Sponsored by BNI Wellington and Wairarapa, and Urban Hub, The Inspire Collective is hosting an evening featuring four of Wellington’s top business thinkers sharing their stories and wisdom:
Anthony Lummis, Neos Systems – “How Will Technology Affect my Business?”
Kat Soper, Owner of The Helpful Company Brand – “Benefits / Tips for Being Part of a Community”
Samantha Gadd, Owner of Human Kind – “The Impact Brand Can Have”
Jo Jensen, Owner of Strictly Savvy – “Managing the Ups and Downs of Business Evolution”
Spaces are limited, so book now by clicking here.
I publish additional information over on my Facebook page and also on my LinkedIn – so make sure you are “following” me on Facebook and connected with me on LinkedIn. Instructions on how to do this are in my March 2019 newsletter, here.
Growing a business can be tough. However, word-of-mouth is still the most effective way to raise awareness and grow a business. When referrals come from friends and family, people are much more likely to trust the referral. It is therefore important to raise awareness through systems, such as having brand ambassadors.
But growth is not the only target for a business; successful businesses are part of creative and supportive communities. Communities add value when they support members, make strategic connections, and act as a source of advice that members can apply to their own lives. Community members often share a passion for personal improvement and continued learning.
Keeping current customers engaged is just as important, if not more, as gaining new first-time users. The more time or effort that an individual invests into a product or service, the more they’ll end up valuing it. Whether it’s through in-person events or online forums, communities are key to brand loyalty, awareness, and overall success. A strong and engaged community will lead to improved products, learning, and innovation, as well as company growth.
Growing your social media community can be tough. How do you get more Twitter “followers”, or “Likes” for your Facebook page? It’s easy to get frustrated when starting, as it takes time to build an audience and, at first, it can seem as though you’re never going to have a sizable and engaged social audience.
Instead of simply “buying an audience”, below I have included a number of alternative ways to grow an engaged social media community for your business.
First and foremost – Lead with your passion. It is really important that you lead your social media community by connecting them with your passion, experiences and ideas. Letting your community in on your plans for the future is a great way for your business to include your community in the process and help build trust. Don’t you love it when someone asks your opinion and truly listens to your response? Do the same for your community.
Sure, your brand and logo are important — but what really connects people to you are shared beliefs and ideas. Talking openly about what you are thinking and where you want to head will help unite your followers and grow a stronger, more passionate community.
Another great tip is to tell your story and help others connect it to their own. Storytelling offers your business a great opportunity to emotionally connect with your audience.
What makes your business unique? Why should someone choose your product or service? What’s so special about you? And what’s the STORY behind that?
Here is a question for you – are you on LinkedIn? If not, why not!
It is such a great tool to build your online community. If you are on LinkedIn, take time to do the following if you are serious about growing your community online:
Another really basic, but crucial, way to build your online community is for your business to be easy to find and simple to join. Tactics like these can help make sure you are found and accessible:
Getting referrals is one of the main key ingredients to securing your business’s long-term success. For some, it feels like a big undertaking. One way to lighten the load and help you to create a more sustainable stream of referrals is to build strategic partnerships aka business communities.
Why go it alone, when you could instead join forces with other business owners and make the referral process easier for both of you?
This process isn’t something that you can spend two minutes on and it’ll be done. Take each of these steps, break them down, and make it a goal for this quarter to get some part of this process started.
Even if you implement a third of what I just outlined today, I can guarantee you it will benefit your business.
Book your first FREE consultation with me, where we will focus on:
Discussing your business
Reviewing your goals
Giving you ideas, and
Discussing your options
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Copyright © 2019 Steve Hockley Business Coach, All rights reserved.
My mailing address is: Steve Hockley Business Coach, 194 Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt, Wellington 6010, New Zealand
Business and Personal Objectives and how they align to your ideal lifestyle.
Business and Personal Objectives and how they align to your […]
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