Why you shouldn’t trust your instincts in business

We have all heard someone say at one point or another that you should “just go with your gut” or “trust your instinct.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all just live a life where we were all just right all the time? (Cue parenting or relationship joke here…)

The problem is that we can’t always be right – but we can be informed in our decision-making. Someone who is an expert in their field might approach a situation at an advantage (with sharpened instincts) to someone who doesn’t really know much about it. For example, a restaurateur who has already opened two restaurants in one city would know whether opening a third would be a good business investment and what to expect throughout the process. Someone who has never even worked in the food service industry who doesn’t know much about the process wouldn’t be able to just make a decision based on their instincts because they don’t really have the tools to make it happen or to know whether it will be a successful investment. Their gut instinct would be based on their last restaurant experience as a customer.

We all have instincts for a reason, however, to use them to their fullest extent you need to sharpen them – they aren’t going to just magically sharpen on their own.

Here are a few ways to sharpen your instinct to help you in the decision making process:

1. Learn how to read people. This is closest to using the instinct you already have. That sense you get where you are uncomfortable around certain people, you can usually trust that. However, sometimes in business you will run in to people who are really great at fooling people. You need to be able to read the signs.
2. Learn from mistakes and victories. Keep track of how you got to where you are, whether good or bad. If you track your successes and losses, you can better pinpoint where things went wrong. If you are able to identify the factors in your success/failures, the next time a similar situation comes up, you can make an informed decision that is second nature, because you already went through it and debriefed from the last time.
3. Learn how to say no. The more comfortable you are with saying no to people when you either can’t do something or it doesn’t feel like the right opportunity, the less it will play a factor in your decision-making. You can’t be all things to all people, and if you are known as simply a “yes man” then people might try to take advantage of you.
4. Learn how to ask the right questions. Don’t be afraid to question yourself, but make sure they are constructive questions rather than questions designed to make you second guess your final decision.
5. Educate yourself. The more you know about the situation in question the easier you can make a successful decision. Knowledge is power. Become an expert in your industry.
6. Surround yourself with the right types of people. Find people that encourage you to better yourself. We’re not talking about a self-help group, but you want to find people that are like-minded.
7. Be patient. You won’t make impeccable decisions right away. It will take time to sharpen your instincts. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

When it comes down to it, trusting your instincts in business can be a good thing, but only if you take the time to sharpen them, otherwise it will always be a gamble.

Darth Vader’s Guide To business

In honour of the upcoming May the 4^th celebrations, we thought we would get into the mind of one of the most infamous villains to cross our paths – Darth Vader. For those of you that don’t know about May 4^th, it is officially/unofficially Star Wars Day.

Here is how to apply a few of Darth Vader’s approaches to galactic domination in your everyday business operations. Vader has been lauded as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history. Hey, sometimes, you just want to be bad.

Embrace your visual brand

When Darth Vader walks into a room, you know who he is. Whether you hear the signature breathing sound or you see the head to toe black armoured get up, it’s Darth Vader. In spite of the man inside the suit changing between films, the signature look didn’t change all that drastically. Think about your brand in the same way. You need to let it settle and become well-known before you change it up to much. If it’s taking a while to catch on, maybe you should consider changing up your outreach tactics to generate more buzz.

Stand firm behind your cause

Darth Vader was not really well-liked – he was a bad guy. However, he was well-respected (AKA feared) and had complete control over everyone and all that happened around him. Even though some things might not turn out how you would expect in the end, you need to stand behind your convictions as a brand and business. You will gain a loyal base of followers if you are vocal about what you stand for. Some people say that any press is good press, but beware of any consistent negative narrative about your business. It could leave you hanging in the end because, everyone loves a hero and a good guy.

Go big or go home

Death Star. Need we say more? A spacecraft and superweapon that had the capability of destroying an entire planet. Two Death Stars were built throughout the Star Wars franchise. You should seek industry domination within your selected niche. Don’t shy away from a big idea because you think it’s too hard, or it won’t work. Make it work for you. If budget is your concern, talk to a consultant who might have some ideas on how to scale it down a bit to fit.

You aren’t going to make everyone happy

Darth Vader had his enemies, the same way you will have competitors who just want to get rid of you and customers who won’t necessarily like what you are selling. Find your niche, your stormtroopers that will follow you to the ends of the earth, and seek to make them happy. You will find that they might just start growing in numbers. It’s easier to market to two people who are alike (clones) than it is to two highly different groups.

Don’t be afraid to use the dark side

Sometimes you just have to be ruthless to get what you want. Darth Vader made evil decisions on a regular basis. You will come up against some tough decisions in your business’ lifespan, and you need to be able to weigh the pros and cons and make an educated decision as to what is best for you and the company. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but maybe you didn’t need to hire 5 extra people – someone has to go unless you enjoy losing money every month.

If you don’t succeed, try, try again

Time after time we see the villain try to take over the world. Darth Vader is no exception (remember the previous point about the Death Star?). They all have two things in common: 1) They generally don’t get the results they are looking for; 2) They keep trying until they are dead. That doesn’t mean you should work yourself to death, but you should take on a “pick yourself up and move ahead” attitude. Even though Vader’s goals were nefarious, his attitude towards trying to achieve his goals is one to be emulated.

Happy (early) Star Wars Day! May the 4^th be with you.

Stuck In A Rut: 4 Questions To Fix Entrepreneurship Tunnel-Vision

Being stuck in a rut can be a dangerous place when it comes to being an entrepreneur. It likely means you aren’t tapping into your business’ full potential, which means capped growth, or even worse – shutting down business.

Your biggest enemy when starting up a new business (or when you are even past start up stage, but you have plateaued) is not knowing what is going on around you and how it affects your operations and overall strategy – tunnel-vision. This means, you need to be aware of both where you are at in your business adventure as well as keep track of your competitors, industry trends, complementary industries, and what your audience wants and needs. That’s a lot of things to track and it’s very easy to get complacent.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself as an entrepreneur to make sure you avoid tunnel-vision, or if you’re there how to get out of it.

#1: When was the last time you talked about your business to someone external to your team?

If your answer is more than one day, then you have gone too long without talking to someone about what you do. It could be a simple quick elevator pitch introduction or an in depth conversation about your strategic focus. Talking about your business out loud to others will allow you to both gage feedback as well as learn to focus your energy on the right things when it comes to your business.

#2: When did you last do an audit of your business strategy?

You probably did a great business plan to get yourself started, but things may have been tweaked along the way as you came up against challenges. You need to make sure you sit down with your team, or if you are a solopreneur, be really honest with yourself or talk to an outside consultant. Have a look at that business plan and measure your accomplishments against the milestones you set out for yourself. Then set some new goals. If you never did write a business plan of any kind, first slap your hand, then sit down and write out some goals and set some milestones.

#3: Are you accomplishing at least one thing every day?

If the answer is no, then you better get on that. It might be researching new clients, finishing up that amazing content strategy for next month, or anything else you can imagine.

If your answer is “I’m not sure” then you really need to sit down and plan out your tasks. If it gets to the point where you aren’t sure what you are working on daily, then how can you know how your business is doing, or where you need to work on most?

If your answer is “yes” then first give yourself a gold star, have a glass of wine or whatever you do to celebrate your small victories, then ask yourself if you have been prioritizing your tasks right. I find it helps to write things down. You want to make sure that what you are working on will get you to where you need to be in business, not just keeping busy.

#4: Do you track what your competition is doing?

This is a big one. If you work in a business that hasn’t traditionally been known for its technological advances, but lately there have been great strides made and all your competitors are capitalizing on it, leaving you in the dust, then maybe it’s time for a change. Keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing will allow you to measure your progress against theirs, but it also might spark some creativity in your own strategy to help you stand out, which could help you out of your rut. The other thing competitive tracking does is force you to remove the blinders to see everything going on around you.

It doesn’t take much to get yourself back on track when you find yourself in a rut. The first step is recognizing when it’s happening!

Brand Integrity: Are You A Brand Of Your Word?

Any organization needs to be built on a strong brand. Brand integrity is something that most business owners should be concerned with when establishing positioning in the marketplace. But what exactly is brand integrity?

Integrity can be defined as saying what you believe and acting on it. But what does that mean for you when it comes to your brand?

Brand integrity has everything to do with your audience and how they perceive you. You will often hear about being personable or giving your brand human qualities in your interactions with consumers. Are you delivering an experience to your audience that is in keeping with what you are promising? That is the crux of brand integrity – delivering on your brand promise. When an organization delivers consistently, they will create loyalty among their audiences.

Here are some things to consider so you can avoid nasty pitfalls when it comes to building your organization’s brand integrity.

1. Clearly define your brand intent: It’s important that you write out in detail what your brand intent, or brand promise, is. Formalize discussions beyond that initial start-up excitement to flesh out your messaging. As your organization grows, you want to make sure that your promise is both scalable and achievable.

2. Achieve brand continuity: Your audience will know you by your branding, and they will associate your brand promise with any visuals you share. Whether it’s your logo, colours, or messaging, there should be a consistency in the content you put out. If you are taking your brand through a refresh, make sure your shift is clearly defined and that you keep it consistent once the new branding is launched.

3. Live the brand standards: Integrity of a brand can be questioned even if one member of your team steps out of line with the standards in place. Everything is on the internet, so word spreads fast, and it’s hard, if not impossible, to hide things. A clear cut example of this is the latest Leslie Roberts’ situation with Global. As a news organization, Global prided itself on impartial reporting and representation to its audiences. Once this mistake came to light, even if you thought it wasn’t a big deal, it still put a glimmer of doubt that Global was acting with integrity as a brand. It’s that question that will shatter brand integrity among loyal audiences. Clearly lay out your organization’s standards and make sure that everyone is on board when it comes to seeing them through and that they are aware of the consequences should the standards be overlooked.

4. Consistent Product/service quality: Are you delivering consistently? What will your customer say about you after dealing with your representatives or using your product? These are questions you should be continuously asking yourself as a business owner or team leader. If you are going through an operational change where your processes are shifting or your product will be going through an overhaul, it’s important to be transparent with your audience so they know what to expect. If you all of a sudden change things up, your audience may feel like they aren’t familiar with you anymore so they will try your competitor.

I always say it, but keep in mind your brand intent vs. brand reality – be honest with yourself when looking at your brand integrity!

How To Avoid Cookie-Cutter Marketing & PR Strategies

We’ve all been blown away by a marketing/PR campaign at some point or another. Whether it’s an amazing string of ads, a hashtag that went viral, or a story that tugged on heartstrings. In such a crowded marketplace – for all industries – and with the increasing popularity of digital in campaigns, consumers are bombarded with hundreds of campaigns on a daily basis.

The challenge for brands is to deliver rapid results to hit all the targets set out in the campaign strategy. How are you going to do that if you are copying someone else’s strategy? Or, another brand’s creative ideas? In order to stand out among the crowd, you need to be different. A cookie-cutter strategy isn’t going to work for you because you aren’t the same as your competitors.

Unfortunately, marketing has been around for a long time, and this means that a lot of ideas have been trying and tested, proving to deliver strong results. It’s like jazz or blues music. You can sample from another artist in a solo, but you have to give it your own sound, otherwise you are just copying. What are you bringing to the table?

Here are things to look out for when you are trying to inject your own brand personality into your campaign.

1. Don’t be distracted by the competition: They’re not going anywhere anytime soon, but dwelling on what they’re doing for their own campaigns will put you off the path you need to be on to discover your own successes.
2. Define your brand messaging: This can mean taking a step back to define your industry. Are you a locksmith, or a freedom expert? Your brand messaging is the basis for your brand story. You should be able to jot down 5 to 10 key sentences about your brand and what it is that you do.
3. Appeal to your ideal audience: You don’t need to be all things to all people. If you pick a niche in your industry, chances are you will be able to make a splash and then expand from there. Using a blanket technique to see how many people you can cover won’t necessarily give you the best return on your efforts.
4. Tell your own story: Once you have your messaging in place and you know who you want to tell it to, think of different narratives that will exemplify what you want your audience to think of when they hear your brand name. This has everything to do with your content strategy. The content you develop should be different than other brands because you should have an opinion or an approach that is unique to your business.
5. Determine your language style: How are you telling your story? Your brand is like a person, with a personality and language all its own. If you are a young, fresh brand, you wouldn’t use as much “industry-speak” and try to out-smart your customers (actually not a great idea in any case), but you might use a lot of colloquial and slang language. Pretend that your brand is speaking to someone else and write that way.
6. Empower your team: whether they are senior management or entry-level employees, empower them to live your brand and enjoy what it is you stand for. There is nothing more unique than a team of individuals bringing their own perspectives.

Bonus Tip: There are marketing/PR agencies out there who use a cookie-cutter template when they put together campaigns as a cost-cutting measure on their end. If you are working with an agency, be sure to ask a lot of questions and get to know their previous campaigns to make sure that you are getting something that is unique for you.

How to set 2015 business goals

We have all painstakingly set our personal resolutions for each new year that comes along. And sometimes, we keep our promise to ourselves, and sometimes we don’t. However, when it comes to your business, a new year is a great opportunity for you to set attainable goals that set out a timeline of milestones for you to hit and celebrate whether you are a solo entrepreneur, or you have a team working with you.

Here are 8 things to help you determine what your business resolutions will be for 2015.

#1: Take an honest look at your past year during a year-end review.

Go over your strategies for 2014 and decide what worked and what didn’t. For many clients, I like to do up an overview report for the year that looks at what we did and what some recommendations may be for the new year. You should consider doing this for yourself. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be a point form list or a chart. But putting something down on paper or up on a whiteboard allows you to visualize better.

#2: Be specific and realistic.

It’s important that you set goals/resolutions for your business that you can actually achieve, and where possible, include numbers. For example, if you are a new small business and you did $60K – $100K in revenues in your first year, setting a $2 million goal for yourself by the end of the second year may be a stretch. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t go big with your goals, however you want to make sure that you are realistic with your timelines and the business strategy you have laid out.

#3: Look for growth opportunities.

Have you been thinking about expanding your reach to a new audience? Or perhaps your growth goal is simply related to revenues or hiring new team members. Whatever the growth target, give yourself actionable goals to work towards throughout the year.

#4: Expand your digital presence.

Like it or not, there will always be something new and shiny when it comes to digital strategies. This is not to say you should jump on the bandwagon for every new channel that’s out there, but take some time to have a look at what’s new to see if it will work for your audience outreach. It could also be as simple as beefing up your current strategy for existing channels you are already on. Bottom line, you can likely do more and now is a good time to see how you can do it efficiently.

#5: Focus on content.

Do you have a content strategy? If not, you should take a step back and have a look at developing a strong strategy. If you do have one, does your current strategy highlight the great things about your brand and expertise? Maybe it’s as simple as setting up a blog, putting out an extra post, or learning how to incorporate visuals to better attract your audience.

#6: Follow through is key.

When you don’t follow through on your personal resolutions (most struggle with the fitness and nutrition goals), you can always say better late than never. However, when it comes to business, it’s important to follow through with your strategy, or at least assess why it won’t work before you give up on it. Abandoning your goals for no reason can have a negative impact on your business because, like it or not, it will have an effect on you as a business owner.

#7: Slow and steady wins the race.

You’ve heard it before, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” This will always ring true unless someone somehow invents a device to make time stand still while you continue on your merry way. Your goals/resolutions are not going to be met in January. They are meant to be achieved over the course of the year, so don’t get stressed or discouraged if they don’t happen right way.

#8: Set up an implementation timeline.

To help you follow through and not feel like it all has to be done TODAY, set up a schedule for yourself with major milestones to hit for all of your goals. This implementation schedule can be set up in a spreadsheet or a chart to give you a good visualization of how your year will look. It also means celebrating along the way when you reach your milestones. Who doesn’t like a good celebration!

In The Media: 10 Tips For Writing a Bylined Article

It’s one of the first requests I get from clients: “I want to be in the media.” Now, that can mean a lot of things. It can mean:

• You want your product featured in print or in a segment on TV or radio
• You would like to be quoted as an expert in an article from a journalist who is covering a topic that you know a lot about
• You would like to be featured as an expert on broadcast media
• You are doing some sort of public stunt or event and you would like live broadcast coverage
• You would like to publish a guest column, or bylined article

Let’s talk about the last one, what it takes to publish a bylined article. Here are a few tips you should be aware of if your goal is to have a bylined article published in the media (print or digital).

#1: Why do you want to be in the media and how does it fit within your overall marketing and PR strategy. What you have to say should positively affect either your company’s brand or your personal brand, or both. When executed properly, and not in a vacuum, a published bylined article can add a lot to your strategy when it comes to building awareness through credibility by establishing yourself and your brand as a leading expert in your field.

#2: Identify what you have to say and add value for the reader. This is key to making you and/or your company stand out. It’s time to pull from all that work you did when you identified your key differentiators in your business plan! Whether you are giving a list of tips or a problem/solution-based message, there should be key takeaways identified for your target audience, including quality data wherever possible.

#3: Identify your target publications. You should select target publications that you know your target audience will read. Make sure you familiarize yourself with their contributor policies (including how you can promote it after publication). You can usually find this on the website, or you can contact the editor.

#4: Know the audience. You should know the publication well enough to match the writing style while remaining in your own voice. For example, if you are writing for a business publication that is extremely factual and serious, you likely wouldn’t start your article off with a light-hearted joke.

#5: This is not a promotional piece. If your article is just a long-winded sales pitch, chances are it will be turned down. Take the opportunity to showcase your knowledge rather than what you do. It is more a “thought leadership” piece (full disclosure: that term is way overused, and I am using it only as a descriptor).

#6: Break up the text. Using subheadings or bulleted lists within the article will allow your readers to easily organize the information you are giving them. It’s also a great way to clarify the main points of your article.

#7: Design the perfect byline. This will depend on the publication, but if you can, include your website and contact information. If not, generally, you will be able to at least include your Twitter handle. Find a way to descriptively identify what it is you do and how you can add value for potential clients without being salesy.

#8: Don’t be boring. Yes, easier said than done. However, if you feel like you are watching paint dry when you are reading through your article, chances are your readers will also feel the same way. Make sure you add a bit of personality in there so readers can get a good sense of where you stand on the topic.

#9: Proofread. I can’t stress this enough. In fact, you should likely have someone else proofread it for you as well. An extra set of eyes never hurt anyone. You want to make sure you put your best foot forward when it comes to reaching out to media.

#10: Make sure you have a follow up game plan. Ok, so you’re published, now what? Yes, you can share it around, and you should, however, what are you going to do to build on this initial profile-building tactic that you have executed?

Bonus Tip: Use a third party. There is no shame in having someone help you out by drafting your byline articles. Sometimes, time constraints of business ownership get in the way, or perhaps writing really isn’t your strong-suit. The key is finding someone who takes the time to get to know you and how you tick, and someone who is not afraid to take the anonymous back seat to your success once the article gets high acclaim. After all, it is your thoughts that are going in, someone just helped you put those thoughts on paper.

How to implement change in your business

Last week, we discussed how you know it’s time for a change. Now that you know you need to change, here are a few ways to approach it so you don’t go off the deep end.

#1: Pinpoint the issue

It’s kind of hard to make a change if you have no idea of what needs to be changed. Whether you are a small business or a large corporation, this step should never be attacked as a solo mission. It’s good to have at least a couple of people to discuss what’s working and what isn’t. And when you can, you should bring in a third party consultant or expert to help you pinpoint what’s holding you back from your successes. They will bring an unbiased and fresh perspective to the situation.

#2: Set your change vision

Here is where you develop a vision for how you see change happening and what it will look like once you get to where you need to be. Again, working with a small team will enable you to bounce ideas off each other to determine the best focus and strategy.

#3: Determine what resources you need to execute the change

You should start out with a list of resources you think you will need to execute your change vision. This could be finances, people, technology, or even knowledge/learning. Once you have an idea of what you will need, you need to make sure you have those resources available to you or whether you can acquire them.

#4: Action plan

Now that you have determined all factors necessary to facilitate change, you need to develop a timeline and assign tasks. At this stage, you need to be able to lay out how the change will take place so your team will easily be able to follow the plan. And set a realistic timeline for your goals. Sometimes, it can take a couple of years to affect complete change in a larger organization. Attack the change in phases and set milestones. We always talk about celebrating the small wins. It’s important along the way in your action plan as well. When you celebrate milestones, your team will look forward to implementing all of the plan laid out.

Numbers 3 and 4 are interchangeable. In fact, you should be ready to adjust your resources according to you plan and your plan according to your resources available.

#5: Get the team on board

This may be the most important step you take in affecting change. If your team isn’t behind you 100%, then there is not way it will filter down throughout the business. It’s not necessarily a sense of convincing that you need change, because if change is needed, chances are they already know it. It comes down to how you approach the issue and present it to the team. It’s all about dialogue and presenting the facts rather than strutting peacock feathers while your team sits there and knows that the plan won’t go anywhere.

It’s also important that you empower your team to affect change. If they feel that they are being micromanaged, they won’t as eagerly work to achieve the company goals. Whereas if they feel that they are making a difference on an individual level, it means they matter to the team as a whole.

#6: Execute

You have a vision, you have a plan, you have your resources in place. It’s time to enact on your need for change and get ready to celebrate your milestones along the way!

Leadership: When is it time for a change

You have taken the time to build something from the ground up, whether it’s your company or even a specific project that you have spent months on. You have formed every painstaking detail. And it’s just not working. Do you go for the big change? Or do you stick it out? Well, the answer to that question is both simple and complex. The simple version is, “it depends.” The complex version is, well… complex. There are many deciding factors in answering this question.

How many times have you sat through a team meeting where the boss was so excited about a new direction for the company that they just had to tell you and begin implementing before they even thought it through? And how many “pivot presentations” have you had to sit through with an overly thought out PowerPoint showcasing a new overall focus for the company… The third in the past month.

Change is inevitable in business. Customer needs and wants shift, and new competition will continuously push the boundaries of what you have created. However, change doesn’t have to be catastrophic, and it doesn’t have to set your team back.

The first thing you need to do is determine if a change is actually needed. If you are shifting focus constantly, you never really give your strategy a chance to develop, and you will likely lose the confidence of your team along the way.

Here are a few tips to help determine if a change will do you good… or bad.

#1 Missing a connection or a spark

Day to day operations is running like a well-oiled machine, which is great, but it is running so well, that it is void of personality, and in spite of output, you just aren’t connecting with your audience like you used to.

#2 Loss of purpose and passion

You have been slogging at it for a while now, and it’s become more about profit than the business. You are unhappy, and aren’t satisfied with anything that the business is doing. You’ve forgotten hat is your light at the end of the tunnel because you can no longer see that light.

#3 Your team feels undervalued

It’s great if your team works hard for you, but after a while, you stop caring about how the work gets done and more that it is just done. Your expectations are that your team should be putting in the long hours even though you don’t pay them very well, you always take the credit for the work they put out, and you really don’t care that they see you leave every day at 4.

#4 Business has plateaued and there is nowhere for the brand to grow

You know there is something bigger for the brand, but you just can’t get there with the current business model, whether it’s an audience that is too narrow, a stale product line, or you are limited by geography.

#5 You keep bringing up the good old days when the company was thriving and exciting

There is nothing wrong with celebrating where you have come from, but when that is the sole focus of your discussion because you can’t think of anything great to say about business now, then there is an issue.

#6 You are constantly lying about the status of your company or project to make it sound better

Every business owner or project manager will inevitably get the question “how’s business?” or “how’s the project going?” If you find that you are embellishing to make yourself look better constantly, you may have an issue.

#7 The team has no idea there even is a mission statement

When you build a business from the ground up, it’s important to know what you stand for. Along the way, it’s easy to forget some of the important things, or perhaps your new team members weren’t told.

#8 You feel you are settling

You know there is something better in store for the company or the project, but you either don’t know how to get there, what it is, or if it’s even possible, so you ignore the feeling. Ignoring that type of thing will only perpetuate the cycle.

Next week we’ll talk about how to approach change once you decide you need it. But for now, we’ll leave you with this.

5 Reasons To Use #Hashtags For Business (Sparingly)

By now, we have all seen this hilarious (and eerily spot on) sketch by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake (and subsequent similar ones).

I am also sure you all have at least one friend or colleague who is overly fond of the hashtag, putting so many in their social media content that it #sometimes#becomes#hardto#decipher#what#itsabout. Both the comedy sketch and your friend demonstrate too much of a good thing.

And no, hashtags are NOT ruining the English language… When used properly.

If we take one step back, those who aren’t familiar, here is the hashtag formula:

Hashtag = “#” symbol + relevant keyword or phrase

You should be using hashtags strategically in all of your social content. Here is why:

#1 Find information and follow trends

Now more than ever it’s important to stay on top of things when it comes to running your business. With enhanced connectivity online and information at everyone’s fingertips, why not tap into the information using hashtags? Call up a search for something specific. Maybe you are trying to find information on #EmployeeEngagement. You will be surprised at how many tips and tricks you will find through articles that have been put out there through social media.

#2 Generate discussion and make connections

Source: freedigitalphotos.net

Hashtags are an amazing tool that can be used to start up and join discussions that are relevant to your brand interests, your product, or your industry. For example, if you wanted to see who was talking about entrepreneurship, and what they are saying, you can search for #Entrepreneurship and a list will pop up. From here, you can reach out to specific people and comment on discussions.

Another thing it is useful for is to follow discussions about your own brand. Why not track what people are saying about you? It is a great way to track your online reputation. First, you should try to establish some sort of online presence. It can build into a really effective customer service tool when you are able to interact with your customers.

#3 Promotions and Contests

This is a great way to encourage user-generated content. For example, if you were going to organize a photo contest, you would have people tweet or post photos using a specific hashtag like the #Jackspatio contest that was run by Jack Astor’s this summer. You and everyone else can easily follow along with all of the entries. This generates more traffic for you and users will have fun interacting with your brand.

#4 Targeting specific audiences

Just like you may be joining in conversations, you can also target your information towards people who you think would be potential new business prospects. For example, if you sell jewelery and your target market is for weddings, maybe you should be posting images of your work using #Wedding or #WeddingWednesday.

#5 Real time interaction

There are so many opportunities online for hosting chats, or perhaps you are hosting a webinar. If you provide a hashtag for people to use, participants can participate by asking questions and sharing content. A great example is #SMTLive. They Social Media Today regularly puts on webinars rich in content, and you can follow along with the webinar through twitter. Even if someone couldn’t attend, they still benefit from the information and it establishes your brand as an expert in the industry.

I realize that with small business and start-ups time is short, but capitalizing on efficiencies is what is going to make your strategies more achievable. Hashtags take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of using them in your content, you will find that you have made your social strategy more effective.