Emily Chow

December 19 2014

How to Start a Business Conference

ftyang Archive, Business Seminar Business Seminar, Emily Chow, George Verdolaga, Keri-Anne LIvingstone, Rebecca Beaton, Sandy Chernoff 0

Date: November 29, 2014

Name: How to Start a Business Conference

Presenters: Rebecca Beaton, George Verdolaga, Keri-Anne Livingstone, Sandy Chernoff, and Emily Chow

Converting ideas to business is always entrepreneurial dream. However, a majority of entrepreneurs is lacking the extra push towards their final destinations. This conference will help entrepreneurs to identify the clarity of business they are approaching. This conference invites local successfully and dynamic entrepreneurs to share their success stories with the audience. Moreover, this conference will help entrepreneurs to make an easy transition from dream to reality. The experiences from the presenters will teach entrepreneurs the ability to craft their business idea and create strategy to tackle their inner fears. George Verdolaga, the founder of How to start a business conference, believes this presentation will benefit all entrepreneurs who have the dream to be at the top.

First steps to starting your business

Rebecca Beaton, the coach/consultant, is someone who has passion in helping people to build their foundation of business step by step. She believes business can be used for good in the world and helping people who are dissatisfy their jobs. Moreover, she believes business with the right purpose can create better lifestyle for everyone.

Beaton believes entrepreneur’s business is equivalent to entrepreneur’s hard work. Many people can make 6 figures because they invest their hard work before the achievement. Typically, three to five years of foundation of fundamental is required for business owners. In addition, this includes the involvement of work and commitment.

Business owners need to enjoy the journey in business. Their mindset towards challenges should be rewarding. Beaton indicates there are 4 steps all future business owners need to understand before launching their businesses.

Step #1: Clarity

Business owners need to create business from impact. The impact leads to purpose; ultimately, purpose will lead to success in long run. The impact includes what business owners are good at what they like; in addition, the impact also includes the understanding of what people are willing to pay for.

Step #2: Know if you can make money

Beaton emphasizes business owners need to know if their ideas are worth investing. There are six processes business owners need to figure out.

Is it obvious?
Talk to people
See what people are searching online
Sell, offer free, and testimonial
Market research surveys and interview
See what people are doing it

Normally, people design and then sell; however, successful business owners should sell before design. Every business should contain three major components: backbone, container, and paths. The backbone refers to the main message. The container refers to the structure, and the paths refer to marketing. It is important for business owners to build creditability, even if it is trial and error.

Step #3: Create your business backbone

Beaton believes the narrower the target audience, the more audience business will attract. Therefore, it is significant to be specific to get the message across. The process of message comes from “why”, “POV”, “Problem”, “Who”, and “How”.

Business owners need to understand why they want to start their business. Moreover, business owners need to understand the goal of business is not to do business with people who need what they have; instead, they need to do business with people who they believe what business believes.

The problem comes from the focus of the audience problem. The solution should be created for business’ ideal clients. Business owners need to figure a way to take the ideal clients from point A, which is the problem, to point B, which is the result.

Step #4: Market research

Business owners need to sell their clients what they want and give them what they need. In order to accomplish that, Beaton suggests the idea of capture audience language. By understanding the responses and reactions from the clients will lead business owners the right direction to improve the interaction with the idea clients.

“Create freedom, impact and money with a business for good”

How to build a client list from scratch

George Verdolaga, the author of The Contractor Lifestyle, and The Job Farmer, is invited to share his knowledge of teaching and helping people to achieve personal, career or business objectives. He has the passion of creating business network for business people. He is also a speaker and a workshop facilitator.

Verdolaga faces isolation and low self-esteemed through his teenage and university years. After working in the corporate for two years, he encounters a rare opportunity to manage a nursing school. He manages to face the power struggle and align people with his vision. Furthermore, he begins to create his personal confidence. 7 years later, he steps back and pursues his passion to create businesses for people.

How to start a new relationship

Verdolaga mentions there are 3 types of relationships: starting, cementing, and sustaining. In order to start a new relationship, Verdolaga suggests people to be the first to approach other. Many people are laying back and waiting for people to come because public speaking can be a fear for many people. Nonetheless, it is important to be the first person initiates the relationship.

How to cement the relationship

Verdolaga believes it is important to establish the rapport effort by giving. This means people need to give compliment. By giving compliment will trigger happiness, and happiness will lower their guard. This will provide people the chance to get inside for deep conversation.

Verdolaga understands giving praise works best if people show application and be positive with honest feedback. People need to be the one to ask questions. This will show interests and provide the opportunity to get to know each other. Verdolaga indicates the best question is “what brings you here?” and “what are you looking for?” People need to pay attention to what others say.

How to make the new relationship into a profitable one

Verdolaga suggests people to be the one to follow up. Many people have a weak follow up skills. A good way to start the follow up procedure is to send a thank you note the next day. Moreover, another way is to invite others to another event or coffee. This will earn the rights to take the relationship to the next level. A good follow up will lead the new relationship to a sustainable relationship.

“Introduction in the first sentence, compliment others in the second sentence”

Daring to suck mindset strategy

Keri-Anne Livingstone, the certified professional coach and speaker, is invited to share her experience to help entrepreneurs to release their full potential. In her career, she designs the unique powerful concept of “daring to suck” that helps many people to unleash their passion towards their business life.

Five years ago, she questions herself her career direction. She realizes getting a degree does not mean there is a guarantee of a better job. However, her life hits bottom when she lost everything she has in her life, this includes job, life and family. Her life got back on her feel because of Oprah’s inspiration. A friend of her encourages her to do coaching and she starts to see her existence. She finally found the door she is waiting for in her life.

Livingstone believes there are 3 kinds of people in the world: the leapers, the dabblers, and the pushed. She is the example of the one who got pushed in her life by her friend. Livingstone understands people need an extra push to continue their lives.

How do you see it?

When people change the way they look at things, the things they look at will change. This means different people have different interpretation. Livingstone’s concept of “daring to suck” involves authentic action, trial and learning, and unattached to outcome. The concept treats the fuel as intention and it has the “worth it” factors. The concept will show people who success is in the effort. In addition, the concept has eight steps to start their business

The first step is to listen and pay attention on things going on in life. People need to understand where they are right now. The second step is to tell the truth to them what the current situation is. The third step is to feel it all. People need to be honest and clean as neutral. The fourth step is to meet clarity needs. This means people need to aware the limitation and seek for help to reduce the redundant pressure. The fifth step is to take the help. Many people can sense the urgency, and it is important to make the connection to receive support. The sixth step is to have conscious action. People need to keep their eyes open for opportunities. The seventh step is to celebrate the efforts and learning. People need to celebrate the win and involve with the good things around their lives. The last step is to apply learning and repeat. People need to look back and relearn the mistakes they made. Moreover, people need to be willing to learn and apply to the next thing.

Choose a story

Livingstone shares that mistakes are expected; however, it is important not to let the noise overwhelm and create negative emotions. People need to have the mindset of “going for it”. People will have negative emotions, such as too difficult, limitation or fear. Nonetheless, people should overcome with positive emotions, such as curiosity and excitement.

This is all about making the conscious choice. Livingstone suggests people to think these 2 primary questions.

What do you need to do?
How do you want to be?

When people are stuck, people can start from the “pain points”. This will help people understand what they really hate right now. After recognizes the situation, people need to make a declaration to remind themselves to change.

How do I keep this alive?

People need to practice in order to change. Livingstone recommends post it notes, theme songs, accountability buddy, phone reminders or inspirational quotes. In addition, people need to know what they want to hear. They need to remember the “why”.

“Do not ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive”

Life of soft skills for success

Sandy Chernoff, the owner of Soft Skills for Success” is invited to share her 20 years of experience in soft skill training. She is also the author of The 5 Secrets to Effective Communication. She provides many strategies and tools for her clients to be successful in their jobs with the element of fun in it. Her passion is to conduct corporate training workshops and she is one of the strong corporate trainers who will transform people’s lives from good to great.

Chernoff starts her career as the dental hygienist. After working for 40 years, she realizes her passion is in the wrong field. She resigns and starts to help out in fundraising events. She sees there is a need for people who want to learn leadership but do not have the resource to do it. She begins to train people the role of leadership responsibility.

How to find business?

As a trainer, Chernoff asks the 3 questions to people she networks with.

Do you provide continue training?
Do you have AGM?
Do you hire trainer?

Chernoff will make websites and hire professionals to optimize the SEO. She believes website will generate business clients. The backbone of her training business is the passion of teaching and creates more fun in live. Chernoff emphasizes people are interested in many things, but they usually do not do things. Chernoff wants make things happen so she starts her blog and use her blog to organize ideas for her book.

Chernoff publishes her book to raise profile creditability. She emphasizes whatever people do, they must like it first because in average, 75% of people do not like their jobs. Life can be different meaning

Challenges off the ground

Two main challenges for many businesses are follows.

How do people find you?
Why people want to hire you?

When many people ask Chernoff where they can see her resources, and she begins to create videos to provide her clients a sense of whom she is. Video is a good way to present her profile. As long as the presenter presents authentic, it will show passion of what they can do. Chernoff used to do cold calling or push marketing for her business, but now clients are seek her through website. Companies with good culture will survive, and if not, they will call Chernoff for training.

Challenges now

Chernoff believes her current challenge is to exceed the routine process. She understands it is important to challenge her brain to do different ways. This will stimulate her brain to create new and innovative ideas. Online learning is the trend, but she still believes live learning is most effective. She develops the learning management system for large corporation.

It is good for people to challenge themselves to continue their growth.

How to deal overwhelming

When Chernoff is overwhelming with her work, she steps back and asks for help. She is not afraid of asking for help because figure out what is important. She chooses the important things to do. For instance, she is not on all the social media. She believes it is nice to have profile online, but it is useless if people do not use it. Therefore, concentrate on few to maximize the effects.

Writing a book

It takes Chernoff 3 months to write her book. This is after her blogging. The hard part is the editing because she needs to hire editor and designer to design her cover. In total, she spends 6 months until printing. Chernoff believes when clients see the value, they will buy it.

Advice for early entrepreneurs to start new business

Chernoff suggests people to transition from work instead of burn the bridge of work and go straight to launch new business. By starting something small will help people create some sustain first. This will create momentum to launch new business.

“Communication is the core of soft skill”

“You are your business. If you do not have business, it will be hard to sell your business”

“Whatever your passion is, go fly with it”

Creating an online presence that sells

Emily Chow, the principal of Chow Communication, is invited to share her expertise in social marketing. She has successfully help business owners to utilize the web visitors and transform them to business partners. She is also the expert of communicator and speaker, and the strategic business planner. Moreover, she helps companies identify opportunities to maximize their profits. Her skill makes up her purpose of sales, leads, and conversions.

Chow has the ability to give the audience the “Ah ha” moment. She makes online marketing planning simple and easy for clients. Furthermore, she takes people from confuse to clarity and create websites that work.

Chow indicates it is difficult to brand online due to competition. The website content is easy, but create marketing is difficult.

The million dollar question

The question for many business owners is how to attract customers. Chow believes the secret sauce needs 3 primary ingredients.

Aesthetically pleasing website
Killer website and blog content
Community focused social media campaign

What is SEO?

Chow defines search engine optimization (SEO) as the combination of keywords. Business will be effective if they use 5-7 key words. Moreover, SEO creates creditability and proof for businesses.

Chow will share 3 important concepts to start a new business

Concept #1: Web design

Web design needs heat mapping, layout and conversions. The website needs to have contents that are comfortable for natural eye, which means moving from up to right. It is necessary to have nice headline because it will tell the audience what the business is about. Chow recommends website should have secondary headline to explain more details about the work people do. The important thing is to have a call action with simple instruction. Chow believes the website needs to tell the audience what they need to do within 3 seconds; otherwise, they will leave the page. It is good to have testimonial for social proof. This is a pre-screen strategy because other people will judge. People’s mind is preprogramming to find negative, so website should not have negative. Lastly, all important information should be on the first page.

The way website uses color can make a difference. As for new business website, Chow suggests to us white, orange and blue.

Concept # 2: SEO tactics

Chow’s SEO tactics involves one page, directory submissions and keywords. The website needs to list the expertise for search engine to find. Websites need to show “why”. There are many online tools to help people analyze their website.

Meta data is something people need to pay attention. Meta data works behind the website that triggers SEO. Google will categorize and judge by website’s headline, title tag, and Meta data, description and keywords. Therefore, keywords are extremely important.

Keywords should be the combination of business expertise and business products. People need to see what competitors are doing and do not invent the wheel; instead, do it better. Chow suggests keywords could be short tail or long tail. Short tail consists of one word and long tail consists of description of detail. The keywords fall within the range of “research” to “buy/purchase”. People need to find the keyword that is near the “buy/purchase” to capture the right clients.

Concept #3: Content creation

Chow believes content creation involves multimedia content, publishing strategy and targeted engagement.

The top 3 search engines are Google, YouTube, and iTunes. People need to think digital online. This means people need to create videos, audio and blog to capture audience. People need to publish their information in different platforms. However, Chow believes it is not necessary to create platforms if it is not going to use it. It is ok not to go on all social profile.

If something is not effective, perhaps there is not the right call to action. The webmaster tool or Google analytics will help people understand the traffic and group of audience. In addition, the tools will help business figure out what audience is interested. Different profiles work with different strategies.

Chow suggests all business owners to figure out the keywords, understand the target market, realize the message, and optimize the marketing strategy. Furthermore, Chow wants all business owners to understand it is important to adjust the marketing strategy in real-time.

“Chase the emotion or feeling, not the result”

December 1 2014

OMG Social Media Conference 2014

ftyang Archive, Business Seminar Ada Juristovski, Business Seminar, Cijaye DePradine, Crystal Henrickson, David Reeve, Digital marketing, Emily Chow, Joe Wozny, Mary Crowe, OMG Social Media, Social Media 0

Date: November 20, 2014

Name: OMG Social Media Conference 2014

Presenter: Various

Online Media Generation (OMG) Social Media, founded by a group of young and innovative entrepreneurs, is to integrate social media through small business owners. Salina Siu, the Co-Founder of OMG, believes social media revolution is becoming a part in business functions beyond sales and marketing. The goal is to simplify social media for small business owners and provide knowledge and opportunities for owners to become a part of online media trend. The conference will benefit all owners who are looking for strategy to improve social marketing. Moreover, OMG organizing committee team invites many top social media leaders to share their marketing insight for small business owners.

Whole Foods Market – 3 keys to digital success

Mary Crowe, the Market Engagement Manager at Whole Foods Market, has over 10 years of experience in retail marketing. By specializing in social media strategy, she leads all branding marketing for Whole Foods Market across internationally. She originally worked as a chef; however, there is no passion for her to continue the current career. She realizes her passion towards engagement, which leads her to the life of her dream in Whole Foods Market.

Whole Food Market is over 4 countries, 12 regions and 402 stores. Over 87,000 team members and over 850 social media accounts are within the organization. Last year, the organization reaches 10.3 million people with only 4 team members on global team.

The philosophy of the organization believes their social media is an extension of their in-store customer services. Crowe believes the success in marketing for Whole Food Market comes from 3 primary keys.

Key #1: Engage, do not rage

Crowe believes it is important to become an authentic story teller. People do not feel perfection; instead, they want to know the true image of themselves. Therefore, organization needs to create empathy, and empathy can be driven by the brand.

Organization needs to listen. It is common to ask questions to interact with the existing and online audience. Listen to customers’ needs and turn them into trends. Organization needs to join conversation instead of rely on customers to find them.

Crowe emphasizes negative feedback is not a challenge, but an opportunity. Organization needs to take control and do not let others to tell their stories. By responding in a timely manner will create more engagement with the audience. Furthermore, organization needs to provide something fun and different to engage with audience with surprise and delight.

Key #2: The new (content) rule of thirds

Crowe believes in marketing, the content should be mixed with 1/3 of products, 1/3 of community, and 1/3 of creativity. The creative content should both reflect on the organization’s brand and shared values between the organizations and their customers.

It is important to let the audience see the behind the scenes. This will allow them to understand the work behind the idea. It can be a powerful tool to increase the interaction between the audience and the organization.

Key #3: Tweet on Twitter, not on Facebook

Crowe wants all owners to clarify that each social channel has its own unique strategy. Facebook is used for engage with community, Twitter is used for tweet community message, and Instagram is used for visual messaging. SpredFast is a social media reporting tool and Crowe recommends owners to utilize the SpredFast app to see if their social media strategy is marketing effectively.

“The brand engagement takes priority over brand messaging”

The Evangelist: Courting your ultimate contributor

Crystal Henrickson, the community manager coach, specializes in online marketing, community builder and community strategy. Her coaching career starts in 2007. Her mandates are to help startup companies, build community programs’ brands, and mentor community managers. In 2009, she successfully helped Yelp to launch in Canada. She believes every organization needs to establish and find their evangelist to survive in the social media.

Why advocates are important

Organizations’ health determines by the number of happy customers. 84% of people trust word of mouth from their close friends. Communities help organizations to achieve their goals. Therefore, mutli-tiered community leadership programs have some of the best engagement rates. These are all come from the establishment of communities.

What is the difference?

There are three levels for audience to become the next evangelist.

Fan -> Advocate -> Evangelist

Henrickson indicates Fan is someone who likes the organization, but not actively talking about the organization. Advocate is someone who loves to spread the words for the organization through social media. Lastly, Evangelist is someone who strongly believes about the organization and involvement. Evangelist is the strongest and advanced form of word of mouth.

There is another level, which is the Ambassador. They are the one who are paid by the company to promote organizations’ events, social share, and brand.

How to create advocate program?

Henrickson believes advocate programs will not work if there is no happy customer. Therefore, organizations need to find their contributors. Organizations need to think about how they can identify their values for their customers. It is important not to skimp; instead, organizations need to provide values by giving praise delight and surprise. Organizations need to measure and track their success and their failures. Moreover, Henrickson suggests organizations to treat them as building blocks.

The way organizations identify their advocates has transform from traditional to innovative. Traditionally, customers are the combination of 1% creators, 9% collaborators, and 90% listeners or lurkers. In addition, this is considered as 90-9-1 rule. In the new innovative way, the customers are the combination of 10% creators, 20% collaborators, and 70% listeners or lurkers. This new way is considered as 70-20-10 rule. Rules are depended on different industries.

The ideal characteristics of advocate

Henrickson believes all advocate should have these characteristics.

Educate others
Invite new community members
Role model behaviors you want to see
Welcome new members
Provide quality content consistently
Passionate
Do-ers
Make thoughtful suggestions
Authentic

Create a program that invites advocates

Henrickson emphasizes build and nurture communication using different kinds of social media channels that are available to the organizations. It is important to ask for help and encourage feedback loop. This means organizations need to consistently ask “are you doing anything after receiving the feedback?” Advocates should have the ability to always invite friends to join. If someone is new to this concept, he or she can become the new friend connector. It is important to encourage mentorship and always remember to acknowledgement, praise, reward, and give access and exclusivity.

Henrickson suggests all organizations to let go of their control; instead, listen and observe the things around them.

“Developing advocates is a practice in friendship”

Culture and Storytelling: The key to building an amazing brand

David Reeve, the Chief Culture Warrior of Unleash Culture, is invited to share his knowledge on creating a successful brand’s story. In the age of 14, he found his purpose of life by inspiring people to their successes. By following his passion, he successfully created 19 famous brands through Canada. He has mastered the skill of R&D, which he refers to Rip off & Duplicate. Moreover, he won over 30 awards of excellence and still continues to help organizations to promote their brands.

Storytelling your story

Reeve believes it is important for all organizations to tell their story to the world. This will attract the sustainable clients and people they want to work for. By becoming a brand ambassador, organization needs to let people tell their stories.

In statistic, 90% of companies focus on telling about what they can do or offer and how they can accomplish it. However, only 10% of companies will focus on the why they exist in the market. Therefore, Reeve indicates the mission statement should be the only reason why companies exist. Culture is the brand character in companies and character is the foundation to tell people the story.

“People do not care what you do and how”

The key foundation of culture

Reeve mentions there are 3 key foundation of culture in companies.

Key #1: Find your purpose

Reeve suggests all companies to remember the times when they are challenging and be humble when times are great. The purpose of companies should be 4 words or less. Purpose should not mention anything about product, price or services.

Key #2: Anchor your core values

Reeve suggests all companies to focus only top 4 core values. These values should mention the people, service, improvement, and general business. Core values should admire people about their existing.

Key #3: You need a hero

Reeve suggests companies to make their clients as the hero. Companies can make the connection with their clients even closer with social attraction.

Reeve recommends all companies to build around their purposes, reflect on their values and always have a hero for people to admire.

Choosing the right digital marketing model

Joe Wozny, the CEO of Concentric and the author of The Digital Dollar, is invited to share his knowledge on the trend of the digital marketing. Digital marketing has taken a huge role in the social marketing and he helps many organizations to strategize their social marketing campaign to integrate digital in to their business. Joe Wozny is the one of the top leaders to improve strategies for companies and he will help organizations to choose the right business model for the upcoming digital trend.

There are over 100,000 small and medium size businesses in British Columbia. In this generation, the more people earn, the more people will check social media outside of work. Moreover, social media is a huge piece in people’s lives.

In Wozny’s research, he helps organizations to think about how their businesses can roll out. The generalization of the process is stated as follows.

Business Plan -> Marketing Model -> Deployment Planning -> Execution -> Operating

Wozny believes the right digital marketing model is important because it is a foundation to build on the current business. Moreover, his company assists organizations to identify the right type of marketing model and help them capture opportunities.

Models

Wozny categorizes all digital marketing models to 5 primary models. They are “Digital Brander, Experience Designer, Demand Generator, Product Innovators, and Awareness Builders.

Digital Brander is after consumers’ product companies. They focus on brand equity and engagement with linear advertising. Experience Designer uses data and insight to build around the customers’ services. Moreover, it reinvents the way to interact with customers. Demand Designer is to drive volume and boost loyalty. It converts sales to maximize efficiency. Product Innovator is to develop and roll out new products. It gathers insight to shape innovation and nurture new sources to increase company values. Awareness Builder is to shift from relevant to conversation. All transactions will support the integration and drive brand presentation. It improves on usage, confidence and perception.

Wozny believes in order to execute the models’ capabilities, companies need to build the insight. These include segmentation, assessment, measurement, real-time decision making, personalization, and targeting. To activate these insights, Wozny wants companies to concentration on optimizing the content and innovation, create social influence and advocacy, and build on Omni channel experience.

Based on Wozny’s research, segmentation and assessment are highly required by Experience Designer. Measurement is required by Product Innovator and Awareness Builder. Real-time decision making is for Demand Generators and personalization and targeting are for Digital Brander and Demand Generator.

As for activation, the optimizing content is for Digital Brander, Innovation is for Product Innovator, Social influence and advocacy are for Digital Brander and Awareness Builder. Omni channel experience is for Experience Designer.

All models are required for all capabilities. The priorities are different for different models. These include the metrics for different models. The top social metrics are used majority by enterprises. The budget spends different in different departments related to social marketing.

Wozny recommends companies to think how social migrates to their cost structure. Companies need to adjust how their content saturate through their business model. Companies should translate the traditional model to digital model to capture social impact. The mobile application is raising and it will change the way businesses connections. Moreover, companies need to consider online aspect in business integration and adapt the model that can provide the best momentum to the industry.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint”

Social media trends in 2015 panel

When social media trends have changed, organizations need to update their social media strategies. This panel invites Bosco Anthony, the Digital Marketing Strategist from Tribe1, Sunny Lenarduzzi, the Social Media Consultant at Hootsuite, and Conner Galway, the Digital Marketing Director from Junction Creative Solutions, to discuss about the social media trends in 2015. With the moderator, Damon Holowchak, the Marketing Director of the Donnelly Group, the panel will share their experience about the changes organizations need to be aware of in 2015.

Looking back on 2014, LinkedIn has successfully created to build lean relationship and provide visual and digital content to retain users. Twitter has updated their SEO for more user friendly codes. However, Google Plus needs to shape up. The trend in 2014 was moving online video with low budget expectation. This includes the upgrade of Twitter embed function. Therefore, users are looking for visual engagement through social media.

The panel believes video has translated and changed the original business concept. The brands will emphasize the real time moment. Users will need to take time to learn the space and find the needs from digital content.

Many social media tools have failed in 2014. The panel believes many digital tools have failed to improve the culture from poor leadership. Many users are manipulating people’s choices through social media and it is creating a lack of transparency. The future trend should focus on engagement.

In 2015, Facebook will change the usage of advertisement. The ecommerce will impact in social media. Social advertising will be the new trend. This includes pay by tweet. Facebook will start to focus on videos for more engagement, which will impact YouTube. The businesses will compete with the quality of the content. Moreover, Facebook will move towards work environment. Businesses will need to include social media as their cost of business.

In order to ease the new digital marketing to businesses, people need to focus on the “why” and “engagement”. Businesses need to find ways to distribute or engineer their operation through social media. The panel suggests all businesses to collaborate social media with other platforms because social media will make everything cheaper for recovering customers, message out, create community values and increase followers.

“Approach with value, not money”

Maximizing loyalty, longevity and success online

Cijaye DePradine, the author and speaker of Cijaye Creative, is invited to speak about how companies can use social media to build relationship and connection. DePradine has 2 decades of online and offline marketing experience and design corporate training programs. She also delivers over 15,000 hours of mentoring to entrepreneurs about SEO and searching advertisement strategy. Her experience will help many organizations in this presentation about identifying the right people and the right channels in social media.

Many organizations are struggling to implement social media tools in their organization. DePradine discovers a formula that can help organizations to achieve results without stress over the tools. It is called “Funcharting”

Funcharting

DePardine defines funcharting is a purpose driven philosophy of making meaningful connections that build loyalty, guarantee longevity and success. The formula starts with the fundamental.

Find and focus on your why

DePardine wants companies to discover the “why” within the operation. When they discover the reason, their distraction will down and productivity will go up. The right people will start to show up and opportunities will exist often.

Unify your why

When companies unify the why with the right people from inside out, the right products will sell. People will believe in the right products. The changes will be clear and people will promote them for the company.

Nourish and nurture needs

Companies should put their customers’ needs first. People will start talking about their products and they will become loyal to the company. It is important to nourish customers’ needs so they will pay attention to the products.

After companies discover the “why”, they need to discover the “who”. When companies target with unique audience, they will have unique needs. The way to fulfil the audience needs depends on their placement on their lifecycle. It is important to understand the audience before companies can expect their results.

In social media marketing, companies need to determine the right keywords their audience is looking for. The keywords will help companies to funnel the right audience. Companies can use “Balance” strategy to reach them. DePardine defines the strategy as “Brand Awareness”, “Lead Acquisition”, “Nurturing”, “Converting”, and “Evangelizing”.

As for Brand Awareness, companies need to focus on the shareable content. As for Lead Acquisition, companies need to measure from consultations and call to actions. Nurturing is about statistic and survey. Converting focus on workshop, development and coaching. Moreover, evangelizing is about results, programs and testimonials.

Charting

DePardine defines charting is a methodical approach to combining hard skills and soft skills to make big difference. This process should be natural. Charting is the reason behind the trend of social media, blogging, and email marketing. Many leaders are using charting strategy to improve their brand recognition. Charting is to “Connect”, “Hear”, “Appreciate”, “Reward”, and “Trust”.

Companies need to know how to connect their services to social media. Different kinds of platform or tools will serve different purposes. The important key is to connect with context. Therefore, companies need to choose their keywords wisely. Connections include hard and soft skills. By using the right keywords, clients will come.

Companies need to hear the concerns from their clients. Companies need to give audience a voice and companies need to respond. Companies can monitor the voice through many social media analytics. It is important for companies to figure out their annotations.

Companies need to show appreciation. Appreciation must be genuine because it will show companies are aligned with the right people. Companies need to provide both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Rewards will lead to motivation. Companies need to earn trust. The art of marketing consist of authenticity, richer connection and trust. Therefore, trust will provide companies’ testimonial and show authentic.

“People do not buy what you do, they buy why you do it”

The social side of search engine optimization

Emily Chow, the Principal of Chow Communication Inc., is invited to share her knowledge on SEO. Emily Chow is a marketing consultant speaker that helps business owners to change their websites to be more effective. After leaving LivingSocial, she gains the reputation by helping businesses to build a solid foundation. Her purpose in mind is sales, leads and conversions. In this presentation, Chow will demonstrate how powerful SEO can do for business and create a post click strategy for engagement and conversion.

Chow believes all business owners need to define their target market and objectives. The goal should be simple and smart. The objective can be measured by brand awareness, searchability, engage with existing customers, sales, promotional campaign, spread news, and encourage word of mouth. Business owners can quantify their objectives by direct purchase, customer acquisition and demand generation.

Chow emphasizes business owners need to look beyond the revenue. By participating with social media, owners can facilitate customer services and boost public relations. Owners need to know these 4 questions.

Who your target market is?
Why they behave the way they do?
How they like to be spoken to?
Whether or not your offerings solve their pain points?

It is important for companies to prove their social worth to Google.

The new way of looking at SEO

It is important to pick the profile strategically because different platforms serve different users. Chow believes since the objective is to build social proof, owners need to get people to share and talk about the content as much as possible. Chow recommends owners to research their target market and hangout at the best platforms to connect with them.

Search and social are two biggest sources that determine the brand online. SEO will look into keywords and social media will look at the response. Chow indicates SEO is the approach optimizes online channels, attracts ideal clients, and drives them into website for conversion.

SEO used to rely on link building, which will help voting and ranking on websites. Google starts to penalize website with fake and manipulation; instead, Google now looks at social media channels. Link building is about social proofing, and owners can use it to convert followers to teammates, crowd sourcing from the links and bring back to mother ship.

Chow emphasizes owners need to prove their worth and build a community of brand advocates to be on top of social media. Owners need to leverage user-generated content campaigns by creating buzz and organic links. Owners need to seek opportunities to convert brand advocates to customers or promoters. Chow believes it can be done by crafting good messages by the art, which is to commit action, and the science, which is the right keyword.

Effective websites that help owners to convert need special landing page, design, graphics, layouts and color choices. Website needs to use good headline, eye catching image, sub heading, call to action, testimonials, and no scrolling.

Chow believes SEO and social media are about multilevel approach, organic and post click experience. The goal of post click experience is to provide simple, straightforward, and easy solutions for audience problems. The website will act like a mother ship and it will help owners to direct traffic to commit specific actions.

“Teaching business owners how to work smarter, not harder”

Social selling: How to do it well and without being a creep

Ada Juristovski, the Program Lead and 1-1 coaching at Hootsuite, is invited to share her experience on social engagement. In Hoostsuite, she is responsible to help many businesses to meet their social objectives. She experiences in monitoring the brand, clients, and industry through social media. This presentation, she will help businesses to find the right conversation and establish them as the trusted source in social media. Moreover, she will help businesses to understand how to close the deal in social marketing.

Juristovski believes social media is a two way street. However, people in this generation treat social media as one way street instead. In average, the activity online can be breakdown as 71% of people’s personal content, 13% of people’s conversation, and 16% of reply. It is important to learn to listen on social media. Juristovski recommends people to concentrate on the reply.

In social media, people can be a thoughtful leader by engage with people, be creative by changing the negative to positive, and be someone people want to follow by sharing amazing content.

When people share amazing content, within 15 articles, 10 should be third party industry, 4 soft landing pages and 1 direct landing page.

Closing the deal through social media consists of two parts: right conversation and trusted source. Customers are 60% are more through the sales cycle when they first talk to a sale person. This will lead people to the right conversation. People need to create content that allows others easily to follow and share. This will help people to become the trusted source.

To use social media effectively, Juristovski suggests people to use hashtag. People need to create user generated content. People need to answer the customers’ tweets to create consistent brand personality. In average, customers expect the reply within one hour. Moreover, people need to provide website location to direct them to the source.

“Turn conversation to relationship”