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How divorce coaching empowers women following a relationship breakdown by Lilly Parks of @naked_recovery

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by Lilly Parks

The good news is that the divorce rates in the US have started dropping since 1990, and have followed a downward trend since then. And thanks to millennials who are doing things differently, the rates will likely continue to decline. This is according to a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, Philip Cohen, in his analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) data.

Still, the divorce coaching industry is thriving, but not for reasons that you’d normally associate with it.

Divorce coaches make a living out of helping people, cope with the breakdown of a relationship. They also empower these men and women to become better. This makes divorce coaching a rewarding business, what with a bigger cause behind it. But the real reason that lawyers work with divorce coaches is that they’re the ones who take care of the non-legal work that lawyers and their legal staff generally don’t do.

It’s easy to associate divorce coaching as something similar to therapy, which is not exactly far off. But these independent third parties provide more than just encouragement, guidance, and motivation. Their work also covers pre-divorce, during a divorce, and after divorce.

The roles divorce coaches play

Before a divorce

  • Assess a marriage to identify if there’s still hope to work on the marriage or if a separation or divorce is the only solution
  • Assess the counseling needs of parents and children
  • If the decision to get a divorce is final, prepare clients for the upcoming journey

During a divorce

  • Help clients work through their financial and personal needs
  • Encourage sound decision-making by providing clear information about the divorce proceedings to clarify thoughts and concerns
  • Help a client build a personal support system

After a divorce

  • Help set goals for the future
  • Share the positives of divorce based on their own experiences since some divorce coaches have gone through divorce themselves

How divorce coaching helps and empowers women

  • Hand-holding

While your friends and family can provide support, relying on them comes with its own emotional baggage. Family members could be pushing you to take your ex to the cleaners or suggest many ways that you can hurt the other party.

As an independent third party, a divorce coach can create a non-judgmental, patient, safe, and supportive environment for you to get down to what really matters without pressure. Emotions are also excluded.

  • Overcome separation

And the emotional turmoil that comes with it.

Grieving the loss of a relationship is one of the many things that women go through following a breakup or divorce. A divorce coach will help you deal with the loss and then help you build your support system.

One of the first things they look into is the immense confusion you are experiencing and then help address your overwhelming emotions and fears.

Part of their job is to discuss major concerns, such as:

  • How can you manage financially?
  • What will happen to your children?
  • How do you break the bad news to your children?
  • How do you deal with co-parenting?

With a seasoned divorce coach, you will be able to navigate through the financial, legal, and practical challenges of divorce.

  • Grow and learn

There are lessons to be learned following a divorce. But unless someone is guiding you to the right path, you may not see those important lessons. You could get stuck in the grief stage, never to move on from there. You could choose to use alcohol, drugs, and food to cope with the fallout rather than take good care of yourself.

The right divorce coach can help you appreciate the good side of such a horrific experience.

It is possible that you chose the wrong partner. You made mistakes that contributed to the breakdown of a relationship. By identifying what went wrong, you’ll know better next time.

  • Help reboot and create a new life

After a divorce, the focus of coaches is to help a client establish a vision and goals for the future, both for the short-term and long-term.

This is how divorce coaching empowers women, especially women who experienced self-discovery and happiness following a relationship breakdown.

Short-term goals may include going on a divorce retreat to learn about mindfulness and meditation. Many women who went on a retreat post-separation came home with a new perspective. They got to know who they really are, which is the greatest gift you can give to yourself. Another goal is to travel a lot, which some women say has helped them re-evaluate their values in life.

A good example of a long-term goal is to live a healthy lifestyle. A study that appeared in the Journal of Women’s Health showed that 80,000 women became healthier after a divorce.

A divorce coach can help you set similar goals for yourself.

If you want to take back your power, you will find a guide and supporter in them.

Once you’ve rediscovered yourself, you can start building a new life, a new career, and a new you.

 

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Lilly Parks is a Divorce Angel and part of the dynamic Naked Divorce team. She is committed to helping her clients find the path towards healing and has been providing assistance to those who are going through the difficult trauma of divorce for more than 5 years.

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Entrepreneurs: How to Not Get ‘Owned’ by Social Media by @thedriftingdesk

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by Lisa Jordie

We all know unplugging from social media every so often is important for our sanity, but what happens if using social media is part of your job? Social media marketing was all fun and games until the platforms started being villainized. And, in some ways, rightfully so.

Many sociologists, academics and scientists are quick to point out the need to ‘unplug’ from social media to reconnect with humans, free up your time and stop contributing to the seemingly insidious nature of these tools.

Sure, unplugging may mean you miss a cute Snap of your adorable nephew wearing virtual bunny ears, but what if your job requires using social media? There’s no way to simply delete your accounts for many entrepreneurs who utilize the platforms to:

  • Find and connect with clients
  • Promote and market their brand via ads
  • Answer questions from customers
  • Countless other opportunities

In his book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, author Adam Atler says of social media platforms,

“They’re distracting because they remind us of the world beyond the immediate conversation…”

So, say you agree that you’d like to spend less time on your phone and on social media, but you are still an entrepreneur who needs to use these tools for your business. Here are some sure-fire ways to not get owned by social media:

Disable App Notifications

Do you really need to get a notification that your old boss loved a picture you posted last year? Or that that dude you met once at a baseball game just checked into an airport in Missouri?

These are all notifications you can look at once you open these apps on your own time.

Since we already know these social media platforms are psychologically and strategically designed to keep reminding us that they exist, disabling app notifications goes a long way!

Remove Apps From Your Phone

If the temptation to use social media apps is still too great even without constant and real-time notifications, consider removing the apps all together.

Although you can access the apps on your computer for business-related tasks, some platforms just don’t function the same on desktops. Trying installing the apps on a tablet and using this instead of your phone.

Using a tablet for social media apps is also a great way to be able to separate business and personal accounts as well. Say goodbye to constantly logging in and out of separate accounts!

Create Separate Accounts

This. Is. Pivotal.

Switching gears quickly is part of the game if you are an entrepreneur, but it can be mentally straining to go from responding to a message with pictures the bounty of sweet Aunt Sandra’s vegetable garden to responding to message from a confused client who needs clarification on one of your business processes.

This may mean making a quirky name for your personal account and your ‘real’ name for your business account. So be it. Separating your personal and business social media accounts will also make it easier to stay organized with your business.

Set a Schedule

Instead of being available on social media all of the time, set a schedule with specific times during the day when you check in to and publish on these apps. Using a Social Media Manager tool is incredibly helpful to auto-schedule posts as well (and is a huge productivity booster).

Live

Get out and live your life:

  • Take a painting class.
  • Hike with your dog.
  • Knit a boho-style macrame plant hanger.
  • Whatever. Just live.

Most importantly, give yourself time away not just from social media, but from your job.
This is why you’ve worked so hard. To live a fulfilling life. So go enjoy it..away from electronic devices..even if it’s in small doses.

How do you set boundaries with social media as an entrepreneur?

 

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Lisa Jordie has been a blogger and freelance writer for hire since 2014 when she ditched her cubicle for a more flexible lifestyle. She offers work from home, blogging and freelancing tips at TheDriftingDesk.com.

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6 Science-Backed Activities For Leaders To Become More Zen In Life by @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

Whether it’s mothers trying to separate teens from their screens to the busy executive going from conference calls to meditation, the evolution of technology impacts all facets of life. The digital world is permeating the fabric of life and its time to redefine the future of living.

As of December 2018, there are over 2.32 billion monthly active users worldwide on Facebook. There were 1.15 billion mobile daily active users. The average time spent per Facebook visit is 20 minutes and every 60 seconds, 510,000 comments are posted.

The average American spends 24 hours a week online. E-marketer trends forecasted that US adults would spend an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018 and by 2019 mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes in the US.

Smartphones and apps have changed the way we work, communicate and play. Technology is a double-edged sword. It brings people together, makes it easier for people to collaborate however the negative impact can be soul-destroying. People’s physical health is being compromised due to poor eating habits, working more late hours, exercising less through to posture issues, headaches, and the quality and quantity of sleep and emotional wellbeing being impacted.

It’s time to take back your overrun attention and life. Let’s dive into 6 actionable activities that support you to get your focus back, live more consciously and build a more mindful life.

Work Smart Rule

The Pareto principle, 80/20 rule is well known for 20% of your work is going to account for 80% of your results. If you apply this universal truth to business and life, you invest 20% of the time on the tasks that yield 80% of the results. Leveraging the principle involves in asking quality questions to decipher what you are investing your time in:

  • What have l done that has moved me closer to my vision?
  • What have l invested my time in that has had a negative or no impact on moving me towards my vision?
  • What would be the steps that l would need to take to move one step closer to my vision?
  • What would be the first thing l would implement to bring me closer?

By being specific, you will determine the very step you need to execute daily to become the most productive version of you. By organizing your daily tasks, you prioritize the key bite-sized chunks, you focus on the tasks with the highest payoffs and you tackle your top 20% of tasks first.  When you execute those tasks, your brain release dopamine, the feel-good hormone. By cultivating small achievements, you propel yourself to greater success.

Zen Time

The practice of mindfulness and meditation has been around for thousands of years. In more recent times, the business world has embraced these practices because research supports how these practices can change the wiring and makeup of your brain. Companies such as Google, Salesforce,  and Toyota have understood the personal benefits of mindfulness to support business objectives.

Training the mind to focus is becoming more critical than ever as your attention is being pulled in 1000 different directions at once. Learning the basics of mindfulness and meditation through courses, books, apps, and YouTube videos is readily available. Commitment to a daily practice, starting with dedicated time in your day to learning to be present. This can be a sitting meditation using an app such as Headspace or practice being in the moment when going for a walk.

The Art of Now

Being in the moment can be a reminder for you to be more mindful of wherever you happen to be. When emotions, thoughts or desires arise, you notice them, be kind to them and allow them to be just as they are. When you embrace the moment with an open mind, you merely observe without judgment. By being in the moment, research supports that by fine-tuning your ability to be present, you decrease your stress responses and increase your positive emotions. When you make room for the full range of your human experience, you will live with more inner peace.

Self-inquiry

Another way is to focus on the inner orchestra of your body by scanning from head to toe. Notice which part of the body you connect with and notice what you feel. Another way is to focus on one part of your body and notice the physical sensations you can feel. When you focus on bodily sensation you release tension that perhaps you were not aware of before. When you bring attention to areas of discomfort within the body you decrease symptoms of stress and improve psychological well-being.

Purposeful Action

Multi-tasking is a mere illusion and addictive. Your brain convinces you that it loves to multitask when in fact training your mind to focus on one thing at a time allows you to produce more meaningful results. When you commit to your actions being purposeful and deliberate, you slow everything down. You shut down your mental autopilot to allow the logical part of your brain steps into the driver’s seat.

Act of Nature

In our modern work, distraction is running rife. Being able to disconnect and go into nature, whether it be a walk, hike or just sitting, you re-sensitize yourself to the life and beauty around you.  Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine published a study that found participants that walked in a forest had lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol (referred to as the stress hormone) afterward than those who strolled through a city environment.

Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing” was developed in Japan during the 1980’s, designed to combat stress from overwork. Today, it has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. By simply being in nature, connecting through your senses of sight, hearing, tastes, smell and touch. By opening your senses, it bridges the gap between you and nature.

Your repeated experiences will shape your thinking and the way you live your life. What your practice, grows stronger.

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What kind of leader are you? by @SaabyConsulting

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What Kind of Leader are You?

As small business owners, we barely have time to keep the business running, let alone worry about what kind of leaders we are.

If you are thinking about how to grow your business, and you should be, now is the time to consider what kind of leader you are.  Even if you have never explored any research on leadership practices, I think most of us would acknowledge that while a good leader is critical to achieving a high level of morale at an organization, more often than not, leadership is frequently based on nepotism, favoritism and an ever- changing model of inconsistent rewards and inappropriate and poorly understood punishments.

Business growth is a team effort.

If your team isn’t on board with the organization’s goals and objectives, or worse, you haven’t even told them the organization has goals and objectives, rest assured, your efforts will fail.

Leadership is a process and even if you don’t think you were born to leader, you can certainly learn to be one.

Before you go on a mad hunt for leadership articles on the Internet or spend tons of money on books to read about leadership (wondering when you will find the time to read them) or signing up for boot camps on leadership – stop and take a deep breath.  You have more knowledge than you realize about leadership.

Start with a leader you have experience with.  What did you like about them?  Did you ever wonder why they conducted meetings at 7:30am?  Why some people always seemed to advance while seemingly not doing very much work?  And some people, no matter how hard they work, never seemed to get the recognition they deserve?  Did you have a clear set of goals on how to do your job?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask about a leader you may have had.  Maybe you had a leader, or a person you admired in a leadership role.  What about them gave rise to your admiration?

The point here is that the first step in becoming a leader is doing an assessment that defines what you think a good leader should be, where you think you are as a leader and where you want to be.

A critical aspect of leadership is your interaction with others.  It could be family, or colleagues, or subordinates or people you have business relationships with.  Use good judgement here but take some time to ask the people in each of these groups what they think about either your current leadership style, or what kind of leader they think you might be.  Be prepared.  It’s very likely that what other people think about your leadership skills is NOT what you think you are projecting.

There is literally tons of reference material about leadership and the qualities of a leader, so I will leave you to sift through all that.  Here are some good ideas about how to build your leadership at work and at home.

  • The best leaders base their success on the success of the team.
  • The best leaders take ownership when things go wrong and give credit to the team when things go right.
  • The best leaders build a following by leading transparently – being open about their own struggles, empathizing with others and setting clear expectations for their followers.

What kind of leader are you?  Would love to hear your thoughts.  Keep me posted on your leadership journey.

 

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My Fast Class in Business Law by Jackie Burke of #tiniluxjewelry

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by Jackie Burke | Featured Contributor 

This month was one of the most challenging and exciting months I have had as an entrepreneur. I had a fast class in business law and realized that I had been burying my head in the sand for too long.

Here’s the backstory: I launched my company, Tini Lux, in November 2017. My company is the first company to sell fashion earrings designed specifically for people with sensitive ears and metal allergies. It has truly defined a new category in jewelry. Prior to Tini Lux, earrings were given labels like “hypoallergenic” and “nickel free,” both of which were essentially meaningless because there are many reasons why earrings can reactions. Now, Tini Lux is a go-to, trusted source for people who want to be 100% sure that their earrings will not cause painful reactions.

When I launched my business, many well meaning people (without business experience) told me that if I could not patent my idea then I would never be successful. I believe this myth comes from watching Shark Tank, where the Sharks regularly ask the entrepreneurs if they have a patent on their invention.

My brand, while innovative and category defining, was not patent-able. That did not deter me though. I could list thousands of brands that do not have patents that are still very, very successful. I knew that the challenge was to build a brand and a destination that people could trust, and if I could do that then the success would follow (and it has).

What I did not realize though, is that although a patent might not be necessary for my company, there were other legal considerations that I was ignoring, like copyrights and trademarks. This all came to a head when I found out that my exact designs were being sold by another designer at Nordstrom! When I found this out I felt frustrated, disgusted, and violated. I am an avid follower of Diet Prada and The Fashion Law had read many articles about designers being ripped off, but I never expected it to happen to me.

I did my research and learned that from a legal standpoint what happened was a copyright infringement.  Jewelry designs are considered artwork under US copyright law.  A person becomes the owner of the copyright of original artwork the moment it is published. So, since my designs were original, I technically owned the copyright and both Nordstrom and this other designer were infringing on it.  Although I did own the copyright technically, in order to bring legal action against these other companies, I needed to officially register my copyright.

I immediately registered my copyrights for all of my original designs and trademarked my business name for my category of goods (jewelry). I contacted both companies with cease-and-desist letters and fortunately my copyrighted designs were removed immediately.  Although it is frustrating that they profited off of my work, I now feel more prepared and am more motivated to continue my efforts.

Now, on top of being a legally registered LLC, I have a registered trademark and copyrights for my original work. Hopefully this will deter other potential copy-cats, but if something like this happens in the future I will now be ready for action.  I am also choosing to be flattered by another designed copying me rather than be angry. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

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Why blogging is your business’ secret weapon by @CasiYost

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by Casi Yost | Featured Contributor

Blogging seems to have become a dirty word with business owners. That and SEO are scary things to most people. I firmly believe they are critical to growing your business and give you an edge considering your competitors don’t want to do them either.

I have a few reasons why you need to be blogging yesterday and what it actually does for your business:

  • Grows your Know / Like / Trust value with customers and peers
  • SEO: Casts a larger net to capture more keywords
  • Become an authority to help others
  • Repurpose content to use on other social media platforms
  • Helps you answer customers frequently asked questions

 

Know/Like/Trust:

 

Your customers want to know who the person is behind the website and brand. They can’t unless you’re constantly engaging them, showing them your expertise and providing new content. The way that I like to do this is create blog posts for other photographers on the gear I use, how I manage my workflow and other tips I can give to help them with their business. For couples, I have discussed how to elope in Oregon, the details of planning the timeline for your wedding, etc. These blog posts allow them to see that I care and that I know what I’m doing.

 

SEO:

 

When your customers type something into a search bar, you want to be able to rank for all of those keywords, right? Well blog post titles are exactly what should pop up on those searches. So when you make your blog posts, they should be targeted to answer questions that they might pose. All the questions. Take time to research what they are searching for, and answer those questions in posts. It will cast a huge keyword net and capture more people that way.

 

Become an Authority:

 

When you blog, you allow people to see you are an expert in your field. Your peers as well as customers will come to you for answers and as a result, you increase your brand loyalty. We all want that right? Well you have to give your customers, peers and everyone else reasons why they should trust you. Being consistent and giving good content is the way to do that.

 

Repurpose Content:

 

Ever feel like you are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to creating good content for all the platforms? Well when you create a blog post, you can use that in your emails, direct people to your website by linking it on facebook, etc. Pinterest is huge and having your blog posts constantly looping in Pinterest is a great way to repurpose content, especially what I call “evergreen” content. Evergreen content is content that can be useful no matter how old it is. Things like “what photography gear I use for weddings” is an example because this probably won’t change from year to year, and it’s helpful for new photographers. Repurposing content and recycling won’t make your viewers and clients get annoyed, because most likely they may not see the post, they might have forgotten, or you have a large number of new customers that haven’t seen it.

 

Helps to FAQ’s from customers and peers:

 

I get about six or seven DM’s a day from other photographers asking about my gear, or what I have done to grow my business, and this is great! However, my answers never change. If they do, I update my blog post. I want to give the same consistent, and well thought answer to everyone. So what I can do is direct them to that blog post and they can re-read it as much as they want. Plus it has pretty pictures and links to other resources, but that’s beside the point. Why is this critical? It saves you time and allows you to maintain a great relationship by giving them a good answer.

How to get people to read your post?  Use social media! As soon as I make a new blog post, I:

 

  • Put a link to my post on my personal and business Facebook page
  • Put a link on LinkedIn. It’s algorithm is super user friendly and similar to what Facebook and Instagram were like five years ago
  • Talk about it in your Instagram stories while you’re at it
  • Put the link in your bio on your Instagram page
  • Send the new blog post out to your email list
  • Share the post with people you think would be interested

 

So save yourself time, invest in blogging because it will do more for your business than you realize. If you don’t feel like you’re a great writer, have someone proofread. As long as what you are delivering is good content and not fluff, you will see how it helps you and your customers.

 

Let me know what you think! Share this and message me with questions on all my social media accounts!

 

XO,

Casi

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5 things you need PRIOR to applying for speaking engagements by @KerryHeaps

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by Kerry Heaps  | Featured Contributor

Almost every event that you apply to will require the five following items. Any topic that you are an expert on, you should have the following items in place.

A Topic(s) that is eye catching.  The topic of your speech is very important. It’s the first thing most Meeting Planners see in your submission.   Your topic should be catchy, drive home a point and should be applicable in today’s market. If you’re struggling creating a title, start jotting down a few samples on paper. And try replacing some of the words with buzz words or action words. This will get you started on creating a topic that stands out.

A Summary. Your summary is just that, a few sentences or short paragraph describing what you are going to talk about. It’s important to note that your description, should you be chosen to speak, is typically copied verbatim into the marketing materials of the event. Meeting Planners typically will not change anything that you have put in, as you are the expert on this topic. Your description and 3-5 takeaways should match what you teach at the event. Attendees typically will complain if they sign up for a workshop and the instructor teaches everything but what was in the workshop outline. Make sure whatever you put in your description is what you plan on teaching.

3-5 takeaways. Finally, for each topic and description you will need to provide three to five takeaways or learning objectives. What will the Attendees learn by attending your keynote or Workshop? Meeting Planners like to see a specific format, such as:  attendees will learn how to, attendees will walk away knowing how to implement, or attendees will learn the difference between, etc. Have a minimum of three and no more than five takeaways, it’s very rare for a meeting planner to ask for more than five. Make sure the learning objectives that you built into your description match the takeaways.

An updated Bio.  Your bio or Entrepreneurs resume should be kept up-to-date, highlighting your great achievements, you should consistently be adding to it throughout the year. If you haven’t added anything to your bio this year, start looking at potential achievements. For example, if there is an award or contest within your industry that you can apply for and win, compete. If you can get a writing column, or the potential to get featured on a major media outlet, go after it. These are the things that you should be adding to your bio on a consistent basis. Try to review your bio every 6 months, adding new accomplishments and deleting items that are over five years old.

A current head shot.  Finally, your head shot. Meeting Planners want to see an updated head shot, when you walk through the door you should match your photo. Meeting Planners do not like to receive photos that are not recent, as this can cause confusion when you’re being introduced, and you look nothing like the photo in the brochure. I recommend having head shots taken once every 6 to 12 months, it’s an investment in your speaking business.

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Marketing in 2019 and Beyond by @donnaamos

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Marketing in 2019 and Beyond

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

What does the future of marketing hold for this year and beyond? Are new trends worth following or are they simply passing fads? Marketers don’t need to pull the trigger on a trend just because it’s shiny and new. We need to make sure it’s actually the correct move for our marketing and brand. The majority of trends do fade away after a short period of time. However, when a new trend does come along, and it’s clear it’s here to stay, that is when we need to sit up and take notice.

Here are three vital aspects of marketing that businesses need to focus on in 2019 and beyond. I don’t see these as fads, but as the coming wave of marketing that marketers and companies should adopt as major parts of their marketing strategies.

Video Marketing

Ever since video marketing made its way onto the scene, its popularity continues to grow and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Marketers and consumers alike are hooked on video. Take a look at some of these video stats:

  • 70% of consumers say that they have shared a brand’s video.
  • 72% of businesses say video has improved their conversion rate.
  • 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions.
  • 65% of executives visit the marketer’s website and 39% call a vendor after viewing a video.

The following trends in video marketing are growing, and smart marketers will get on board.

Video is Going Live

Live streaming services are growing in popularity on Facebook, Instagram, and other popular social media channels. Research indicates live streaming encourages more audience engagement and retains viewers longer than prerecorded video.

Video is Going 1:1

Given the ease of shooting videos with smartphones, marketers are discovering the value of lead nurturing and customer communications by sending personalized video messages instead of calling or sending email. Using a personalized 1:1 video is great for following-up on an inquiry, offering content, delivering support, simply saying thanks, or practically any application.

Video is Getting Search-Friendly

Artificial Intelligence and the use of closed captions are making video content more searchable. AI can transcribe the audio on tracks of video with voice recognition to make video searchable. Google even announced the addition of video previews to the video carousel that appears in search results.

Smart Audio Marketing

From a purely data-driven standpoint, we know that smart speaker shipments are up 137%. In fact, 100 million smart speakers will be sold next year. Gartner predicts that 30% of searches will be done without a screen in the next two years. In addition, 28% of smart speaker owners buy things with them.

Whether it’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, or Bixby, voice assistant technology powered by smartphones and/or smart speakers removes the necessity of typing, navigation, and more. It’s an incredibly natural and intuitive way to interact, connect, and work with technology. Smart audio is the technology that all brands must focus on right now.

How should marketers and businesses prepare for using smart audio in their marketing strategies? Think through the following questions as you work out how you will prepare your content and marketing methods to take advantage of smart audio technology.

  1. What will the voice of your company be like?
  2. How can you advertise so that your company is the top (or only) result when a consumer uses voice search to locate your products or services?
  3. How can you augment existing content with relevant audio?
  4. How will smart audio move beyond home assistant devices and smartphones to automobiles and even public spaces? How can you be prepared?

Social Media Marketing Focused on the Social

All too often, the social media experience has been relegated to the advertising column of most businesses. ‘Social’ is now just ‘media.’

  • Conversations gave way to broadcasting only “content.”
  • Social media became an IT function and was automated to the point of being soulless.
  • Humans with personalities and names were replaced by corporate personas and branded voices.
  • Success was measured in clicks and likes rather than relationships and loyalty.

In 2019, businesses will need to take social media marketing back from the IT department and drive a truly human-centered approach to customer relations. Social media can be a vital and effective channel, but only if it is used as it was intended:

  • Provide relevant human connections
  • Form reliable and trustworthy communication channels
  • Express shared values
  • Display human emotions like compassion, understanding, and empathy
  • Create unique and entertaining experiences
  • Demonstrate active involvement in local issues
  • Offer a dependable way to respond in a moment of customer need

It may require companies hiring a person who becomes their sole voice on social media in order to provide the truly social connection that consumers seek with the brands they choose to follow. Engagement, relationships, and quality customer service are what is needed. And the companies that return to that dynamic over social media will see success.

What do you see in the future of marketing? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments below!

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Angie Langley – A Journey! by @JenBJourney

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by Angie Langley

Self-confidence is an important factor in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many of us struggle to find it. I haven’t always been the most confident person and as a child was desperately shy, especially at school where I was often picked on for being the quiet one standing in the corner of the playground afraid to join in with the others. It was also a major crisis for me in the classroom when asked to stand up and speak during English and French lessons which often ending up in recitals of garbled gobbledegook, giving the rest of the class a good laugh and making me a prime target for a group of girls who constantly bullied me.

My only defensive mechanism in those days was to escape into a world of endless daydreams which provided me with the ability to detach myself from my immediate surroundings and disappear into a La La Land of romantic heroes’ and happy forever endings. My school reports were always pretty predictable… ‘ Jennifer won’t achieve anything in life unless she stops her silly daydreaming’. Ultimately for me though it was a matter of surviving school, if only with a limited number of qualifications.

Throughout my adult life my self-confidence has grown in dribs and drabs, but it was only a few years ago when my life took an emotional tumble after a failed relationship that I finally found my inner self by taking a risk and stepping out of my comfort zone, learning new skills and stretching myself beyond my previous capabilities.

This new found confidence led me to writing my first novel, ‘Jennifer Brown’s Journey’ which is largely based on my own personal experiences, a great way of expressing my inner thoughts. I’ve always wanted to write a book that above all would make people laugh, but for balance I also wanted to include some poignant situations and real life drama that people could relate to.

My initial attempts at writing a book only served to highlight the wasted periods of my education but I persevered, determined to improve and ready to learn from my earlier mistakes. It was during that period that I began to realise what was really holding me back. It wasn’t my lack of education but that my quiet, subdued personality had led me to becoming a submissive person, always eager to help, to please, but laying me open to being dominated by an ex partner to the extent that my self-worth had dived close to zero.

What I needed was to be surrounded by people who would encourage and help me along the path I wanted to go as a writer. Several years after my previous relationship collapsed I was fortunate to find a kindred spirit, someone who really loved me and offered me the encouragement and support that had been so lacking in the past. Then, like a spring flower emerging from the depths of a harsh winter I started to blossom, confidence and my dormant creativity was starting to grow. My first book was an affirmation of my new, confident self and its success has led to the current creation of a sequel, the second in a trilogy planned for the future. The act of writing, recording my life’s experience, has also acted as a form of catharsis, allowing me the clarity of vision to look beyond the past into a much brighter future.

So confidence needs to be nurtured and encouraged by those around you. They need to understand your difficulties and genuinely want to help you along the road to a more positive and assertive way of life. Negativity and discouragement from others only serves to trample on the delicate flowering of the self-confidence we are all capable of achieving in life.

 

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Angie Langley is an author from Wiltshire who’s first novel ‘Jennifer Brown’s Journey’ focuses on her real life experiences when life took an emotional tumble in the not-so distance past. A lighthearted, humorous read, the first in a series of three books Angie tells her story with with honesty and bags of humour including poignant and everyday situations that many women will relate to. Now a motivational speaker who champions the importance of self-belief she tackles the subject of self-confidence and how the lack of it often effects so many in our society. Angie is convinced confidence needs to be nurtured and encouraged by those around us and is currently in the process of starting up a Facebook page encouraging women to chat about their lack of self-confidence and in return offer free advice. Her message to other women

“The key to self-confidence is believing YOU CAN!”

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How to Build a Thriving Online Community by @AnnaMcAfee

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Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

by Anna McAfee | Featured Contributor

Online communities are all around us, and changing the way we work and live.  As humans we seek connection and often find ourselves participating in and contributing to online communities.  Not just for humans but for brands and businesses its an ever increasing need to create a following and engagement with your end user.  As online networking evolves these online communities become integral to that way in which we connect to one another in the digital world. 

In 2017 I intentionally created an offline community in my local area called #LinkedInLocal.  Shortly after I unintentionally co-founded a movement with the same hashtag created an online community of hosts.  We were and continue to be a tribe of LinkedIn users looking to follow the core idea and share the value and experiences among setting up local groups across the globe.  This has continued to grow to over 1000 host members globally, with 15-20 new hosts being added each week.  Along the way I learned some valuable lessons on what makes online communities thrive. 

Whatever you medium is for creating an online community, be it a Facebook group, Slack, or a LinkedIn group, here are some tips in order to get your community growing and thriving. 

Create a space for shared values where people can hang-out

When it comes to shared values private online groups can create a sense of belonging for users.  United by an idea or a cause, they are great opportunity for digital users to network.  Online communities should foster the sharing of ideas so in order to do this the community needs some shared values or themes.  It could be working moms, industry or location-based entrepreneurs, or hobby-based tribes, but this should be clear in both name and description. 

Say hello and value new members

New members help spread the message and continue the spread of ideas in a thriving online community.  They are integral to its success.  Its important to welcome new members to foster an environment where they feel valued.  We are all member of so many online groups, the ones in which we feel significantly more welcome will really help engagement.  This can happen in the form of a welcome message, and opportunity to introduce themselves, and communicated values around a welcoming environment. 

Facebook has a great tag within groups call New Member  for the first two weeks upon joining.  This helps identify those who are new and need more support, and well as context on their questions.  Slack also provides the ability to set up bots that welcome members as they join the community.  In the words of Maya Angelou, “its not about what you say, its how you make them feel”, so appreciation will go a long way.

Make the space safe

Privacy is an issue for everyone, so showing that your community values and respects that will help members feel safe.  Make the group rules on bullying and worrying discussions very clear and stick to them.  Protection from spammers is another matter you need to deal with.  Be strict on the pitching rules in the group and remove anyone who continues to not comply.  People often use closed online communities to open up and share thoughts on matters they don’t want those close to them to know about.  Ensure your online space has that in mind. 

Be consistent and show up

No one feels valued or engaged in a community that lacks consistent content, questions or the sharing of ideas.  Have certain days for types of content and schedule these, for example the

Ability to share instagram handles or offers in a Thursday thread.  Keep members up to date about what’s going on and create content that will either help add to their businesses or help them learn.  Use scheduling tools to make things easier but make sure the content is engaging, and not just external links or sales messages.  Content should be engaging and consistency related to the shared values and message of the group.

Its not just about creating content, but also answering questions. If necessary appoint some community ambassadors or champions to moderate and answer messages.  This will help ensure everyone is getting the information they need at the right time. 

Be organised

Within any community there are common questions that come up time and time again.  Seek to create resources that help answer these questions and add them as pinned posts, or even share as a mailer if you have a list to support your online community.   Use the files section in order to add regular documents.  Use learning features to put together modules or units from content in the group, such as previous live videos.  Online events are another way to foster community for connection, the sharing of ideas, and help facilitate connection.

Reward your best community members

Facebook now have some incredible tools to help you really make your community members and followers feel valued.  Slack and other providers do have recognition emojis, but LinkedIn groups have a lot to learn from Facebook’s badge system.  They’ve done their research and these badges are adding a lot of value to communities. These can be switched off but here are some of the great badges that help community moderators and members feel truly valued.

Facebook Group Badges

  • Group Anniversary: Celebrates the time a member has invested in your group, appearing on their anniversary day of becoming a group member
  • Conversation Starter: Recognizes members who start meaningful group discussions. This badge will appear for members whose posts receive the most likes and comments in the past month.
  • Founding Member: Acknowledges early members who have helped grow your group.
  • Conversation Booster: Recognizes people who frequently generate meaningful discussions can encourage other group members to contribute more
  • Visual Storyteller: Recognizes members for unique contributions to the community can help spark conversation within the community. It will appear for members who share photos or videos that group members find valuable.
  • Greeter: Provides new members with information and support upon joining can help them feel welcomed. The greeter badge will appear for members who frequently respond to new members’ posts and comments.
  • Link Curator: Recognizing members who help bring topic-relevant news to the group, the link curator badge will appear to members who share quality, external content with their group that receives good engagement
  • Rising Star: Recognizing new members within their first month with the group that contribute to the community


Facebook groups also offer a section of members with things in common, such as common friends or liked pages.  This provides a great conversation starter and a way to connect.  Facebook Pages offer the ability to add Top Fan badges and Valued Commenter.  The “Valued Commenter” badge is awarded when someone comments frequently on a Page, and the “Top Fan” badge is acquired when a fan is one of the most active.

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