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Do You Elicit Great Followers in the Business World?

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Young business man standing in front of his co-workers talkingWhen it comes to gaining followers, quality trumps quantity especially in the business world.

Thanks to social media, it’s easy to become fixated on the numbers whether that’s how many employees you have working for you or how many people attend an event you host.

But attracting great followers, the right followers, can pay dividends.

They include:

  1. Right followers make it happen.

If you’re a business owner, your followers are the people on the ground making your vision happen and helping you to realize your goals. Great followers are more than just foot soldiers or cogs in the wheel of your business machine.

Any qualified worker can complete the task they are assigned but loyal followers will fight the battles that go on behind closed doors. When you leave a meeting or log-off of a conference call, you want to know that the people you’ve hired will quash any toxic dissension.

  1. They’ll challenge you to be better.

Quality followers will feel empowered to hold leaders accountable. That sounds dramatic and maybe counterintuitive to the idea that bosses are superiors, but it’s a positive sign of leadership.

Great followers respect your expertise and therefore hold you to a high standard. If they see you or your business slipping down the slope of complacency, they’ll challenge you to be better.

If for example, say you’re a thought leader in your industry with a considerable Twitter following. If you’ve attracted quality fans that care about your brand and reputation, they’re going to tweet at you with constructive criticism and not just blind praise.

  1. They can help you get out ahead of conflict.

As the article “All Engineering Leaders Need Great Followers” points out, followers can teach leaders as much as leaders can teach followers. One of the primary roles of a follower is a responsibility to listen, take stock of situations, and learn from that input.

In a business environment, great employees will communicate to you problems as they happen rather than letting conflict fester.

They’re professional adults that know there’s a difference between “being a snitch” and proactive problem solving.

  1. Passion is the best PR.

As Forbes explains, there’s a difference between a follower and a subordinate.

A passionate follower may not have authority in the form of a fancy title, but they hold a great deal of actual power.

When you are an innovative leader in the business world, you likely won’t need to take out a billboard announcing your talent because your passionate employees or men-tees will be spreading the positive word for you.

  1. Today’s followers may be tomorrow’s leaders.

This isn’t hyperbole.

Industries like technology and media are in a constant state of change thanks to new mechanical innovations and strategic disruption.

Your intern today could be your peer at another company in a year. Taking the long view, that assistant could be your boss at some point. You want to have great followers because your future employment could depend on it.

Great followers can help you save money with positive PR, challenge you to be better, and help prevent future conflict or unemployment.

For these reasons it’s just as important that leaders consider the quality, not quantity of their followers.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Kristin Livingstone writes on a variety of topics including leadership and business.

What is Your SEO Strategy in 2016 and Beyond?

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Internet of Things, Business conceptTaking your brand to the next level requires myriad of time and effort, along with making the right decisions along the way.

With that being the case, where do you see your brand headed this year and down the road?

Many companies are saddled with a fixed budget on how much marketing and advertising they can do, therefore tying their hands at putting 100 percent behind their brands. Others, meantime, have the means to promote it, but go about it in the wrong manner.

One way you can get your brand’s face out there without bankrupting the company is by properly using search engine optimization (SEO) as part of a broader strategy involving content marketing and social networking.

First Step is Having a Strategy

In order to give your brand the attention it needs and deserves, having a comprehensive strategy to promote it should always be at the top of your marketing list.

Having a strategy of combining SEO, content marketing and social media allows you the best of all worlds, especially if your budget is on the tight side.

Start with the SEO component and go from there.

First, do you know the advantages of using SEO to give your brand a push?

Among the benefits:

  • Authority – When your brand stands out from others in the respective industry as an authority, you are more likely to ring-up sales. Consumers are more likely to buy from those they trust, so use SEO to set yourself up as knowledgeable and trustworthy in your niche;
  • Professionalism – Brands that have their act together will certainly better position themselves than those who look like a fish out of water. While money might be tight at times, spending some of it on bringing in a professional SEO consultant can be some of the best funds you will ever invest. He or she can make your brand look more professional in a number of ways, including what your content says about your business and industry in general, selecting the right keywords (especially long-tail keywords) inside your blog posts to better rank on search engines, and moving you forward on mobile SEO if you have not already incorporated it into your plans;
  • Ranking – With a sound SEO strategy, your brand rises to the top of search engine rankings. Being on page one of Google or other search engine rankings in your respective industry as opposed to pages three or four can make the difference between getting and not getting a sale. This is yet another reason why you need to be consulting on SEO strategy for your business;
  • Socializing – Part of your SEO strategy needs to incorporate social media. How your brand’s social profiles rank of course helps or hurts your ability to land new business. If your company’s Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and other such profiles are noteworthy; your brand will show up higher in search listings as they relate to brand names. This is yet another reason while social interaction (providing details about your products and/or services, answering consumer questions, solving consumer issues as they relate to your brand or industry etc.) is something that should be looked at as a necessity and not a choice.

Defining your SEO strategy in 2016 and beyond should be one of the most important decisions you do for your brand.

Are you ready to take the challenge?

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.

Engineer a Better Career Approach Moving Forward

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How to Get Ahead words on a board game advance your career
How to Get Ahead words on a board game advance your careerWhat is your career approach?

Whether you want to be an engineer or a CEO, a nurse or a big data scientist, the right approach to your career will give you a valuable boost.

What are some things you can do to keep a positive attitude and make sure you have the best approach to your career?

Make Your Career Your Business

It is all too easy to drift along, even in a career you’re successful at. That’s why you need to make your career your business.

Make time for a career review; ask yourself where you would like to be in five or 10 years. What would you like to achieve before you retire? Once you know where you want to be, map out a plan of how to get there, and regularly review where you are.

Think about your talents, motivations and likes.

If your career is the right one for you, how can you use your skills to make it even more rewarding? If it’s not, ask yourself what you would like to do instead, and how you can use your existing skills in a new way.

Keep Learning

One of the keys to engineering a better career for yourself, is learning. Keep abreast of what’s hot in your industry from new technology to new ideas.

Be willing to invest in your education (sometimes employers will be able to help you with this). Continuous learning will keep your skills up to date, making you more valuable to an employer, and helping you get more satisfaction from what you do.

If you want to move in a different direction, learn as much as you can about your intended career so you can figure out if it’s right for you.

Make the Most of Mornings

Making the most of mornings can help you advance your career.

The morning provides prime quiet time, before the rush of work, family commitments and deadlines. As the article “Boost Your Engineering Career” says, you can use that time for making plans, motivating yourself, and starting your day with a goal in mind.

Time spent in the morning planning your day is a good career booster.

Start every morning with a clear plan of what you want to achieve, and which tasks are most important to that end. You’ll be taking charge of every day and making sure you use your time in the best way possible.

Look For Opportunities

If you want to forge the best career path for you, keep your eye out for opportunities. Having a positive attitude and being willing to seize opportunity will help you move forward.

Be proactive in looking for chances to boost your career.

That might mean taking a new course, attending an event, or simply connecting with the right person. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, make suggestions and start conversations. You never know what might come of it.

If you want to go in a new direction, look for chances to learn and grow on your new path.

Don’t wait for the perfect training course, for example. Read books, talk to other people in your desired industry, or even look for ways you can volunteer to find out what it’s all about.

Being in a career that you love is fulfilling and rewarding.

Make sure that’s the case for you with a positive attitude, great time management, and a nose for opportunities.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a variety of topics including social media, how to build customer relationships, content marketing and how to move forward in your career.

Is It Time to Rethink Your Marketing Strategy?

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sales-marketing-shows-selling-e-commerce-and-offer-100291369When it comes to the world of marketing, you have either got it or you don’t.

The “it” factor is do you have a sound marketing strategy in place? If you do, you’re likely reaping the benefits of such. If not, you are probably thinking about how you’re ever going to get your message out to consumers.

When you stop and think about it, today’s consumer gets marketed by a wide variety of brands.

In order for your targeted consumers to come to and stay with you, your marketing strategy must be informational, exciting and something that the competition isn’t doing.

So, is it time to rethink your marketing strategy?

Always Be Thinking Ahead

In order to keep your marketing game on top, remember these tips moving forward:

  • Your audience – Your marketing game can’t and won’t succeed if you do not have a clear understanding of your demographics. It only makes sense that if you are marketing financial retirement products (IRA’s, 401K’s etc.), you should not be solely targeting senior citizens in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and above. Sure, you may find some on the lower end of that age spectrum who are interested in some of your products, but your main audience should be those individuals in their 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s. People in their 20’s typically are not yet focused on their retirement years, but it doesn’t hurt to market them some information to at least get them thinking about the day they retire. Those a decade or two older should already be saving money and thinking regularly about being able to retire comfortably one day. Know your audience in order to increase the odds of more sales;
  • Your efforts – Yes, you likely have a busy schedule which precludes you from doing all you want in a workday, but that is no excuse for dropping the ball on your marketing needs. Make sure you set aside the required time and efforts needed to get all your daily tasks done. A typical day should include reaching out to current and potential customers, looking at new campaigns to pitch, networking, and staying on top of your social media game (see more below);
  • Your socializing – While many marketers already have a social media presence, others have been slow to move towards social networking. For those in the latter group, now is the time to get caught up. Whether you use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram or any number of other social sites, you need to be active. When you share and retweet worthwhile links from others, you not only increase the eyes to your marketing profile, but you stand to gain some potential new business. It is also a good idea to follow relevant people in the marketing industry (individuals, associations, trade publications etc.).

While there is much more to the world of marketing, take a few minutes to review your current strategy.

If it is lacking in a defined audience, time commitment and a social component, work on those three areas to get your marketing strategy back on course.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Miguel Salcido has been a professional search marketing consultant for over 11 years. He is the founder and CEO of Organic Media Group, a content driven SEO agency. He also likes to blog at OrganicSEOConsultant.com and share insights into advanced SEO.

How To Keep Your People Engaged When Making Changes

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By Lindsey Tolino

When I was in middle school, my best friend moved to another school district. She came to me and explained that she was moving. She said she couldn’t do anything about it and would miss me. I was sad and didn’t like it, but part of me understood because she came to me and explained the situation.

hand writing on chalkboard

Sometimes you have to change things in your business. It can be scary because you don’t want to lose loyal customers or disgruntle employees. Your customers and employees have grown to expect your business to run a certain way and you may fear changing it.

I would have been very disillusioned if I showed up to school one day and my best friend was gone because she moved. I would have been hurt because I thought our relationship meant more to her than that. I would have been angry that she didn’t care or respect me enough to tell me ahead of time.

As humans, we may feel disrespected, disillusioned and angry if someone changes something that we’ve grown to expect, without telling us ahead of time or explaining why.

This is essential to remember when making changes in your business. You don’t want to disgruntle your employees or isolate your customers by executing decisions without communicating with them. Your employees and customers hopefully feel a sense of ownership in the business. If you simply change something without communicating with them, they may become annoyed, frustrated and less invested.

Change is difficult for most people. If you talk about it ahead of time, it gives people time to process and prepare for it. Furthermore, if you discuss the reasons for the change, people are likely to be more understanding, even if they don’t like the change itself.

I grew fond of a counter-service restaurant over the past year. Without warning or explanation, many menu items increased in price by at least a quarter. The restaurant had become wildly popular, so it didn’t seem like the price increase was necessitated because of low sales. As a customer, I felt like they were trying to squeeze every last cent out of me. This may not have been true. But since they didn’t explain the increase, it seemed like it came out of greed.

If the business had simply explained the reason for the increase, my loyalty may have been strengthened rather than shaken.

Unfortunately, even if you let people know your reasons ahead of time, the changes may still isolate customers or upset employees. But discussing it will minimize the discomfort and create a smoother transition. Maybe some of them have even been hoping for the changes you’re making.

If you have changes coming, discuss it with your team and make sure they know the reasons. Talk to your customers. Let them know it’s coming and why.

It shows you respect and care for them. If you share your reasoning, it may even deepen their trust in you.

Don’t drop changes on people. Show them how much you care by discussing it with them ahead of time.

Author’s Bio: Lindsey Tolino is an intentional creative who helps make businesses better. She serves business owners with her words at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino or connect with her on Google+.
Image info: Royalty-free image by Death To the Stock Photo. (deathtothestockphoto.com)

Business Planning for the Time Crunched

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The other day, I caught myself after 7pm, listening to a business podcast, scanning through a research report that is relevant to my business, and periodically glancing over to my iPhone, which was buzzing to alert me about new emails and social media updates from my friends and colleagues.

Did I mention that the television was on in the background?

Even typing that paragraph, I’m getting a headache.

Pretty sure that none of those activities advanced my business one iota. In fact, they probably set me back because my brain was in a tortured, fractured state.

brain on Instagram

Deep breath.

Deep breath.

If you spend your “working hours,” roughly 9am to 5pm (haha) reacting to stimuli, you’re heading for a business rut.

How is your business going to move up to the next level if you’re spending your day putting out fires and your evening “catching up?”

You need to get ahead of the game and stay there if you want to innovate, use your creative juices, and make progress.

Practical Suggestions for Making Time to Plan Your Business

  • Schedule it. The same way you block out time for a customer phone call, make an appointment for your planning. Take a minute right now and block out one hour this week for business planning.
  • Stop multi-tasking. During meetings and conference sessions, leave the devices in your briefcase. Extract the full value of the relationships and information you invested in when you scheduled the meeting or registered for the conference. If you’re listening to a business podcast, really listen and take notes. There’s no award for doing the most stuff at one time.
  • Make a dashboard. Keep your finger on the pulse of your business metrics on a routine basis. Establish the numbers you need to track, and then pull them all into one spreadsheet. This will allow you to spot trends and take action before the fire flares up.
  • Narrow down your consumption. If you’re overwhelmed by your blog subscriptions, emails and social updates, hit the unsubscribe button on a few of them. Focus on quality, not quantity.
  • Move a big rock every morning. Start each day with a “win,” and knock off something that will actually give you progress. Do that before you answer the phone, before you check email, and before your colleagues start sending you Buzzfeed articles.
  • Have a business retreat You don’t have to have a large team, or go to a dude ranch for “trust exercises.” Plan each year to get away (even if it’s only virtually) and spend dedicated time working on the business. Evaluate the previous year, plan the upcoming year, and get your mind focused. Put an “out of office” message on your email, same with voicemail, and take a hiatus from social media. Emerge refreshed and ready to conquer the world.

How often do you step back and work on your business?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee