The Digital Slice

Gord Isman is a remarkable video creator who is well-known here and abroad for his expertise. He developed a wide range of video skills after years of working in another industry. His main goal is to help small business owners and solopreneurs achieve their own goals in relation to video creation and content marketing. From teaching you which gears to use to developing your self-confidence in going live, Gord helps you all the way in setting up and in growing your YouTube audience.

Visit thedigitalslicepodcast.com for complete show notes of every Podcast episode.

Social media often gets a bad rap. "It's invasive!" "It's fake!" "It's a waste of time!" It can be all these things and more. But, Chris Strub, CEO of I am Here, LLC is using social media to benefit others. Chris traveled to 50 states in 100 days without corporate sponsorship. At each stop he volunteered for and highlighted a youth-oriented nonprofit on social media. After completing his 50-state tour, Chris wrote a book and is now a tremendous resource and inspiration to others.

In this Episode:

• How Chris feels blessed to have a career where he is supported by his community and is able to build real friendships
• How Chris can relate to the stereotyped self-absorbed millennial and how his 50 States, 100 days travel transformed him
• How childhood is a critical stage for developing good values through your parents' guidance
• The potential of social media to show positivity and good morals
• How working with non-profit organizations is an opportunity to promote social good
• How to use social media to make in-depth impact instead of the mere numbers such as number of likes, views, or followers
• How building your audience and your brand requires hard work and investment in time
• How to start right by setting both short-term and long-term goals
• Chris' book and how it features amazing personalities in the non-profit space
• How to tell a story that inspires social good
• Chris #FightForGoodTour Salvation Army experience
• How to succeed in using social media for social good
• Using video to tell your story with a real-life impact

People do business with people whether it is in a B2B or B2C environment. As humans, we like to deal with people whom we like, trust, and find credible.

As a business owner, this is the perspective you must keep in mind when implementing a digital marketing strategy. And, there is a powerful tool you can use to help build your credibility and have an audience put their trust in you.

Livestreaming gives every business an opportunity to present themselves live in front of an audience and allow prospects, customers and brand advocates some human connection and interaction. Discover how you can use livestreaming to build trust and credibility in this episode.

In this Episode:

• The many ways to use livestreaming to establish your credibility and build trust
• How keeping promises and offering only what you can actually deliver helps establish your credibility
• How consistency is important in doing livestreams that are regularly scheduled especially when you're just starting
• How to get started with your first livestream and how to deal with content with the right intro/outro and some scripting
• How talking about your passion or something you care about is a good topic of choice
• How doing interview livestreams with guests is a good training ground to build confidence
• Different interviews you can do for your livestream
• How to repurpose and distribute livestream content
• The importance of having a Facebook business page for livestreaming and other purposes
• How to prepare for a livestream but still be flexible during the livestream itself
• How to deal with technical issues and other challenges during a livestream
• How to select the best interviewees for your type of audience
• How expensive equipment is not the end all for a great livestream
• How to choose the right equipment such as microphones
• How to set up your background
• How audio is the most important aspect of your livestream

What is the one platform people are almost guaranteed to be on every day of their lives? Most people make Facebook their staple, but a fun fact is that they can live without it for a day. Even if they do, they will not give up messenger as they use it to communicate with significant people in their lives.

When Facebook realized this, without much further ado, they found a way for business owners to make messenger the one tool they can use to reach their audience right where they are. This is the powerful story behind Facebook messenger marketing and how you can take advantage of it using chatbots to automate messages while maintaining a personal touch as you directly converse and interact with your audience.

Unlike outbound marketing, you do not have to be persistent, pushy, and unwanted by customers because they will come to you for the valuable information you give them. In this episode, discover the stark differences between traditional marketing and chatbot marketing.

In this Episode:

• How a messenger bot really is a tool that facilitates conversations between people, bridges connections, and builds engagement
• How selling and marketing feels more natural when done the chatbot way
• What is Facebook Messenger and its huge potential in helping you do business
• How to set up your messenger bot for creating awareness and sharing valuable information
• How Facebook Messenger is the best of both worlds - using automation while staying human in your interactions and business relationships
• The secret to success in messenger bot marketing
• How to use messenger bot marketing to replace strategies that aren't working for you
• Things a messenger bot can do including delivering a mini-course and engaging Facebook group members
• How to get people to subscribe to your messenger bot
• How to maintain a balance between automation and human interaction
• How Facebook Messenger marketing allows you to always put your best foot forward
• How to integrate messenger bots into your current marketing strategy
• How chatbots allow for more focus and building of trust
• How to get a free mini-course on chatbots with RJ Redden at checkoutmybot.com
• How to build a reminder bot especially for live streamers or content creators at startyourbot.com
• How manychat.com can be one of the most user-friendly software for creating bots for beginners

Does your type of business need to have a digital presence and be active online? If so, how do you go about setting up your social media accounts? In this digital age, you can chose not to go digital with your marketing and run the risk of your business getting left behind and ultimately, closing shop.

On the other hand, if you're able to develop a strong digital marketing strategy that generates engagement with your buyer personas, then there will be more likelihood for your business to achieve long-term success. So, if you've been asking yourself if you should be going live, creating a YouTube video series, posting on LinkedIn, or writing a blog post, then the answer is likely a big qualified "Yes."

Qualified because you should be doing any of these things just to do them. You should do them if you've done your research, gathered data and developed a digital marketing strategy and these things are a part of that strategy.

In this Episode:

• Why developing a digital marketing strategy is a must
• How to develop content based on clients' frequently asked questions
• How creating awareness first is key to engagement in various social media platforms
• How to choose which social media platforms to use based on your business needs and company profile
• How to start by looking at your current digital marketing strategy if you have one in place and who's in charge of the implementation
• The importance of having high quality content that will be most valuable for your target audience
• How the quality engagement you get on your social accounts is more significant than huge number of likes
• The kind of content you should share on your social media accounts that give your audience value
• How advertising is necessary in this digital age
• How to set up proper timing and a digital marketing budget
• How a marketing strategy can lead to a stronger presence and engagement online
• A digital way of getting your ROI or return on investment
• How your digital marketing strategy needs to be detailed and specific
• How your S.M.A.R.T marketing goals are an integral part of your digital marketing strategy
• How a digital marketing strategy will help you get more likes, comments, shares, and other engagement responses from your target audience

Do you still believe LinkedIn serves its purpose as a professional networking platform? Since Microsoft acquired LinkedIn, there has been a lot of talk about LinkedIn's alleged demise. There are articles every week talking about how how it could simply go away. I contend, the opposite is happening as LinkedIn is as strong as it has ever been. It remains a venue for business owners and job seekers to engage and create a more productive workforce environment for the whole world.

In this episode of The Digital Slice Podcast, I revisit LinkedIn's beginnings and discuss how it has remained true to its mission.

In this Episode:

• The beginnings of LinkedIn in 2002 as a professional networking platform
• How Reid Hoffman created a team of former colleagues and launched LinkedIn from his living room in 2003
• How LinkedIn remains a professional network despite some changes in its interface
• How native videos on LinkedIn doesn't make it into a social network
• How the controversial issues surrounding LinkedIn's looming demise started in 2016 via the Microsoft acquisition
• How LinkedIn's current status in the stock market and its 562 million users indicate it remains in good standing
• LinkedIn's mission and vision and how to take advantage of it
• How to build a strong and highly optimized LinkedIn profile
• Starting out with a high quality, professional-looking photo
• How to take advantage of the ample space provided by LinkedIn for your summary, and work experience
• How to set up your LinkedIn background image, name, and headline properly
• How to arrange the summary section to make you easier to find
• LinkedIn groups and how to choose which ones to join and be active in

Is going out of your way to connect with people via a livestreaming broadcast worth it? Remember that the camera will be on you the whole time and you have to talk to your audience like you are very confident and comfortable about it.

Livestreaming can be very beneficial for your business when done right. Definitely, starting out can be challenging, even a bit intimidating. You could feel frightened about committing mistakes, not knowing what to say, or how to do your introduction.

The good news is there is a way to resolve these issues, get past the barriers, and share yourself and your business with the world. Discover the exciting world of livestreaming in this Episode 016 of The Digital Slice Podcast and find out how you can leverage livestreaming to grow your business.

In this Episode:

• How JennyQ got into livestreaming in 2015 starting with Periscope
• How JennyQ was introduced to Twitter in 2008 and was awed at how it connected people
• How livestreaming builds credibility using the right messaging and livestream structure
• The common challenge of doing the intro and outro and how to deal with it
• How to start out by giving or sharing street-level information on your videos
• Recommended technology and tools to use for live streaming
• JennyQ's L.A.V.S which stands for lighting, audio, video, and stability as live streaming basic essentials
• The importance of your business and personal profile as it reflects your brand and credibility
• How live streaming generates top-of-mind awareness
• How to build trust with your audience by committing to and being consistent with a live video schedule that's doable for you
• How JennyQ's book, Leverage Livestreaming to Build Your Brand, is helping a lot of people for real
• How to pick the best platform for your live stream based on audience and engagement
• The pros and cons to live videos versus pre-recorded or edited videos
• How to get a 30-day free trial at BeLive.tv as part of JennyQ's brand ambassador designation

Instagram recently launched IGTV allowing users to upload short and long-form videos. Certainly, this is another tool business' can use in different ways to grow an audience and make a real impact.

With more than a billion active Instagram users each month, IGTV is something you should not miss if you want to attract new customers and keep them engaged. The thing about IGTV is that it's mobile-centric and the videos are vertical. IGTV videos stay permanently on your channel and can re-purposed to your other social media accounts for maximum impact.

Professor Nez is not your ordinary professor. For 28 years, he has mastered his craft - teaching and educating at the highest levels. He has practiced what he's taught. A huge believer in live video streaming platforms, he is an early adopter of YouTube Live, Twitter Live, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, LinkedIn Video and now, IGTV.

In this Episode:

• How to use IGTV for branding and content creation for businesses
• How to leverage different video formats to increase your digital presence through Instagram's 1 billion monthly active users
• How your success on a platform is dependent on your strategy and implementation as a creator
• How IGTV supports portrait mode vertical video
• How you can keep your uploaded videos on your IGTV channel permanently
• How to repurpose IGTV content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or on your website
• How different platforms serve different audiences and should be used depending on your business needs
• How to start with a video about your company for your first IGTV upload
• The ideal time span for your videos
• How behind the scenes and stories have more impact
• How to show your vulnerability as a surefire way to engage your audience and in humanizing your brand
• How to make a compelling IGTV video series
• Professor Nez is re-launching Beyond the Box Academy, an online university for branding, communication, and social media marketing

Fulfillment is being able to achieve the goals you have set for yourself based on your unique interests and circumstances. However, some people can end up in the wrong profession, job, or business because they followed what others wanted them to be.

The result is unhappiness, emptiness, and even life-threatening depression. Thankfully, there is "The Fun Formula" urging you to pursue your passions and fulfill your destiny. Realizing that when you are doing what you really want, you feel happy and satisfied. Work isn't work anymore because you are having so much fun. In this episode of The Digital Slice Podcast, discover "The Fun Formula" and see how it is much more than just a book.

In this Episode:

• Joel's professional and business journey from selling emergency response systems and encyclopedias in the early days
• How Joel came to write his recent book, The Fun Formula: How curiosity, risk-taking, and serendipity can revolutionize the way you work
• How Joel discovered after 23 years of doing business that the hustle and grind practice only lead to more failures than success
• How the work you choose should be on what you're passionate about and not just about making a living
• How living a supposedly satisfying celebrity lifestyle can still result to cases of suicide and depression
• How "The Fun Formula" paradigm seems to run contrary to the traditional virtue of hard work
• How being yourself, engaging your curiosities, and following your own path will help you succeed more
• How not to be influenced by the performance-based society that tends to dictate who you should become
• How negative scripting from people around you can develop into self-defeating behaviors
• Risk-taking as a critical part of "The Fun Formula"
• How letting go can open more doors for you
• How to "trust the process" as a third ingredient to "The Fun Formula"
• How to derive your own Fun Formula through curiosity, risk-taking, and trusting the process

How often do you hear as a small business owner that you are your brand? Well, that could be an essential paradigm behind personal branding but when it comes to living a well-balanced life, that may not always apply. In fact, you may need to realize how separating yourself from your business is key to your self-actualization. Because like it or not, you are a whole being and your business is just one part of you and not all of you.

In this episode of The Digital Slice Podcast, discover the beauty and power behind being able to separate yourself from your business. Joey Vitale is the founder of Indie Law, a law firm dedicated to small business owners, especially those passionate ones in the creative space. Joey is adamant about providing his clients the protection and legal foundation they need to grow their business.

In this Episode:

• How Joey found his passion for working with creative small business owners
• How Joey's law firm, Indie Law has been a success in the past 2 years
• Joey's panic attack and hospitalization and how it made him realize his priorities over his business
• How loving yourself more than your business is key to well-being
• How to live on the lighter side of business with Joey being called the "babe-dude"
• Why separating yourself from your business is important legally
• Inevitable business risks and fears and how to protect yourself
• LLCs, contracts, team agreements, and other forms of protective separation layers
• How a contract can become a foundation for your ideal business and client experience
• The pros and cons between single proprietorship, LLCs, and corporations
• How to choose the right type of business entity for tax purposes
• The perfect timing for using legal protection for your business
• How trademarks are to be used at a certain success level
• How contracts are top priority when starting out a business
• How a contract should be a dynamic document that's adaptive to change and constant improvement
• How to best choose the attorney for your needs based on pricing, reviews, personality fit, team support, and customer service
• How having a team behind you for continuity of work for clients is a crucial part of separating yourself from your business
• Joey's Smile Bigger 12-week course on business lessons learned the way