Grow Marketing and Media

10 Ted Talks To Watch

Here are 10 brilliant TED Talks that will help you level up your marketing!

How to start a movement by Derek Sivers!

Why you should make useless things by Simone Giertz

Learning to look up again – controlling your smartphone addiction by Ross Sleight

Conquering Fear by Geoff Thompson

Do schools kill creativity? By Sir Ken Robinson

How Netflix changed entertainment and where it is headed? by Reed Hastings

How great leaders inspire action by Simon Sinek

What your smart devices know (and share) about you!

Live-streaming my life by Emma McGann

How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas by Manoush Zomorodi

Let me know what your favourite TED talks are and hope you enjoy these!

What are your top tips for LinkedIn? Here are 10 of mine!

Post consistently each day
This is something I have been doing for a while and it works. Being on peoples timeline is really important. Posting once a day works well on LinkedIn even if it is posting where you will be that day. Having your key messages already worked out will help you this process.

Post an article each week
An article will stay on your profile and by posting once a week will get people more engaged in what you do. Also, if you share these articles within LinkedIn then it will be shown to more people.

Use pictures and videos in your posts
A picture or a video will get more engagement than a plain text post so include a relevant (or irrelevant) picture with every post. If you are including a web link in the post and it creates a hyperlink, maybe reconsider the picture.

Do not be too formal, LinkedIn is changing!
A few years ago, LinkedIn was somewhere to find a job but things are changing. It is a place to share latest news, hints and tips and tell people what is happening in your world. It is still more formal than Facebook but the walls are breaking down.

Talk to people and engage with other peoples posts
This has been a common thread on all the platforms, do not post and run!! It is so important to talk to people and let people know you like their messages. Expressing an opinion is OK!

Great place to share Blogs and Website Links
LinkedIn is a great place to share your Latest News, Pictures, Blogs and Website links. You will certainly have different people on this platform than the other platforms so you will be sharing your content with a new audience.

Post in groups to talk to people who are not 1st connections of yours
Groups are great for engagement and a brilliant way of building your network online. Remember, do not just spam these with #buymystuff posts but use them to connect, engage and educate the members in your particular field. Join and engage with groups and if you can, set one up for yourself!

Tell people where you are and what meetings you have had
As LinkedIn is a strong business community, sharing where you have been and where you are going to be is a great idea. By telling people where you will be, you are inviting people to arrange meetings with you while you are in the area. This is great if you have gaps in your diary!

Use the search people to find and talk to people in your target locations or
businesses
If you are looking for introductions into a certain location, company or industry, you can search for these and connect with people already in those fields. This makes expanding your network, gaining new clients and strengthening existing customers easier.

Send personal messages for birthdays and anniversaries
You will get a notification when it is someone’s birthday or they are celebrating a work anniversary. You will have the choice to send a template message and this (for me) is a big NO NO! Make it personal to the person and please never use the template!

So, How many are you doing? Hope you enjoyed this tips and if you have any, please let me know!!

9 tips for making sure your Facebook Live is Fantastic!

If you are going to do a live performance, there are a few tips that I used when I did my 4NTV Live that I wanted to share with you that helped me. There are so much more tips that could be talked about but here are the main 9 points that I feel are important for you to know.

Before the Live Streaming

Plan what you will say

This sounds like it would be common sense but we need to know what content you will be covering. You should say it out loud before hand and have notes to hand if there is a chance you might lose your focus. Make sure these are bullet pointed to make it easier to read.

Choose a location that will work

Make sure the location has got a good internet connection, is quiet and will work for the streaming. Try to cut out any external noise, humming from machinery and see if you can stop people interrupting you when you will be doing it.

Check the following:

Have you done and checked the following:

– Told people when it will be so they can join in.

– Created a Facebook Event and invited people to it.

– Already done one live as a test to make sure the connection, lighting, banner positions and computer layout works.

– Made sure that the settings are correct on the recording device (such as mirroring on Facebook Live) and there is enough storage to hold the recording.

During the Live Streaming

If you are going live, make sure you set up with plenty of time

I got to my location 1 hour before the live streaming to make sure everything was ok (even tho I had tested it the previous day). This meant I had time to respond to messages and promote it beforehand, make sure all of the equipment was still ok and I had a cup of coffee and a glass of water for during the Live Streaming (it is surprising how dry your throat goes!).

Stick to the plan

During the Live Streaming, you will get comments from people and questions that you will want to answer. Make sure you are in control of these and plan in sections of the presentation when you answer these and have time to read them. Also, if you said it will be within a certain time frame, stick to it and do not go over.

Engage with the audience if it is going out live

Start the recording with a powerful opening welcome and say hello to the people who have joined you. Invite them to share the broadcast with other (Especially if it is on Facebook) and see how they are all doing. Encourage them to press the like buttons and ask them questions. Expect a delay in the questions coming through (as people will have to type these out) and also the internet will add the slight delay as well.

After the Live Streaming

Share, Share and Share again

If you are recording this on Facebook Live, you can save this onto your phone so you have the file (which you can upload to Youtube or other video platforms). You can also trip the video out and use the audio as a Podcast and share it on Audioboom, Soundcloud, iTunes and so many more platforms.

On Facebook itself, you can share the post in groups, business pages and with your following. This is the brilliant thing about Facebook Live, the video stays on your timeline and does not delete after so many hours. This means if people missed the original show, they can catch up with the content at a later date.

Blog about it

You can just release a great piece of content so why not use it again on a different platform and link it to a blog. That way you can share the post to a wider audience that might not be connected with you on Facebook. You could also send this out to your database if you wanted to (which is exactly what I did).

Use the content on different platforms

As I mentioned above, Use this URL and content on as many platforms as possible. Not everyone will have time to watch a 30-minute live video at a certain time or even 30 minutes to watch a video at a time that suits them. It is really important to have the content in a blog post, Podcast or on different social media sites so they can see and absorb the content when they are ready.

This also means you are using your content wisely as it is serving one or more platforms which will save you time!

Hope these hint and tips help!

6 Ways To Tidy Up Your Digital Life

As it’s the start of the year, I think it’s a great time to review your digital habits and to start to think of ways to make your life more productive, efficient and more pleasurable. This could be introducing new habits or…… getting rid of habits which could well be holding you back or taking you further away from your goals.

So… here are six really simple ways that you can use straight away to make your digital life simpler.

Review your apps on your phone. Delete any apps that you don’t use, place apps with similar apps in folders and look at what apps you are using to see how long you are spending on them.
Have a system for your emails. Have dedicated times to go and check them, use folders to save emails that you want to read later and unsubscribe from any newsletters that you never read.
Use time blocking to organise your diary. Organise time each day for checking social media, family time and work. Make sure you stick to your time slots.
Unsubscribe emails that you don’t read! I know I have already mentioned this but only receive information from companies that you are going to use. Deleting multiple newsletters will only waste your time further in the future.
Automate where you can. Make sure you have systems that will save you time and stop you duplicating your activities. For example, setting up your emails to sync with your calendar will make your life simpler.
Turn off your notifications! Check your messages, emails and social media on your terms and don’t be distracted by your phone flashing.

There are so many more options but if you start with these six, you’ll feel start to feel better.

Let us know what you think and how you get on!

7 Ideas for Video and Live Streaming!

7 ideas of video.PNG

Here are 7 ideas to help you get started!

Motivation Insights

The idea behind these is to give people a spark of inspiration. This could be to start something new, look at things in a different way or to give clarity and confidence in something they are not sure about. Either way, make it clear concise and to the point.

People remember motivation quotes, have you got one that you can share?

Business tips

We are all experts in our particular fields so giving business tips to help people using video is an easy way of doing this. If you are not sure about what to say, think about these 3 things-

– What is the most commonly asked question in your industry?

– Is there a particular product you do that you want to sell more of?

– Is there something you don’t do that people keep contacting you about?

The main idea behind this is to make you the go-to guy in your industry and separate you from the other people who do not use video.

Product or Services you provide

Have you got a product that people would like to see? Have you got a delivery that is exciting, do you have new products that will need unpacking or do you have a service that you could show that will save people time? This could be as simple as a tour around the office to meet the team. If so then record this on video so people can see what you are offering.

People get excited by new things that they haven’t seen before!

Your Blogs

blog

Any blogs that you have written will give you content for a video. It is simple, talk about the blog, the content, message and how you can follow up and find more information. If you release a blog each week, you could record a video about it!

If you wanted to turbo boost this idea, use Live Streaming and get people’s reactions, ask them questions and engage with your audience!

Use your existing content on other platforms to save time coming up with new ideas.

To answer your frequently asked questions

You can use answer your top 3-5 questions using video. This is great as it give the future client a chance to see you and saves you time emailing the content to them.

This also give them a chance to get to know you so when they do make that first call to you, they know your voice which accelerates the Know/Like/Trust cycle.

Recording a two-minute video could save you emailing the same response to many people!

Tours of places you are visiting

People are nosy! If you are somewhere pretty or relaxing then why not do a quick video of it. Also, if you are selling a property or showing people where to find you, a video is brilliant to bring this to life. This works for the event you are attending and I will be covering this in a future email.

Show off where you are and get people engaged in what you are doing.

Interviews with other people

I love finding out about people’s backgrounds and how they got into what they are doing. A video is great for this and a great way of sharing hints, tips and gaining a new audience for you (if the person who is being interviewed by you shares it as well). You can do also do a before and after a video which will give you more content and a better insight into the interviewee as well as give you more credibility.

You can also get video testimonials from people who have used your products and services. These can be used on social media and on your website and is a great way of building more credibility to your brand.

By other people endorsing you on video, your credibility shoots up!

Hope these ideas work and just keep at it. The first few times you do a video you might cringe at it but it really does get easier the more you do!!

10 Ideas To Post Between Christmas and New Years Day

Having posts ready to cover the gap between Christmas and New Years should be an important part of your social media and marketing strategy.

WHY???

This is the time of the year when most companies have stopped working at full capacity which means that they could well be at home and spending more time on social media. This means you should be ramping up your content so they can see it.

But their thoughts might not on work issues at this time of year so this content must be more relaxed and focused not on products or service, but focused on engaging, fun and educating content.

So here are 10 ideas for posts you could create that have worked with some of my clients over the last few years.

Share what your highlights have been for the year
Share what are you looking forward to in the next year
Ask your audience questions to get them thinking and engaging
Throwback pictures of previous campaigns, local town, team, events etc.
Thank you posts to suppliers, customers and team members
Post fun facts about your industry
Produce daily new content answering important questions
Talk about the trends to look out for in the next year
Produce showcases on products or team members
Review of your top released content and re-release them

Hope you find some of these useful and let me know if you have any other ideas that you’ve used in your business!

My Highlights of 2019

I feel that I have had an incredible year and myself and my business has developed in ways I hadn’t thought about at the start of 2019. Projects that I thought would take off didn’t, opportunities came that I didn’t think would be possible and my mindset and health have improved for the better.

Anyway….. let’s get into my 10 highlights of this year!

My business still here with more clients than 12 months ago. Standard of clients are ace, challenging and lovely and I wouldn’t change them or the projects for the world!
Been on various radio shows and started my new podcast called The Grow Show
Recognised as the Community leader of 4Networking in December which has over 28,000 people inside the group and love it!
Spoke at 32 events in locations ranging from Manchester, Birmingham to Milton Keynes and includes an opening of a bandstand, chairing debates and business shows
Produced high quality blogs, videos and pictures for my clients which have been shown at awards ceremonies and featured in the press
Started daily exercising, meditating, reading and feel more centred than ever before
Revamp marketing assets, promotional items and planning the re-brand for 2020
Clear focus on my future goals and the path to get there
Larger network of people from around the UK
My communities, knowledge, skills and awareness have improved on a daily basis

It’s been an incredible year for myself and GROW and please share with us below what your highlights have been!

How are you using your commute?

However popular working from home is at the moment, the majority of people will commute to their place of work at some point during their working week.

As well as the physical action of getting there (ie, driving, walking, cycling, sitting on public transport etc), this can give people a chance to do a few more things at the same time.

I spotted this whilst on my commute to a networking event where I was talking.

I first walked to the train station whilst listening to a podcast (the episode was all about how different successful companies are built) and then read on the train. In the taxi on the way to the venue, I wrote some notes and prepared for the talk.

Whilst I was in the train, I looked around at what people were doing. These were some of the things I saw…..

Watching their tablet or phone
Reading a book
Doing their makeup
Listening to music
Making notes on the phone
Working on their laptop
Sleeping
Talking to the person next to them

So, I’m asking the question today…. How are you using your commute to develop yourself?

Can you start listening to podcasts instead of music, read instead watch your favourite programme or just simply use the commute to switch off and relax.

All of these are good ideas and could be used at different times depending on your mood and energy levels.

The main important thing is to use your time in the best way for you and you remain safe.

Let me know what you do on your commute and please stay safe (so no reading whilst driving!!).

7 Ideas to increase your brand awareness this winter

With the weather turning colder this week, I thought I would share with you seven ideas to increase your brand visibility.

These all came from a conversation I had with Steve from Cre8tive Brand Ideas. We were talking about which promotional items are being ordered at the moment and specifically helped during the cold weather.

Here are the top seven ideas we spoke about…

Coats/ Gilets or Jumpers
Travel Mugs (also eco friendly)
Umbrellas (large area for branding)
Hats, Scarves and Gloves
Hand warmers (so many options)
Car Kits (ice scrapers)
Blankets (for cold offices)

There are plenty more ideas for you to go for and that’s why getting in touch with a company that supplies branded merchandise is a great idea.

If you wanted to share your branded gear with us, let us know and we will add it to our list!!

Go for a walk!

Canva - Selective Focus Photography of Squirrel Sitting on Armchair

Going for a walk is one of my favourite past times especially in parks, gardens or by flowing water such as walking alongside the canal or by the sea. But why? I think it comes down to these three main reasons:

The scene is always different due to the weather, change of season and who’s there at that present time.
It’s a place where I can switch off, relax my thoughts and be absorbed back into nature.
It’s one of my go-to places if I am looking for ideas. It could be the quiet or the connection to nature that does this but either way, my mind is clear to work and think through things.

So, the next time you can’t think of what to write or need to work through an idea…. Why don’t you try to take a walk!