Brandon Koon Blog

Running a business effectively can force you think in ways that your employer may have never challenged you to do.  While thinking outside of the box may be great for promotional materials or in writing articles to market your brand, you also have to think about what to do when you come from behind the computer.

How you treat networking opportunities will reflect on your brand greatly.  Think in terms of getting their attention in 30 seconds or less.  While you don’t want to bombard anyone with materials or by shooting off your pitch after saying hello, you don’t want for too much dead space to take place before they move on physically or mentally.

Before you head to the event, go over this checklist to make sure that your online reputation can hold up during the process.

• If you have a way to show educational or entertaining videos, take the time to set up a spare laptop, television with DVD player.  This is much more effective than telling people where they can find your video online.  For one, when traffic stops and you have their attention, you can promote your online wares or give out your business card.

• Make sure that your business card describes your service or product.  I have seen many cards with intricate or clever artwork or text and not known what the business was about.  Though I like nice visuals, others will just bury and discard whenever they get around to cleaning.  If there are many services to name, then invest in folding business cards.  This will stand out and if you use the extra space to list a discount on your product or services, you are more likely to get positive feedback.

• Create a promotional newsletter.  These days, all types of businesses are getting extra-competitive and the one that shines the brightest is the one that gets the call.  You can create newsletters easily on any word processing program.  If you have a blog, copy and paste your most popular posts.  Supplement this with interesting artwork, resources or trivia that relate to your industry that consumers may find interesting.  You can either design these as a self-mailer (tri-fold), magazine style or flat using fairly sturdy paper (40-60 weight as 20-weight may be flimsy on its own).

• Practice your presentation.  While it may not be effective to shake the hand of each attendee, it helps to have a strategy beyond hello.  Keeping your presentation short at first meeting is best.  Only if there is an interest should you give the entire history of your business or go into detail as to what you can do for a prospect.  Once, I had a small business finance networking session to attend and I found a way to give the details of my business in less than 10 seconds.  The template I followed was name, purpose of business, how long in business and reason for my attendance.  From there, I was able to answer questions from loan officers and account specialists that had the resources to help me grow.  Even if your reason is to just mingle, it’s better than having people ask you.

The purpose of getting from behind the computer is to meet others, look into ways to expand your audience and learn about new ways to make your online business better.

Chocolate Rain. That Numa Numa guy. The Obama Girl. And who can forget the guy who yelled at the world to”Leave Britney alone”?
While some of the videos mentioned may have been uploaded by amateurs, it’s the content that makes it worth sharing with others, even if it’s not perfect.

Check out one of my videos here that has been seen by over 40,000 people!!

A new online business owner may wonder how they should approach going viral. The first thing they should consider is the image they want to convey. Sharp, vivid colors are nice but not necessary to get traffic. Now if your image relies on visuals to get a message across, like showing off your how to make your special oven barbecue chicken, you need to do a test upload so that you can time it accordingly.

Same goes for audio as there should be no echo or that ‘pop’ sound that comes when saying words that start with a “b” or “p” (either use a microphone headset or try a pop filter for about $30 at most music stores). And if you didn’t know already, Windows Movie Maker will help you to create a video within minutes by using the drag-and-drop technique.

So yes, making a successful video does not require a large upfront cost but how are you going to be seen? When you take into consideration that over 35 hours of video being uploaded every minute of the day, and that’s only to the number one video sharing service, YouTube. For the newbie, moving to the front of the line can be a challenge.

When going viral, take these factors into consideration –
• Should I be informative, entertaining or both?
• Should I hire a professional to shoot or market?
• Should I make one long video or several short ones as part of a series?

If you are having a hard time coming up with a draft or storyboard, you may want to bring in someone from the outside. Same goes for grainy images, long uploads and uneven audio. If your money is a little tight, look for a student or barter agreement. You can also see if this job can be outsourced for a low fee as there are many who prefer experience over pay.

It may be best to start with a test run. Most video sharing services limit new accounts to less than 15 minutes. You also want to make sure that your message is being delivered every minute with no dead air for more than two seconds.

Once you have an established image, along with followers and positive feedback, you may want to save a lengthy video for direct sales. This can be sold through your site or another party like Amazon.

Besides telling your friends and family, you can promote the video by using as many video-sharing services, social media and relevant directories as possible. Some will accept videos posted on YouTube and pay by Google Adsense.
With steady traffic you can take advantage of marketing campaigns that will earn revenue. YouTube and Google Adwords work together effectively and the start-up cost is the same price as lunch in a casual restaurant (sans appetizers and dessert).

There are other revenue opportunities that use the pay-per-click (PPC) model. The ads you see at the bottom of the videos listed above… yes, that is money in their pocket.

So making your debut may be a little scary or exciting but once you get the right image and marketing plan, you will reap the rewards.

It’s been a long work week and you’re ready to settle down. In fact, you may want to treat yourself with a little indulgence such as a savory entree that is strong with the aroma of garlic, herbs or favorite seasoning; a sweet, creamy dessert or vintage wine that sends you into another world the minute it hits your palate is a euphoric feeling that only you can understand.

There’s nothing wrong with using your blog or website to take your audience somewhere else. In fact, any time that you can use words and images to help your audience escape a job they hate, the traffic ride home or while paying bills online, you have created a brand that people will not forget.

So it’s like the old saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. If you look at your website and ask what your images say about your brand. Does it say who you are and what your business is about- or generic clip art and stock photos?

This process starts with your logo and ends with any streaming videos you may have online.

Show Me the Goods

When it comes to your product or service, how do people know what it is you do? Yes, you can tell them but how do you show them? Are there pictures of you in action or in the case of a writer, do you have short (and protected) samples to show off your work? Do you belong to a group that is recognized?

Having badges or banners on your site is also a great way to drive traffic and if you belong to an affiliate program, it will add some change to your pockets if it is relevant to your brand. By placing these strategically and as close to the header (as opposed to the footer) of your site page, you will get more attention.

When it comes to your site’s still images, look at them closely and ask yourself if this is something people will get right away. Sometimes images that are too clever will not work in an online environment because it may not transfer well or may just be confusing depending on the demographic you are trying to reach.

For example, an image of a baby holding a single dollar bill can be eye-catching with the right caption or header. By itself, it can lead to guessing that your viewers (and future customers/clients) may not have time for and of course, they will move on to the next thing.

• Is the baby saying that’s it’s never too early to begin saving? (Great for consumer budgeting and finance sites)
• Are you trying to say that your baby items literally cost a dollar or two? (Moms-to-be would be the obvious target)

Take Me Away

Same holds especially true for videos as you really only have 30 seconds or less to hook the viewer. So you have to paint that picture or tell the audience what you can do in that short amount of time. Holding interest can be tricky but it is possible, even on a small budget.

It’s like listening to the first few seconds of a song, where you know which melodies are likely to stay inside your head. You want to ensure that visuals are not only eye-catching but intriguing.

I came across this video at a personal development seminar I went to awhile ago.  It is amazing what happens to peoples countenance when you validate them.  I dare you to try it and see what happens.  I saw this in action when after the seminar the people I was with went out and started validating people they ran into.  The first person we came across was a waitress.  And someone started validating them and I was just amazed at how the waitress changed her attitude towards us.  She made sure everyone had their drink full, and the food came out promptly.  It is amazing what a few simple words can do.  So go out there and validate someone!!

To Your Massive Success,