5 Strategies For Effective Online Networking

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Networking is one of the most important ways to invest in the future of your career, but it can also be pretty difficult. Not only do you have to find the right opportunities to network, but you also need to find the courage to speak to the people you want to impress.

The good news for introverts and busy business leaders is that there are various ways you can start networking today without having to attend expensive events and dinners.

Online networking can be an excellent way to build a valuable community, without the stress that typically comes with in-person networking events.

Of course, just like all forms of networking, you’re still going to need an effective strategy. Keep these tips in mind for effective online networking.

Decide Where to Network

Probably the most important part of building a successful online networking strategy is deciding where you’re going to connect with potential peers.

Social media channels like LinkedIn are generally a good place to start, but you can also go further and check out places like Slack groups and forums specifically for your chosen industry. You can also find a lot of great people to connect with on places like Twitter.

Keep your eyes open for digital and virtual events too. Since the start of the pandemic, these are becoming increasingly popular, and they often come with chat rooms and networking spaces where you can reach out to others with shared interests.

Connect with the Right People

As tempting as it might be to build a relationship with influencers or thought leaders, the reality is that it’s important to think carefully about who you reach out to.

Look for industry peers and people who can teach you something.

Connecting with people who already have a strong presence in your industry or a link to the businesses you want to work with can be a good idea too.

Keep an open mind when making your relationships online. You might be surprised to discover who can make a difference in your future career. If someone offers to introduce you to someone they think could help you, take advantage.

Connect with people in your community.

Even if your business is entirely online, people still enjoy supporting businesses in their local community. Use online channels to connect with people who are in your industry AND in your area so you can build up a local presence as well as an online presence. This can also be an effective way to get your foot in the door of a new industry or new business venture.

Network Regularly

When you’re starting out in networking, schedule a few hours every week where you can check out what’s happening on social media, read up on the content shared on your favorite forums, and participate in conversations.

You’ll want to have an active online presence if you want to make those connections count.

Remember to check your news feed on a daily basis when you can, and at the very least try to update your LinkedIn status with a few relevant factoids or links to relevant news stories from your industry.

The more people see you online, the more likely it is they’ll feel connected to you and want to strike up a conversation.

Follow Up Regularly

If you’re going to really grow a successful network online, you need to work harder at making connections than offline. You can’t expect to have the same emotional link to someone online as you do in person, so you’re going to need to speak to the people you meet more often.

Make a habit of regularly getting online and devoting time to following up with the people you’ve already met.

If you’ve already spoken to someone on social media quite a few times and you want to strengthen the relationship, ask them to connect over the phone or meet with you via a video conference.

The more connections you can make, the better.

Be Helpful and Informative

The more you invest in networking, the more you’ll learn that people want to connect with others whom they believe can help them out. The more informative, helpful, and knowledgeable you are, the more valuable you become.

This doesn’t mean you should be constantly asking your contacts if you can do anything for them, but make a concerted effort to share useful information whenever you can.

On LinkedIn, you can write posts where you talk about your experiences in the industry. On forums, you can respond to questions being asked by other people in your space.

It’s also worth looking for ways to be helpful in other ways too, like responding to emails where people ask for your input or getting involved with podcasts and interviews.

Keep Working on It

You won’t always be an instant success when you start networking with your peers. It might take a while for people to respond to you, and some might ignore you completely.

The key to success, as in most things, is to keep working.

Don’t let it get you down if you struggle with building your network initially. Keep focusing on your goals and practicing.

Over time, you’ll learn how to become more effective at building relationships. What’s more, those relationships will help you to achieve your goals in your career.

No List? No Problem! Building a List with Paid Ads

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We’ve been told (and told and told) for years that “the money is in the list” and that “your mailing list is your biggest business asset.” But if your list numbers are hovering in the low four-figures, or fewer, with no sign of growth on the horizon, such advice can seem a bit unhelpful. (If you don’t have a list at all, check out this Mailing List 101 to know where to start!) The fact is, building a list is a catch 22: you can’t get sign-ups without traffic and it’s difficult to find traffic when you have no list. You can go in circles for months trying to figure out how to build your list, or you can do it an easier way!

Paid Ads Make Building a List Easy

By strategically placing ads in front of your target audience, you can drive tons of traffic to your opt-in offers and enjoy conversion rates of two or three percent or more. Even better, with some tweaking and split testing of your offers, you can carefully refine your ads and copy so that you’re attracting your exact ideal client and filling your list with buyers who are ready to take action, rather than freebie seekers.

All you need to run paid ads to your opt-in pages is:

  • A compelling offer, such as a video training series or live webinar
  • Copy to grab the attention of your target audience

Best Ad Placements

Once you have your components in place, the only question remaining is where to run your ads. You have dozens of choices, from Twitter to Google to YouTube to solo email spots.

The key to successfully building a list is to first determine where your market is most likely to be hanging out. If they’re on LinkedIn, then running ads on Twitter will be a waste of time. Keep in mind the cost as well. Ads on Facebook are generally less expensive and less competitive than a Google Adwords placement.

Start Small, Then Refine

Once you’ve decided where to place your ads, it’s time to set your budget and begin running a small set of ads. Consider setting a small daily budget, such as $10 or $20 at the beginning, so you can get a feel for how your ads will perform. Watch the traffic, track your conversions, and create split tests of your landing page and ad sets to determine which performs the best. You can refine the audience you’re targeting based on the stats you receive. For example, if you find that men between the ages of 20 and 30 are clicking but not opting in, you might want to remove them from your audience.

At least at first, it’s best to avoid running ads for paid products. Conversions for a free offer will far outshine those to a paid product, especially if your program is expensive. After all, those who are clicking on an ad most likely do not know you at all, so it takes a much bigger leap of faith to offer up a credit card number than it will to provide an email address.

Ad Copy Blunders to Avoid

Have you ever clicked on an ad because you saw an adorable pair of sandals that you just had to have, only to land on a page full of sneakers, with not a sandal in sight? It’s frustrating, to say the least, and that kind of ad-to-landing-page mismatch will kill your conversions.

Your ad copy is making a promise to the reader. If your landing page doesn’t fulfill that promise, your readers will click away, and you’ll have wasted the money you spent to get them there. Before running any ads, be sure your ad headline, image, and copy all match the message on the landing page; use these Sales Page Copy tips to get started.

Final Thoughts

Paid advertising was once a tool used only by big companies or marketers with a lot of money to spare, but today they’re more cost-effective than ever, and technology makes them easy to create and monitor. If you haven’t yet tried your hand at this useful traffic generation method for building your list, it’s time to do some experimenting. You might just find your list numbers – and sales – growing.

Fast and Easy Products

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How many partially completed products, books, or group coaching programs do you have sitting around on your shelves or in your computer? If you’re like most entrepreneurs, the answer is a resounding “far too many!” And frankly, the reason you have all of those incomplete projects isn’t because you don’t know your subject, or because you’re a poor writer, or even because you don’t have time. The real reason is because you’re overthinking the whole process. Fast and easy products are much more simple than you may think.

Right now, you’re probably buying into the belief that you must:

  • Create something from scratch.
  • Make something that looks just like every other program or product in your niche.
  • Build something so comprehensive and massive that it encompasses every aspect of your subject, from soup to nuts.

And every one of these beliefs is holding you back from creating the exact program your target market is looking for—and it just happens to be something you can put together in an afternoon (or less) with the content you already have on hand.

Step 1: Identify The Problem

This is not a huge, overreaching problem such as “how do I build a mailing list” but rather a single problem that has a single solution. So rather than trying to solve the problem of building an entire list, try solving the problem of just setting up a mailing list.

It’s a single problem that you very likely have the solution for right in your business documentation. Easy products should be just that – easy!

Step 2: Define Your Process

Using the example of setting up a mailing list, chances are you have worksheets and checklists for your VA (or you) to follow. It’s a step-by-step plan that walks you or your team through the process of setting up a new mailing list.

For someone who’s struggling with getting their first auto-responder set up, this simple and easy deliverable can be a real lifesaver.

Step 3: Share What Works

Package up your already existing business documentation and viola! You have a new fast and easy product you can get up for sale in a single afternoon.

The only question now is, why haven’t you done it yet?

 

Image from Pixabay

Mailing List 101

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Your ready to start building your mailing list, or utilizing your existing list, but where do you start? The question that’s on everyone’s mind when they start thinking about mailing lists is usually: “Which service should I use?” You’ve probably wondered yourself, and maybe even spent a few hours (or days, or weeks) researching your options.

Stop!

This is not the question you should be asking (yet), and it’s exactly why so many entrepreneurs get stuck in the planning stage of list building.

The First Step In List Building

Before you need to think about tools, you must ask yourself this: “How can I best serve my market?”

Whether you’re target market are coaching business owners, new moms, bloggers, or youth pastors, they have a need that only you can fulfill. And when you discover what that need is, you’ll have two valuable pieces of information:

  1. What incentive will be a true no-brainer for your ideal client to opt-in to your list?
  2. How can you use your mailing list to provide the best value for those who join your list?

Don’t over-think these questions, though. Your opt-in incentive can be as simple as a resource guide or a short how-to video that answers a common question. You don’t have to go overboard with dozens of downloads and a 100-page eBook. Rather than providing value, these massive downloads are more likely to overwhelm your reader than encourage them to learn more. If you need help building your opt-in incentive, reach out to us here at Steady Radiance Design – we can help!

Get Help Building Incentives from Steady Radiance Design

And when it comes to providing value to your list members, keep three things in mind:

  1. Regular communication is a must (consider an auto-responder series if you’re not good with scheduling email updates).
  2. Marketing should always be second to information—too much selling will cause your opt-out rates to soar.
  3. It’s your responsibility as a thought leader in your market to distill and provide the information, tools and products your audience needs.

Step Two in List Building

Now that you’ve established how you can serve your market, ask yourself: “What is my list-building goal?”

How will you be using your list? Will you:

  • Send a weekly or monthly newsletter?
  • Create an auto-responder series that delivers content on a pre-determined schedule?
  • Use affiliate links as an income generator?
  • Promote your own services and products?

The answers to these questions will help you determine not only the right tool for your list-building needs, but will also determine the path for your ongoing mailing list content, promotions, and growth.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve answered those two questions, you’re ready to research and decide on a mailing service. Make sure whatever service you choose fits into your brand, goals for serving your market, and goals for using your list. Happy mailing!

 

Image from Pixabay.

Go With the Flow: Managing Cash Flow for a Healthy Business

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Guest post by Michael Stephenson of The Entrepreneur Hub

Whether your business is a $10 lemonade stand or a $1,000,000 tech venture, positive cash flow is intertwined with long-term success. But reaching and maintaining healthy incomings/outgoings is not always easy and, in fact, becomes a lot harder as your business grows. That’s why it’s important, while your operations are small, to develop good habits for managing cash flow that you can use in the years to come.

Monitoring

It’s hard to make necessary changes to your work processes if you don’t have a clear overview of inflows and outflows. At any moment, you’ll need to know your expense costs, inventory quantities, active projects, due invoices, fixed assets, and more so that you can accurately calculate cash flow and use your findings to build an airtight financial plan moving forward. Even if you’re a full-time entrepreneur/business owner, it will pay to spend some time building a working knowledge of accountancy.

Once you’ve dug out your bank statements, calculated your overheads, and collected all of your contracts, the next step is to quantify and store this information. If you haven’t already, it’s never too early to invest in accounting software. You can use this software to help track times, build reports, create and monitor invoices, and store receipts. Try to look for software that is suitably designed for small businesses and that you can easily use and operate independently. You can also invest in data analysis services to gain insight into your company’s operations. You can find data analysis professionals on freelance job platforms and vet candidates by reviews, experience, and skills.

Cutting Costs

Even when things are running smoothly, a savvy business owner is always looking to cut costs where possible. The best and perhaps the easiest way of doing this is to aim attention at recurring costs like subscriptions, office supplies, utility bills, insurance plans, or loans. For example, with the popularization of remote working, it’s possible to skip a hefty office contract entirely and conduct all business from home or in shared spaces.

Remember, even though it’s important to save money, you need to be careful how you go about doing this. One of the common mistakes when reviewing your budget is to slash marketing or advertising. This can be tempting for a business, especially during a recession, but oftentimes the value of marketing is multiplied in more difficult economic circumstances. Instead, consider adapting your processes – for example, you might try to utilize cost-efficient strategies such as PPC or paid social, rather than expensive ad campaigns or spending through an agency.

Adapting Your Business

Sometimes, to get to a positive cash flow, it’s necessary to make profound changes not just to your work practices but to the business itself. Using a sole proprietorship, for example, you can usually enjoy reduced tax rates (as there will be no legal separation between you and your business). Registering as a sole proprietorship will also save you on legal costs, as these will no longer pertain to state registration or obtaining an agent. Remember, before you take any major steps, it’s always a good idea to find the right financial advisor first since managing cash flow is just one element of your overall business financial management.

Another common strategy is to move everything to the digital space. Most businesses founded in the 2010s were either digital or have transitioned online. This is a major advantage for erasing geographical limitations, improving your reach across consumers, and, of course, saving cash on personnel and illiquid assets. Even though it’s an easy adjustment, you should make sure you’ve done plenty of research before you buy a domain or spend on online services.

You can also revamp your marketing efforts to improve your cash flow. In today’s business climate, digital marketing is an essential part of promoting your products and services. The pros at Steady Radiance Design can handle all your web design, SEO, and social media management needs so you can build your brand effectively. Need a budget-friendly way to create dynamic images for your marketing materials? You can utilize a free remove background tool which allows you to customize your images.

Recent studies found that 29% of businesses fail due to a lack of cash. If you can’t pay salaries, suppliers, or afford the resources you need to operate as normal, your business simply can’t function. Keeping strict cash management is essential, not just to the working of your business, but also to its long-term future.

 

Image by Pexels

How Much Does Video Really Matter to Your Marketing?

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Have you been ignoring video, hoping it will just go away? Or worse, thinking you can accomplish the same goals without it?

I’m here to tell you, video is going nowhere. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world and TikTok recently overtook YouTube for the number of hours watched per month. Video clips on social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enjoy far more engagement than do plain text or even image-based updates. And when it comes to training programs, most people prefer video to text or at least a combination of the two.

And now with streaming video, this new marketing channel has become even more important.

  • Live video lets viewers get to know you better
  • Your personality and brand shine through in ways written words or pre-recorded video simply cannot manage
  • A built-in sense of urgency makes it easy to connect with your action takers (trust me, FOMO is a real thing – that’s “Fear Of Missing Out”).
  • Repurposing video for other channels is easy and super productive
  • Facebook and other social networks appear to give more weight to video, showing it in more newsfeeds than other post formats

In addition to all of that, video is easy to produce – especially the new streaming services. Simply prop up your smartphone, log into your preferred app, and viola! You’re live.

And because it’s a live, streaming video, your viewers likely have less expectation of perfection. For example, with a scripted webinar, they expect a certain polish. But with streaming video, you can get away with a much more lighthearted, go-with-the-flow style. It’s perfect for Q&A sessions, special announcements, group coaching, or anything else where you simply want to connect with your audience, and there’s no agenda.

Don’t Abandon Your Other Marketing Channels

We see this happen a lot – a hot new marketing tool or strategy comes along, and all of a sudden everyone is on board – much to the detriment of the tried-and-true methods.

Remember, you have loyal fans on many platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, your blog, etc. And these fans won’t always be quick to move to a new site just to stay in touch. You owe it to them to maintain your presence on other social sites as well.

So while Facebook Live (and other streaming video services) definitely matters when it comes to your overall marketing efforts, it’s not the end-all, be-all tool that will outshine all others.

4 Tips To Expand Your Company’s List of Repeat Customers

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Guest post by Leslie Campos of Well Parents

Experts assert that repeat customers are more valuable than new ones because those who already have confidence in your business generally spend more money on your products and are willing to recommend your company to friends. Unfortunately, making a great first impression during a patron’s initial visit is not enough to secure his or her business well into the future. Encouraging loyalty in consumers requires careful strategizing and investment of time and resources.

Here are four things your company can do to ensure your customer’s first visit is not their last.

  1. Provide Superior Products
    A critical factor in earning patrons’ continued business is offering goods that exceed people’s expectations. High-quality products should be visually appealing, effective, and simple to obtain and use. When consumers feel they can depend on your company to provide a good value for the money they spend, they are more likely to continue working with you moving forward. This also applies to the way you serve patrons, as, according to Ameritas, statistics show that customer service has a significant impact on the likelihood of keeping current clients and earning their recommendations. Make sure your company is reachable, friendly, and quick to resolve issues.

    While offering exceptional products and services may seem to be straightforward, it isn’t always simple in practice. A good way to improve your skills related to marketing, managing employees, budgeting and similar tasks is to return to school to earn your Master of Business Administration degree. MBA programs cover a wide range of topics to sharpen your business acumen in all these areas and more. And a reputable online MBA degree program gives you the flexibility you need to earn your degree on your terms. You can earn while you learn, continuing to work full-time and manage your responsibilities while earning your degree without having to attend in-person classes.

  1. Foster a Sense of Community
    Although connecting with individuals is a key aspect of holistic marketing techniques, Inc. magazine notes that experienced businesspeople argue that bringing patrons together as a community is another effective way to hold on to previous customers. To accomplish this, your company must consistently provide useful content and engage with patrons on public forums. For instance, you could regularly post updates on social media that people can follow to learn about new merchandise or upcoming events. For automated, high-quality posts and top-notch social media content and service, contact the pros at Steady Radiance Design!
  1. Reward Loyalty
    Harvard Business Review notes studies have shown that rewards programs are an effective way to establish long-term customer relationships. Even so, these strategies must be carefully planned so they target the most valuable patrons without sacrificing profits. There are a number of different types of rewards programs commonly used by various businesses, including tier, subscription, point and partner programs. Though the style you employ depends on your business model, the overall goal is to offer a future benefit that clients can earn by spending more money on your products and services.
  1. Clarify Your Identity and Mission
    While it may seem that consumers do not care who you are as long as you offer what they need, companies’ values are often very important to the public. When patrons feel they share key worldviews with your business, they are much more likely to support you with their purchases. Company goals may vary widely, but they generally speak to a desire to improve the world or individuals’ lives in some way.

Whether your business is large or small, in person or online, repeat customers are essential to your success. Remember to establish relationships with your patrons and to earn their confidence by allowing them to get to know your company and the surrounding community while enjoying your products.

How to Have a Successful In-Person Event

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It’s been a long year and many live, in-person events have been put on hold due to the pandemic. That doesn’t mean that live events are a thing of the past though. We’re slowly starting to see them come back and we think people are ready to get out of their houses and attend more in-person events! From conferences and workshops to fairs and festivals, we still think it’s definitely possible to have a successful in-person event. We fully support the idea of keeping your business and your community safe, so please keep that in mind before planning an in-person event! Even if it can’t happen now, there’s no better time to start the planning phase than right now!

Having a successful in-person event requires a little more work than a webinar or Zoom event, but they are much more profitable and fun for all involved. Sure, they take a bit of planning, but if you follow these tips you’ll be well on your way.

  1. Have a Clear Objective – Your first need is to have a clear objective for the event. That is the only way you can successfully market it to your audience as well as potential JV partners and sponsors. People can see when something is well-considered or not.
  2. Find JV Partners – A joint venture partner (or two or three) can help you pull off a much larger and well-attended event than if you did it all alone. The JV partners should be people who offer complementary products and services to yours rather than direct competitors.
  3. Hire an Event Planner – The cost of an event planner is more than worth it when you consider all the little things that need to be done to ensure your event goes smoothly. An experienced event planner can actually save you money by helping prevent costly mistakes.
  4. Recruit Volunteers – Once you know that the event is going to happen and you’ve sold a few tickets, it’s time to recruit some volunteers. The best volunteers are those who have signed up for information about your event but for whatever reason cannot afford to go but fit within your demographic.
  5. Market Everywhere – Well, market wherever your audience lives, plays, works, and socializes. Your marketing should be directed and specific in order to get a good response. You can have Facebook Live videos, webinars, articles, blog posts, eReports, and more to promote your event. Everyone involved should be promoting the event. Also, consider advertising your event in the local paper or on local radio stations to attract new people who might not find you online.
  6. Collect Leads – During your marketing, find ways to collect leads because the people you market to via email directly are more likely to sign up for your event than people who find your information in other ways. Consider allowing affiliates to market your event too.
  7. Land Sponsorships – If you can land a well-known sponsor for your event it will make your event seem even more impressive when you say “sponsored by XYZ Corporation” if that corporation or entity is well known and trusted by your audience.
  8. Choose the Right Venue – One of the most important decisions you’ll make is where your event will occur. Ensure that the space is right for the size of your event. You don’t want people to feel too crowded, or as if they are swallowed up by the venue. You also want the style of the event to fit in with the style your audience has in terms of them worrying about what to wear and how to present themselves.
  9. Get Technical Help – Even if you’re great with technology, monitors, computers, microphones, and whatnot you really want someone else to take care of these issues. You want to be a personality at the event, not the technical person because it will take away from some of the fun for you. You’ll have enough things to do as it is.
  10. Practice the Performance – Your speech, the order of the talks, the use of the technology, and so forth needs to be completed on-site at the event location when possible to avoid any issues with lighting, technology, or even walking up a step or two to get to the podium. This will make you all look more professional and avoid mishaps.
  11. Test Technology – It’s been mentioned more than once in this list, but that’s how important it is. You should ask speakers to send you a copy of their presentation prior to the event so that if something happens you’ll have a copy, they’ll have a copy, and put a copy in the cloud just in case. But do not assume the internet will work. Have backup plans.
  12. Allow for Breaks – Don’t forget to put realistic breaks into your event so that your participants do not get too fatigued or uncomfortable. Even interesting talks can put people to sleep if they are uncomfortable, hungry, or need to use the restroom.
  13. Ensure the Temperature is Comfortable – A very important component of a successful event is how the environment feels to the participants. You don’t want it to be too cold or too warm in the location. If there is an issue, ask it to be fixed on behalf of your guests.
  14. Serve Healthy Food – It’s tempting to go crazy and serve heavy food that will shock and awe the participants but you really want them to focus on your message and not their full and possibly sick and overfed stomachs. Give options for different types of people. You can survey those who purchased a ticket to ensure the food choice fits most people.

Good planning and plenty of forethought will help ensure a successful in-person event. Not only that, but you’ll be able to create a profitable and fun outing for everyone involved.

Fundamental Steps for Starting a Small Business in Your Local Community

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Guest post by Katie Conroy of advicemine.com

Entrepreneurship can be one of the most fulfilling career paths you can take. Among other benefits, it allows you to do something you’re passionate about, scale at your own pace, and have more control of your work-life balance. And starting a small business in your local community means that you can contribute to the health of your local economy, provide jobs to residents, and develop meaningful relationships with your customers.

But getting a business off the ground in a way that positions you for long-term success is not easy. Along with saving up the capital, securing any additional funding necessary, and obtaining any licenses and permits needed, Steady Radiance Design has listed some other essential steps you’ll need to take:

Think Through Your Ideas

You know the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired up to this point in your career. While expertise is important when choosing what type of business to start, however, it’s not everything. Consider any passions or interests you’ve acquired over the years, and combine those with your current expertise to make a list of potential business ideas.

Study Up

If you decide to pursue something out of your comfort zone, then you’ll need to learn as much as you can about the industry or niche. Devour business and leadership books, find a mentor who can help prepare you for the challenges ahead, and look for conferences and other industry events that you can participate in.

Another option is to go back to school. These days, you can complete almost any type of program online, which is very convenient and allows you to work at your own pace. If you joined an online business program, you could strengthen your business acumen while also making connections to instructors and students, which could prove beneficial down the road. Marketing, business management, and management and leadership are popular programs to consider when starting a small business.

Listen to the Residents

Once you have some ideas that you can imagine yourself pursuing, take to researching the local market to gauge whether or not there is a need for the products or services. If there isn’t really demand for what your business idea would provide, then it’s a non-starter. You have to ensure there is a potential for profit. Along with conducting market research, seek feedback from local residents via online surveys and in-person conversations.

Create a Business Plan

So, you’ve determined a business idea that can bring you fulfillment, help the community, and make a profit. Now, create a business plan that includes your mission statement, product/service details, marketing strategies, target audience, financial projections, and any other information related to your goals.

Zero in on a Location

If you’ll be working out of a brick-and-mortar store or office building, the location you choose is key. Look for a spot with low taxes, low crime rates, and plenty of parking. If you’re opening a retail business, try to find a high-traffic area of town that will attract customers.

Stay Involved in the Community

Finally, one of the greatest privileges of starting a small business is that you will be in a position to contribute to your community. Consider offering free services or products to schools, libraries, and nonprofits in your area. Start a workshop or course to help other local professionals and small businesses in your industry succeed. And look for community events and charities that you can sponsor. Not only does contributing to the community show that you care about your neighbors, but it will ultimately benefit your company’s success as well.

If you want to lead a fulfilling career while making an impact on your community, starting a local business is the way to go. Following the tips above will put you in a solid position to succeed as a business owner in your neighborhood. However, there are other factors involved in getting a business off the ground, so be sure to keep researching other steps you can take to increase your chances of success.

Do you need help with your branding, design, and social media? Turn to the expert services of Steady Radiance Design; “our business is making your business shine!”

Image via Pexels

How to Create Sharable Content That Goes Viral

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Ever wonder what makes some posts, videos, or blogs “go viral,” while yours are lucky to have 7 shares and two comments? While it might seem like some well-kept secret, the truth is it’s easy enough to create shareable content, if you put some thought and creativity into your efforts.

1. Everyone Loves Infographics

Whether you want to know more about how coffee is grown, or you’re looking for ways to boost your blog traffic, you’ll find a variety of infographics to fill you in.

These colorful, easy-to-read graphics share vast amounts of data while still entertaining an audience. By condensing numbers and stats down to easily digestible bite-sized pieces, you can make valuable information highly understandable for any audience. Even better, your market will be happy to share (and share and share).

If you’re not artistic or don’t have the skills required to create your own, we can help you make infographics your audience will love.

**Pro tip: create an embeddable link for your infographic and encourage other blog owners to share it on their sites. You’ll automatically drive traffic from every site that posts your content. If you don’t know how to do that, reach out to us for help!

2. Create Valuable Posts

Writing a blog post? Don’t just skim the surface of a topic. Dig deep. Provide as much information as you can on the topic.

While some bloggers will tell you that shorter is better, the truth is, posts of 3,000 words are more likely to be shared than their shorter cousins. So don’t worry about attention spans. Readers have proven they want good info and they don’t mind digging into a long post to find it. The bottom line – more detail = more shareable content.

3. Let Your Personality Shine

No one wants to read or share another post that just agrees with the masses or doesn’t share any new ideas. Not you and not your audience.

What they do want—and what they’ll happily share with their friends and fans—is personality-driven pieces that aren’t afraid to take a stand.

That’s what makes many bloggers and coaches so popular. You know, simply by reading their content and watching their videos, that what you see is exactly what you get. Nothing is hidden; there’s no “corporate speak” to be found.

It’s easy to form a connection with someone like that because you feel like you know them personally. And what do you do with your friend’s content? You share it, of course!

 

It doesn’t take much to create shareable content. Just be yourself, be transparent, and be valuable. In short, just do what you’re already doing, only with a little bit more oomph!