online marketing
Love These Brilliant Tips To Create Affordable Promo Videos
20/04/21 11:54
How To Create Promo Videos Without Spending A Fortune
Promo videos are a great way to spread the word about a forthcoming event or marketing initiative engagingly!
Promos are similar to teaser videos, in which you catch the audience's attention and entice them to find out more about your brand, its products, or services.
So if you're wondering how to create compelling promotional videos on a budget, keep reading, and we'll go over some of the most important things to keep in mind!
When Should You Use A Promo Video?
Promo videos are fantastic for drawing new customers by raising awareness about events.
If your audience is unfamiliar with your brand, promo videos can draw their attention to your current promotion while simultaneously informing them about your brand.
You can also re-engage established and returning customers by luring them in by giving them an incentive, such as a discount, which will encourage them to buy from you.
Why Create Promo Videos?
In a nutshell - because they work!
Promo videos are an effective way to communicate information that you want your audience to remember.
Consider all of the ads you see in the weeks leading up to the holidays, such as Christmas or Easter, with major retailers advertising deals on their products or services.
Similarly, you can use promo videos to successfully draw potential clients or encourage existing clients to engage with your business, which can be especially helpful when trying to get guests to sign up and attend events.
How To Make a Promo Video
Below, we'll go over how you can create your promo videos without spending on fortune on hiring a production company.
Step 1: Write a script
- Start with the fundamental concept - what are you trying to sell or promote?
- Concentrate on the keywords and key ideas you want to incorporate into the promotional video.
- Keep your video script brief - promos can run up to a minute and a half, but anywhere from thirty seconds to one minute tops is optimal!
Step 2: Create a storyboard
- Promo videos require visual aids such as graphics or title cards. So make sure to plan these out ahead of time.
- It would help if you tried to plan out what you want to include in terms of visuals.
- One great tip to help keep costs down is to create different copies of the same promotional film. To make several promo videos for the same campaign, consider coming up with a few brief variations of the same theme or concept.
Step 3: Action!
- Now that you've planned your vision, it's time to bring it all together!
- Shooting on location in your shop, event location, or workplace is the most cost-effective option.
Step 4: Editing Time
- The promo video's most crucial aspect is to share valuable details, such as coupon codes, event dates, or deadlines for the end of the offer.
- So that the viewer doesn't lose out, make sure to provide these details creatively with illustrations and graphics.
- Don't forget to add valuable information about your brand, including your logo, business cards, website address, etc.
Step 5: Promote, promote, promote!
- Since your social media networks are one of your company's most important marketing channels, this is a great place to start. Be sure to share your promo videos on them!
- Spend some money to advertise your promo video on social media, and use retargeting to alert your fans and subscribers who have opened your promotional email about the deal!
Creating Effective And Affordable Promo Videos
There's no doubting the fact that you can easily spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to create promotional videos for your brand.
But by creating your videos yourself, writing your script, filming on location, and editing your content in-house, you can easily make promotional video content that's not only engaging but also cost-effective for your brand!
About The Author
This is a guest post by Bryan Davidson
Marketing Moves To Digitize An Old Business
25/03/21 12:40
Love These Essential Marketing Moves To Digitize An Old Business
With more people working and learning from home than ever before, the pandemic means it has never been more critical to digitize your traditional brick and mortar business.
You could benefit enormously from just investing in your website.
Still, there are many other tips and tricks for modernizing your business and getting it up to speed in today's modern digital world.
Here are some digitization tips for breathing new life into your old business.
Identify How Your Business Can Operate Digitally
You need to have a comprehensive view of how the company can work as a digital enterprise.
Suppose you're digitizing your business by designing a brand new website to address a particular niche or overhauling your internal technology.
In that case, it can significantly affect how your organization works in a number of areas, and you must be aware of this.
For instance, if you sell products, you'll need to learn how to display, promote, and sell those products to an online audience.
Invest In SEO And Digital Marketing
Your organization should spend adequately on search engine optimization and other aspects of digital marketing in 2021.
Organic search traffic, which can be gained through your SEO investment, can be an advantageous marketing channel, and you'd be shocked by how much of a difference a single digital marketing campaign can make in your organic growth.
Remember that all forms of digital marketing should act together as part of a more comprehensive approach.
So, in addition to SEO, you'll also want to include social media marketing, email marketing, and pay-per-click advertising as part of your overall strategy.
Give Your Employees Social Media Training
When you're working on digitizing your company, ensure that your employees are in the best position to profit from the improvements.
It's wise to give your workers the preparation they need to keep up with the company's changing face.
Social media is currently one of the leading marketing channels for reaching a broader, global audience.
Therefore, if you want to breathe new life into your business and succeed in today's digital world, mastering your brand's social media is going to be key!
Social Media Marketing Tips
- Define your target audience: It's essential to build your social media campaign around your target audience. Determining your target audience helps you determine what social media sites you should be using and what content your audience responds best to.
- Build a winning game plan: The trick to making your idea a success is to develop a social media marketing plan. Remember the social media sites where you'll be posting content while you plan your campaign, ensuring they cater to your target demographic and fit with your objectives.
- Create consistent branding: Everything from your company's branded logo through to the tone of voice used, fonts, and colours should remain consistent throughout any of your marketing efforts. This ensures your brand will be as memorable as possible in the eyes of the consumer.
- Use the art of storytelling: It's the stories, not the goods, that sell! We, as people, are drawn to stories. Therefore, storytelling is the relational bond that a company establishes with its customers. They elicit creative thoughts and promote engagement. Use storytelling in your social media posts to capture your target audience's attention, and you'll be sure to generate a great deal of engagement.
Digitizing Your Outdated Business Practices
For companies and organizations that have been around for some time, you already know how important it is to remain current and up-to-date with the trends surrounding your industry.
Those who don't are likely to fail, while those who keep up with trends and changes are sure to succeed.
By using these quick tips on modernizing your old business, you're sure to be able to reach a larger audience than ever before while also increasing engagement and generating more revenue for your business!
About The Author
This is a guest post by Cesar Clarke
How To Post At The Best Time On Social Media
28/12/20 12:30
3 Top Tips For You To Post At The Best Time On Social Media
So you've some great posts. You're pleased with the information and photo's or video's you're posting. As an equestrian or pet care entrepreneur you know you can make a difference. Not only helping people to help their animals, but also to help you build your brand.
But you're not getting the engagement you're expecting. Is this because you're posting at the right time of day? Or are you posting when no-one's online?
In short, there is not a wrong time of day to post. Many of the social networks do not show posts in someone's feed, by date/time order. Often they're shown based on engagement.
So if your post has likes, comments or shares, it can get greater priority or visibility.
You don't need to spend lots of money though on promoting posts!
How can you get more engagement on your posts? Here's 3 top free tips:
- If your post refers to a company or an individual (say one of your customers), then tag them. They may then engage with the post, and in turn this will help you.
- Be regular! Sounds too simple? Well if people get used to seeing your posts they are more likely to engage with you. As they get more comfortable with your work. Also many of the social networks prefer accounts that are consistent. Meaning they then show them in feeds.
- Comment and engage on other people's posts. Now you may say how is this going to help you? There's several reasons.
- Number one, by you commenting, liking or sharing on another post, your profile will then be "logged" as doing so. Other's can then see you, and they then may go and look at your profile. Like what they see and then engage on your posts. Far fetched - no!! It happens all the time.
- Number two reason, most social networks like accounts that engage with others. Putting the 'social' into 'social network'. If you are a regular contributor to a network, through commenting and engaging on others. It will benefit your own posts.
I make no apology for not saying you should post a specific time each day. Because despite there being much conflicting advice online. It really doesn't matter. Consistency is key to development and growth. As it is with all aspects of your life.
Action point
If you're not already doing the above 3 tips on a regular basis - by that I mean at least three times a week. Then start now! Remember social networking for your business is not likely to be an overnight win. You need to be consistent. But your equestrian or pet care business will benefit.
Good luck and please feel free to share this article or join me on social media at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
How to Get Confidence Using Social Media
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
Are You Making The Most Of Being On Social Media?
11/12/20 12:59
3 Top Tips For You To Have Social Media Success
You have a social media profile for your pet care business, to promote your business. But are you making the most of it? There are many strategies you can use to maximise engagement and reach. And get new and help retain existing customers. It's essential though you have some basics in place.
Otherwise you're missing opportunities. Remember your potential customers are scrolling through lots of information. Make it easy for them. Don't assume they'll do lots of research on whether your business will help them. They probably won't. Here's 3 top tips to help you maximise your social presence.
Tip 1 - A Complete Profile
You're scrolling through social media. You find an interesting account. Or you see a post you'd like to follow up with the company or person who posted it.
But then you see you can't contact them! Because there's no contact details.
An obvious thing to include on your profile? Well unfortunately not. Many people don't.
So the first top tip is to always and I mean always include your profile some contact details.
Your website at a minimum should be listed. But also your email or telephone or WhatsApp.
If you've got your pet care business on social media, there's no reason for you not to have your contact details. Otherwise what is the point?
Tip 2 - Your Name
What's in a name? Well quite a lot, especially on social media. Or in business generally for that matter! Keep your profile name professional. If your social media account is for your pet care business, then your name should be professional. And it should be your business name.
If your preferred account name is taken already, then consider adding a number or an underscore if your allowed. (social network permitting).
But make sure the name is relevant to you and your business. You could use your own name, not your business name.
Be objective, if you were someone who knew nothing about your business. Would you recognise from the name what you were about?
Tip 3 - Description
In your social profile you an add a short biography of you and your business. The amount of text will vary according to the network. But make the most of whatever space you have.
Say what you do in as few words as possible. What I mean is don't waffle or go off point! Keep it all professional. Say where you work - the area.
That way people will know whether you're a business they'd like to know more about. And whether you're relevant to them.
Action Point
Whichever social network you use as an equestrian or pet care entrepreneur. Review your profile. And take note of the three ideas above. And if you're not doing any of them. Then start now!
How to Get Confidence Using Social Media
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
3 Tips To Help You Enjoy Social Media
04/11/20 21:23
Do You Enjoy Using Social Media In Your Equestrian or Pet Care Business?
Do you ever feel overwhelmed. Or lost using social media?
It can be easy to get distracted by other users. In so much as feeling that they're doing better than you. You may not be getting the results you want. Or expect.
Here's 3 tips to help you enjoy using social media.
- Unfollow!
If another user is always in your social media feed. And you feel that they're getting all the likes or shares, and you're not. And this is making you feel overwhelmed. And not helping you feel positive. Then stop following them. Or if you're not, but because others you're following are sharing/commenting, so shows in your feed. Or because the social network 'recommends' the posts to you. Then mute them. You can usually mute or block a user. Do this.
To help you thrive, positivity is key. And using social media should be enjoyable. And not an endurance test. Only see users/posts that help you feel happy.
- Engage
I've said this many times before. But engage with fellow users. Either comment on a post. Share a post. Reply or like a post. Depending on the network, you don't always need to follow someone to share or comment. Keep comments positive or helpful.
You're more likely to have your posts seen. And people finding your account, if you engage. And you may make a new customer. Or a new contact who can recommend you to their friends or family.
- Use a variety of posts
Use photo's, video's, gif's, links, text posts. Some post formats will work better than others. Some will work better at different times of the day or week. Some will work better for different content. But mix it up. It can be fun to try different posts. And see what works. Using the same post format all the time can make you feel bored. And can bore your followers (dare I say it!).
Action Point
Whichever social network you use as an equestrian or pet care entrepreneur. Review what you're doing now. And take note of the three ideas above. And if you're not doing any of them. Then start now!
How to Get Confidence Using Social Media
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
How To Make The Best Out Of Your Social Media
16/10/20 12:36
So how do you make the best out of social media for your business?
There's no perfect way to increase engagement, and generate customers. To some extent it will be trial and error. You can gain a lot of insights on the basics in my other blog posts. But below here are two more top tips to help you.
- Connections. Not the number of people you're connected with. But the Quality of your connections. There's no point having 1000's of followers if they're not your ideal customer.
- So how can you help find out if they are? Cultivate your connections. What do I mean? Engage with each of them as an individual. Don't send generic direct messages. Personalise them. Do a bit of research on who you're contacting. On their profile they may have their name, business or website mentioned. Taking an interest can help you generate rapport. And also give you an opportunity to become memorable for all the right reasons!
- Don't copy and paste. If you're contacting many people. It can be tempting to copy and paste your wording.But this is rarely personal. It can lose impact. Most people will spot a generic "ad". This is what it'll look like if you're copying and pasting.
This extends to your posts, as well as direct messages. Write your social media posts so that they're writing to an individual. Not like broadcasts to the world. Why might you say? Well you're not going to have the world as your customer. There are thousands of animals and people who your service will help. But it won't be for everyone. And that's fine.
Finally. Above all be yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. As when your customers do meet you, then they won't find consistency. Being consistent and congruent in your business and life is important!
Your Action Point
- Message or post to individual pf
- Personalise your messages.
- Comment on a few posts every day from people in your groups, newsfeed. Ensure your comments are helpful and useful. Not a sales pitch for your service!
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
How To Keep Your Customers Connected With Great Newsletters
30/09/20 12:58
Content Creation For Your Business Newsletters
You may know that I love newsletters. They're a great way for you to keep connected with your customers. (Read my blog post here for some ideas on why they're such a great idea!).
A question often raised by clients is though, what to talk about? How on earth to come up with ideas for newsletters?
In this post, find 5 great content ideas for your newsletters for your equine or canine business
- Why is your work with horses and dogs useful? Let your subscribers, know different reasons why you can help their horses or dogs. Don't try and give all reasons at once though! A newsletter doesn't need to be long. Give a different reason over a series of editions. Focus on the why and the how. Include case studies if you can.
- Case studies of your work with horses or dogs. This can be over a series of newsletters, looking at different breeds or types of horses or dogs. And different ailments. The possibilities are endless. Include photo's and video's if you can.
- Product recommendations. You may even sell some products alongside your business. But there are probably products you do use. For instance if you're a canine hydrotherapist you may use special towels to help dry your dogs. Give your subscribers recommendations. And let them know how they can buy.
- General health tips. Give your subscribers advice on healthcare tips for horses or dogs. This could be seasonal. Or a specific ailment. Or even grooming.
- Any CPD you've completed. Provide reassurance that you do complete CPD. Don't be shy about telling people about a course you've attended. Your qualifications are hard earned. But be sure to share why they will make a difference to your business. And importantly how they'll help your equine or canine customers.
A general point is be consistent. Send a newsletter regularly. Whether that's every week, or every month. Be consistent.
Action Point
- Use these content ideas to get your newsletters created and published.
- Review my previous blog posts about mailing lists and also more content ideas.
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
How To Build Connections On Social Media
25/09/20 12:53
What do you do on social media? Do you concentrate on posting AND connecting with others? Or do you prefer posting and 'hoping' for a response?
The "posting and hoping" approach is quite common! It enables you to get your posts done, sharing content and if someone sees it and likes it, so much the better.
But it's not targeted. And if you get some customers, it may well be more luck than anything else. Of course there are exceptions to this, like if you're a large international brand.
To get the best benefits out of social media, connecting with others is vital. There's two main ways you can connect.
- By commenting on other people's posts.
- By expanding your network, by following or linking with others.
So how do you connect on social media?
First of all, don't treat every new connection/ follow as a sales opportunity. I don't like going into a shop and having a shop assistant start trying to sell me something straightaway. Do you?
Also if you go into a shop and every (potential) customer has the same sales pitch said to them. It doesn't make you feel like an individual does it? You're one of the numbers only.
Instead it's better to have a customised approach. What do I mean? First off, if you know a connections name. Then in your private/direct message or post comment, use their name if you can. You're then talking to the person as an individual. This is especially important when you're inviting someone to connect with you. Such as on a network like Linkedin.
Do some research. Nothing complicated. But check their profile and/or website. If it's clear they work with dogs. Say something like you share in interest in dog health. Including it shows you're taking an interest.
Why bother personalising comments and connection invitations? It shows you're not a robot! And helps in the first stage of building trust.
Your comments and connections may not immediately lead to a sale. But in time they might. Remember most people don't like a sales pitch at any time, let alone from someone they don't know. And importantly someone they don't trust. It takes time to build this.
Your Action Point
- Commit to connecting with new people on your social media every day. Even five a day is a great start!
- Personalise your messages.
- Comment on a few posts every day from people in your groups, newsfeed. Ensure your comments are helpful and useful. Not a sales pitch for your service!
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Click here for more information on consultancy. Or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk for info on coaching opportunities with me.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
PS: You can find more equestrian and pet care themed business articles over at my Linkedin, see more here https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-harris-mcmi/detail/recent-activity/posts/
Why You Should Love YouTube For Your Business
01/09/20 12:55
Have You Considered Youtube For Your Equine or Canine Business?
As you know youtube is a popular online place for videos to be posted. And it's not just a video sharing website, but a social media platform. An enormously powerful one at that.
Worldwide there are over 2 billion active monthly logged in users. Yes really, 2 billion! And importantly some of those will be your potential customers. Whether you're in the UK, USA, Australia or another country it's almost certainly the case youtube is being used right now by people who could either be your customer. Or they know someone else who will be.
Youtube is powerful as a search engine too. People searching on Google will also get youtube results. And people will use youtube to search for information that will help them. So in many ways it's more useful than some other social networks, who don't have the same search ability.
Barriers For Using Youtube?
Do you feel reluctant to use youtube because you think you need professional video's? Or perhaps you don't think you've anything worthwhile posting?
Firstly you don't need anything more than the video on your smartphone. Yes you can get professionally made video's. There are many photographers and marketing companies who can help you do this. Or you could get a camcorder, tripod and sound equipment to do it yourself. You don't necessarily need expensive editing software either. If you've an Apple Mac, then you may have iMovie, which is brilliant.
But as I said, a smartphone is fine. Either film something yourself. Or get a friend, relative or colleague with a steady hand to film you working with your equine or canine customers.
Other Types Of Video?
You can also create a slideshow/ presentation. If applicable, create an accompanying voiceover (you can usually record on good presentation software). And export it in a movie/film format, and then post it on youtube.
What To Post On Youtube?
Whether you film or create a slide show or hire a professional. What should you post on youtube? What will be helpful for your equine or canine business? Here are 5 ideas:
- Have a film showing you working with horses or dogs. This could be a 5 minute clip or a 30 minute clip. However long is up to you. Keep it relevant and if you can show something in a short time. Do it. Don't think you need to prolong it. But if you need longer that's fine!
- Create a slideshow/presentation explaining some key facts about your service. This could be all your service. Or a particular aspect.
- Use a film of you explaining about why you do what you do. And how you can help horses and/or dogs. See this as an introduction to you.
- Provide tips and advice. This could be general horse or dog care tips. Or something specific.
- Interview someone. This could be a customer (the horse or dog's owner?). Or a veterinary professional who refers to you. Ask 3 or 4 questions. Keep it light. But it'll help show people another aspect of what you do as a equine or canine professional.
Will People Be Interested In What I Have To Say?
Remember that what you know is different to what others know. It will often be more than what others know. You don't know, what people don't know!
The important thing is to be authentic. Be interested in what you're talking about. Hopefully this shouldn't be difficult! But don't try to be someone you're not.
These video's will be about helping your potential horse or dog customer. And showcase why you maybe able to help.
How Often Should I Post?
Try and be consistent. The more you do, the more practice you'll get. And the more you should enjoy it! And your potential customers have the option of subscribing to your youtube channel and so can keep in contact with your updates. So be consistent.
Action Points..
- Get planning. Write down 5 ideas for youtube content.
- Create a schedule. Will you do one video a month, or once a week? Decide on the frequency and plan how you'll do it and when.
- Create an account and post. If you've not already, create a youtube account. Remember you can set video's to 'private' so you can practice and post, without the public seeing if you like! But don't spend too long worrying about perfection. If it stops you posting publicly!
- Do you want coaching support to help your business flourish? Please email me to discuss!
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
How To Stop Losing People At Your Twitter Profile
19/08/20 12:26
Do you want to have a twitter profile that encourages readers to see what you do?
One of my top tips is to ensure you use the "pinned tweet" function well.
First off did you know you can pin a tweet to the top of your profile? It's a great idea to ensure that either important news, or a tweet that you think is interesting gets seen.
To pin, go to the tweet and click on the drop down option (top right). And click pin to profile.
If you want to change the pinned tweet. Go to the new tweet to pin, and click pin to profile, and follow the instructions. It'll let you change it. Simple.
But my top tip about this. Is that you need to change it often. If you've a tweet pinned to your profile, it's the first tweet people see. Now they may go scrolling on. But they may only see that pinned tweet.
If it's dated from a few months ago. Or even a few years ago. It to me it looks like you don't bother updating your social media or business very often. This can lose you valuable potential customers!
Now you may think the pinned tweet is worthwhile. If it's got content you're proud of. Re do it. If it's relevant, change it slightly. Not that it matters for you to change it. Please pin a new tweet, with the same or different content. Do this every few weeks. Don't leave it so long, that the first tweet people see is from a long time ago.
It doesn't create a good image. You may think that the pinned tweet has lots of retweets/likes, and so looks really popular. Although that is true. It's still old. Change it!
Action Points..
- Get pinning a tweet to the top of your profile. Or if you have already. Change it!
- Have a look through my previous blog posts for some tips on using social media.
- Gain more confidence in using Twitter with my free 1 page Twitter Basics Guide, which you can find online at http://taranet.co.uk/resources/Twitter-1-Page-Guide.pdf <
- For a free social media scheduling guide, please email me at info at taranet .co.uk
- Do you want coaching support to help your business flourish? Please email me to discuss!
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
How To Know What To Publish On Your Social Media
01/06/20 12:17
Know What To Post On Social Media With These 5 Tips
You're busy. With clients, administration and your non-business life.
So how do you find the time to decide what to post on social media?
As you may've picked up from my other blog posts. being consistent is key to social media. So how can you keep coming up with new ideas?
Here's some tips to get you started on posting on social media in your equestrian, canine or veterinary business.
- Don't worry about what other people post. It can be easy to get into comparison mode. See another business like yours, posting lots of video's of them working. This could be with their horse or dog customers. Then another day they could post about their own life, or a motivational quote. Or something else completely random. Whilst this is fine for them. If it seems too time consuming for you. Then don't feel the need to do it! Which leads me to tip number 2.
- What information do you want to share? If you're a veterinary physiotherapist. Do you want people to know the different techniques you use? Do you want them to know the range of animals you work with? Decide what you want to use your social media to update people with.
- How do you want people to get your posts? So do you like using photo's or video's? A mix of both is fine. But if you find the idea of video too much, then don't do it. (or not yet anyway). Keep to photo's.
- Whether you use photo's or video's or text based posts. (Depending on the social media network you use). Don't get too caught up on the detail. Ensure any post you make, is factual and not littered with spelling mistakes! But otherwise, don't worry if it's not a professional video or photo. And not a long text based post.
- Be authentic. So in conclusion to the points above. Ensure what information you share. And the method of your posts. Is all authentic to you. Don't try to be someone you're not. If you prefer to have a light-hearted approach that's fine. Or if you prefer technical detail that's fine too. Keep it simple and true to what you want to do.
I hope you find these tips helpful. Take a look at the action points below too!
Regards, Suzanne
Action Points..
- Get started posting. With consistency and practice, you'll find it not such a chore.
- Have a look through my previous blog posts for some tips on using social media.
- Gain more confidence in using Twitter with my free 1 page Twitter Basics Guide, which you can find online at http://taranet.co.uk/resources/Twitter-1-Page-Guide.pdf <
- For your free social media scheduling guide, please email me at info at taranet .co.uk
- Do you want coaching support to help your business flourish? Please email me to discuss!
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
Why You Should Love Social Media
19/05/20 21:11
Hi
In previous posts i've talked about many social media tips. To help you get the most out of social media for your horse or dog care business. But are you convinced that social media is necessary at all?
First of all. It's important to understand why a business account is different to your personal one. In fact you may think you've not got time to have two accounts.
But on many networks. Such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, a business account gives you more options. These include:
Questions that do arise are…..
Is will my customers look at social media?
Is it worth bothering with?
The short answer to these is yes!
According to Social Media Today, Twitter has 145 million active daily users worldwide. And Facebook has 2.41 billion active monthly users. With these numbers there are bound to be some who will be potential customers.
And remember, even if someone doesn't want to be your customer. They may know someone who will, and recommend you to their friend or relative. Don't underestimate the power of recommendation!
Of course there are other networks you may prefer using. Such as Instagram and LinkedIn. These are also popular with a large range of people.
So which to use? Well the decision on what network to use isn't so as important as deciding what strategy you're going to have. What do I mean? Well how are you going to post? What are you going to post? how are you planning to convert people viewing your posts into customers?
Most horse and dog owners are busy people. Prioritising the care of beloved animals is time consuming. At the best of times, let alone if there are any special care needs! So post regularly! This will give your equine and canine guardians a chance to see your posts.
Having a clear plan of what you're going to do. And try posting different types of information, photos and videos. Post at different times of day. Different days of the week.
Be consistent and be regular.
With social media use for any business. Engaging with your audience is vital.
Action Points..
In previous posts i've talked about many social media tips. To help you get the most out of social media for your horse or dog care business. But are you convinced that social media is necessary at all?
Why should you love social media for your horse or dog care business?
First of all. It's important to understand why a business account is different to your personal one. In fact you may think you've not got time to have two accounts.
But on many networks. Such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, a business account gives you more options. These include:
- Get more analytical information. E.g. Understand who is viewing your posts.
- You can advertise and promote your posts.
- It helps keep personal and business posts separate. You can still be 'human' and not too formal even on a business account!
Questions that do arise are…..
Is will my customers look at social media?
Is it worth bothering with?
The short answer to these is yes!
According to Social Media Today, Twitter has 145 million active daily users worldwide. And Facebook has 2.41 billion active monthly users. With these numbers there are bound to be some who will be potential customers.
And remember, even if someone doesn't want to be your customer. They may know someone who will, and recommend you to their friend or relative. Don't underestimate the power of recommendation!
Of course there are other networks you may prefer using. Such as Instagram and LinkedIn. These are also popular with a large range of people.
So which to use? Well the decision on what network to use isn't so as important as deciding what strategy you're going to have. What do I mean? Well how are you going to post? What are you going to post? how are you planning to convert people viewing your posts into customers?
Most horse and dog owners are busy people. Prioritising the care of beloved animals is time consuming. At the best of times, let alone if there are any special care needs! So post regularly! This will give your equine and canine guardians a chance to see your posts.
Having a clear plan of what you're going to do. And try posting different types of information, photos and videos. Post at different times of day. Different days of the week.
Be consistent and be regular.
With social media use for any business. Engaging with your audience is vital.
Action Points..
- Have a look through my previous blog posts for some tips on using social media.
- Gain more confidence in using Twitter with my free 1 page Twitter Basics Guide, which you can find online at http://taranet.co.uk/resources/Twitter-1-Page-Guide.pdf <
- For a free social media scheduling guide, please email me at info at taranet .co.uk
- Do you want coaching support to help your business flourish? Please email me to discuss!
How You Can Make Video Part of Your Social Media Strategy
08/05/20 15:54
Have you tried using video for your social media?
Or is it something you’re not sure about? Are you worried about not having:
- The technical skills - will it work out ok?
- Anything interesting to do a video about?
Or do not feel confident about being on the video yourself, or presenting information?
Whether you prefer using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Video is an important part of your content strategy. So what makes a good video?
Your aim should be to have a video that encourages people to stay looking at it. And not scrolling past. So how can you “hook” your audience?
Start the video with:
- An interesting setup
- A close-up shot
- Or quick movement or action.
Try including your logo at the beginning. So people associate your video with your service.
How can you plan your video?
- Decide how you want to start it. What will be a good introduction? (taking into account the points above).
- Decide what story you want to show. Despite the length of your video, it needs a beginning, middle and end. It needs to make sense (to some extent!). And not be completely random (unless you’re making a clever point!).
- Decide if it’s going to make sense to people without the sound on. Remember people viewing your video may not be able to have sound on where they are. Don’t assume everyone has earphones either.
- You can do the filming, or get someone to hold the smartphone/camcorder. This depends on the topic.
- A steady hand is vital (or use a tripod). And have the sun behind you, not the subject!
What ideas could you use for your horse or dog care business video? Two great ideas are:
- Provide dog or horse care tips. These could be general tips that you know people will find helpful. (Remember not to assume people will know everything. So do provide basic as well as more advanced information!).
- Give people an insight into your service. This could be you working with horses or dogs. It could be giving them an idea of a first appointment. Or a therapy session.
Action Point..
- If you've not already used video on your social media. Make a start this week!
- Make a short video on your smartphone. You don't need camcorders and special recording equipment.
- And if you're nervous, and use Instagram. Post it onto your Instagram Story. This will disappear after 24 hours. So a good way to ease yourself into it!
- Try doing a video at least once a week. Don't worry if it's short. By making a video regularly your confidence will grow!
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Email me at info @ taranet.co.uk to learn more about my specialist equine and canine business coaching.
Regards, Suzanne
Director at Taranet
How To Increase Your Twitter Presence
06/01/20 21:48
There are reported to be over 300 million active twitter users, and over 500 million tweets sent every day [source: www.omnicoreagency.com], but still many people do find Twitter confusing. – It's quite different to other popular networks and it can take time to get used to it. As is the case with so many things of course!
In this blog post I’m going to share one of my top tips for getting better results on Twitter.
I think most people will agree that it’s easier to forge good business relationships (or any communication with other people) if there is a shared interest.
Engaging with people on Twitter who share similar interests as you is going to make your experience of the network better. To find people who are likely to be interested in your animal care business then try and regularly participate in relevant Twitter “chats”.
There’s “chats” (which are basically entered around a particular hashtag #) for lots of topics, including animal related ones. The participants are more likely to be people who use Twitter to make connections with other like-minded individuals and businesses. This means they are likely to be extremely valuable followers who will help share your posts and engage with your business, including even mentioning you in their posts.
To get the most out of Twitter chats it’s a good idea to actively participate by replying and following new people. You’ll find many # hashtag “chats” are centered around a particular hour in the week, if this is the case for the “chats” you want to use, then make a reminder in your diary so you don’t forget.
Examples of animal related Twitter chats are #EquineHour #HorseHour but there are many many others – so do some research, look at different animal related brands and see what they’re using.
Don’t be worried though about creating your own – yes you can! If you can’t find a chat that makes sense for your business, then establish your own. It will require though you to make a concerted and sustained effort to build awareness of it. So depending on your available resources this could be a worthwhile investment or be too time consuming. Promoted advertising maybe something to consider.
If you want to develop Twitter as a successful medium for you to promote your animal care business, then please go now and research what Twitter chats you will use this week!
Gain more confidence in using Twitter with my free 1 page Twitter Basics Guide, which you can find online at http://taranet.co.uk/resources/Twitter-1-Page-Guide.pdf <
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
In this blog post I’m going to share one of my top tips for getting better results on Twitter.
I think most people will agree that it’s easier to forge good business relationships (or any communication with other people) if there is a shared interest.
Engaging with people on Twitter who share similar interests as you is going to make your experience of the network better. To find people who are likely to be interested in your animal care business then try and regularly participate in relevant Twitter “chats”.
There’s “chats” (which are basically entered around a particular hashtag #) for lots of topics, including animal related ones. The participants are more likely to be people who use Twitter to make connections with other like-minded individuals and businesses. This means they are likely to be extremely valuable followers who will help share your posts and engage with your business, including even mentioning you in their posts.
To get the most out of Twitter chats it’s a good idea to actively participate by replying and following new people. You’ll find many # hashtag “chats” are centered around a particular hour in the week, if this is the case for the “chats” you want to use, then make a reminder in your diary so you don’t forget.
Examples of animal related Twitter chats are #EquineHour #HorseHour but there are many many others – so do some research, look at different animal related brands and see what they’re using.
Don’t be worried though about creating your own – yes you can! If you can’t find a chat that makes sense for your business, then establish your own. It will require though you to make a concerted and sustained effort to build awareness of it. So depending on your available resources this could be a worthwhile investment or be too time consuming. Promoted advertising maybe something to consider.
If you want to develop Twitter as a successful medium for you to promote your animal care business, then please go now and research what Twitter chats you will use this week!
Gain more confidence in using Twitter with my free 1 page Twitter Basics Guide, which you can find online at http://taranet.co.uk/resources/Twitter-1-Page-Guide.pdf <
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
How To Help Your Business With a Mailing List
04/11/19 15:36
Hello,
How do you feel when you receive an email from an organisation 'out of the blue'? I don't mean spam emails. But emails from companies whose mailing list you've signed up to, but you only hear from them once or twice a year?
I received an email from a company recently who I signed up to their mailing list ages ago. But they'd not sent anything for what must've been a year. My first thought was it's spam. Then I remembered it wasn't because I'd wanted to hear from them albeit a long time ago! It made me think. That they're not committed to developing a positive relationship with their customers. As it did seem like 'spam'. This isn't what any reputable business wants!
As someone operating your own business. When was the last time you contacted your mailing list? Do you even have one?
Why Bother With A Mailing List?
Although social media is great for building relationships with potential and existing customers. The social media platforms aren't owned by us. We don't set the parameters for our posts visibility. For instance. You're likely to be aware if you have a Facebook business page. That without paying to promote your posts you're unlikely to have them seen by many people.
Cultivating your own mailing list so people sign up to receive your updates. Means you can send emails to them when you want. Of course there's no guarantee they'll open them. But you've a greater chance of your subscribers seeing your emails. Unlike with social media. Where it's possible your posts are 'competing' against a multitude of other posts.
There's many email marketing management systems you can use. And which enable you to collect email addresses, (under data protection legislation). And automate and create and send emails. These include Constant Contact, Mailchimp, Hubspot and Infusionsoft, amongst others. Some of these offer free plans as well as paid. So do "try before you buy".
As part of your marketing strategy it's a good idea to decide on how often you'll send emails to your subscribers. You can test out what fits best for you and your audience, but try and be consistent. Whether that's weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Action Point 1 - If you've not got a mailing list, start one now!
Action Point 2 - If you already have, when did you last send an email? Have you got a schedule?
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Visit https://animal-star-social-media.teachable.com or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk to learn more.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.
How do you feel when you receive an email from an organisation 'out of the blue'? I don't mean spam emails. But emails from companies whose mailing list you've signed up to, but you only hear from them once or twice a year?
I received an email from a company recently who I signed up to their mailing list ages ago. But they'd not sent anything for what must've been a year. My first thought was it's spam. Then I remembered it wasn't because I'd wanted to hear from them albeit a long time ago! It made me think. That they're not committed to developing a positive relationship with their customers. As it did seem like 'spam'. This isn't what any reputable business wants!
As someone operating your own business. When was the last time you contacted your mailing list? Do you even have one?
Why Bother With A Mailing List?
Although social media is great for building relationships with potential and existing customers. The social media platforms aren't owned by us. We don't set the parameters for our posts visibility. For instance. You're likely to be aware if you have a Facebook business page. That without paying to promote your posts you're unlikely to have them seen by many people.
Cultivating your own mailing list so people sign up to receive your updates. Means you can send emails to them when you want. Of course there's no guarantee they'll open them. But you've a greater chance of your subscribers seeing your emails. Unlike with social media. Where it's possible your posts are 'competing' against a multitude of other posts.
There's many email marketing management systems you can use. And which enable you to collect email addresses, (under data protection legislation). And automate and create and send emails. These include Constant Contact, Mailchimp, Hubspot and Infusionsoft, amongst others. Some of these offer free plans as well as paid. So do "try before you buy".
As part of your marketing strategy it's a good idea to decide on how often you'll send emails to your subscribers. You can test out what fits best for you and your audience, but try and be consistent. Whether that's weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Action Point 1 - If you've not got a mailing list, start one now!
Action Point 2 - If you already have, when did you last send an email? Have you got a schedule?
How to Get Confidence Running Your Equine or Canine Business
Visit https://animal-star-social-media.teachable.com or email me at info @ taranet.co.uk to learn more.
About The Author
Suzanne Harris is an equestrian and canine entrepreneurial coach and consultant to veterinarians who want to help prevent animals being affected by domestic abuse.