branding

Videos are the best way to engage with your audience in today’s online world. It has never been easier to create videos and share them to the world, and, specifically, to your audience.

Businesses who use video are perceived to be more engaged with their audience – it’s a short cut to building rapport with your current and prospective customers.

But how do you get into the habit of being a prolific video creator? Here are 5 ways to easily generate video content to enhance your brand.

1. Make it easy and replicable

Firstly, you need an easy process for creating videos. The more complicated you make this, the more of a burden it will become, and the less likely it will be that you will bother. It needs to be easy to set up and quick to do.

Unless you have a spare few thousands of dollars lying around, make use of the surprisingly effective recording device you carry around with you – your mobile phone. With reasonable lighting conditions, your phone can produce quality videos with little fuss. You can pick up a simple stand for the phone or use a selfie stick (but don’t hold it – attach it to something).

2. Get the audio and vision right

You’ll be more inclined to share your videos if they look and sound okay. The first and essential item is a microphone. You can get a good quality phone lapel microphone for $50. Viewers will forgive poor vision, but not poor sound. Don’t rely on the inbuilt microphone. You will sound distant and amateur.

You should also find a spot that has some decent lighting. It can be sunshine, or just a well-lit room. Bouncing bright lights off a wall or the ceiling will soften the impact and diminish harsh shadows. But once again, keep it simple. The easier it is to do, the more likely it will be for you to maintain the momentum.

3. Streamline your systems

There are a few elements you can create once, and re-use for consistency and branding. For $5 on Fiverr.com, you can commission an animated logothat will immediately give your videos a professional look.

Keep any intros short – no more than 3 or 4 seconds. Your audience is there to be informed by your content, they shouldn’t have to endure a long opening that is just to promote your brand.

Also you can find royalty free music on YouTube and iTunes that you can use for your video openers.

4. Learn some new skills

Invest an hour or two in getting your head around the editing software that comes free with your computer. On a PC there is Movie Maker and iMovie is on a Mac. Editing is actually quite fun, although it does tend to take longer than you’d think.

As the business world embraces video production, you will need to be creating content to compete. It is worth taking a couple of hours to get your head around the software so you can easily create, edit and share videos for your audience.

If all else fails, find a secondary school kid (got any lying around the house?). They’ll be able to show you what to do!

5. Look out for topics to generate

You will have moments of creative proliferation. The ideas will come thick and fast and you will be able to record those videos easily. Of course, there will be other times when you’re busy, tired and the ideas just aren’t flowing. Keep looking for ideas. Jot them down on a note in your phone so you can check in on topics when you are stuck.

You should also build up a library of content that you have in store to release during the busy periods. You can add them to your YouTube channel as unlisted files and then make them public at the appropriate time.

Video is not going to go away. It is here to stay and it is one of the most effective ways to connect and engage with your audience. The sooner you embrace the sooner you can benefit from its power.

You can check out some technical mistakes to avoid here

Featured image via Geoff Anderson

Geoff Anderson

Geoff Anderson is the Managing Director at Sonic Sight a Sydney based video production facility; author of Amazon Bestseller “Shoot Me Now – making videos to boost business” and a presenter on using video for business. He has been working in TV and Events production for over 20 years. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Whether you are aspiring to create a large or small business, it is essential to build your brand from the onset. Your brand immediately reflects to your potential customers who and what you are about, a form of identity. Therefore, when you put your brand out there, you better have a clear understanding of the market you are targeting, what appeals to them and how to reach them.

When my business partner Fiona Ericcson and I first started our business Sticks & Stones we both agreed that before actively marketing ourselves, we wanted to spend time on developing a strategically defined brand. In an industry such as ours (Landscape Design) we immediately recognised that there were many talented designers out there, but very few had an inviting, complementary website.

Considering we were in an industry of design, we both thought that was very interesting. So, we decided to use this to our advantage and ensure that our website, logo and image was a stand-out; a reflection of our talent and abilities. In return, we have found that clients and other designers in the industry have taken us more seriously. They instantly recognise that what we are offering is a clean, professional and contemporary design that comes from a reputable business. Then we took this brand and our business and proved it.

Below are 6 ways we think are necessary to help build your brand:

1. Define your brand

Before getting too excited, you need to start with the basics, such as defining what your brand is. It is important to review your product or service and understand the customers you will be targeting. Without understanding your market and customer base, you will not be able to connect your business with your target audience.

Sticks & Stones understood that the market we were targeting instantly were home-owners, aged around 30-50 years old and earning a decent salary, as landscape design is a luxury, not a necessity. This meant we needed to make our branding appealing to this target audience. Stylish and professional, but still approachable, is what we decided on. From here, we had a clear understanding of the direction we were heading with our brand.

2. Colour your brand

Something important to consider is the colour of your brand. Once this is chosen, it will be reflected across your website, business cards and logo. Sometimes it can be the difference between someone spending more time on your website, scrolling through your products and services, or leaving instantly.

Most people don’t realise, but colours and combinations can have a strong impact on your reaction. The Sticks & Stones colour scheme is a soft brown and deep soft green. Both of these colours blended well together and were a reflection of the materials we worked with, soil and plants.

3. Create a memorable logo

Following naturally behind your brand colour is the creation of your logo. The logo identifies a business by using a symbol, mark, or icon. It is not necessarily used to describe anything about your business, or what you do, (although sometimes that works well too) but it simply allows your customers to recognize your business. So, it is even more important to make the symbol or icon stand out, so your potential customer can recognize your logo instantly.

4. Develop a tagline

Create a short, captivating statement that encompasses your vision and brand. This allows your customer to understand what you are about and what you represent. At Sticks & Stones we used the statement, “Bringing the outdoors in.” It was a clean, simple and straightforward sentence that provided the potential customer with insight into the industry we are in.

5. Be consistent

Overall, it is very important to be consistent. This relates back to establishing the foundations of your brand. If you have consistency in your colour scheme, brand, the product and service you offer, then your customer will learn to recognise you as a reliable and referable source. Spending time on templates, your website, business cards and any other promotional products will ensure your brand is seamlessly consistent.

Although it feels overwhelming when you are starting out, working through the above process will ensure that you will have a strong and memorable brand identity; one that customers and clients will choose to refer time and time again.

And lastly?

6. Prove it

Now this should be the easy part. You know your business, you know your product. So work hard to provide a good product or service and people will hear about it. Word of mouth is one of the best methods to building a positive brand identity, so get your name out there. Market yourselves, get testimonials and enter industry competitions like we did to build up your profile and get your brand out there.

Fiona and I have the benefit of being female in a male dominated industry. Similar to Sass & Bide, we are recognised and remembered as the female duo in the landscape design industry. This has worked in our favour and we strive to uphold the brand we have created, through ourselves and our work. This is something our competitors cannot offer and as we are new, targeting and utilising our stand out strengths was very important.

Our focus on branding has paid off, as we become a more well known name in the industry. From networking events to joining industry associations, we have been provided opportunities we would not normally have access to. Recently we presented at a Landscape Forum on our business structure which provided us with further networking opportunities and led to additional jobs. We have also entered an industry competition to build a show garden at a major event in our industry – Grand Designs Live. We were successful and are still using the images we captured from the garden today! Spread the word about you and your brand. We were also noted as “Ones to watch” in popular magazine House & Garden’s ‘Women in Design’ special after being put forward by another networking contact. Every opportunity that has been presented to us, we have accepted. In doing so, we have more potential for our brand and name to be mentioned, spoken about and marketed.

Now it’s your turn!

How does your brand stand out from the crowd? Tell us in the comments below!

Julia Thomas is a skilled Landscape Designer and one half of the duo behind Sydney-based landscape design business Sticks & Stones Landscape Design. She was recently featured in House & Garden as ‘Ones to Watch’ in Landscape Design. Julia also writes feature blogs for the online website Garden Drum.

Photo credit: Sticks & Stones

I love working in PR because it does and achieves wonderful things. When I receive feedback from a client that says: “Thank you for your advice, we put it into action and it went down a storm! We never thought we would accomplish what we did, thank you.” – Now that’s a priceless comment!

This company achieved a full page spread in their local newspaper based on our advice and input concerning media relations. Never before had they attempted this, believing they weren’t good enough, interesting enough or newsworthy.

They achieved what they deemed to be the unachievable and also received a huge dose of recognition and credibility – I love PR for having the power to do that.

How did they achieve this? They developed a story that was authentic and relevant to their audience.

PR should be authentic and relevant to your audience

Here I share with you 3 PR savvy tips to help you achieve the unachievable.

1. Be interesting

How can you make your story interesting but keep it authentic and rich with content that is relevant to your audience? Be honest with yourself, is the story you are contemplating interesting? Maybe you have a hero in your business who has achieved amazing things, or a product that makes your customers’ lives easier. Just think of the most gripping stories–they can be exciting, scary or enlightening, as long as they engage.

One of my clients didn’t think they had much to announce this month so we got talking about business and developments. It turned out they had achieved new business on national scale. From a provincial business they developed into a UK-wide business! We were able to develop a piece of communication around this to ensure the audiences they wanted to engage with knew about their capability and credibility nationally.

2. Be unique

Maybe you have a new service or product, or have achieved something unique to your industry. Maybe you are the only company in your industry to reach a particular milestone. Perhaps your recent new starter is unique – for example, the only male in a female environment? Maybe your product is the first of its kind off the production line. It isn’t good enough to create corporate fluff dressed up as a good story. Think about how you would want to read about yourself!

Only last week we identified a story that demonstrated my client’s business performance and innovation in their market with their investment in electric vehicles. This is a worthy piece of communication for my client as they are the first company in their sector to make this investment.

3. Be newsworthy

Putting aside scandal and conflict, which the media love to focus on, ask yourself: Is my story really news? Is it bang on trend, an opinion piece, or hard-hitting? Is it filled with human interest and local interest? Ensure it is timely, and by that I mean current. Your stories need to be fresh and relevant to the media channel you are engaging. Success was easy when we worked with a high school who organised a school trip to England’s chocolate capital to experience making chocolate as well as learning about its history and heritage. No, it isn’t hard-hitting news, but it’s full of human interest, relevant to the geography of the school and let’s face it–who doesn’t like chocolate!

If you can identify a few of these PR nuggets, you’ll be achieving top quality PR results that will connect you to your audience, create more understanding about what you do, and develop your reputation. You’ll be loving PR just as much as me!

Colette Lowe is the Founder and owner of Chew PR. Colette has worked in PR for over 15 years. She has seen both sides and worked for consultancy and in-house teams providing her with an insight not many see. Colette will be contributing to the Public Relations section. She is based in Wakefield, England.

Photo credit: Cara Melody

In today’s world developing and managing your personal brand is critical. Think about the high profile business leaders you know. How would you describe their personal brands? Whether you thought of Oprah, Richard Branson, or Simon Sinek, it is guaranteed that their personal brand is carefully and strategically designed and managed.

Your personal brand is the clear and memorable impression about who you are and what you do. Creating and managing your brand gives you greater control over your career and personal destiny.

Take the quiz below by answering ‘true’ or ‘false’ to each question, to see how well you are strategically managing your brand.

I know what’s important to me, and I can list the values that inform my work and approach.
When colleagues (and those I work with at all levels) think of me, what they think is clear and consistent from person to person.
I know how I create value for my company and/or my clients. They do, too.
My personal “brand message” is targeted and focused.
I put my brand, my unique contribution and/or approach, on everything I do: presentations, reports, meetings, deals, etc.
I look to connect my personal brand to every situation possible (and appropriate).
I consider myself my own CEO and have a vision by which I lead myself.
My emails are consistently opened, read and acted upon.
I focus on growing and nurturing my professional network, both through offline approaches (e.g., associations, speaking, etc.) and online strategies (e.g., LinkedIn, blog/forum participation, etc.).
I look to find what’s distinct about me and what I bring to the table, rather than try to conform to the norm. In essence, I create my own “unique selling proposition” (USP).
I have a personal brand plan, and I execute its strategy and tactics.
I establish appropriate partnerships that will extend my brand and help me get complementary brand value.
I make sure that everything that surrounds my brand (my office, my website, my customer service, etc.) communicates the same brand message.

If you answered true to at least eight statements, you’re well on your way to building a powerful personal brand.

But don’t forget: it’s not only about creating a distinct personality, but also telling the world about it. If you have a bit of work to do on your personal brand, consider these points:

Doing great work isn’t enough. People have no way of knowing what great work you are doing unless you let them know. You have to strategically market your value and contributions.
Your boss probably won’t market you and your brand. You have to be responsible for your own destiny. To be considered for a new job or a new opportunity you have to be known. Leaving the brand to others is losing control over your brand.
Self-promotion isn’t bad – it’s necessary. If you don’t promote unique value it is leaving it to chance that someone else will. Speak up, add value and own your place in the world. If no one knows about your unique value, the world loses out on your experience, expertise and opportunities to engage.

So how is your personal brand? Let me know in the comments.

Rosalind Cardinal is The Leadership Alchemist and Principal Consultant of Shaping Change, an Australian consultancy, specialising in improving business outcomes by developing individuals, teams and organisations. . Ros’ expertise spans leadership development, organisational culture, team building, change and transition management, organisational behaviour, employee engagement and motivation, strategic direction and management.

For more on developing resilience, visit www.shapingchange.com.au/resources to pick up your complimentary copy of Ros’ report “Thriving in Change” and to sign up for her free audio series “Thriving in the Midst of Change”.

Ros also runs the Shaping Change Inner Circle, an exclusive membership network for driven leaders around the world who are passionate about making a difference, building successful businesses and leveraging the talents and skills of their people.

http://www.shapingchange.com.au/

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http://www.facebook.com/ShapingChange

https://twitter.com/CardinalRos

Taking centre stage for most is a scary thought but just think of Richard Branson, he was quoted as saying: “A large part of the Virgin Story has been my willingness to be a central character in our publicity. I don’t know how many different outfits I have dressed up in during my business life – probably more than Lawrence Olivier.”

You don’t have to dress up as Daisy the cow to get noticed; you just have to be willing to be ‘out there’

In the case of Virgin we see Richard Branson taking centre stage, he’s part of the company’s advertising campaigns, and the company spokesman – he’s out there, and takes his numerous roles very seriously.

Taking control of your company’s PR message and taking centre stage is good PR, it shows you care and above all are passionate about what you do.

Your customers, contacts, and advocates may like you and your company but they are busy and we know how quickly time goes, and how quickly we forget, when we’re busy. Staying front of your customers’ minds is harder than you think, don’t allow yourself to be forgotten, take centre stage and stop your competition from waiting in the wings to pick up the pieces.

Here are three good reasons to consider before you get into character:

1. Get noticed

There is a plethora of choice. From TV channels to brands, the options are endless. Make it easy for people to only consider one option. Taking centre stage and sharing what is good about you, your business and your product through the use of PR is a direct route to repeat business. Don’t be a shrinking violet, equally don’t become a drama queen, find that balance and get noticed for all of the things you do right.

2. People hear your voice

Educating and informing doesn’t have to be boring, maintaining consistency through the creative use of PR can ensure you project your voice as far as the Upper Circle. Remember, if your voice isn’t heard because you’re whispering who will hear it? They’ll think you’ve stopped communicating and your customers will move on in favour of someone that wants to communicate to them.

3. Remind people who you are

Repetition is reputation right? Oh yes it is! The balance here is not to pester, don’t become annoying, you don’t have to take the role of the clown. Focus on relevant communication delivered in a consistent manner. PR can focus your message and make it relevant, engaging, and even captivating. Ultimately it can make you memorable for all the right reasons.

So when you hear “It’s behind you” you can say “oh no it isn’t” because taking centre stage will ensure your competition isn’t making a fool of you behind your back.

Photo credit: slimmer_jimmer

Public relations and social media are central to becoming a well-recognised expert, but the challenge facing many entrepreneurs is figuring out how to make PR work for them.

Every person, brand and organisation has stories to tell that captivate audiences and resonate with people — that’s the very essence of PR. But the trick is to figure out what your story is, how you can share it with others, and how you use it to boost your profile as a thought leader. It’s a challenge, and one that I am very familiar with as an entrepreneur.

Stepping into the world of PR doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and I have narrowed the path to PR and social media success to five simple steps. I call it the Unknown to Expert 5 Star System. It’s a system that I have created from 20 years experience, and one that I can honestly say does work.

By following these five steps, you will be equipped with the tools to boost your profile, become a recognised expert and start opening doors to new opportunities. Like any successful strategy, you only get out what you put in. It takes patience, practice and focus to succeed, but by following the five stages outlined below, success is within reach.

1. Figure out the Why

The key is to be transparent and genuine, and really believe in yourselfFirst things first; in order to become a recognised expert, you need to determine the message you want to convey to the media. The trick is to figure out what your story is and try and see it through the eyes of the media.

Anything from an innovation, new book, or childhood memory has new potential if it’s packaged correctly, but it’s crucial to deliver a story that is compelling enough to hit the newsstands.

Secondly, you need to ask yourself why you are looking to build your profile as an expert. If it’s purely promotional, you will struggle to develop emotional connections with people.

The key is to be transparent and genuine, and really believe in yourself. People will only consider you as an expert if you believe in yourself.

2. Set the Stage

What do you want your audience to hear and remember?After determining what you want to achieve from PR, the next stage is to define your personal brand. Personal branding is central to how people perceive you, so it’s important to pick your niche and stick to it to avoid confusing your audience.

Developing an elevator statement or pitch is an important part of personal branding that clearly explains your role as a thought leader. Not only are they an effective way of making great first impressions, but they can also lead to new business and customers.

Once you’ve figured out how to wow people with your introduction, the next step is to figure out what your key messages are. What do you want your audience to hear and remember? It’s also important to craft yourself a winning biography that sells yourself to your target audience, the media and conference organisers.

Finally, figure out who your target audience is. This will vary depending on your profession, but it’s important to define your audience from the beginning and keep it in mind while you progress through the five stages of the Unknown to Expert 5 Star System.

catriona-pollard-article

3. Turn on the Spotlight

A good tip is to follow up with everyone you meet and keep in touch.At stage three, you’re starting to shine. You’ve done your planning and it’s now time to illuminate your role as an expert and thought leader.

The first step is to create a personal website where you can promote yourself. A great website will not only increase your exposure online, but you will also gain more control over your online identity.

Blogging is another great tool to increase your profile and allow you to connect with your audience in an engaging way. Blogging takes time and effort, so be sure to do your research and consider your audience before taking to the keyboard. The key is to write often, and write well.

Another step to becoming a recognised expert is to network and build relationships with your audiences. Attend functions, connect with local businesses and make yourself known to anyone who’s interested. A good tip is to follow up with everyone you meet and keep in touch.

One of the most effective (and arguably most nerve-wracking) ways to boost your profile is to take to the stage. By raising your profile as a valued speaker for events, you will improve your credibility, create new opportunities and step closer to gaining that expert status. When researching potential speaking opportunities, consider where your target audiences are and what they are interested in.

4. Use the Media to Shine the Light

Interesting story angles may never see the light of day without a well crafted media releaseBy star 4, your role as an expert will start to take shape. By this stage, you will start to use the media to share your expertise and reach the people that will influence your success.

Approaching journalists can be a daunting task, but the best way to get your story out there is to shape it in a way that’s attractive to the media. Journalists often only pick up stories which they consider to be newsworthy, so it’s worth taking the time to create a great angle. Creating strong relationships with journalists, knowing the publications your pitching to, and sending it to the right inbox is also worthwhile.

Interesting story angles may never see the light of day without a well crafted media release. The key is to keep your target audience in mind, make it newsworthy and concise, and keep it simple.

One of the best ways to catch the media’s interest is to come up with a story angle which is relevant and engaging to their media outlet, but it has to be delivered to the right person at the right time. However you pitch your media release, follow up with the journalist or editor within the first 3-5 days so they keep it front of mind.

TEDx-7

5. Own The Light

your objectives will help you to figure out which portals… will help you to achieve the best resultsThe final stage of the transformation from unknown to expert is to step into the social media spotlight. Social media is a critical step in developing your profile as a thought leader, and it’s an essential tool that allows you to communicate directly with your audience.

Before jumping into the deep end, take a moment to think about your goals and what you want to achieve from social media. Having a goal will help you to determine which platforms will be the most effective for boosting your profile, and to manage your time online.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are the most popular social media sites, but your objectives will help you to figure out which portals (whether it’s one or all of them) will help you to achieve the best results. The key is to keep it simple and engaging, and to post often. That way, you will stay connected with your followers, keep them interested, and open doors to new opportunities.

So there you have it; you have progressed from unknown to expert in just five steps. Congratulations! However, it’s not the end, it’s just the beginning.

The Unknown to Expert 5 Star System illuminates your path to success, but it’s a path that is ongoing. In fact, it never ends because success is a continuous cycle. Bios, media releases and speaking topics change over time and take a different shape as you evolve as an expert.

But by finishing the Unknown to Expert 5 Star System, you are illuminated and you are truly a known expert.

Featured image: tinto

About the author
Catriona Pollard is the author of From Unknown To Expert, a step by step framework designed to help entrepreneurs develop effective PR and social media strategies to become recognised as influencers in their field. www.UnknownToExpert.com

Catriona is also the director of CP Communications, which merges traditional PR tactics with cutting-edge social media strategies that engage consumers as well as business.

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