We’ve all had the displeasure of meeting the conference leeches who walk around spamming out business cards. That’s why there is one rule at every event we produce. “No handing out business cards unless the other person asks for it first.”

As much as I hate to admit it, business cards still fulfill an important role in the world. There’s just no faster, more frictionless way to share contact information. Sure it just punts the ingesting of said information down to a later time for the recipient, but it allows two people to exchange contact info in less than a second. But what if there was an even better way? It’s been a pet project of ours for several years now, and we think we’ve found it.

 

The Challenge

Business cards suck for at least 47 different reasons, but let’s just tackle the top five here…

1. They’re static. Even if all the information is up to date, they have nothing current or interesting to draw people into an ongoing conversation.
2. You never have them when you need them. This is the biggest one for me. If I keep them with me in my wallet, the edges quickly look tired and worn. If I don’t, “Oh, sorry I don’t have any on me at the moment.”
3. They take time and money to produce. This is a smaller inconvenience, but I’d rather spend the money on a lunch than ordering a 1000 new cards for every employee. Not to mention it’s a piece of paper that you’re practically asking someone to throw away for you when you hand it to them.
4. No context. How many times have you returned from a trip or conference with a stack of cards, and tried to remember which person went with which card?
5. They’re boring. This is the worst offense of all. No matter how much you spend on each card, what space age material you make it out of, it’s still just a meh experience.

 

The Solution

Let’s be honest, I never have business cards with me. I just don’t think about it. So several years ago we started working to improve how we think about sharing contact info in a live setting. It needed to be:

1. Fast
2. Frictionless
3. At Least 10x Better Than Traditional Business Cards

I love me some automation, so that’s the first place I turned. Hell, I’d automate brushing my teeth in the morning if I could. Version 1.0 was created by Justin, our COO, and was simply a webform that created a new contact in our CRM and autoresponded with our contact info in an email.

The thing that I love most about automation is that once you have the building blocks in place, it all comes down to creativity and empathy to create better and better experiences. For Version 2.0 I realized that there were two types of people I typically met. Ones that I really wanted to pursue relationships with, and those that I’d be content letting the universe bring us together again if necessary. So I made a second form for the first category. One that would ping me a couple days later to follow up with that person for lunch or coffee. Around this time, we also added shortcuts on my phone to the two different forms for easy access at events.

People really seemed to love it, but it still didn’t provide context to who the other person was and wasn’t 10x better of an experience than traditional cards. So for the third iteration, we broke the web form up into two sections. There’s the typical fields for the person to fill out, then it says “Thanks! Hand the phone back.” and has three more fields for our employees to quickly fill out.

• Contact Type Dropdown – Context for what type of relationship it is. (Lead, Competitor, etc)
• Follow Up Check Box – This eliminates the need to have two different forms for people I want to grab lunch with.
• Notes – A brief area to jot down something memorable that goes directly into their contact notes in the CRM.

To make it a full 10x better experience, we started adding more information to the email. In addition to the contact info, we added a link to the person’s bio, and info about current interesting projects they’ve been working on, paying special attention to adding conversation starters. It takes a few minutes for the system to send the email, so I’ve had so many times where I’ve moved on to a new group at an event, and 20 minutes later someone comes back up and starts talking about how amazing the email is and the projects we’ve been working on. Queue a new line of people asking for my contact info.

Whether we’re building this for a new employee or a new client, I always try to remind people that business cards can never be a replacement for being an interesting person. But these sure take some of the pressure off. Good luck killing business cards in your organization too, and reach out if you have any questions or ideas!

Creating good content, be it a Palm d ‘Or worthy video or a Pulitzer prize-winning blog post, is important in any marketing campaign. In fact, according to most marketers, having good content can increase leads and engagement by 70%. Nevertheless, a good video, image, or article can only take you so far. It is a matter of making sure your masterpiece is seen by the right people. 

Don’t let your great content go to bad, ill-conceived campaigns. Below are just a few ways to ensure your critically-acclaimed masterpiece becomes a box-office success: 

 

Fine Tune Your Definition of Target Audience

One of the biggest mistakes companies commit when creating content is trying to cast too big of a net. It is difficult to develop a voice, more so a product or a service, that everyone needs and can relate to. In the end, when you try to speak to everyone, you end up reaching no one. 

In content marketing, it is important to define your audience because you want to tailor-fit the video, blog, or infographic you are making to the people you want to reach. You want your content to be valuable to them.

Defining your target audience starts with answering these questions:

• Who did you create the product for?
• Who are your current customers?
• Who are your competitors? 

In answering these questions, you can craft a simple and one-liner of a definition of who your target audience is. 

Take us at FH for instance, we create and distribute content for remarkable, socially aware brands with great stories to tell. 

 

Create Content That Your Audience Care About

When you are creating content, it is easy to assume that your product or service should always be front and center. However, hard selling isn’t always the way to go. You end up sounding like a broken record and unfortunately, no one is buying  

It is important to talk about what you do. But it is just as important to consider what your audience wants to hear. 

There are several ways to figure out what your audience wants to consume. It is a smart idea to vet your competitors and see what they are producing. This way you get an idea of what kind of content is out there. It is your job to improve on it and have it stand out. 

It is also a good idea to take a look at your homestead. If your business is active on social media platforms, you can look at the stats and determine the kind of posts that generate more engagement. You can also get the information from the horse’ mouth by taking a look at the comments. Your potential clientele might already be giving you direction on what kind of content they want to see. 

 

Be Where They Are

Knowing who your audience is and what they like is as essential as figuring out where they are. You wouldn’t want to be screaming into the internet void. 

Start with social media. Which platform is, as the kids say it, poppin? Your content would do best shared in the platform that gets the most engagement. Be warned: make sure that what you post is aligned to where you post them. No one wants to read several paragraphs on Twitter, nor does anyone care for a funny, mildly inappropriate video on Linkedin. 

Aside from social media, venturing into the, arguably, cold-sweat inducing world of SEO is an interesting way for your content to reach your intended audience. There are still plenty of people, to the tune of 87% of internet users, who use search engines to look for products. Aligning your content with SEO strategies is a great way to be discovered by willing and engaged consumers.  

At Friendly Human, we put our clients first and this results in successful collaborations. The same can be applied to running an impressive content marketing campaign. With your audience’ needs at the center, you would never lose your way. 

 

References:

https://getstencil.com/blog/how-to-find-out-what-content-your-audience-wants-before-you-produce-it/

https://moz.com/blog/know-what-your-audience-wants-before-creating-content-whiteboard-friday

https://coschedule.com/blog/how-to-find-your-target-audience/

https://optinmonster.com/content-marketing-statistics/

https://publicrelationssydney.com.au/4-ways-to-reach-your-target-audience/

There is no denying that video is the next wave in the future of digital marketing. Video, when done right, is one of the most effective forms of content.

Unfortunately, not everyone is convinced. Creating video content can be daunting, especially if it is your first time to produce a video for your business. You don’t want to waste time and resources to create content that won’t create results. 

If your boss is one of the naysayers and Doubting Thomases, they are probably asking if video is worth the investment. Instead of just saying yes, here are some hard facts:

In 2017, 74% of internet traffic was attributed to video.

By 2021, this number is expected to increase to 80% of all web traffic!

69% of internet users prefer watching videos to learn more about a product or service.

90% of potential clients say that a video has convinced them to make a purchase.

Out of the 90%, more than 60% make the purchase after watching a video about the product or service.

The great thing about numbers is that they don’t lie. The statistics above points to only one thing: it is high time you incorporate videos into your marketing strategy. 

Thankfully, you have experts on your side. Below are simple but effective ways to incorporate video when prospecting for potential customers:  

 

Have Your Clients Do the Marketing for You

As a consumer, ask yourself: would you rather take cues from a cookie-cutter ad or would you rather listen to feedback from a product’s actual customers? There is nothing that urges potential clients more than hearing from satisfied customers. 

Instead of furnishing your website with blocks of client testimonial text, why not create a video that showcases the kind words your past customers have for your product or service? 

Remember that everybody loves a good bargain. A smart way to encourage video reviews is by offering your current clients discounts or loyalty points when they send in their testimonial. 

According to research, client testimonials can improve sales five-fold. That 10% markdown you gave out is bound to pay for itself.   

 

Give them Peek of What is Behind the Curtains

Your company’s brand is more than just its tagline and its logo. At present, the buying public is as concerned with the type of working environment a company fosters as they do with the quality of the product. People want to make sure that they are supporting and patronizing “the good guys.”

A video showing behind the scenes would enamor your company to potential customers. Why not film your employees while they are working hard (or hardly working!). Feature a glimpse of your employees’ workday – how they collaborate, and how they have fun. You can also interview an employee and let them tell your potential customers what it is like to work for your company. 

The more you show what your company is made of, the better the impression of potential customers would be.  

 

The Classics: Demos and How-Tos

People are busier than ever. So busy that reading up on products and services that they are thinking about purchasing would simply not fit their day. 

Make the buying decision easier for them by providing demos and how-to videos of what your company has to offer. Film your products in action or answer some frequently asked questions about your services. 

Because you gave them the information that they need, there is a big chance that when it is time to buy your brand is atop their list.  Yours is the company that provides what they need – why go anywhere else?

Remember to create content that is easy to digest, easy to understand, and easy to retain.

When it comes to video marketing, the world is your digital oyster. The three examples are arguably the best and simplest ways to start using video when prospecting. Do not be afraid to experiment. The farther you are from inside the box, the better!

 

References:

https://www.vidyard.com/blog/importance-of-video-content-marketing/

https://www.slideshare.net/AdelieStudios/the-top-17-video-marketing-statistics-for-2017

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-state-of-video-marketing-in-2018-infographic/518339/

https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/2018-04-25-the-importance-of-video-marketing

https://www.hatchbuck.com/blog/5-simple-ways-incorporate-video-marketing-strategy/

https://upcity.com/blog/four-ways-to-incorporate-video-content-into-your-marketing-strategy/

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog/b2b-beat/2017/the-power-of-online-reviews-to-boost-sales

There isn’t anything surprising about what makes a good video. A good video accomplishes any of these three things – it entertains, it informs, and it sells. While it might seem simple, a great business video is easier said than done. 

If this is your first foray into video making, creating an entertaining and informative video that turns prospects into paying customers is a tall order. Thankfully, we understand that dipping your toes into video marketing can be overwhelming. Trust us, even the loudest brand on social media has been there. 

You do not have to go through your first video production alone. Below are a few tips that would ensure your audiences laugh, think, and respond positively to the content you plan to put out:

 

Know Thyself, Know Thy Audience

When creating a business video, start with figuring out the main objective that you are trying to accomplish with it. 

Do you want more follows on Instagram? 

Do you want more shares on Facebook? 

Do you want people on social media to go to your website?

Do you want to convince people that your product is worth the buy? 

The type and tone of your video would highly depend on your reason for making one in the first place. Having too many whys might run the risk of your video being too busy, too disjointed, or too long. 

Likewise, you have to determine the audience you want to speak to. If your key demographic are middle-aged dads in the Midwest, you do not want to be using millennial slang in your production. Fam, that ain’t lit. 

 

Stickin’ to the Script / Stick it To the Script 

Most people are surprised by the amount of work that goes into a 30-second video. It doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen on the fly. 

When making a video, preparation is key. You would want to make the most out of your investment. Even if you are starring in your own production and doing everything by yourself, it isn’t cheap to rent out supplies and equipment. 

With all that said, it is also important to be flexible. Yes, you prepared. Yes, you have scheduled every minute of the filming day. But you couldn’t have prepared for every single situation. 

Our tip is to draw out an outline of the talking points you want covered. This way you don’t necessarily have to memorize lines but you don’t forget anything important. Likewise, prepare several back-up plans for when the venue isn’t available, your leading man or woman is out sick, or anything else that might go awry. Have a second venue and an understudy – just in case. 

Remember: you can always ditch the script if it isn’t working or find a new location if the weather doesn’t agree with your shooting schedule. A good filming day is a combination of being prepared and going with the flow. 

 

Lovin’ the Length

When it comes to creating a video, longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. When was the last time you watched a 30 minute video on Youtube about a certain product or service. Did we hear “never”? 

A good commercial runs for less than a minute. A tutorial, on the other hand, is at its optimum when it is about three minutes long. Customer review videos should run about 100 seconds. According to research, the video Goldilocks zone is about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Remember, producing a short video takes about the same amount of effort and time as producing a long one. You only have less than a minute to convey the message you want to convey. It better be the best darn thirty second video your audience would ever see!

You don’t have to be a Scorsese, a Coppola, or a Kubrick to produce content that your audiences would respond to. It isn’t as complicated as you think it is. With a little prep, a little flex, and a whole lot of hard work, you can make a video that can send your brand into the trending page!

Twenty years ago, telling a business owner that the “world wide web” would shape how brands market and sell their products and services would have been ridiculous. It was 1999, after all.  People were mostly concerned about the turn of the millennium and Friends was still on at 830 PM every Thursday. 

Needless to say, it was a different time. 

Today, traversing the social media landscape can be tricky for any brand. It is almost suicide for a company not to hone a social presence but it can also be difficult not to make any tacky faux pas. 

If you are starting out and you want to do right by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other platform, below are common mistakes that you best avoid:

 

No Plan, No Problems? We Don’t Think So.

Tackling social media without a plan is like going on a skiing trip without skis – it won’t be fun and it would be a massive waste of time. Sure, it is exciting once you get there – it is a totally new place after, all. But after a few weeks of not knowing what to do, you just end up staring at snow and dirt. 

Before anything else, you have to figure out the main objectives of your social channels. 

Do you want more leads? 

Do you want more engagement? 

Do you want to launch a new product? 

It is important that you treat your social efforts like any other marketing campaign your brand invests on. Goals, budgets, and timelines should be determined even before creating an account. 

 

Casting Too Big of A Net – You Ain’t Jesus

Social media is exciting. Without having to leave your office, you get to connect with thousands even millions of potential clients with just a laptop and an internet connection. 

Nevertheless, it is easy to get too excited and try to reach every single person in every social media platform – even those outside of your target market. As we said, you ain’t Jesus and you shouldn’t be casting too big of a net. 

The content that you post on your social channels would be determined partly by the people want to reach. You don’t have to be in every single social platform especially if your target isn’t there. Save your resources on the platforms that would provide the best ROI.

 

Facebook Ain’t Twitter – Social Media Platforms Aren’t Created Equal

Like people, social platforms have strong suits and weak spots. While there are types of content that can be posted across all platforms, it is important to arm yourself with each platforms’ pros and cons.

Take Instagram for example. Instagram is all about images and creating an aesthetic. It simply isn’t smart to post content that includes a link especially because the link would not be clickable. Likewise, creating a Youtube video that is basically a powerpoint with huge chunks of texts would likely not get your brand on the trending page. 

Again, your brand doesn’t have to be on every social platform available online. Do your research and align a platform’s strong suit with your objectives. This way you ensure that you hit your goals without expending too much resources. 

 

Too Hard on the Hard Sell

We get it. You are investing on social media for your brand because you want people to learn about your business and sell as much product as you can. Social media is great for that goal, we don’t blame you for being too pushy on the sales talk. 

However, people tend to steer away from social accounts that only post promotions and nothing else. Your content must be valuable to them, otherwise, you lose a follower. 

There is nothing wrong with posting promotions once in a while. But remember, that shoving your product down your audience’ throats will most likely not convince them to patronize your brand. Building a relationship and providing useful content will.

 

Boo-hoo – Not Knowing How to Deal with Negativity 

Even the best, most responsive brands have to deal with negative feedback. Your brand simply cannot please everyone. What sets a good company from a great one is how they deal with this negativity. 

We know it can be tricky. There are people who get off on being trolls online with no real purpose. The first step is to determine whether or not you should even engage. 

If it is a past customer complaining about your product or service, a prompt response is in order. Give them the means to contact you privately in order to discuss their concerns. Make sure that you reply within hours and not days. Most of all, two things – never lie, and always be polite. 

Everybody makes mistakes. Thankfully, with research, patience, and a whole lot of coffee and screen time, you do not have to make the ones above. 

Let us know and thank us later!

A calendar truly is a tool that can help you organize, strategize, and recognize your brand’s points of improvement. 

With that out of the way, it is high time that we show you HOW to actually create one that would suit your brand’s needs. So, buckle up, and take notes. We highly encourage a snack. 

 

Step 1 Start at Home: What You Already Have 

We know you are excited. After all, a social calendar can give your company the extra boost that it needs. However, before you fire up your Google spreadsheets, it is important to examine what you currently have re: social media. 

Before anything else, here are questions that need answers:

• Which social media platforms are you posting on?

First things first, you need to audit your company’s social presence  in order to have a solid baseline. Knowing your stats before implementing your calendar would make it easier to track improvement. 

• Which ones get the most engagement?

There is nothing more unfortunate, at least when it comes to social media, than shouting into the void. Knowing where your target audience ensures that your content is seen by the right people. Unsure who your target is? We gotchu (link to this article.)

• How often do you post?

A ghost town of a social media page is just as bad as having no page at all. Keeping track of the frequency of your current posts can determine the schedule you want to implement. Would you be upping the ante? Or cooling it with your irrelevant posts? This audit would answer exactly that question. 

• Who is managing these efforts?

Determining who is manning your social media accounts gives you an idea of (who to blame, kidding!) who you would be turning to if you need updates. If that person is you, the congratulations and read on!

 

Step 2 Drafting Your Team: Where You Want to Post

Contrary to popular belief, being everywhere isn’t necessarily the best strategy. You don’t have to be in every single social media platform. It doesn’t make sense to create content for a platform that doesn’t align with their beliefs and their intended audience. You don’t want to waste time, you don’t want no (social media platform) scrub. 

With that in mind, every platform speaks to a certain demographic. In order to be effective, you would want to align the content that you would post to the platform and the audience you want to reach. 

There are several ways to determine which social platform would best suit your brand:

• Start with Stats

One surefire way to determine which platform you’d keep is by looking at straightforward data. If you have 500 followers on Twitter and two followers on Instagram, the decision is pretty obvious. 

• Check the competition

While it is important to focus on your own brand and your own goals, there is nothing wrong with taking a tiny peek at what is going on in the next yard. Take inspiration from what they are doing and improve on it.  

• Do Due Diligence (Hehe)

Like we said earlier, each social platform has its strong suit and weak points. 

Researching as to what each platform is all about including the demographics they target, the schedule users are more active on, and their general popularity would help you narrow down your choices. Again – you don’t have to be everywhere. You just have to be where your audience is. 

When you finalize your list, it is smart to prioritize. Determine which platform your audience would most likely be and keep that to heart when you are already writing and planning. 

 

Step 3 Ready, Set, Prep: What To Include in the Calendar

After two steps, I bet you are asking if it is finally time to fire up Google Sheets? Well, yes and no. Like all the other steps, there are several things to consider while you are preparing your calendar. Told you, you should’ve gotten a snack. 

• All about Logistics

In preparing your calendar, you have to ask yourself WHERE you want the calendar to be. Google Spreadsheets is a popular choice amongst brands. Here is a downloadable example you can tweak to fit your need (insert link of social calendar samples.) 

You can also opt for a scheduler like Hootsuite or Buffer to act as your content calendar. It is just a matter of finding the means that you are most comfortable in. Fair warning, it takes a little bit of trial and error to figure out what works. 

• Developing Your Topics

A bank of topics listed down makes it easier to produce content. At least you already have a rough idea of what you want to post –  you don’t have to constantly pull something out of your rear end. 

At a loss, here are some examples:

• Inspirational Quotes
• Product/Service Feature
• Behind the Scenes
• Customer of the Month
• Employee of the Month
• Fun facts
• Blog Post 

 

• When o When? 

Since you did your due diligence, developing your posting schedule shouldn’t be too hard. Based on your research, post when your audience is active. If your current schedule does not engage the people you want to, shake it up. It is trial and error until you get the perfect formula. 

 

Step 4 Our Hows (In the Middle of the Street):  Establish a Process

Knowing what to post is good. But knowing what to post AND how to post is great. I bet you would agree with us at Friendly Human that we always want to strive for greatness. 

After figuring out your actual content, the next step is to establish a workable and flexible process that would get you from step 1 to step 4. 

In as much as it is important to determine what to post and when to post, you should also decide on how and when you would be sitting down to write and prepare the content: 

Do you prepare content a month in advance?

Do you delegate certain steps like creating graphics? 

When would you set time to track and evaluate posts? 

How often would you change your set of topics and schedule? 

 

Conclusion

A social media calendar can afford you the buzz that you want for your business without all the stress. Yes, we understand that creating your own isn’t easy – especially if it is your first time. After all, this article is more than 1000 words long. But trust us, th e pay off is leaps and bounds your investment. 

And know that if you need help creating content you can be proud of, you can holla at yo boys at Friendly Human.