Leverage Your Branding & Content To Create A Thriving Community

CTA : ISP – We can help announce your community, build trust, credibility and authority

Start Conversations, Then Automate Them

Building your business brand online takes consistent time and effort. Creating massively interesting and compelling content can help you build your blog, brand, and a thriving community. Content is a means to an end, don’t get so caught up on content that you miss the bigger picture.

Why do you create content anyways? Your number one content strategy should always be built around people. Create content that speaks to your tribe, keeps them coming back, keeps them sharing it. This creates a snowball effect and leverages the power of your existing followers, to attract more followers, and over time you will have a solid community, that is thriving and having conversations about you or your business, even when you are not initiating and leading the conversations.

Your number one content strategy should always be built around people. Click To Tweet

Is Content Really King?

In your efforts to learn more about online branding and digital marketing, you may have heard that “content is king” at least a thousand times, ( ok, maybe more! ) While this is mostly true, since search engines like to see fresh and relevant content to send visitors to your website, that is not where it ends. If you take the time to step back and look at the forest, and just for a moment, stop focusing on the trees, you will see something much bigger unfolding: Content is simply a means to an end, NOT the main goal.

There is an underlying reason for creating all this juicy content, you are selling yourself by sharing your knowledge and expertise. The fruit (profit) from this (content) comes from the forest (or community) that you nurture and strengthen over time. When you are creating content treat each of your topics or categories as branches from a highly focused content tree. That tree will allow for more fruit to grow and help you start and nurture your own community.

The goal of your content should be to inform, educate, or entertain, and thus build a relationship with your readers. Over time, the content opens doors of opportunity and can help you to create a positive environment that encourages others to share, learn, and grow. All this sharing, learning, and growing is happening around your business, this helps you build your credibility and influence over time.

The goal of your content should be to inform, educate, or entertain, and thus build a relationship with your readers. Click To Tweet

How Facebook Has Capitalized on This

The main reason that Facebook is so popular is because it has created a huge online community who all share content and interact with each other daily. Each Facebook user has hundreds of friends who log on and consistently to post pictures, videos, live streaming, memes, news, jokes and more. Facebook has been successful in creating a share- friendly ecosystem that nurtures people’s need to belong, by providing social rewards for their sharing of content.

Facebook has a giant user base; thus, it has become a breeding ground for paid advertisements and a major source of traffic for key brand. Many brands and businesses are using Facebook to build their list, drive traffic to their blog, sign people up for webinars, and more. They know that taking even just a teeny tiny slice of this huge community, and directing their attention to their business, will help them reach their target market where they already are. This process feels natural, and finds people in a setting they are already comfortable in, so it is a win-win-win for you, your tribe, and Facebook.

Take Facebook & Google Out Of The Equation

Your content is the “sugar” that attracts people to your business, and the goal is to leverage content to keep people coming back to your blog and subscribing to your newsletter. Your goal is to find your audience where they are already at, redirect them to your site, and create a community that encourages user generated content, discussions, and sharing. When you create a community, you are slowly taking Google, Facebook and other social media channels out of the equation. Thus, eliminating distractions and “competition,” resulting in a more loyal and engaged audience. These are the 4 main ways that you can use content to build a community around your brand and business.

Leverage Your Branding & Content To Create A Thriving Community Click To Tweet

Your Goal is Emotionally Intelligent User Content

As a long-term approach, once you start seeing that your community is starting to take shape, once you give them a comfortable place where they can talk more openly about the topics that interest them, they are very likely consistently return there. People love to interact in a safe environment where they feel they belong, and their ideas and opinions are valued.

Creating a user forum or a smaller social media community of your own niche on your own site should be the goal of your content creation efforts. When you build your own community, members will start new topic discussions and there will be a constant flow of ideas and fresh content with very little effort from your part. Those conversations can help you come up with new content ideas, and help you discover unmet needs that you weren’t previously aware of, but that you can now cater to.

In interacting with the community, members will create an emotional connection with other users and this can start new relationships, partnerships, or provide additional resources. Having a safe place to share, will make viewers frequent your community consistently to see what others have posted or shared while they were away.

By starting your own community, you create social proof, authority, trust, influence and a loyal following without relying as much on search engines or social channels. As Facebook and other mainstream social media networks get more crowded and create more clutter, people are always looking for more comfortable places and tight niche communities that feel more private and safe. When you can provide this for your target market, it will help you build a sustainable brand and business.

By starting your own community, you create social proof, authority, trust, influence and a loyal following without relying as much on search engines or social channels. Click To Tweet

Consciously And Actively Tuning In To Your Audience

Make it a point to stop and listen before speaking!

There’s a tried and true saying that reads ” there is a reason why we have one mouth and two ears.” It is because we need to listen twice as much as we talk, and more importantly, we need to tune in to our audience before we begin to talk, and engage with them. Getting clarity on who our specific audience is and what type of content we need to create for them is key. It’s important to remember to focus on delivering value and connecting effectively to create continual business growth. Being in business means that we have a specific problem we are trying to help others solve, but listening first makes us better helpers, and better solution providers.

Being in business means that we have a specific problem we are trying to help others solve, but listening first makes us better helpers, and better solution providers. Click To Tweet

First and foremost, it is important to discover who your target market is, why, and where they hang out. Then focus on learning more about their pain points, questions, and possible objections they could have to your products or services. Listening before you suggest a solution will ensure that you’re not just taking shots in the dark, but that you are genuinely interested in helping them. The very best way to do this is to show interest in them as individuals, have compassion and fully understand the problems they are having, and why they are so invasive in their lives. Over time, intuitively, you will come to know the most common reasons why people are interested in the solution you provide. The best way to develop this “knowing” on what they want is to truly listen without judgment, and without trying to get something from them right away.

When researching your audience, you want to do it from the perspective of a friend, someone who actually cares, and isn't just trying to get something from them. Click To Tweet

Find your target market in their environment

Get up close and personal with your audience, and blend in with their environment, where they are already at. Get to know them, here are some questions that could help you research your target market with more curiosity.

What language do they use to describe their problem?
What frustrations are they are experiencing?
What do they need advice on or help with?
What human need are they looking to meet?
How invasive is the problem they are having?
What is their urgency to solve the problem?
Which things have they already tried and failed at?
How long have they had this problem?

Tune in to what they are not saying

When researching your audience, you want to do it from the perspective of a friend, someone who actually cares, and isn’t just trying to get something from them. This approach will give you space to learn what their hot buttons are and to talk to them directly. Remember that your marketing efforts need to be tailored and directed towards your specific audience and not just sound like a canned sales letter that came from a how-to template.

When you listen close enough you will also hear the things that they are not saying directly. What they are NOT saying is very important to listen for. They may not express their direct need, but through their behavior and language you could discover things about them that they didn’t even know about themselves! This kind of information will help you stand out from the crowd and make your content seem more credible and trustworthy. This is also how you can uncover needs that people didn’t even know they had, giving you a competitive edge over people who just sell and don’t listen first.

The more you listen, the more you grow

The more time that you spend listening, the easier it will be to create content, products, and services, catered specifically to their specific needs. Listening will give you more content ideas and make it easier to find topics to cover, that really speak to them. You will discover certain patterns and trends over time, and learn easier, faster, and better ways to serve them. It is imperative to not stop listening, as most people do once they already have a following. Forgetting to listen, and getting too product or service oriented is a big mistake. By not listening, engaging, and conversing, you will see less engagement from your followers, as well as take more time to build trust, relationships, and sales.

The more time that you spend listening, the easier it will be to create content, products, and services, catered specifically to their specific needs. Click To Tweet

Here is a list of the top ways you can listen to your audience. This will vary widely by industry but overall these resources and ideas will be easy to find online and are completely free for you to use.

Where do they hang out?

Google Hangouts
industry specific forums
YouTube videos / channels
Places they go to for fun
Places they shop
LinkedIn Groups related to your topic / industry
Facebook groups and events
Twitter lists
Meet-Ups

Who is already influencing them?

Friends
Books
Podcasts
Competitors
Colleagues
Events
Movies

For this particular phase of researching your market, forums are a great resource because people feel more open sharing with other people in their same field or with their same interests. Often forums feel like more tight communities than other mainstream social media networks.

Often forums feel like more tight communities than other mainstream social media networks. Click To Tweet

Finding your client in their natural environment and simply stopping to listen will enable you to deliver greater value and connect with them easier and on a deeper level. Knowing what inspires them and how to get them to take action is golden. This will help you easily grow a sustainable business that is focused on innovation and profitability, through staying attentive and flexible.

Domain Name Best Practices For Personal or Business Branding

Being Instantly Recognized Online

A key aspect of building your personal or business brand online is being instantly recognizable through your business name or brand. This is why it is imperative for you to have a clear and unique business name, and register your matching domain name as soon as you can. Your business name and domain name, are ideally the same thing. This will help you build your brand and create consistency across your site and various online platforms. Even if you are not ready to start a website, registering your domain name right away, ensures that once you are prepared to move forward with a site, you will have that part already taken care of.

A key aspect of building your personal or business brand online is being instantly recognizable through your business name or brand. Click To Tweet

It is wise to buy your business name as a domain, as it will be how people find your business online, and tell you apart from others who may have similar offerings. You could look at your domain name as your online phone number. Through this unique string of characters people will easily and quickly find you on the internet, without having to rely on Google or other sources to find you. Not having a domain name is like not having a direct line to reach you, and that could hinder the growth and credibility of your business. The easier you make it for people to find you, the better results you will see in the long run. Purchasing and registering your domain name is one of the very first steps for getting your business online exposure through the creation of a blog or website.

Using a personal name or company name for your domain name?

Your domain name plays a crucial role in your overall branding strategy, so it is important to select your domain name based on your business goals and long term vision. A good tip is to double check that your chosen domain name is available as a twitter handle and Facebook page. This keeps your personal or business brand consistent across all networks and makes it easy for people to identify who you are. It is best practice to run your business under a business name, other than your personal name. This will set you up for future growth. If you intend on hiring people, and eventually having a team, it is easier to do when you have a business name that is not your personal name.

Your domain name plays a crucial role in your overall branding strategy, so it is important to select your domain name based on your business goals and long term vision. Click To Tweet

However, If you also want to register your own name and it is available I would highly recommend buying it as well. A good practice is to own your first and last name as a domain and point it back to your main company website to start out. This gives you the flexibility in case five years down the road you decide to change your mind about the direction or vision of your business. In going this route, you also have the advantage of building your business around your personal brand, which is a great idea for coaches, authors or speakers. This is not always the best route for other less personal, and more serious types of businesses.

Keep it simple and don’t make people think!

Domain names should be short, easy to spell, and easy to remember. I highly recommend .com’s or .nets and if neither is available .co can be a good alternative. Usually when people see a website with dashes in the name like social-media-today.com they instantly come off as less serious and less professional than domain names without dashes. Usually having symbols like dashes, or other non-letter characters can create confusion or frustration, as it is easier to misspell or mistype.

When the domain you want is already taken you can try to add words like : my, online, guide, or blog. If you are wanting a domain like simplewidget.com, and it is not available you can also try to look for plural alternatives like simplewidgets.com. Usually domain names that are clear and don’t need an explanation, will give you the best results. It’s good practice to keep it simple, and don’t make people think too much.

Usually domain names that are clear and don’t need an explanation, will give you the best results. Click To Tweet

There have been instances where people use cre8tive in their domain name for example, and that is not easy to read off over the phone. While this may seem fun, creative, and different, it can create confusion when you are explaining to someone, “ we are a creative agency, but creative is spelled with an 8 . . . ” that can potentially start you off in the wrong foot with a potential client. Simplicity pays off in the long run, so keep this in mind when buying and register your business domain name.

If you are having trouble finding a good one …

If you are just starting your business and you can’t find a domain name that you want, there are online resources that can help you find something that may otherwise show up as taken. Sometimes people register domains but are not using them and they may be thinking about letting them expire, or people could be open to selling domains they don’t use or need.

Godaddy has a database of domain names that have recently expired and are available to purchase, but they may not show up as available in the main search results. Check out godaddy’s domain auctions, but beware that some domain names could be considered “premium” and cost much more than a standard domain name that is available

There are some benefits of buying expired domain names that could potentially help your business. It is widely known that Google looks at the age of your domain for ranking purposes, as well as many other factors. If your domain has been registered for 7 years, it will carry more weight than a website with similar content that has only been registered for 2 years. Usually the domain name with the most age and backlinks will rank higher than newly registered domain names.

When you register a brand new domain name or an aged domain, it is recommend that you register your business domain name for at least 3 – 5 years. Again, Google tends to favor websites with domains that are registered for a long period of time, even if they were just purchased yesterday.

When you register a brand new domain name or an aged domain, it is recommend that you register your business domain name for at least 3 – 5 Click To Tweet

Another thing to keep in mind is if you want a private registration or a public one. Going with a public one means that your name, address, and e-mail can be published for people to find out who the domain name belongs to. If you are concerned about privacy, it would be best to go with a private registration.

When you register your business domain never pay the full price! Try to Google “ ( current month ) Godaddy promo code” and you will more than likely find promo codes where you can buy a domain name for $2.49 or less.

Look at your domain name, and website, it as a business investment, and branding tool that will help you build a sustainable business.

Are your ads annoying, awesome, or do they build awareness?

Is your ad placement turning people on or off?

It used to be that the biggest focus in business was Location ! Location! Location! The Internet has basically turned that upside down, and it’s no longer a factor. Today the location of your business doesn’t matter. Now the placement of your ads, and where they are located on your site will leave people feeling either annoyed, aware, or awesome! Your choice.

Annoying “in your face” flashy ads

We will begin with the annoying ads. These ads are the banners that are right in the header of your blog, or website. Usually you find them on the very top and some of them are animated, adding further annoyance and distraction. Do you want me to click on the ad or stay on your website? Pick one! I find these ads to be intrusive and personally I will not click on them for the sheer fact that they are located in a bad place. Yes location matters and in this instance it’s working against you and not helping you at all. Please don’t place ads there, it really annoys users. “I love ads on top of websites ” said no one ever!

Building awareness, I can respect that

Ads that are placed on your site sidebar are okay. They are not as much “in my face” and I can click on them if I want or just ignore them. I admit, I usually click on these ads because I feel like they build awareness. Usually they are sponsor ads, or affiliate links and I may have some curiosity to check it out. The location of ads on the sidebar are okay, as long as they don’t obstruct me from getting to the content I want to get to. Building awareness and asking people for support through affiliate promotions is completely acceptable, hey I understand we all need to make a living.

Awesome! Now I feel like this actually matters

When someone writes about your awesome widget or product or service on their blog that is when you are awesome! A graphic ad takes five seconds, a blog posts though, I can respect and I will be much more likely to buy and take action on a product or service that is presented in this manner. It does need to be a legitimate review, or a heartfelt recommendation for it to be awesome and effective. Double whammy! The fact that you take the time and effort to create a piece of content that educates or entertains your audience makes this product or service more awesome. So there you have it. Are your ads annoying? Do they build awareness? Or are they awesome? Location really does matter and how much time you invest into it also matters. Just like anything in life you get out what you put it. Going the extra mile and taking more than five seconds to put a graphic on your website will bring you higher rewards in the long-run.

When was the last time you clicked on a banner ad on a website? Realize that this style of advertising does not create value and it is not very credible. If you want to endorse something, go the full way and don’t do it in a half-heart way. Also make sure the ads you use are geared towards your specific audience and it will help them in some way. : )