Have a virtual event coming up and not sure what to do? Listen in for a few tips.

Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime, one thing we all have in common today is that we’re forced to get over being camera shy. With everyone in front of screens, how do you create a virtual event that will drive traffic, be engaging and memorable at the same time?

3 Marketing Tips to Create an Awesome Virtual Event  

1. Make your guest list count. You may want to invite everyone, but don’t. Invite the right people. Knowing your target audience is the first step. And knowing how to reach them to invite them is next. Is it with social media? A direct invite? Email? Who you invite is just as important as what you want to present.

2. Determine the best format. What don’t you get when you attend a virtual event? Personal interaction, of course! Sitting in a live 60-minute seminar with 100 people in the audience is different than staring at your screen for an hour. And that’s boring. Encourage people to use the chat feature, add giveaways and allow information to be available in an “on demand” format so participants can find the information they want when it’s convenient for them.

3. Make your audience want to tune in. It’s hard to substitute human interaction with a virtual presentation, but you can make your next online event a can’t miss event by asking well-known industry leaders and celebrity speakers to join you — plus giveaway cool stuff, too.

Despite the fact that you’re not in-person, virtual events can still be an effective way to teach, sell and engage with your audience. And a note to those of you who still aren’t virtual experts, like me, do the best you can. Be human, genuine, and always be yourself.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com, then schedule a call. Talk soon!

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If you’re not taking advantage of customer testimonials, you’re missing a giant marketing opportunity.

How to Market Your Business with Testimonials

1. Use your homepage to post reviews. Use testimonials to keep visitors on your site with the ultimate goal to get them in your sales funnel. And if you have a handful of testimonials that are awesome, include them on your landing pages, product pages, and contact pages to drive conversions. Just don’t add them to add them, make sure the placement is right.

2. Share testimonials on social media. Here’s the thing. If you’re using social media to promote your brand, use testimonials to promote your customer reviews. Find out where your audience is hanging out first, then the post reviews there.

3. Add case studies to your marketing mix. Case studies are a great sales tool in their own right, and adding testimonials makes you seem more real and human. People typically take time to read them, and stay on your site longer, too. So feature them on a dedicated page on your website.

4. Create a short-form video testimonial. Short-form videos, under two minutes, are easier than ever to create and publish. They offer brands an opportunity to showcase how enthusiastic their buyers and customers are and how customers interact with your product.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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Looking for publicity? It’s a free way to gain visibility – but what’s the real reason you want press?

To start, free PR and publicity will help build your online reputation, credibility, and increase your expert authority. Plus, you’ll be perceived as an expert. All are key factors in marketing.

6 Reasons You Need Publicity in Your Marketing Plan

1.  PR plays an important role in your marketing plan. Think of PR and marketing like best friends. One gets press and earned media, the other targets your audience in more direct ways. Together, they work toward a common goal.

2. Publicity raises your social brand. It also uplevels your profile and professional standing. That helps you feel more confident and own your expertise.

3. Free PR allows you to showcase your brand. It’s earned media from a third party and you don’t pay for it, so it appears more credible.

4. Marketing and PR build like, know, trust and believability. Both set the stage to build interest, a following, and ultimately sales.

5. Publicity distinguishes you from the competition. Chances are your competition doesn’t have the time or the know-how to get free press and publicity. That gives you a big advantage.

6. Free PR opens doors to new opportunities. Your clients, customers, partners and vendors see that you’re up to something big. They want to do business with people who are making things happen.

7. Getting mentioned in the news feels great. It puts a zip in your step, and acknowledges that you really do know what you’re doing. You knew it already, but it feels good to hear it from someone else.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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You’ve heard of Quora, but how do you use their Q + A platform as a marketing tool?

Want to use Quora like a marketing master? Well, why not?  Here are 5 ways to do that.

5 Ways to Use Quora’s Q + A as a Marketing Tool

1. Create the perfect profile. Take your time writing one because Quora shows the first 50 characters in your profile as a tagline. You’ll also want to add a headshot, to humanize your brand. There’ll be lots of competition answering questions, so make sure that your answers stand out.

2. Research Industry topics. Be active and post though provoking question and answers. Give thought to them, like an expert would (and should). You can also repurpose your own content and save the questions asked. This is awesome because you can use the questions for blogs, articles or presentations.

3. Look for connections. Yes, Quora is a search engine but it’s also a social media platform. You can build relationships with customers and answer questions as the expert you are. Also, take a look at top followers or topics that interest you and contribute to those same topics and industry boards.

4. Choose the best questions to answer. Focus on answering question that deliver value for your brand. You’ll want to key an eye out for thread with a good number of upvotes too, because they’ll get a lot of engagement.

5. Step up to stand out. Show your passion in the way you answer questions. One great way is to use content you already have. Use snippets. Grab a quote. Edit a paragraph from something you’ve already written and create a link. This is an insider’s secret you’ll definitely want to check out.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. My passion is low-cost marketing to help you grow your business and get more visibility. Check out my website at RobinSamora.com.  Talk soon!

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Don’t let social media run you.  Here are some pitfalls to watch out for.

Social media marketing done the right way will help grow your business and a community. Done the wrong way, there are some major pitfalls.

5 Common Social Media Marketing Traps

1. Not paying attention. If you want to be successful, you need to focus on what you’re doing, and that includes social media. It’s easy to make mistakes, say the wrong thing, or offend someone. Pay attention to get attention.

2. Wasting valuable time. Sound familiar? You get on social media, scroll a bit, and before you know it, you’ve wasted an hour. It’s one thing if you’re at home, but when you’re on the clock, you can’t afford to lose time. Be clear on your goals, set a timer, and get the job done.

3. Thinking SEO isn’t important. SEO and optimizing your posts help search engines find you, boost your rating, and drive traffic to your site, hopefully lots. Designate one person or a social squad to be in charge of social media and optimize like crazy.

4. There’s too much on your plate. One of my daughter’s has a sign that says, ‘less is more’ and she’s right. Concentrate on a couple of social platforms, develop great content, and stop stressing about posting every single day on every platform. Be strategic. Avoid spray and pray marketing.

5. Stay away from controversial subjects. A brand is how you make someone feel. Going on a rant can be problematic and have a long-term effect, including losing customers and followers. Protect the reputation you work so hard for.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Visit my website at RobinSamora.com for more marketing and PR tips on how to grow your business and brand.  Talk soon!

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Think you just need hard skills to be a marketer? Not true. Check out these soft skills to add to your tool box.

4 Soft Skills You Need in Marketing

It’s not always about being tough as a business person and marketer. Soft skills count too. What skills should you add to your marketing toolbox?

1. Creativity. Marketers have a unique flair and knack for creativity so it’s important to nurture those skills.  Creativity is a gift to help you stay on top of your game – and also protect your creative juices. Think differently to expand your horizon. Volunteer or learn a new language.

2. Adaptability. Was your business flipped upside down with the pandemic? Ready yourself to be more adaptable, to adjust to changes quickly and efficiently, as they’re thrown to you. Adaptability isn’t just a soft skill, it’s a must skill. It’s what you need to embrace change, remain calm, and go with the ebb and flow.

3. Empathy. When you’re empathetic, you’re able to connect with your audience on a deeper level and help them solve their problems better. As a result, customers will become more loyal to you because they believe you care and understand them. They also bring in more referrals and in turn, more business.

4. Tenacity. Tenacity helps you achieve long term success, to be driven to set goals and achieve them. That you’re in it for the long haul. You know your why and see the big picture. Think of it like winning a race – the slow and steady race. Understand how to grow your own tenacity and you can push forward, no matter what.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Want to grow your business in these challenging times? Visit my website at RobinSamora.com and set up a time to chat. Talk soon!

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Want some marketing tips for reaching journalists? Earned media is a great way to build your business.

Earned media or getting free PR and publicity that you don’t pay for is worth its weight in gold. You can share it with your prospects, clients, colleagues, industry associations — and all of it helps to promote your brand and expertise.

4 Marketing Tips to Reach Journalists and Get Free Press

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Getting free press has really helped me build my business and brand. Want to learn how to get media attention? Get in touch at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

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Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, right? How is that going to help you as a leader?

In the marketing world and in all industries. It’s a fact.  Women think differently than men, and we can both learn from each other. But what leadership lessons can men learn from women?

Here are 4 Leadership Lessons Men Can Learn from Women

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Build leadership authority in person with your teams and also on every social platform where your prospects, clients, colleagues, and other industry experts see you. Want some ideas? Contact me. I’m at RobinRobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

The post Hey Guys, Take a Few Leadership Lessons From Women appeared first on Fast Marketing Minute.

How are your business decisions affecting your potential customers?

In a society that’s into “green” thinking and protecting the environment, Coca-Cola is one of the worst offenders. At the end of January, it announced that it had no intention of stopping production of its single-use plastic bottles because it’s what their customer wants. People are in an uproar.

Some people question how such a large company like Coke doesn’t have to contribute to saving the planet from pollution. But, Coca-Cola said it will be working toward making all packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025. That’s in five years.

Your small business may not be the leading plastic pollution creator in the world, but it makes you stop to think about how your business decisions are perceived by potential customers. How do your stances on social issues affect your bottom line?

About 20 percent of people polled said they really don’t care, they just want their Coke, but what about the other 80 percent? What do they think?

It’s important today to stand for what you believe in, and that includes issues that align with your company values. The truth is, you could be gaining or losing business because of it. Keep that in mind next time you decide to take a stance on something, especially if it’s against the majority or public opinion. Keep your eyes open to your audience and their interaction with their brand.

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Pay attention to what people are thinking about your brand, not just what you think about it. Get a quick evaluation. Reach out to set up a time. I’m at [email protected].  Talk tomorrow!

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Recently, I talked about how more and more brands are taking a stance on social and political issues.  But what about when employees are becoming activists from within a company to fight against the company’s business dealings? That can be a problem.

Some companies are changing the way they do business based on employee opinions. Google recently backed out of a military drone deal because employees were unsettled by the company bidding on government contracts, but will employee opinions determine your future?

Employees are your strongest brand advocates, so you need to listen to their opinions. But is not recycling going to get you a bad rep? Where do you draw the line?

It’s important to have a policy in place about how your employees can speak about your company publicly, on social media and otherwise. Are you prepared to include repercussions for if they speak about you negatively? Of course, you need to be tolerant of differing opinions and being transparent about your company’s stance on issues to create trust within your company and with consumers.

If a disgruntled employee speaks out publicly against your brand and its beliefs, having a policy in place protects your brand.  And if you part ways with that employee, you’ll just be following company policy because they didn’t follow established rules.

Amazon put it best. “If it isn’t happening quickly enough for employees, they should feel empowered to work somewhere else.”

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Employees are brand advocates for your company but they’re not the CEO. Build a strong relationship and show that you care. Listen to the episode, 3 Reasons You Need a Strong Company Culture  and let me know your thoughts. Talk tomorrow!

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