plan, crunch numbers or develop a client proposal. It’s tinged with guilt on the days when you arrive late to the school activity or stay out for a business dinner and miss the bedtime routine. It’s heavy on the heart on evenings when you are alone in a sterile hotel room instead of snuggled up to a loved one. And it’s loudest of all when despite all your efforts, the bottom line is nothing to smile about and you have to explain to your family and friends why you refuse to hang up your shingle and go work for the government!

And yet, there is a pull to create that enterprise that carries your DNA, that has the potential to make a better life for yourself and your family. In our heart, we know we can make a difference in our community or even the world. There is the excitement of venturing into new territory. There is the challenge and opportunity of learning something new each day. There is the never-ending variety of the work. There is the victory dance when you win big and the thrill of hearing prospects saying yes again and again. There is the warmth of a customer conveying her appreciation and detailing the impact on her life. We entrepreneurs have the power to truly create our life and reinvent ourselves time and time again. What a blessing!

For those of us who are very stubborn like me and decide there is nothing like being your own boss, take heart! We are part of a growing community of women who work for themselves, work from home, work within structures created by us for us. We are shaping the future economy and setting the example for numerous young women following in our footsteps, who will be creating tracks of their own.

We have to remember that ours is not the lonely road we sometimes think it is. We have to know that whatever problem, obstacles, dilemma we have, other businesswomen have experienced and resolved. We have to realize that we all experience the same fears and learn to move forward anyway. I have found other businesswomen to be generous in their coaching and support. I have also never hesitated to take time to share a coffee and ideas with another woman entrepreneur. Maybe it’s a reflection of how women have been socialized, but we thrive in groups and networks where we give and also receive.

As difficult as it is to be a woman entrepreneur, keeping the home fires and the night oil burning, I wouldn’t trade my career for anything. And I know the same is true for most of you. I’m grateful to know so many women are out there making a difference with their passion and hard work, grateful to be a part of this dynamic and supportive community.

I want to thank Canadian Small Business Women for the opportunity to contribute to this blog for the last 6 months. I hope you will continue to reach out to each other and won’t hesitate to reach out to me, if I can be of service.

 

Dominique Dennery

Dennery Resources Inc.

Dominique Dennery is a bilingual coach, facilitator, and management consultant with over twenty years of experience. She has worked with everyone from young adults seeking direction, to mid-career executives looking to become more effective leaders, to high-level boards of directors and executive teams.

 

Co-Author A Book With Us!

Co-Author With Us

Share Your Inspirational Story in A Collaborative Book

ABOUT THE BOOKS
Book 1:
This book is all about inspiration and about changing the narrative of immigrant women world-wide. Learn about these women and how they overcame obstacles, paved pathways and found the courage to do what some thought was the impossible. The goal of this publication is to inspire women all over the world who thrive to become entrepreneurs.
Book 2:
This book is all about inspiration and about changing the narrative of all female entrepreneurs world-wide. Learn about these women and how they overcame obstacles, paved pathways and found the courage to do what some thought was the impossible. The goal of this publication is to inspire women all over the world who thrive to become entrepreneurs.
ABOUT YOUR LEAD AUTHOR
Dwania Peele is the Owner and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Women. A lover of entrepreneurship, volunteering and networking, Dwania strives to inspire aspiring and current entrepreneurs in Canada. While having a Chemistry and Political Science training and education, Dwania is an entrepreneur at heart and has started 2 successful businesses since 2008. In 2013, Canadian Small Business Women began serving as a platform for aspiring and current small business women of Canada. Through e-courses, blogs, online chats, Seminars and Expos, CSBW provides avenues for entrepreneurs to showcase their expertise. Dwania continues to make an impact by appearing as guest speakers at various entrepreneur events and by guest appearances on Panels across the GTA to provide valuable insight to those in need.
WHY YOU?
If you are a woman who runs a successful business and have a story that is sure to inspire, then we would love to hear your story. So, you don’t think you are an author, not to worry. Just write your story. We have an editor on deck who will make it all seamless.
HOW WILL THIS WORK?
Requirements:
  • Submission Length: 15 – 20 pages, single spaced, Arial, 12pt
  • Material: 3 photographs – one being a headshot
  • Submission Deadline:
    • Book 1 Immigrant Women: September 30th, 2019
    • Book 2 Female Entrepreneurs: January 15, 2020
  • Submission Medium: Word Document
  • Investment: (to cover marketing materials and initial print costs): $100
  • Submit all requirements to info@canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca
MARKETING:
  • Launch Date:
    • Book 1: Christmas Season 2019
    • Book 2: March 2020
  • Launch will include exclusive book signing and presentation
  • Author expectations
    • Promotions to your network leading up to book launch date for both Amazon online sales and in person book launch. Our goal is to build interest for an *Amazon 1 day selling rally to make it to the Amazon Best Selling List
    • Social media promotions, email promotions to your network encouraging them to come and see you and your co-authors at the Immigrant Women’s *Small Business Expo to take part in the exclusive book signing
  • We will provide all promotion and marketing material for the book which includes author specific marketing material
  • You will be able to purchase copies of the book at cost to sell to your network
Join us for this unique opportunity to tell your story.
Email us at info@canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca for more details!

Mentorship: a Predictor of Success

During the summer, Diana Davies-Harju, the CMO of Magnifi asked me to talk about the benefits of working with a coach, and mentorship as part of strategic planning at SparkFest. Sparkfest was an evening of networking, learning and inspiration for young tech entrepreneurs.

I was happy to give the talk. Not only because talking to young entrepreneurs is a satisfying experience, but because I’m excited about the potential of Magnifi, too. Magnifi is an app for iPhone that connects people to expert mentors, on demand (the Android version is launching soon!). It’s like Skype or FaceTime, with a built-in meter, and it ties into what I wanted to say about mentorship.

Although these remarks were made to a young audience of high school and university students, the ideas apply to a broader audience so I’m putting it in writing and expanding upon it here.

Hard Knock (Business) Life

Anyone who has been following my blog over the past four or five years knows that I am an advocate for self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Recently, my brother reminded me of something our uncle used to say. “Whatever you do, make it your business,” he’d say, in his deep voice and a super-cool Jamaican accent. He was ahead of his time with his idea about doing what you’re good at and enjoy, knowing that the money will follow. He also appreciated the value of remaining in control of one’s destiny and livelihood.

In my opinion, it’s exciting and impressive to start or run your own business, at any age. But when you’re in high school or university, you don’t have as much education from the school of hard knocks as older entrepreneurs do. This means that you have your work cut out for you. Similarly, when you’re in the earlier stages of your career, there are lots of hidden obstacles that you only see in hindsight.

Thankfully, and especially currently, you really don’t have to learn everything the hard way. That’s a dangerous and expensive way to learn and grow a business or make progress in your career. It’s much smarter, safer, and cheaper, to learn as much as you can from others.

This is where I want to come back to Magnifi. One of the best qualities of the Magnifi app and community is it provides access to advisors and experts, across a range of domains. For instance, on the Magnifi platform, you can get career advice (from yours truly), dating and relationship advice (check out Susan Winter), or guidance on making the most of your media exposure (with support from Amber Nasrulla).

Magnifi gives you access to expertise and mentorship-by-the-minute when you need it. You can use it once, or you can use it once a day if you want to. Because you pay by the minute, it doesn’t have to be costly to bounce an idea off an expert. This also means that you don’t need to commit to a long-term arrangement or contract to get high-quality information or advice.

Mentorship is for Protégés

Some people are reluctant to ask for help because they think it’s a sign of weakness. In the world of entrepreneurship, weakness is a quality that most people avoid. I don’t consider participation in mentorship a weakness. Here’s why. In any mentorship relationship, there’s a mentor and a mentee or protégé. I prefer the term protégé because protégés are known for their talent and potential.

According to Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs had seven mentors. Yes, Steve Jobs was a protégé to no less than seven actual mentors. When I first learned this, I found it surprising, since Jobs had a reputation for being an independent thinking “tech cowboy.”

The folklore around Jobs was that he did what he thought was appropriate regardless of what others said or the trends of the day. The reality was different. He had several mentors for different stages and aspects of his life. One of his mentors was Robert Friedland whom he met while auditing university courses. Friedland taught Jobs about selling and persuasion, two skills that Jobs mastered and used throughout his life. Friedland also owned an apple orchard – that influence is obvious.

Bob Noyce was another of Jobs’ mentors. Noyce is credited with inventing the microchip and giving Jobs’ a tremendous insider’s perspective in the early days of the tech industry. A third mentor was a Zen Master named Kobun Chino Otagawa. Otagawa officiated at Jobs’ wedding. A more public and pervasive example of Otagawa’s impact is the minimalist design aesthetic that’s now one of the qualities for which Apple is known.

Clearly, the impact of these mentors is seen all over the business strategy that was so vital to the success of Apple. What’s also clear to me is that although much of the mythology around Jobs is his independent-tech-cowboy reputation for doing what he liked and not following others, he was influenced by his mentors.

Eventually, later in his career, Jobs evolved from being the protégé who received advice from several mentors to becoming a mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google.

One takeaway idea that comes from these examples of mentorship is that receiving mentorship shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of weakness, it should be seen as a predictor of greatness. So, whether you’re just starting your career or your business or you’ve been at it for a while, find ways to learn from mentors, formally and informally. We can all have multiple mentors and we can learn different things from different people.

 

Actions Speak Louder than Words

A second message that I shared with the young tech entrepreneurs is a lesson that I learned from an incidental mentor whom I met early on in my journey as a self-employed person. He said:

 “How you do something is how you do everything.”

In other words, how you do one thing is an indication of how you do everything. For example, a typo in an email, blog post, or a printed letter can easily be interpreted as a sign of carelessness. Failing to call or send an email that you promised to send is a signal that you’re unreliable.

On the surface, this is unusual advice to share with young tech entrepreneurs. Most people would focus on technology or business plans, and overlook this important detail. In my experience, this simple advice is very impactful. Not understanding and executing on this one notion can undermine the success of your product or service.

 

If you’re curious about mentorship and you’re not sure where to start, I invite you to contact me by email or book a free initial phone call. If you prefer messaging via social media, then send me a direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Of course, I’m also on Magnifi.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

4 ways you might be getting too personal with your business social media

In an age of “authentic” marketing, it can be easy to see where brands might accidentally blur the lines between business and personal – especially if you’re a smaller business with a smaller team. When it comes to social media, because it’s supposed to be social and you are interacting with other humans, a personal touch is nice – but you have to remember you are still interacting as your brand and not you. You need to stick to your brand voice and your brand personality.

 

Here are four ways that you might be getting too personal with your business social media and why it might not work in your favour.

 

#1: Your brand is on a particular social media platform because you like it, not because your audience does

When you launch your business – and all of the decisions leading up to that moment – everything has to be about your customer. Your business can’t thrive if it doesn’t have customers. All of your marketing choices should be made based on your audience behaviour. If you are too focused on doing things just because you want to rather than listening to what they want, then you are likely missing the mark. If you have selected your social media platforms because you personally like them but you haven’t taken into account where your audience likes to hang out on social media, then you might be finding it hard to connect with them.

Perhaps you know how to use one specific social media platform but not the one you should actually be on. In that case, make sure you educate yourself or hire someone to do it for you!

#2: Every other photo on your brand account is of you, your friends, your baby, or your dog

It’s great to show the human side behind your brand, but if the majority of our content is TOO personal, then your audience won’t really get to know your brand. They will only get to know you as a person. People want to hear about your brand and what you have to offer, not what you did with your family on the weekend. You can absolutely do some behind the scenes shots of the day-to-day of your business, but make sure they are carefully curated and inserted into your content strategy.

#3: You use your business accounts to regularly post political rants

We live in a very politically charged climate. Politics are one of those things that is extremely polarizing, and this can have a negative effect on your brand if you are too focused on your political views and not enough on your business and what you have to offer. Its ok to take a stand for something, but it’s not ok to position your brand as that crazy person no one wants to be locked in a room with.

#4: Not everyone will think you’re funny

It’s great to have a sense of humour as a brand, but it’s not great to use it when it alienates your audience. Make sure that before you launch into your next joke you won’t be offending the people who would buy from you. If you’re the only one laughing, it’s going to make it tough to successfully reach your potential customers.

While you should have fun with your business social media – and be social – you also need to make sure that you aren’t crossing the line and becoming too personal with your strategy. You need to step back every-so-often and remind yourself that your business social media strategy is there to help you market your business.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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A Tale of Two Banks: Why Service Still Rules

There are many courses available on client service, but we can never hear too often the importance of delivering on your promise of excellent service. As entrepreneurs it’s vital we make people feel welcome and respected.

I recently had to deal with two different banks within an hour of each other. Bank A and Bank B both have very similar branding and advertising. They’re on the customer’s side; they’re friendly and willing to help; they care about small businesses, seniors, and young people just starting out. Their advertising is warm and welcoming, not cold or corporate.

One bank lived up to these promises; one definitely did not.

 

Bank A: Scolding and Cold

If you’re actually visiting a bank, it’s because you’ve already tried to do what you need to do online; you finally tried live chat support; then you called the customer service centre. Most of us avoid banks like the plague, and going in person is a last resort for when we’re confused or frustrated by a banking issue.

As I stood in line at Bank A, my stomach sank. Just watching other customers deal with their issues let me know how my complicated banking requests were going to be received. A young woman was being scolded for not having activated her bank card yet; someone else was being admonished for wanting to withdraw large amounts of cash to pay tradespeople rather than accepting a money order. When I finally approached the counter, the teller was immediately irritated at the complexity of my question. She went to get someone else, who arrived without having been briefed, so I had to start all over again. Even though their entire job was to assist clients, I felt like I was bothering them with my requests.

Think about your business. Do you tell people they’re asking for your services wrong? If they don’t follow a set procedure, do you let them know you’re not interested in working with them? Set processes are important to a streamlined business, but we can become too attached to our own processes at the expense of our clients’ comfort.

 

Bank B: Humane and Warm

Oh, what a difference a good bank makes!

I entered Bank B exhausted and upset from my dealings with Bank A. But from the moment I walked in, I knew this bank lived up to its marketing. The line to the tellers was short; the tellers and the clients were smiling and chatting. The person in front of me was treated with kid gloves; while I was waiting the woman beside me was treated very well too. When my teller returned after she went to get help from a supervisor with my complicated request, she chatted with me about soccer rather than staring at her computer and ignoring me as the teller at Bank A had done.

The details of my banking don’t matter, but it’s important to note that I was asking for some perks to be grandfathered in even though it was going to be applied to what was technically a new account. The benefits I was asking for are no longer offered and shouldn’t have been applied to this “new” product, yet the supervisor smiled and said she understood why I was asking and said that it was okay with her for my request to go through. They did everything they could to accommodate me, including making exceptions to their own rules, making me feel valued as a customer and respected as a person.

Clients need to feel empowered, not belittled; in control, not dominated by a company’s Byzantine rules.

 

Be Bank B!

Those two experiences, separated only by an hour and a few minutes of driving, were such a clear reminder of the importance of respecting and honouring my clients. When clients want to change something in their contract or spend a longer time on a piece of work, understand that they have their reasons and shouldn’t be shamed for wanting to adjust something. Bank A would say, “No, we have our contract and you can’t change it now.” Bank B would say “Let’s see how we can help.” I let clients know that there will be extra cost for extra work, but I also look for other areas I can trim to make their budget work for them.  There’s no need to be condescending about it!

How you treat people matters just as much as, if not more than, what you do for them. As a solopreneur or small business, how are you treating people? How are you making them feel? Do you insist on following your own processes and procedures to the letter, or do you bend your rules to accommodate your clients’ special circumstances and desires?

 

 

Dominique Dennery is a bilingual coach, facilitator, and management consultant with over twenty years of experience. She has worked with everyone from young adults seeking direction, to mid-career executives looking to become more effective leaders, to high-level boards of directors and executive teams.

 

Dominique’s main focus is on connections: connecting people with their purpose, connecting team members with each other, connecting all of us with the world so that our lives are as meaningful and impactful as possible.  Sign up for monthly blogs & podcasts.

https://dominiquedennery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DDennerycoaching/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquedennery/

We All Need a Cheering Section

Give me a “T”, give me an “E”, give me an “A”, give me an “M” … you get the message, you and your virtual assistant are a TEAM!  And teams work together, support each other, and grow together. That’s what this blog is about – growing together.

I talked about hiring the skillset you need. It is really important that you hire someone who has the knowledge and skills to support you. I’m going to be a bit contradictory here and say that it is also important that you allow for growth and learning.

Let’s face it, we don’t all know everything and especially with technology, change is constant. So as much as you want to be structured and have someone with the knowledge of your current systems, you also want to be open to having someone learn. Learning makes us better, makes us smarter, keeps us enticed and energized.

Growth is a huge part of our success. Just as you are learning new ways to manage your business, your VA is learning new ways to support that. What is so important in any team and growth opportunity is being patient, being open to new ideas, and sharing thoughts and opinions.

I had an experience recently that frustrated me. I had a prospective client who I shared an image with – a stock photo for an event she was planning. It was very different than what she was looking for. The image caught my attention because it reflected to me what would draw me to her event as an attendee. She was so offended by the image and that I would suggest it to her. I had no intention of offending this person, her brand, or her image. I apologized and explained why I shared it as an idea. I just wanted to share a different viewpoint. She could not see that and was very upset with me. Needless to say, we are not a good fit to work together.

For me, it’s truly important that both the client and the VA can share openly and continue to learn. In the situation above, having learned that this client did not want to go in that direction, I would have never shared such an image again. That, to me, is part of growing together. Experiencing and sharing different viewpoints and different avenues so that we either narrow down the business strategy or we expand the business strategy – either is okay.

Grow together as a team and be cheerleaders for each other! Because who doesn’t like a cheering section!

 

 

Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Sign up for monthly Tips & App Features.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

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Important Announcement

Dwania McLarty- Peele, founder and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Woman took to social media to apologize after cancelling her scheduled annual Immigrant Women Small Business Expo in Toronto .

 A couple of  months prior to the scheduled event, Dwania was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering lumps in her right breast. The tumors have since been removed and she is now undergoing various tests to assess what measures will be taken next.  “This decision was made with a heavy heart,” said Dwania Peele. “I wouldn’t host an event if I couldn’t do it at my absolute best. Right now I have to focus on my health and well being.” Ms.Peele is in good spirits stating

“This is out of my control. I am alive, able bodied and I’m spending a great deal of time with my family and friends. I’m not going to say that cancer has changed my life for the better. However; this disease made me far more patient, and gave me yet another cause to fight for.”

Dwania has been in communication to those who have been a part of Canadian Small Business Women throughout the years. She sends her deepest apologies to all the supporters of Canadian Small Business Women for any inconvenience this might cause. She is heart-broken to have to cancel this Expo. She sends her gratitude to participating vendors, sponsors, speakers, special guests, staff, attendees, and those who’ve helped behind the scenes with putting this event together.

 Candian Small Business Women will continue to operate as a hub for women to support, network, and grow together. Dwania Peele looks forward to a speedy recovery and being back on the conference floor for 2020.

In support of changing the future of Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Research,  Canadian Small Business Women invites you to support CIBC Run For The Cure. We invite you to run or walk with us on October 6th, 2019 in Toronto. With 1 in 8 Canadian women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, your support matters more than ever.

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Link: https://secure2.convio.net/cco/site/SPageServer?pagename=RFTC_NW_home

  1. Race Location: Toronto
  2. Team Name: October’s Finest Boobs
  3. Fee: $40
  4. Race Date: October 6th, 2019

 

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9 Ways to Create a Beautiful Instagram Feed

Are you on Instagram for business? Part of your Instagram strategy is to determine the look and feel of your profile. You want to create a cohesive and consistent visual experience for your community that enhances your brand and what it has to offer. This can be challenging because it requires a keen eye and a little planning ahead on your part, but here are 9 tips to help you create the best possible Instagram feed for your brand.

  1. Set your Instagram goals: Why are you even on Instagram? Do you want to create a community of engaged followers? Do you want to sell products? Do you want to educate your followers? The reasons you are on Instagram will drive you to create certain aesthetics on your feed.
  2. Find inspiration from other brands and influencers: There are a number of brands who are killing it on Instagram. If others have found the magic formula, it’s ok to get inspired by them for your own account. If it isn’t brands, make sure you are connecting with and following some of your favourite influencers. Instagram influencers have such strong aesthetics that you can tell who they are immediately.
  3. Get inspired by your surroundings: You don’t want to be something you’re not. For example, if you don’t have a dedicated office and you choose to work in coffee shops, co-working spaces, and at home, you should create an aesthetic that mirrors that. Look out the window, check out the people around you, and try to convey the general feel of your everyday brand through the photos you post on Instagram. It’s easier to work with what you know.
  4. Define your look: Set guidelines for yourself related to the filters you use to edit your images, fonts used for overlays, your colour palette (also known as colour story), shooting perspective, etc. Like you put together your brand guidelines in the beginning to create consistency across channels, you create these guidelines (sometimes called presets) to create consistency on your Instagram feed.
  5. Be flexible: While it’s good to have guidelines to follow, make sure you aren’t being TOO rigid. Remember, there is a beauty to a little spontaneity. Social media is about being social and you need to be driven by feel as much as you are driven by the details.
  6. Plan ahead: Social media should feel spontaneous, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit down each day to think about what to post. You need to think about the bigger picture and create a content strategy that will drive your activity each day. If you plan at least a week ahead with your posts, you can focus on engaging directly with your followers more organically each day.
  7. Create a library of images: This is about more than just planning ahead, it’s about working smarter, not harder. You should consider creating a library of images you can choose from. Most people do this to get images to use in marketing materials and on their website. But you have to think beyond those channels and apply the same process to your social media. If you put together a month’s worth of images in one photo shoot, you can easily plan out your colour story by coordinating outfit changes, backgrounds, lighting, etc.
  8. Use Instagram stories for spontaneous moments: Instagram stories provide a unique opportunity to showcase the day-to-day life of your brand as well as live events and your product/service offerings. Be sure to create highlights of your best Instagram stories to keep that content living on your profile permanently.
  9. Invest in photography: Consider hiring a professional photographer to help you get the look and feel you want for your Instagram feed. Taking photos for social media might seem easy – your cousin’s son’s friend does it all the time! But when it comes to carefully curating your brand’s social media, you want to take extra care to present a cohesive look that helps to connect people to your brand in a meaningful way.

Creating the perfect Instagram feed for your brand profile can be challenging, but if you approach it in the right way you can have a lot of fun with it.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

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A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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PERSEVERANCE

Portrait of Dominique Dennery

What makes someone an effective entrepreneur? I found one piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place recently: a series of airports.

THE DEPARTURE, DAY ONE

My beloved niece was getting married in Philadelphia, and I was flying direct from Ottawa. Unfortunately, the day of the flight there was a huge thunderstorm, in Philadelphia, bordering on a hurricane, and when I arrived early for my flight on Thursday, I was told the plane was delayed because we wouldn’t be able to land in Philadelphia.

Hours later, the storm moved out of Philadelphia and we boarded the plane. But by the time we were on the tarmac, there was a thunderstorm in Ottawa. We were told not to worry, as the tires were rubber, but it was genuinely terrifying to be sitting in a metal capsule surrounded by lightning. Of course, the ground crew couldn’t work during those conditions, and they waited until the final drops of rain had stopped. Finally, we could be on our way! Except…by then a second wave of the enormous almost-hurricane had hit Philadelphia, so even though Ottawa was clear, we couldn’t fly out.

We were deplaned and told us to see if we could be rerouted. I went to join the very long line at the counter; it was by now the end of the day, and there was not a single flight left to be found leaving Ottawa, Montreal, or Toronto the next day, Friday. There was a rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding itself was on Saturday, and we really, really wanted to make it—but it wasn’t looking good.

To make matters worse, my son had taken an indirect flight on Thursday, stopping in Toronto. His flight couldn’t get to Philadelphia either, and he couldn’t get back to Ottawa on the airline he’d taken to Toronto, so he changed airlines, retrieved all his luggage, and finally flew back to Ottawa at 2 a.m., two hours after I did. We’d each spent twelve hours on fruitless “travel” and we were exhausted.

The airline agent told us that if we could get to Watertown, New York, we could get a flight to Philadelphia on Friday. So I started calling around to find transportation to Watertown. We couldn’t rent a car in Canada and leave it in the US (we were still flying back from Philadelphia), and we couldn’t get a bus. I couldn’t figure out how I’d get my car back if I took my own. Eventually a friend of a friend of a friend who was a taxi driver agreed to take us (for $300 Canadian, plus gas. Desperate times!).

THE DEPARTURE, DAY TWO

I texted my son to say I’d pick him up at 7:15 a.m. to catch an 11:00 a.m. flight in Watertown. On Friday, we got to Watertown in pouring rain but no lightning—we were finally on our way! We boarded the plane and started to taxi to the runway when the plane started making a loud clicking, clunking sound. The pilot tells us we have to go back to the airport due to a mechanical problem.

So we headed back to the airport, and I was first in line for rerouting. They told us the mechanic would be there soon and we should leave by 2 p.m., but there were no other flights to Philadelphia that day, and I wasn’t taking any chances! I told the airline to get us in a taxi to Syracuse, and to get us on a flight to Philadelphia from Syracuse. They agreed.

Just before we got the taxi, I looked at the documents the airline has just given me and I realize they didn’t give me a boarding pass. My son jumped out to get us boarding passes. We were about to leave again when I checked and realized they had put me on the wrong flight, so he went back to the airline and got me another boarding pass—for the right flight this time.

THE ARRIVAL!

Two hours later, we were finally at the Airbnb my sister had rented, and had just enough time to shower and get to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding on Saturday was beautiful, and we were both so glad to have made it. Those many hours of travel were worth it!

THE STUBBORNNESS

If it’s tiring to read about, it was absolutely ridiculous to live. I know that most people would’ve given up a long time before I did, and I have been trying to figure out what made me hang in there for so long. What character trait makes someone decide that nothing will stop them from their goal?

My son is a very persistent, self-made businessman doing very well for himself. He’s intelligent and hardworking. And even he was ready to give up entirely on the trip after the first-day debacle. So what’s the difference, what make someone so stubborn that they’ll only move forward?

Knowing when to let go is an important skill, knowing when you’ve learned a lesson and need to stop investing in a project because it’s time to move on. But there are also times when you need to stick with your idea and goal and make something happen no matter what. What’s the difference between the two? When do you stop being stubborn and realize that there’s another path, a better way, and when do you refuse to rest until you’ve reached your goal?

For me, I think it depends on the ultimate goal. In the case of this ridiculous travel adventure, my wonderful niece was having a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and I wanted desperately to be there with her and the rest of my family.

IF THE GOAL IS BIG ENOUGH, PERSEVERANCE KICKS IN

So maybe if your goal is bigger, if what you aspire to is big, then you will make the sacrifices to get there. If your goal is to change your part of the world and to give opportunities to people or help people become better versions of themselves or help resolve conflict or make sure that art is an agent of transformation in your city or create a business that will make people’s lives easier—if you have that bigger goal—then you will stop at nothing to make it happen.

If the goal is smaller and doesn’t come from a fire in the belly, then it’s easier (and appropriate) to let go.

Right after I started out on the road to entrepreneurship, my husband got extremely sick. I looked at my husband in the ICU, my ten-hear-old son, and my mortgage, and thought hmm, maybe this isn’t the best time to go out on my own. When my old company found out about what had happened, they even offered me my old job back. But I couldn’t ignore the fire in my belly. I had a vision for how I wanted to affect the world, and I knew I had to see it through. With great support at home and with the business, especially from one wonderful sister, I moved forward with my plan. That was 23 years ago and I’ve never regretted it.

WHAT’S YOUR PHILADELPHIA?

Check in with your own belly. What fire burns there? What makes you want to do it no matter what? What makes you come alive when you think about it? Which goal would you persevere to obtain no matter what? Whatever your answer, start doing that.

As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

What’s the big dream you’d go to absurd lengths to achieve?

And what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to get to somewhere?

https://dominiquedennery.com/perseverance/perseverance/

 

Dominique Dennery has had her own HR consulting business for over twenty years. She is also an award-winning facilitator, coach, and sculptor.

Connect with Dominique

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Let the Fun Begin

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” –Helen Keller

Let’s face it, when you work alone you have control over every little bitty piece of your information. Now that you’ve hired a virtual assistant (or other support), you have to let go of some of that information. I know it’s hard. It can be really, really, really hard. It’s understandable.

You need to build the trust first. Then it becomes easier. The best advice I can give in this area is to start with one or two small projects that you can give to someone else. Sounds easy, right?

Here are some tips that may help:

  1. Passwords – If you can set up separate login account and passwords for your support person, then do it.  If you can’t, use a password manager such as LastPass.  This way you can easily share or revoke access.
  2. Your Brand – Be ready to share your brand: your logos, your colour palates, your likes/dislikes. Make sure your new “partner” knows how you like to be represented.
  3. Cloud Storage – Share documents via cloud storage rather than email back and forth.  You’ll save yourself lots of emails and time and always have the most recent information at hand. If you’re concerned about access, copy your files into a shared folder on a cloud so that you keep the original files prior to sharing. This way should anything be changed that you don’t like, you have an original back up.
  4. Communicate – Give your VA the time they deserve!  Have regular calls where you can discuss the tasks and give them opportunity to ask for clarification.
  5. Be patient – We all need to learn and we all need time to learn.

I have to say that the best support I have given are with the clients that give me their gift of time. You can’t hire someone and then decide you don’t have time for them. Throwing out a project at the last minute isn’t fair to them or you. You won’t get the best support or quality work. Be prepared to spend some good solid hours with your VA.

I stressed in the previous blogs the importance of being prepared well in advance and searching for the right skillset. In doing those two steps prior to hiring, you will be ahead of the game. You will create a mindset of working with someone and it will be a thousand times easier to start the relationship on the right track.

Let the fun begin … and next month we’ll talk about watching the fun grow!

 

 

Marianne D’Alessandro

TimeFlies-Admin Services

Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Sign up for monthly Tips & App Features.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

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How should you set up your business? Part 3: What is “the Corporation”

In Part 1 and 2 of this series I discussed “the sole proprietorship” and “the partnership” in greater detail. I took a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each business structure, along with various things to consider when deciding which structure is best suited for your business.

In this third and final part of the series, I am going to explore “the corporation” in greater detail. I will discuss what a corporation is, and set out some of its pros and cons that you may want to consider when deciding whether a corporation is a suitable structure for your business.

What is a corporation?

A corporation is an entity that has a separate legal existence from its ‘owners’, the shareholders. A corporation can own property, carry on business and be liable for the obligations that it incurs. A corporation will have three distinct parties: directors, officers and shareholders who will all have different roles and responsibilities within the corporation.

What are the “pros” of a corporation?

  • A corporation is considered a separate legal entity, which means that a shareholder’s liability is limited through what is referred to as the ‘corporate veil’. If this is compared to a sole proprietorship or partnership, where the business and personal assets of a sole proprietor or partner can be seized to fulfill an obligation, this is an attractive quality of a corporation.
  • Potential tax perks i.e. the Small Business Deduction (please contact your accountant for further information).

What are the “cons” of a corporation?

  • Higher initial start- up costs, and more complex set-up procedures.
  • More cumbersome and expensive to maintain. For example, a corporation is required to file an annual corporate tax return.
  • The limited liability of shareholders and directors via the ‘corporate veil’ can be penetrated in certain circumstances.

Should you decide that a corporation is the right structure for your business, what are some other things you might want to consider?

  1. Should you incorporate provincially, or federally?
  2. What should be considered when appointing directors and officers to the corporation?

 

Disclaimer: A solicitor-client relationship is not established by viewing this article and will not be established until confirmed by the solicitor and client in writing. This article is not legal advice but legal information only, and cannot be relied upon for its completeness. If you have specific questions contact a lawyer in your jurisdiction. 

Jennifer Wilowski is a lawyer licenced to practice law in the province of Ontario. She is a Partner and co-founder at Anton & Wilowski LLP, a general practice boutique law firm in Mississauga, Ontario. Her main areas of practice include Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Wills & Estates Law, Civil Litigation and Cannabis Law.

Connect with Jennifer:

Website: https://www.antonwilowski.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-wilowski-183817181/

 

 

Hiring Is Like Dating. Do You Need To Up Your Game?

Many employers treat hiring like a blind date, hoping for “love at first sight.” They spend a little bit of time with a candidate. They ask some basic questions, then ask a few more questions as they come to mind. They think they have the job candidate all figured out, so they “propose” and attempt to seal the deal with a job offer. I know that a job offer is not quite the same as making a marriage proposal after one or two dates, so what could go wrong?

A lot can go wrong. A bad hire is almost always costly – it’s just a matter of how much it’s going to cost. A bad hire can have a far-reaching impact on morale, productivity and client relationships. Take a look at this article by Intuit QuickBooks on the costs of bad hiring.

When I work with employers as an HR Consultant, I like to ask them what they’d like their next employee to bring to the job and what things the right employee can learn on the job. I call this the “Bring vs. Learn Concept.”

When considering the fit between the position and a potential hire, it makes the most sense to look at what can be learned on the job and what an employee needs to bring to the job on day one. This one concept can help you focus on the right things when interviewing and comparing job applicants.

Many jobs require specific knowledge from day one — education and training and other types of credentials. Nobody, to use one of my favourite examples, wants their dentist to be learning how to fix teeth on the job. They need to have adequate training and competence before they start to work.

Soft skills are often hard to improve or develop. For example, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, tact, judgment are very hard to teach. Soft skills are the things that great job candidates should bring with them into the job because they are so much harder to develop. They are also hardest to determine from a typical interview. Just like during a date, both sides are putting on a bit of a show for the person across the table. How can you drill down, and find out who a person really is, when he or she is doing everything possible to make sure you can’t?

It’s important to hire well and cost-effectively. If you know someone who has learned the hard way or wants to avoid learning the hard way, consider a new approach to hiring. By using Industrial/Organizational Psychology principles and techniques, I have created some very effective screening tools that allow me to assess behaviour as it relates to work.  I/O Psychology is also known as business psychology or work psychology. As an I/O psychologist, I have access to the best practices and processes that are also used in some of the world’s most successful companies and by I/O psychologists who share their applied research findings.

 

Do you need help navigating the world of human resources and work? Contact Dr. Helen today for a free and confidential initial consultation by phone, email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. She can develop interview questions and/or simulations to determine which job applicants have the essentials to hit the ground running, and are capable of learning the rest after they start.

In some situations, when you don’t need a full hour, especially when it’s urgent information-by-the-minute via the Magnifi app is a very practical option.

Have you ever wished you could get inside the head of a hiring manager? You can. Dr. Helen Ofosu is a Career Coach/Counsellor with a difference. She has worked for organizations to create hiring and screening tools. She’s created countless pre-screening tests, interviews, simulations, and role plays for organizations of all kinds.

Dr. Helen’s training in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology means she is a genuine expert in evaluating work-related behaviours. She uses those skills to help hiring managers tell the difference between people who say the right things during interviews and people who actually deliver on the job. In other words, Dr. Helen understands first-hand how job candidates are assessed.

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.

8 Ways to Get More Instagram Followers

There is no short cut to getting more Instagram followers. While there are companies out there that say they can guarantee to get you your first 1,000 followers – or 10,000 or whatever the number is – chances are they are buying followers. While you might think it’s ok to boost your numbers in the beginning because it adds credibility, you need to give your target audience more credit. They will know your followers are fake. And what is the point in building a marketing strategy if you aren’t going to engage with real customers? You can have a million followers, but little to no engagement.

So how do you grow your Instagram following to connect with even a fraction of the over 500 million daily active Instagram users? And what should your goals be when it comes to getting Instagram followers?

Here are 8 tips to help you get more Instagram followers the right way.

USE HASHTAGS – IN THE RIGHT WAYS

Hashtags are an incredible tool to help you find and connect with your target audience – not to spam them with a long list of the same hashtags on each post. There are a few ways you can use hashtags to grow your Instagram following.

  1. Use popular hashtags to join in on existing dialogue. Your target audience likely already engages with specific hashtags from competitors and other general Instagram accounts. They also use the search function to seek out new content. Using hashtags that they are already using makes it easier to find your content.
  2. Create a dedicated hashtag for your brand so your audience can follow and track your content. Make sure you don’t just use it on Instagram because no one will know it’s there! Promote it across all of your marketing channels – digital and otherwise.

MAKE SURE PEOPLE RECOGNIZE YOU

Instagram allows you to play around with the visual identity of your brand. This goes beyond your logo and branding. You also need to think about how your Instagram profile looks. To create a recognizable visual identity on Instagram, you should consider your overall themes, colours, and fonts. Your profile should be carefully curated when it comes to both style and content. And don’t forget that you can and should also brand everything you create.

SET UP YOUR PROFILE PROPERLY

A well-set up social media profile can make the difference between success and failure. Two features worth mentioning are your Instagram bio and making sure you write a great one that will allow you to be found. The other thing you should consider is changing up your profile URL – give people a reason to go to your IG profile page – and your website. One way you can do this is to post blogs regularly and include a post with a call to action that send people to read your blog.

FOCUS ON CONTENT

Your Instagram content doesn’t have to be overly produced, but it does need to be quality content. This means producing visuals that aren’t pixelated, are on brand and branded, provide value, etc. Even more, to get more Instagram followers your content needs to appeal to your target audience – which means you need to figure out what they like. If they like your content, they will follow you to see more.

BE SOCIAL

Social media should be social. If you are looking to get more Instagram followers like and comment on other brand and user content and follow other people. Instagram users are more likely to follow you if you follow them – it’s been proven. Try to follow people that would be part of your target audience. You can do this by looking at the types of accounts they follow and checking out the engagement on other content.

GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Post and engage when your audience is on Instagram. You can figure this out if you have a business profile by looking at your Instagram analytics. If you don’t have a business profile, it will take some trial and error, but you can also consider when your competitors post their content and how engaged their followers are. If that doesn’t work, then you can use good old trial and error, but make sure you track when and what you are posting.

If you already have followers on Instagram, don’t be afraid to ask them what they want to see from you.

Lastly, consider creating a strategy to reach your target audience that is hyper local by using geotagging on your posts. Your content will be more visible to those that are local to you.

COLLABORATE WITH INFLUENCERS

A great way to expand your reach on Instagram if you don’t yet have a lot of followers (of if you do have a good number of followers and you just want more) is to engage Influencers as part of your strategy. This allows you to amplify your reach through their community of followers.

INCLUDE CALLS TO ACTION

Calls to action are one of the most important things to include in any of your marketing tactics. If you want more followers, ask people to follow you! Ask them to visit your profile. Tell them what you want from them so it creates a path of least resistance.

It can sometimes feel like you are screaming into a giant content vacuum on social media. And when you spend the time to create great visuals on Instagram you want them to be found by an engaged audience who will become customers. Getting more Instagram followers isn’t necessarily easy – it takes hard work and dedication – but it is doable.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

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