Telecommuting During COVID-19: How to Stay Productive When Working at Home
YouTube Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
3 Ways to Stay Productive with Kids Around Infographic: 50 Great Blog Ideas
10 Reasons to Outsource Your Email Marketing 7 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Bring Results
MotivationandSuccess.com May 2020 FREE
Todd Gongwer -
An Intimate and Honest Discussion
INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Lorem Ipsum
Marketing Calendar- pg. 3
Learn some of the most effective productivity tips for telecommuters in May's SHOTCALLERS!
Telecommuting During COVID-19: How to Stay Productive When Working at Home - pg. 4
We are dedicated to helping you navigate your business through this unprecedented time. As more and more companies turn to telecommuting to keep their doors open during the pandemic, we have tips to ensure that you and your employees stay productive even while working from home. We also have some special hints for those working at home with kids underfoot.
Todd Gongwer - An Intimate and Honest Discussion- pg. 7
Since foot traffic is low for all businesses right now, we share YouTube marketing tips that work well for small businesses. And keep reading to find seven innovative social media marketing strategies that don't just get people talking, but that also bring results. Email marketing is more important than ever, so we cover ten reasons you should consider outsourcing this vital task. Then we look at some surprising small business trends for 2020.
10 Reasons to Outsource Your Email Marketing- pg. 16
This month in Meet & Greet, sports and business collide when I talk to bestselling author, speaker, and leadership and cultural development teacher, Todd Gongwer about his book, Lead . . . for God's Sake! Todd took time out from his busy schedule to talk with me about the creation of his fictional parable, some of the ways people can learn to deal with social media madness and his methods for walking in peace and joy even during the midst of our current troubling situations. So take some time for you during these stressful days, and get pumped with May's issue of SHOTCALLERS! Yours, Dennis M. Postema Publisher & Founding Editor P.S. It’s a difficult time for businesses, and SHOTCALLERS is here to help you weather the changes. Make sure you share this volume with other business leaders and direct them to visit MotivationandSuccess.com to sign up for their free subscription! The content in Shotcallers Magazine is made available on the terms and conditions that the publisher, editors, contributors and relatied parties; shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party; disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause; are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken by any person, organization or any party on basis of reading information, or contributions in this publication, website or related product.
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3 Ways to Stay Productive with Kids Aroundpg. 14
YouTube Marketing Tips for Small Businesses - pg. 19 7 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Bring Results - pg. 21 Fun Facts- pg. 24 Infographic - 50 Great Blog Ideas - pg. 25
Marketing Calendar Plan your marketing messages around these upcoming holidays and proclamations.
May 5th - Hoagie Day 6th - Skilled Trades Day 6th - Nurses Day 8th - Military Spouse Appreciation Day 9th - Miniature Golf Day 9th - Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Day 10th - Shrimp Day 11th - Miniature Golf Day 13th - Apple Pie Day 15th - Dinosaur Day 15th - Pizza Party Day 15th - Bike to Work Day 15th - NASCAR Day 16th - Armed Forces Day 24th - Scavenger Hunt Day 24th - Neighbor Day 24th - Indianapolis 500 25th - Brown-Bag It Day 25th - Wine Day 25th - Hamburger Day 25th - Missing Children’s Day
Mental Health Awareness Month Military Appreciation Month Employee Health & Fitness Month National Pet Month National Barbecue Month National Blood Pressure Month National Hamburger Month May 1 - May Day May 5 - Cinco de Mayo (US) May 10 - Mother’s Day May 25 - Memorial Day (US) 1st - Batman Day 1st - National Space Day 2nd - Free Comic Book Day 2nd - Fitness Day 3rd - Two Different Colored Shoes Day 4th - Star Wars Day 5th - Teacher Appreciation Day
June Camping Month Dairy Month PTSD Awareness Month Great Outdoors Month Zoo & Aquarium Month June 14 - Flag Day (US) June 21 - Father’s Day June 20 - First Day of Summer (US) 1st - Oscar the Grouch Day 1st - Heimlich Maneuver Day 1st - Go Barefoot Day 1st - Say Something Nice Day 2nd - Leave The Office Early Day 5th - World Environment Day 5th - Hot Air Baloon Day 6th - Yo-Yo Day 7th - Animal Rights Day 7th - Cancer Survivor’s Day 3
7th - Chocolate Ice Cream Day 8th - Best Friends Day 9th - Donald Duck Day 11th - Corn on the Cob Day 12th - Superman Day 14th - World Blood Donor Day 14th - Bourbon Day 15th - Nature Photography Day 15th - Worldwide Day of Giving 16th - Fudge Day 18th - Picnic Day 19th - Garfield The Cat Day 21st - Handshake Day 22nd - Smurfs Day 26th - Take Your Dog to Work Day 26th - Chocolate Pudding Day 26th - Food Truck Day 27th - PTSD Awareness Day 27th - Sunglasses Day 30th - Meteor Watch Day
Telecommuting During COVID-19: How to Stay Productive When Working at Home
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Have you been asked to work from home because of the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? According to the Pew Research Center, only 7 percent of U.S. workers had the option to telecommute in 2019. With the recent pandemic, however, companies in nearly all sectors are asking their employees to work from home. If you’re among this ever-growing crowd, you should follow these telecommuting tips to stay productive during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Check Your Email Less Frequently
Illuminate Your Home Office With Sunlight
Rather than relying on artificial light, such as an Here are some tips to overhead fixture or a desk speed up your Wi-Fi and increase your telecommut- lamp, use sunlight to illuminate your home office. ing productivity: Not only is it more energy efficient, but illuminating • Place your computer your home office with or device closer to the router to which it’s con- sunlight can also increase your telecommuting pronected. ductivity. • Remove physical obstructions between According to a survey conyour computer or deducted by Harvard Univice and the router. versity, 70 percent of emConstantly checking your • Since routers use the ployees say they are more email is a distraction that same radio frequency productive when working prevents you from focusbands as microwaves, in a sunlit environment as ing on work-related tasks. video cameras and opposed to an artificially lit By checking your email other electronics, environment. Exposure to no more than once every changing the channel sunlight promotes lower hour when telecommutmay speed up your Wi- stress levels, which in turn ing, you’ll achieve a higher raises productivity levels. Fi. level of productivity that’s To illuminate your home reflected upon the quan• Monitor bandwidth office with sunlight, set up tity and quality of your usage in your router your workstation in front work. to identify data-hogging devices that could of a window and open the curtains. Speed Up Your Wi-Fi otherwise slow down your Wi-Fi. Use a Video Conferencing Slow Wi-Fi can harm your • Install a Wi-Fi booster App for Meetings telecommuting producto extend the range of tivity. According to a study your router, and there- If meetings are a regular conducted by SanDisk, fore speed up your part of your workweek, slow Wi-Fi is responsible Wi-Fi. you should consider using for one week of lost pro• Update the driver for a video conferencing app. ductivity, per employee, your computer or deWhile it’s possible to coneach year. You may have a vice’s network adapter duct meetings by phone blazing-fast internet serto the latest version. as well as by email, video vice at your home, but it conferencing is a better • Update your router’s won’t do any good if your solution because it allows Wi-Fi is slow. Rather, you’ll firmware to the latest you to both see and hear still encounter slow speeds version. While email is a convenient communications platform when telecommuting, you should be conscious of how much time you spend browsing your inbox. A study conducted by McKinsey & Company found that the average employee spends nearly 11 hours each workweek reading and responding to emails.
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when downloading and uploading data over the internet.
the people with whom you are meeting. Social isolation is one of the biggest challenges faced by telecommuting workers. And with COVID-19, it will likely become increasingly problematic for at-home workers. The good news is video conferencing allows you to hold productive meetings while socializing with your coworkers, managers, clients or other individuals. Some of the top video conferencing apps include Skype for Business, Zoom, Google Hangouts and GoToMeeting. Dress for Success You might be surprised to learn that your attire can affect your telecommuting productivity. Far too many telecommuting workers roll out of bed in their pajamas and immediately head to their home office. Wearing pajamas or other extremely casual clothes, though, instills a sense of relaxation that lowers your motivation to work.
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A three-piece suit and tie typically isn’t necessary when telecommuting, but you should wear professional-looking clothes. Otherwise, you may subconsciously slack off.
Take Breaks
many workers down the wrong path. If you work Don’t forget to take breaks erratic hours, you’ll strugwhen telecommuting. gle to stay focused and Squeezing a few short productive. breaks into your workday will help you relax both To stay productive when mentally and physically, telecommuting, you which may have a positive should create a work impact on your telecomschedule. With your workmuting productivity. An days planned out, you’ll infographic published by become acclimated to Lifehack even suggests working during those that taking a 30-second hours. break, known as a microbreak, increases a workRefrain From Social Media er’s productivity by approximately 13 percent. Unless it’s associated with your job, you should reFor regular breaks to have frain from using social a positive impact on your media when telecommutproductivity, you must ing. According to a study separate yourself from all conducted by TeamLease, work-related tasks during the average office worker them. In other words, use spends nearly one-third of this opportunity to rest, his or her working hours eat, exercise or socialize on social media. with members of your household. When your Maybe you want to check break is over, you’ll feel re- Facebook to see how freshed and ready to tackle your friends are holding the rest of the workday. up during the COVID-19 outbreak, or perhaps you Create a Work Schedule want to pass the time by watching videos on TwitTelecommuting often ter. Regardless, you should comes with the freedom wait until your workday is of setting your own hours. over to use social media. Unless otherwise stated by your employer, you can Regardless of how long choose when to begin you’re planning to teleyour workday and when to commute during the outend it. Unfortunately, the break, you can stay proflexible hours that come ductive by following these with telecommuting leads tips.
Todd Gongwer -
An Intimate and Honest Discussion
Today, I’m talking to Todd Gongwer. Todd is a bestselling author, speaker and teacher of leadership and cultural development. We met in 2012 when he spoke to our business and shared some of the wisdom found in his book, Lead … for God’s Sake! Todd has spent the last decade working with some of the most successful coaches, teams, business leaders and educators in America. His principles have been embraced by countless leaders, including coaches and athletes from championship programs in the NCAA, NBA, MLB and NFL. Stories of the profound impact of Todd’s message have also been featured in the ESPN The Magazine, Bleacher Report and Forbes.com. I’m honored to have him as my guest today. 7
Dennis Postema: Your book, Lead … for God’s Sake! is very inspirational. What’s the story behind the story? Todd Gongwer: Hindsight’s always 20/20. We can look back on our lives and no matter what we’ve gone through, when we reflect we can see even the toughest moments that were the equipping moments in our lives. Growing up, I was part of a family business, working from 10 years old all the way through my teens. I really developed a passion for the business world early on, and at the same time, I became passionate about sports. I loved all sports, played most sports, but then eventually narrowed in on basketball.
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In the ’90s, I had the opportunity to run parallel with both the business and sports. I was an assistant college basketball coach for an NAIA school. Being an assistant at that level, I had to keep my day job, so I was still in the business world. Out of necessity more than anything else, I was drawn into a deep, almost obsessive study on the topic of leadership and cultural development. I studied how great cultures do it and the secret to successful leadership dynamics.
philosophies into play and began developing them out further. Eventually, the company was bought by its largest competitor, and I was able to serve as a senior executive for that team for a few more years, leading up to the time where I really finally felt called to write this book. Dennis: When did the light bulb go off before leadership and sports? When did it click that a lot of the things that help a person lead as an athlete or coach also work in business?
Todd: It was probably six Eventually, when I stepped or seven years into my away from sports, I coaching. I was reading had the opportunity to a lot of these leadership manage a leadership books that coaches had cultural development written. It seemed like all process for a $250 million the coaches were writing private equity-owned books because businesses company. So I put all these were really, really eating them up. So here I was, deep into the business world, but also in the sports world. I remember one time having an epiphany and seeing so many parallels. And in the business world, you see companies constantly bringing in sports experts and coaches, but at that time, the sports world was not tapping into the business
world. Yet, if you’ve got 250,000 employees— which some of these CEOs are responsible for— there’s a ton that a team of 15 can learn from them. So, there’s a give and take. There’s a mutual benefit from both worlds that one can share with the other. We need coaches who value that aspect and understand the importance of preparing those kids. A lot of coaches understand the importance of preparing them for life, but there is a shift that takes place— there’s a competitiveness, but there’s still a shift that takes place when you move into the business world.
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Dennis: At what point did you decide to write a fiction book? And why a parable?
write fiction, that story just really came to life. It was very emotional for me to write it.
Todd: I never intended it to be a parable. I thought it was going to be a number of steps but for whatever reason, when I sat down to write, nothing came out. Fortunately, God had a different plan, and it just started with a short story. But then I felt God stirring in my heart saying, “Start the short story over.” It freaked me out because very, very few leadership books were fiction.
There are certain scenes in that book that I remember sitting at my desk, going through 50 times, and I’d still be crying. That’s why I know it was beyond me.
When I started writing, I had no idea what was going to take place. When it started coming out, despite the fact that I We have to do a better job hadn’t read a lot of fiction of preparing kids for that. and had no clue how to
But I think the parable is a very powerful way of learning, if we can relate to it. So, I’m just thankful that it was the stirring in my heart. I feel like God had a much better plan than I did on that one, and I’m really, really thankful for that. Dennis: What seems to be the central focus of your speaking engagements today?
Todd: I talk a lot about responsibility and owning our contributions to problems. I think that’s a big problem in society right now. I think young people, especially, need to learn it, because when they turn the TV on, all they see is the blame game being played. We’re playing a very dangerous game with our youth when we teach them that if you’ve ever been hurt, if there’s ever an issue, there’s anything you’re dealing with, the answer is to find who you can blame, get really angry, and try to get even.
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includes video games, music and movies, is the most significant part of the heart’s construction. If your leadership comes from your character, then you need to pay attention to what’s constructing your character and your heart.
Dennis: Yeah, you don’t know the extent of it or what to believe, because media’s got the conflict, the controversy, the fear, all those different things going on.
Todd: Truth has become so relative now, it’s just So, be careful what you’re whatever sells, what consuming. What we most draws. It’s really important consume, consumes us. that we communicate That’s the bottom line. and start to educate this Probably 30% of my talks next generation. I’m not now deal with the effects trying to indoctrinate of digital media and the them. I’m not going to agenda that is behind all tell you how you have to of digital media, because think, but what we need it’s always to monetize, to do is educate young desensitize, polarize and people on taking the time From a leadership often politicize. And it to understand where standpoint, that’s the doesn’t matter which side the message is coming exact opposite of what you land on in terms of from and what they want we should be teaching. the fence—the reality is, you to believe from their You can’t unconditionally there’s an agenda. perspective. Then you can love people unless you’re choose how much of it willing to unconditionally Every form of digital you’re going to consume forgive. And forgiveness is media wants to suck you and how much of it you’re a huge part of all our lives. in. That’s how they make going to believe. Instead, we’re teaching money. And so, fear, lies, the masses to get even, sensationalizing and Dennis: What do you get angry, all these other desensitizing, getting into do when you see haters things but forgiveness. fights, polarizing—that’s or naysayers looking to a very dangerous game be offended on social I also teach about we’re playing. Even now, media? What’s your take the character and the when we’re dealing with on that? construction of the heart. a significantly serious The heart of leadership situation worldwide, how Todd: When you’re on is your character. Heart is do we know where to find Twitter, for instance, there’s always under construction. the truth? Because 90+% so much anger and hatred. And now more than of the information sources I encourage people to ever, the digital media out there have probably do some research and component, which cried wolf. find out who the majority
of the Twitter audience actually is, and who’s the majority of the Twitter employee base, which controls the algorithms. Consider that Twitter is a platform. To learn about the platform, you need to see who the biggest, most influential people are on this platform, because that will tell you a lot about what the majority of the people on the platform stand for. If you do the research, you’ll find that 65% to 70% of the Twitter audience leans a certain way in their opinions, and that’s who’s going to move the trends. So, when you see this statement trending, there’s a reason it’s trending on Twitter, because 70% of Twitter’s audience agrees with that. There’s a small percentage that may not, and they’re never going to move the trends much. It’s a crazy, crazy game that’s being played all across digital media. I think we just have to be very, very careful with it. Dennis: You have a method of making decisions called the sixmonth filter. Can you share how that works? 11
Todd: I’ve had a couple
Here are some of Todd’s thoughts on leadership during the current health and economic crisis. I think a lot of people are still asking that question: “Why am I here?” or “What’s my purpose?” And they’re starting to freak out a little because in a lot of cases, they’ve had the rug pulled out beneath them. You think of all these college athletes as an example who maybe were thinking, “Well, my purpose is to play golf” or “My purpose is to play tennis or baseball.” Well, now what? I think it’s really important to help them understand that there’s a foundational aspect that’s way bigger than your gifts, your talents, your opportunities and passions. Those may be a part of your purpose, but your foundation is always going to go back to relationships. So, I like to take folks deeper into that concept and help them develop a deeper peace than just being motivated. This allows them to walk in peace and joy in the midst of our circumstances. Now more than ever is a true test of where our hearts are and what our foundation is truly built on. I think we’re going to be just fine, but it’s crazy times, and a lot of people are struggling. So, take this time to reflect on your true foundation and where are you putting your ultimate rest and peace in. For me, my faith is everything. I don’t know what I would do during this time if I didn’t have that ultimate peace, knowing who’s in control. We’re going to be just fine, no matter what.
of different rock-bottom experiences, one in particular right around 2002-2003, where I really felt God opened my eyes to the bigger why in relationships and my family and in concentric circles out from there. At that time, I had been running hard, trying to climb the ladder in business and sports and had run myself to a point of physical exhaustion.
those moments and for the next few days, that would be on the top of my mind. And I would treat my wife and my children differently. My daughter was little at the time, and usually, she’d come into my home office and say, “Daddy, come and tickle me.” Before these tests, my response was often, “I don’t really feel like it right now. I’ve got to finish this.”
the time?”
Some people will say we should live like we’re going to die tomorrow, and I always think, “That’s impossible.” If I’m going to die tomorrow, I’m not going to be doing this interview. I’m not going to be doing any speeches. I’m going to be home with my family. But if I had six months to live, I would go do this event, I would go But when I was scared and spend time with this team. I had some battles with waiting for test results, I’d And how much richer a number of different be like, “I’m going to go would that experience be physical ailments and got tickle you!” After going if I could walk that way, a bunch of tests, like upper through this a few times, because I think, “Hey, I GI and scans. After a few I was reflecting on why I might not ever see these tests, I remember driving changed like that. And I people again. This may home and thinking, “What feel like God knocked me be the last opportunity are they going to find? upside the head and was that they get exposed to What if I get the news? like, “Todd, you’re acting the light that’s in me and What if they tell me I only like you’re going to get the what I feel I’m supposed have six months to live? news that you only have to share with them.” And How would I handle that?” six months to live. Why that became my filter for I would get home after don’t you act like that all priorities. People ask how I decide what events to do and where to go. I’ve missed a ton of events and even put myself into some financial struggles because I’ve thought, “I’m going to go coach my son here, and I’m not going to go do this event. It’s just the way it is.” I don’t have regrets about all those opportunities and all those experiences. There’s a balance there. The six-month filter is the
big-time part of how I make decisions and set priorities. Dennis: And you can take this two different ways right now, with all the stay-at-home orders and other changes we’re dealing with. You can really come out ahead. If you wanted to lose weight, if you wanted to learn more, if you wanted to pick up a new talent, there’s a lot of stuff you can do right now that you may not have had time for before. Todd: Absolutely. It’s so true. March was a long
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month, there’s no doubt. But the reason it felt that way was that we had more opportunities to reflect. I just did a Zoom call this morning with the administration for a Power Five school. And one of the things I challenged them to do is to have a quiet time in the morning. I protect that morning quiet time like crazy. That is a really important time for me personally to be quiet, to pray, to get into The Word and things like that. I can’t encourage people enough. Not everybody, but the vast majority, have a little bit
more time in the morning right now, if they want it. And it’s hard to use it to slow down and just reflect, but I think it’s so important. I think that’s part of what maybe we’re being called to do as a country. You can find Todd Gongwer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can find his book, Lead … for God’s Sake! on Amazon. You can also reach him directly by emailing Todd@kardiatg. com.
3 Ways to Stay Productive with Kids Around
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“Mommy, do you want to see my drawing?”
Trying to get any work done when your kids are around can be extremely Chances are, you don’t. difficult at times. If you But today the stakes are have younger kids at especially high because home, one of the easiest you really ought to be things you can do is get working. them on a regular nap schedule. This gives you Over the past few decades, the opportunity to work the number of households at the same time of day where both parents work every day -- when they has risen sharply, making know it is time for a nap! situations like these far They also fight you less more common. And it has once it becomes a habit. always been a struggle for Another thing you can do parents raising children on is have a special bin of toys their own. they can play with only when you are working. When childcare can’t be This not only keeps their found, or an emergency attention much longer, arises, parents may be but also helps them to stuck taking their kids look forward to your work to work or working from time. home. These types of situations can be difficult. Also, keep track of your While parenting may own tasks, and schedule be your first and most them wisely. Some can be important job, we all need done with your divided to bring home the bacon, attention, whereas others and that means staying require prolonged periods productive even when the of focus. Save the latter kids are around. for nap time, and do the easier tasks when If you ever find yourself in you know you might be a such a touchy situation, interrupted. here are some steps you can take to keep your kids Give the kids their own occupied and yourself “work” productive! One way to keep the kids Plan a schedule for occupied is to enlist their yourself and your kids! help. Get the kids involved in small tasks around the 15
house or office, such as dusting, cleaning, and folding. Teaching them how to do these things, while an investment of time and energy, can pay large dividends long-term. They will feel valued, they may run out of energy faster, and on occasion, you may even find their help to be valuable! Treat them like grown-ups, and model good behavior Depending on their age, your kids may be mature enough to understand how important work is as a part of adult life. Show them what you’re working on in terms that they can understand. Demonstrate how diligently you work, and how sometimes projects can take a long time, but that doing good work allows grownups to be able to do things like buy food and spend time with their kids. Having kids around at work is always a balancing act, but thoughtful preparation and good communication can get the kids on “your side,” so to speak. Or at the very least, it can keep them occupied long enough for you get some work done!
10 Reasons to Outsource Your Email Marketing
Outsourcing is one of the most underrated and underutilized strategies for scaling your business quickly and optimizing your marketing ROI. When you outsource a task to a remote freelancer, you’re able to pay for an expert to deliver results you may not have achieved on your own. Plus, you free up time to focus on growing your business in other ways. Email marketing is a critical aspect of
marketing for any business that gets a huge return on investment when done by someone with experience and expertise. If you don’t know enough about it, you can lose a lot of time and money trying to figure it out, while missing out on great results. If you’re thinking about outsourcing your email marketing campaigns to a freelancer who specializes in it, here are 10 reasons to go for it:
1. Save Time for Other Areas of Your Business Marketing and marketing strategy typically take up most of the time spent running a business, and email marketing is a huge chunk of that. Email marketing, in particular, can be a huge time suck because of the learning curve and time required to write and publish frequent emails. Hiring someone to do your email marketing frees up a lot of time for you that can be spent elsewhere on your business. 2. Improve Email Consistency and Increase Frequency
3. Leverage Experts Who Specialize in Email Marketing It makes sense: email marketers with the most experience deliver the best results. If you’re not an expert in email marketing, that’s reason enough alone to outsource it. Freelancers who specialize in email marketing run email marketing campaigns all the time. You can find experts with years of experience getting the sort of results you want to see for your business. 4. Use the Latest and Greatest Marketing Tactics
People who specialize When you outsource in email marketing have your email marketing the knowledge required campaigns, you can stick to boost your ROI and to whatever schedule convert sales through you want without the latest and greatest having to worry about tactics. the workload that puts on you. You’re paying They’ve done the trial someone to send out and error process so your emails on time, that you don’t have to, which can make your and they know what email campaigns a lot works. They know how more accurate and show to use email design your audience you’re techniques that enhance reliable and consistent. your branding. They know how to personalize 17
messages, use sales copy that converts and use other tactics critical to email marketing success. 5. Send Emails That Yield Higher Conversions If you’re not really a writer, then that’s another reason to hand your email writing over to a professional email marketer. You want to hire someone who’s an expert in crafting engaging emails your audience loves to read. A great email marketer knows how to use language to get you higher email open rates and more conversions. 6. Benefit from Professional Tools and Technology Email marketing experts know more about email marketing tools than you do because they use them all the time and aim to stay up with the latest and greatest tools. You can leverage these tools without the steep learning curve by hiring email marketing experts who already use them.
7. You Save Money
add email marketing to your plate on top of all There’s a big advantage your other tasks, your to hiring remote email marketing runs a freelancers, and it’s that high risk of stagnation or you’re paying workers neglect. The best email per project rather than marketing experts get giving out a flat salary. hired because they’ve You’re paying for results shown they can deliver instead of time spent results, and because working, so you’re more they’re committed to guaranteed that the optimizing your strategy. money you’re investing is Look for a freelancer money you’ll get back. with a portfolio that showcases their email You also save money by marketing talent so benefiting from all the that you know your trial-and-error learning investment will come curve freelancers had to back to you. experience in order to deliver you the service 9. Focus on the Big they’re providing. If you Picture were paying an in-house employee to work on Your job as a business your email marketing owner is to oversee and instead of a remote orchestrate your business worker who does email so you can work toward marketing campaigns for your ultimate goals. different companies all When you’re caught up the time, you wouldn’t in the details of each get the same ROI. individual strategy that makes up the overall 8. Get a Guaranteed big-picture strategy of Higher Return on your business, it’s hard Investment (ROI) to see the grand scheme of things. Outsourcing Winging your email frees you up from micromarketing campaigns managing your success yourself doesn’t so you can have time guarantee you any return to lead and direct your on the time and money business effectively. you spent. When you 18
10. Scale Your Business If you want to scale your business, you have to outsource tasks at some point. Email marketing is particularly helpful in scaling your business not just because it frees up a lot of time for you to work on other things, but also because it boosts your ROI so you can invest more back into your business to scale it. If you avoid outsourcing, the growth process can be painfully slow. Getting Started with Outsourcing Your Email Marketing You want to choose an email marketer who has a lot of experience with email marketing campaigns. Look for a provider who’s an expert in growing your list, creating attractive landing pages and crafting callto-action emails that engage your audience. You may even be able to find an email marketer who specializes in email marketing for your industry.
YouTube Marketing Tips for Small Businesses YouTube can be a powerful marketing tool, especially for small businesses. It’s one of the most popular sites in the world, and it can be an amazing way to connect with an audience. Read on to learn more about using YouTube to promote your business.
develop a strategy for your your video description. channel. You should also choose the right kinds of tags for Beyond that, offering your videos. variety will ensure that subscribers won’t get It can be smart to upload bored with your channel. a video transcript to Once someone subscribes YouTube as well. A to your channel, you’ll transcript makes it easy for want to work to keep search bots to scrape your them engaged. video. Transcripts can be helpful for your viewers as Create a Variety of Videos Fully Optimize Your well; many people choose Channel for Search to watch videos with You won’t want all the Engines subtitles when they’re at videos on your channel to work or on the go. be identical. Instead, you You should optimize your should try to offer a range YouTube channel for both Engage with Your of content. This can help the YouTube search engine Subscribers you in several ways. First of and Google. By doing this, all, offering variety allows it’ll be easier for people Engagement is a key part you to see which types of to find the videos that of building an audience videos get the best results. you’re creating. You should on YouTube. If someone Creating different types use the right kinds of leaves a comment on your of videos can help you to keywords in your title and YouTube video, you should 19
make sure you respond to that comment quickly. Interacting directly with your audience is an effective way to build brand loyalty. In addition to this, you should be working to improve engagement with every video that you upload. Always take a minute to encourage your viewers to like and subscribe if they enjoy your content. You may also want to ask viewers to click the notification bell for your channel so that they’ll always see your new content.
Publish New Content on a Regular Basis If you want to build an audience on YouTube, consistent updates are key. Try to develop a content strategy. Aim to post new videos on a regular basis. Ideally, you should be posting at least one new video each week. YouTube allows you to schedule videos in advance, which means that your channel can be regularly updated even when you don’t have a lot of extra time for YouTube. You could create several videos for your channel
and then space those videos out over the next few weeks so that you won’t have to worry about updates for a while. If you’re a small business owner and you’re not using YouTube, you should strongly think about creating a YouTube channel. From vlogs to behind-the-scenes videos, there are plenty of ways you can use YouTube to promote your brand.
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7 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Bring Results
The benefits of a social media marketing strategy are clear to most businesses. Increased brand awareness, more traffic, and greater brand loyalty are a few of the advantages, with most strategies being affordable. The approach you take will heavily influence results, though, with an inconsistent schedule having downsides to your reputation. So what are the main social media strategies you should be working on? 21
Create Branded Hashtags transform engagement rates, leading to followers moving instantly to a General hashtags are targeted offer. useful for putting your content in front of Integrate Customer interested audiences. Service With Social Media Results, however, can be minimal, with posts Many customers turn to getting lost in the crowd. social media for advice Developing your own from a business. While hashtags won’t offer immediate results, but you you may prefer to have a dedicated customer can see the benefits over service helpdesk, this time. can frustrate customers. Integrating your customer The most invested service and social media followers will start to use lets you offer quick advice your branded hashtags, with their followers paying that can satisfy customers swiftly. More complicated attention. Gradually, questions or specific order consumers will post your hashtag to showcase your queries can be directed to the helpdesk, ensuring products. people get the most appropriate service. Focus On Instagram Stories Make Use of UserGenerated Content Content on social media doesn’t usually have a long life. Instagram Stories User-generated content offers the chance to can make the most of build a community, this fleeting interest, helping to increase brand offering high levels of engagement. You can post loyalty. Users often like to post products they a single story or a series have purchased, but this of posts that highlight can go unseen on small a simple idea. If you can accounts. Promoting highgrow your following to 10,000 people, Instagram quality user-generated allows you to add a swipe content provides social proof, showing there are feature to an external active customers with site. This element can 22
good experiences. Usergenerated content can also reduce the burden on businesses to consistently create new output. Use Social Listening Discussions across social media can offer a wealth of information to businesses. Customers may be discussing their experiences, opinions, and competitors, all of which can add value to your company. Social listening tools can monitor brand mentions and other keywords, providing insight into the various conversations taking place. This data can be used to map out new campaigns and correct any common issues. Run Social Media Contests Social media contests are often built around growing follower numbers. Followers tag their friends into posts to enter, leading to new followers discovering your brand. An effective social contest can go further, though, helping to maintain interest in your business
and increase sales. Your prizes must be relevant to your business, so followers gain an interest in your products. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your contests as long as they resonate with your brand identity.
levels. Visual content needs to be eye-catching and representative of your brand. Videos can be created to appeal to diverse audiences, using short clips and longer live streams to vary the brand messages.
Master Visual Content
You can track results easily across social media, enabling you to make quick adjustments to your output.
Visual content is essential to most social platforms. Sites like Instagram and Facebook require a strong visual identity, with images and videos gaining high engagement
Social media has become a central pillar of a digital marketing strategy. Social
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platforms can bring a lot of new interest, turning these leads into loyal customers. There are so many approaches and a range of social platforms, though, so it can be tricky to know where to focus your attention. Using these strategies can help maximize your efforts, making the most of the time and resources you have at your disposal.
The month of May was named for the Greek goddess Maia. She was the goddess of fertility. May 6, 1937 - The Hindenburg exploded over Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crewmembers May 20 1927 - American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean (New York to Paris.) May 25th 1977 - Star Wars opened in movie theaters marking the biggest entertainment juggernaut in modern popular culture. May 26 1897 - Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel began being sold in the UK. May 30 1911 - The inaugural Indianapolis 500 was run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.
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