WHOISTHISBOOKFOR?

To benefit from this book, you need to have awareness, be open toopportunitiesandtakeaction.Youneedtobesomeonewhowantstotakeafresh approach to business during your entrepreneurial journey. You couldbe:

• Anentrepreneur;

• Workinginsales/marketing;

• Wantingtostartabusiness;

• Beeninbusinessforthreeyearsandturningoverupto£1million;

• Inajobandlookingforasecondincome;

• Anaction-orientatedindividual;

• Peoplewhowanttomakeadifferenceandarepassionateaboutit.

Thisbookisnotforyouif:

• Youpickthingsupandneverfinishthem;

•Youskimreadbooksandgotoonechaptermiddlewaythroughthebookbecauseyouthinkyouknowwhatthefirstchapterisgoingtotellyou;

•You’vespentyourtime/moneyworkingwithanagencytobuildyouronlinepresenceandit’sworkedforyou.

Thepracticalbenefitsthisbookwillgiveyouare:

• Breakingoldhabitsandbuildingnewones;

• Buildingblocksfora21stcenturybusiness;

•Learninghowtousetechnologytogrowyourbusinessthroughsalesandmarketing;

•

Havingtheconfidencetoshareyourbusinessonline,knowingitwillsolveyourtargetcustomers’pain.

Ifyoukeepdoingwhatyou’redoingandkeepgettingthesameresults,youneedtostopandtakeafreshapproach.EverythingIsharewithyouin this book is based on real life examples myself or my clients havepersonally experienced. To really benefit from what this book has tooffer,readfromthebeginningtotheendlogically.Thisbookisnotgoingtohelp you if readChapterOneand jumpstraight toChapter Six. Youneedtounderstandwhyyou’redoingwhatyou’redoingprogressivelytotake away the full message of this incredibly practical and hands-onworkbook.

“Sending a random tweet or uploading a photo once amonth to Facebook is notenoughsocialmediaactivity forasuccessfulbusiness.Foreveryactionornoactionthereisareaction.Youmustalwaysaskyourself:whatistheoutcomeIamseekingtogettheresultIamlookingfor?”

WHATOTHERSSAY

“Marketingisnotastandaloneactivityandthisbooktakesbusinessownersveryeffectivelythroughalloftheaspectsofacompanythatneedtobeconsideredtobuildagreatmarketingstrategy.Warrenremindsusthatformarketingtobeeffective,the

businessmustbeinagoodshapefirst.Farmorethanjusttheory,heprovidespracticalstep-by-stepactionsandtoolstoimplement.Itisagreatguideforany

businessowner.”

COO,JoannaHill,StartUpLoans.

“WarrenKnighthassharednotonlyhisextensiveresearch-andwhataresourcethatis-buthispersonalexperienceinthislatestbookondigitalmarketing.Heholdsnothingbackinhisbidtoofferhelptoboththenewandgrowingentrepreneur.”

GuyClapperton,Author,ThisIsSocialMedia.

“ThinkDigitalFirstgivesyourealDigitalMarketingstrategiesforrealbusinesseswhowanttocreaterealsuccess.”

RyanPinnick,CEOofNaturalSuccess.

“HavingknownWarrenfor20yearsIcansayheisatrueentrepreneur.Warrenhasdefinitelyfoundhishomeinthedigitalsector.Identifyingopportunitiesandtakingonchallengesheisadaptableandsharpminded.Warrenhasshownthatheisadeptatintegratingandmostimportantlycreatingvalueforhisclients.Ihighlyrecommendthatyouinvestinhisbook;Think#DigitalFirstonyourjourneytogreatersuccessin

thedigitalsphereandyourlife.”

KarlPearsall;YesGroupworldwidefounder,BrandingExpert,EntrepreneurandAuthor.

“MustRead-brilliantnewsocially-savvybusinessandsocialmediaguidebookforentrepreneurs;start-upsandbusinessowners.Thisveryreadable,energeticandpowerfulbookiswell-structuredandeachchapterbuildsyourunderstandingandknowledge,enablingyoutoimplementthestrategiesherecommendstobuildyourbusiness,yourcustomersandyourfollowers.Warrenprovidesastep-by-stepprocesstoimproveyourbusinessmindsetandbuildyourframeworkforsuccess.Hesharesthelatesttoolsandtechnology;well-illustratedwithexcellentgraphics,listsanddotpointsthatareeasytofollow.Myrecommendationistoputyourorderforacopyof

thebookinnowonhiswebsitebeforeyoumissout!”

WendyYorke;CrossCultural,Diversity&InclusionTrainer,Author&

PerformanceandBookCoach.

“Mostbusinessesinvestalotoftimeandmoneyinamarketingstrategybutwithoutthestrategy,andthenwonderwhytheresultsarepoor.Warrenhashadmuchsuccess

helpingambitiouscompaniesfillthatvoid,andhehaslaiditalldownwithinhisexcellentbookforthemodernentrepreneur.”

DarylWoodhouse,Founder&ExecutiveChairman,AdvantageBusinessPartnershipsLtd.

“Think#DigitalFirstismy#NBF!!Asusual,WarrenhasdeliveredaboveandbeyondandgiventhoseofuswhorunaSMEanessential,easytounderstand‘work-book’packedfullofcuttingedgedigitalinformation,thatwhenimplemented‘consistently’willhelpyourbusinesssoaronline.Thisistheonlybookyou’llneedin2015tohelpyougrowyourbusinessonline.ThankyouWarrenformakingthisdigitaljourneyway

moreeasytonavigateforusNON-technicalpeople!!Loveit!#BuyitNow!!”

AndreaLittlefair,InternationalBusinessOwner.

“Fromstarttofinish“ThinkDigitalFirst”groundedmyidealsonbusinesslifeinthedigitalage.Thisbookallowedmetorepositionmythoughtprocess,thinkoutsideof

mycurrentbox,andstripeverythingbacktobasics,whilstalsoallowingmetostrategicallyworktomybrandstrengths.Warrenprovidesawealthofpersonal

experiencesasaprocesstoattackyourdigitalenvironmentheadon.AsamodernentrepreneurbeinspiredtoThinkDigitalfirst!”

ToyanGreaves,CEOofVinylVandals.

AWARDWINNINGENTREPRENEURANDDIGITALMARKETINGEXPERTSHARESHOWTOBUILDA

SOCIALLY-SAVVYBUSINESS

Technology has disrupted many of the traditional waysbusinesses conduct their sales and marketing strategymeaning the only constant is ‘change’. You could call it atechnological revolution, one that has changed thebusinesslandscapepermanently.

Inthisbook,entrepreneurswillbetakenonajourneythatwillensuretheyarefullyequippedtounderstandtheimportanceoftheworldwide web, its purpose in business and how to put together an effectivestrategythatwillprovidethemwithacompetitiveadvantageoverthosewhochoosetoignorethisexcitingnewdigitallandscape.

Websitesarenolongeraluxuryadd-ontothemarketingmixbutanecessarytool that if understood and used effectively with social media and digitalmarketing,willhaveapositiveeffectonawholebusinessstrategy.

Warren guides individuals through the step-by-step process that will helpthemstayaheadoftheircompetition.Byengagingwiththisbook,theywillbeable to use all the tools, tips and tactics that can build a strong businessstrategytohelpthemstayfocusedontheirsalesandmarketingfromadigitalperspective.

WhenyouarereadingeachchapterofThink#DigitalFirst,youwillbetakenon a journey. This journeywill cover everything from your personal profilesystem,day-to-dayplanner,SWOTanalysis,definingyourtargetcustomerandbrandstyleguide.

Asyougetfurtherthroughthebook,Iwillsharewithyou;

• Dailybusinessplan

• 12-monthcashflowforecast

• SEOResearchtemplate

• Meta-dataimplementationtemplate

• 90-daygo-to-marketstrategy

• 90-daymarketingplan

• 5-daysalesprocess

Foryoutogetthemostoutyourjourneythroughthisworkbook,Ihavemadeall of the above and much more available for you to download fromwww.ThinkDigitalFirst.todayandwww.warrenknight.co.uk

Ifyouwishtostayup-to-datewiththelatesttechnologytohelpyourcompanygrow, come and joinme on Twitter@wvrknight and use#askwk to sharewithmeyourpersonalexperiencesandhowThink#DigitalFirsthashelpedyourbusinessgrowandI’llshareyoursuccesstoover25,000followersacrossmysocialnetworks.

I also run complimentary monthly “educational” webinars where I co-hostwithindustryexpertssothattheycansharetheirknowledgewithyou.Tofindout more, sign-up to my monthly newsletter today atwww.warrenknight.co.uk.

Your journeydoesn’t stopafter readingThink#DigitalFirst. I havebuilt anengagingcommunityoverthe last7yearsandIhopethatafterreadingthisbook, you will also take that next step and utilise my past and futurewebinars,workshopsandadvicetogrowyourbusiness.

DEDICATEDTO

Thisdedication goesout to thepeople that consciously and subconsciouslyhavebeenclosetomethroughoutthisbookproductionprocess;helpingmetobringalife-longdreamtoreality.

My youngest sister, Starr you are truly amazing and have been a constantsupportduring thepast fiveyears (eventhough I firedyoutwice).Youhavebeen there during the highs and lows and always surprised me with yourstrengthandknowledge,despitebeingjust22yearsold.

Mum,youknowI loveyousomuch.Yourenergy,your lust for lifeandhowyougeteveryounceofjoyfromeverymoment.IhopeIcanlovelifeasmuchasyouatyourage.

Lloyd,Karl,Patrice,Scott,Vinni,Stevie,Tarquin,Ihaveknownyouallformorethan20 years and I know sometimes Imightnot say it enough; “I love youguys”.

Myteam,youhaveallhelpedmetakemyvisionandturnitintoabookIamproudof.Dimitria,yourattentiontodetailandpassionisinfectious;Robyouhave delivered an amazing website. Vicky and Spencer, your creativity andvisual foresight, to take my branding across multiple platforms, giving mebrandconsistency.Wendy,LisaandnotforgettingChris,youhaveallplayedyourpart,thankyou.

ToallthepeopleI’vemetduringthepast25yearsthathavemademesmile,broughtme to tears, challengedmeandheldmyhand throughmydarkestmoments.YouknowwhoyouareandIthankyouall.

Lastly,toyouParis,eventhoughweareverydifferentpeople,Iloveyouandwillalwaysbehereforyou.

“Inthisbook,IamgoingtotakeyouthroughtheSevenSimpleStepsthattook25yearsinthemaking.Ifyoufolloweachstepwithme,youwillhavetheknowledgetogrowyourbusinessfromthegroundup.Think#DigitalFirstandlet’sturnyourpassionintoasocially-savvybusiness.”

PublishedbyFilamentPublishingLtd

16,CroydonRoad,Waddon,Croydon,Surrey,CR04PA,UnitedKingdomTelephone+44(0)2086882598

Fax+44(0)2071837186info@filamentpublishing.comwww.filamentpublishing.com

©WarrenKnight2015

TherightofWarrenKnighttobeidentifiedastheAuthorofthisWorkhasbeenassertedbyhiminaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct,1988.Thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,resold,hiredoutorotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisher’spriorwrittenconsentinanyformofbindingorcoverotherthanthatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilarconditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser.Whilsteverycarehasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,noresponsibilityforanylossoccasionedtoanypersonactingorrefrainingfromanyactionasaresultofany

materialinthispublicationcanbeacceptedbytheauthororpublisheroranyoneconnectedwiththebook.

ISBN-978-1-910125-98-4ePubISBN-978-1-910819-06-7MobiISBN-978-1-910819-07-4

Printedby:IngramSpark

Thisbookissubjecttointernationalcopyrightandmaynotbecopiedinanywaywithoutthepriorwritten

permissionofthepublishers.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction:MyStory:25YearsintheMaking

Chapter1:YOU,ThereWillOnlyEverBeOne

Chapter2:FrameworkForSuccess

• MissionStatementDefined

• VisionStatementDefined

• CustomersPain

• USP

• TargetMarket

• SWOTAnalysis

• Branding

• CostBasedPricing

• WhatDoYouDoBest?

• YourTeam

Chapter3:ProtectingYourTime:FocusonSales

• DifferentHatsofaBusinessOwner

• Sales

• Marketing

• Finances

• Operations

• BrandAmbassador

• Multi-Tasking

Chapter4:SettingUpaSocially-SavvyBusiness

• HistoryoftheWorldWideWeb

• SEO

• SocialNetworks

• DigitalMarketing

• ContentMarketing

• PaidAdvertisement

• Bing

• AdvertisingonAmazon

• PublicRelations

• AffiliateMarketing

• EnteringAwards

Chapter5:ToolstoMakeYourBusinessGrow

• Research&Listening

• Business

• Design/Visual

• Marketing

• AnalyticsDashboard

• SEO/MetaData

Chapter6:Strategy&Implementation

• GoToMarketStrategy

• MarketingPlan

• SocialMedia&ContentMarketingPlan

• SalesPlan

Chapter7:CustomerRetentionThroughLoyalty

InSummary

FOREWORD

With more than 1 billion people now online, and increasingly looking forBritishmadeproducts and services, it’s become essential for Britain’s smallbusinessestoembracethewebandgodigital.

The cost to get online is low and yet the benefits run deep.With templatewebsitebuilders,youcanhaveahomeonthewebforlessthan£50andthen,leveraging social media, attract people from across the world to visit thatwebsitetobrowseorbuy.

Tools such as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Linkedln have enabled thesmallbusinessownertolookandthinkbigandtodosoonabudget.

What’srequiredtomakethemostofthisdigitalopportunityisawarenessoftheavailabletools,acommitmenttokeepinguptodatewithwhat’snewandcomingonline,andanopennesstoseekadvicefromdigitalexperts.

OneofthoseexpertsisWarrenKnightandinthishelpfulbookhesetsoutthekeythingsyouneedtoknowtothinkdigitalandgrowyourbusiness.

Warren starts with advice that ‘working on yourself is just as important asbuilding your business’ and goes on to offer tips, tools and techniques tounderstandyourcustomers,engagewiththemacrosstheweb,networkwithconfidence, create actionable plans and how to make the most of yourworkingday!

Hisknowledgeisbasedonyearsofexperienceofsupportingentrepreneurs.

It’samustreadbooktohelpyouonyourdigitalway.

EmmaJones–MBEfounderofEnterpriseNation

“Thisbookwilltakeyouthroughtheprocessofhelpingyoutoembrace

technology,toThink#DigitalFirstandfocusonsalesandmarketingforyour

business.”

Firstofall,I’dliketosharemystorywithyou,toshowyouwhereIhavecomefrom.

It’s 1983 and it’s a Saturday. Today is the day I get my pocket money. I’mmakingsomuchnoise inthekitchen,willingtowakeupmyDad. Icanhearhis footsteps leavingthebedroomandapproachingthetopofthestairs.Ashewalksdownthestairs,Irunfromthekitchentomeethimand,withasmileonhisface,hegivesme£1pocketmoney. Iopenthegaragedoor,grabmy“flamered”RallyGrifterandcycle toour localvillage.Living ina littlevillagecalled Studham (next toWhipsnade Zoo) in Bedfordshire, it takes about 10minutestopedalasfastasmylittlelegscouldtakeme.Goingpastmyfriends’houses,thelocalgarageandintothevillagepasttheRedLion,ownedbytheparentsofmy first crushPhoebe, I finallymakemyway to theworld’sbestsweetshop(inmyopinion)Maisy’s.

Igetoffmybike,leanitagainsttheglasswindowandwalkthroughthedoorwherealittlebellchimesandalertsMaisy’sattention.Shelooksupandsays“GoodmorningWarren”towhichIreplyinahigh-pitchedvoice(asmyvoicehad not broken yet) “Morning Maisy”. “Would you like the usual Warren?”Maisy says and of course, my usual was none other than cola cubes. Shetwiststhebluelidoff,picksupalittleyellowscooperandscoopsa1/4worthofcolacubesandplacesthemintoalittlewhitebag.Twistingthebagaroundandaroundso it’s closed, shehands thebag tomewithabigsmileonherface.Igivehermy£1frommyDad,getmychangeandleavetheshop.

Igetbackonmybikeandcyclehomeasfastasmylittlelegswouldtakeme,hopingoneofmyfriends,Chris,KevinorNigelwouldbeoutsideplaying,soIcouldsharewiththemthejourneyI’djustbeenonandofferthemacolacube(iftheywerelucky).

Fastforward-tobeingalittlebitolder,alittlebitwiserandwithafewextragreyhairs.

I live in London and its Sunday. I godown tomy local farmersmarket andcollect my weekly organic food. I walk tomy favourite fish stall where theowner, Chris says “Morning Warren”, I respond in my now broken voice“MorningChris”.ChrisasksifIwantmyusualtowhichIreply“Nothanks,I’dlikethesalmontodaypleaseChris”.HeleansoverthecountertopickupthesalmonandIaskhimtoholdonasecond.Why;totakeapicture?IpulloutmyiPhone,openupmyInstagramApptakeapictureofthesalmon,checkinginto the locationusing Foursquare (or Swarmas it’snowknown)and share

theimageacrossfourdifferentsocialnetworkstomorethan20,000people,inasplitsecond.

ThereasonIhavesharedthisstorywithyouistohighlighthowtheworldhasevolvedwiththeuseoftechnology;eventhoughournaturalhumaninstincthasnot.

This book will take you through the process of helping you to embracetechnology,toThink#DigitalFirstandfocusonsalesandmarketingforyourbusiness.

Entrepreneurship was in my blood from a young age. I used to makechocolatesatnightwithmyMum,usingshellshapesandtakethemtoschool,tosellforextrapocketmoney.Thiswaswhenbusinessbecameapassionforme.

In1983,mypassionbecamealotmorerealisticandlookingbacknow,Icanseethatthis iswhenIstartedtopavemycareerasabusinessowner. IwaslisteningtoCapitalRadio,whereTimWestwoodwasplayinghisusualHipHopShowboomingfrommyBushdoubletapedeckstereo.Ayearlater,thefilm“Breakdance”wasreleasedandfromthatmoment,Iwashookedonlearninghowtolock,pop,breakanddothe“turtle”.Not,andIrepeat,not,thetwerk.

Ipassedmydrivingtestat17andborrowedmyDad’scarsoIcoulddrivewithmy friends to London,more specifically to Camden Palace (now Koko’s) tobust-a-move.ThismademerealisemypassionforalltypesofmusicfromJazzandHip-HoptoFunkandSoul.

Fast forward to 1989, with fashionably long hair; when illegal raves weresprawledacrossthenationalnewspapersandTVwastalkingabout thenewphenomenonofkidspartyinginfieldstillsunrise,withDJsspinningtunesallnight. I loved todanceand Isoonrealised Icouldmakeaprofessionoutofentertainingpeople.When Iwasspottedandasked todanceonstage forafee,Iwasdelightedandsurprised.Howamazingtobepaid£100stodowhatIloveandatthatmoment,IknewIhadtomakeamoveandgowiththisnewopportunity.Attheageof20,ImovedtoLondonandimmersedmyselfinthemusic scene. I auditioned for a TV show called Dance Energy, hosted by

Normskie.Aweeklater, IwasonliveTVinfrontofmillionsofpeople,doingwhatIloved;dancingprofessionally.

In1991,whentheWorldWideWeb(www)waslaunched,Ispottedanicheintheclubbingsceneandusedthewebtolaunchthefirstdrumandbaseclub.Iset this up during the day on a Sunday, at The Gardening Club, in CoventGarden. The venuewas perfect for giving clubbers the feeling of still beingnighttime.SoonIexpandedandhiredvenues,including:TheOldLimelights;and Kensington High Street; mixing house music with drum and bass forspecial day/night events during Bank Holidays and New Year’s Eve. Asamazingas itwastobeoutpartyingallnightandsleepingduringtheday, IsoonrealisedthatIwantedarealbusiness.One,whereIcouldwakeuponaMondaymorning,withacoffeeandgotomyoffice,dialuptotheinternetviaamodemandstartworking.

It’s1992,the1stbirthdayofthewwwandwithverylittlemoneyIwantedtostartabusiness.Ineededhelpfrompeoplethatknewhowtosetupandrunabusiness.SoIapproachedThePrince’sYouthBusinessTrust.Iwasofferedbusinesstraining,helppreparingmyfirstbusinessplanandsixmonthslater,a loanof£5,000.MyfirstrealcommercialbusinessMelodicDistributionwasborn. It was a clothing and music (12” record and mix tapes) partnershipcompany which started distributing industry-recognised brands such as,Ministry of Sound, Strictly Rhythm and Dee Jay Recordings. I started doingtradeshowsintheUKandEurope,sellingnationallyaswellasinternationally.

MybusinesspartneratthetimeChakanandIquicklyrealisedthatabusinesscannot surviveon15%commission, soweopeneda stall inCamden to selldirect toconsumers.Thiswasata time in the90swheneCommercebarelyexistedforsmallbusinesses.However,weveryquicklyunderstoodthatwhatthecustomerneededandwantedwasguidingusastowhattobuy.

Aftera coupleof great years,we realised thatwewanted togo indifferentdirections and embark on our own separate, business careers. In 1995, IsteppeddownasDirectorandsetupmyown“StateoftheArt”clothingrangeselling skateboard/snowboard t-shirts, sweats, hoodies and bags. Aftersponsoring the UK No.1 skateboarder at the time, my business grew very

quickly. I discovered that my ex-partner had closed down MelodicDistribution,which leftagap in themarket.So Idecided topartnerupwiththeonlycompanythatwasrecordingeventsupanddownthecountry.Markconverted them into mix tapes and distributing them. This is where TwoTribes (yes, even back in the 90s I was thinking about building tribes) wasborn.MarkandIsetupawarehouseinWatfordwherewecouldrecord,holdstockandofferapop-inservicetobuydirectstock.MarkandIworkedveryhard, we loved what we did, but we put all our time and effort into ourbusiness.

By the start of 1997,wheneBaywasa yearold, Iwasburntout. I had lostfocus and started to feel depressed, under pressure from a health andrelationshipaspectandIcloseddownTwoTribes.Thenextfewmonthsweredifficult. Istayedathomefeelingsorryformyself. Ididn’texerciseoreat. I’llneverforgetonecoldautumneveningwhenmypartnerhadcomehomeandhadhadenoughofmynegativity.Shewalked through thedoorandsaid, “Ineverknowwhatmoodyou’regoingtobeinwhenIcomehomeanditmakesmenervouseverytimeIputthekeyinthedoorandwonderwhatI’mgoingtowalkinto”.

Thatwasamajorturningpointforme;anditmademerealisethatifIdidn’tdosomethingaboutthewayIwasfeeling,noonecoulddoitforme.

The next day I walked into our local shop, brought the paper and startedsearching for sales jobsbecause I knew saleswasone thing Iwas goodat.Goingthroughtheclassifiedads,Isawasmalladvertlookingforsalespeopleto cover London and various other local counties. Being fromBedfordshireandgoing toschool inHertfordshire, I feltqualified togo foran interview. Icalled the number on the advertisement and was asked to come in thatafternoonforaninterview.Igotthejob.Eventhoughitwascommissiononly,Ihadapurposeagain.Ihadapurposetogetupinthemorningandtostartbelievinginmyselfagain.

Twoweeksintothejob,IwentintoalocalLondonbusinesstodiscusshowIcouldhelpthemsavemoney.ThemeetingwentonlongerthatIplannedandlittledidIknowthattheownerofthebusinesssawsomethinghelikedinmeandheaskedhowIhadgotthejob.ItwasclosetolunchtimeandheinvitedmetolunchatalocalItalianrestaurant,whereheaskedmelotsofquestionsaboutmypast.Unbeknowntome,hewasinterviewingmeforasalesroleinacompanythatproducedgoodsinChinaandsoldintheUKandEurope.

Heofferedmethe jobandtwoweeks later Iwas inBirminghamvisitingtheAutumnFairTradeShowandmeetingtheothermembersofthestaff,withaviewtostartingworkwiththemaweeklater.Someonehadseenthepotentialinmeand to thisday, Ihavenever forgotten thatmoment.Thisexperiencetaughtmetolookpastthenow,todigdeeperintothepastandthinkaboutthefuturewhenmeetingsomeoneforthefirsttime.

In 2000, three years later, when Napster, the file sharing software hadcelebratedits1stbirthday,IwastheSalesDirectorofTwinklersandmanagingateamofglobalsalespeoplewithacompanyturningovermillionsofpounds.Duringthattime,wedesignedauniqueproductthatwassoldtoChildrenInNeed and produced for ASDA. The product was spotted by a DisneyrepresentativeinHongKongandbecausewehadthepatent,wewereofferedalicensetoproduceallofthefutureDisneycharacters.Inthespaceofthreeyears, we went from a seven-figure turnover to an eight-figure turnovercompany.Ipersonallysoldinto30countriesfromRussiatoUSAandtoSouthAmerica,utilisingtheUKTradeandInvestmentservicecalledOMIS(OverseasMarketIntroductionService).

IvisitedourfactoryinChinathreeorfourtimesayearandIwastravellingforaminimumof10daysamonthtoseepotentialclientsandtoattenddifferenttrade shows in different countries nearly every month. At one stage, Irememberbeingon aplane, getting a taxi to thehotel and going from thehoteltotheExpoandbackagain.Iwasinakindoflove/haterelationshipwithtravellingandhotels.

Duringmytimetravelling,IbumpedintoanoldfriendfrommyHipHopandclubbing days who was in my industry. Karl was focused on personaldevelopmentandinvitedmetolearnmoreaboutit.Iembraceditwithopenarms and before I knew it, I had a new zest for life. I started buildingmyknowledge,learningmoreandmoreandmeetingsomeamazingpeople,withamazingstoriesandIbecamepartofaMastermindGroup.Wemetuponceamonth helping each other to become better people, solving problems andmaking introductions to move forward in our personal or professionalcareers.

In2006,Twitterwas launchedandmywhole life changed ina singlephonecall.Amemberofmyfamilywasnotwellandwasgettingworse,actuallyfatal.IwenttothedoctorsmeetingatthehospitalwiththerestofmyfamilyandthenewswasworsethanIhadexpected.Forthelastnineyears,Ihadbeen

so consumedwithmyself andmy life, that I’d forgotten about the people Iloved themost. Yes, looking back I was being supportive in the only way IthoughtIknewhow.Ihadmyownproblemstodealwithandwasblinkeredtowhatwashappening-rightundermynose.

At that moment of realisation, I said to myself, if I can achieve $1 milliondollars a month in sales I can do anything. So I gave up work and I dideverything I could to help turn this horrible situation into somethingmorepositive.

Duringthenexteightmonths,Ihadtospeakinpublicforthefirsttime.Thiswasinfrontof1,000peopleaboutafund-raisingcampaigntopayformedicalcosts.TherewasateamofuswhoappearedonnationalTV,thefrontpagesofnationalnewspapers,TVtalkshowsandradiotalkshows.Wewererunningeventsfromnightclubs,holdingcelebrityauctionsandmuch,muchmore.I’dneverbeenonajourneyofsomanyhighsandlows.Atoneverylowpoint,Irememberfeelingtotallybrokenandhavingtherealisationthatwhateverwewere doing was not going to change the outcome. That feeling became arealityandthelifewewerefightingfor,endedverysuddenly.

Ispentthenextfewmonthswonderingwhatall theeffortwasfor,andwhywecouldnotchangewhatwasdestinedtohappen.OnesignificantmomentwaswhenIreceivedaphonecallfromthefounderofacharitywehadbeenworkingwith throughoutourcampaign. Itwasacharity fighting tosave thelifeofthefounder’sson,butultimately,helosthisbattleattheageof21.

At the funeral, he pulled me to one side and said “Two people that comeforwardduringourcampaignanddonatedblood,hadsavedthelivesoftwoother children.” I burst into tears, because it mademe realise that it’s notalwaysaboutthedestination,butratherthejourneythatwegoon.Lifeisfullofsurprises.

Iwentbacktoworkforthesamefirmandafter12monthsofgettingoverourfamilyloss;Idecidedtofocusononemagicalmomentfromthecampaign.Itwas when one of the premiership footballers, Jermain Defoe who we hadbeenworkingverycloselywith,spokeaboutourcampaignonFacebookandpromoted ourwebsite. During the next 24 hours, we hadmore hits to thewebsite than we’d ever seen in one day. Offers of help both in time andmoneycamerollingin.Irealisedinthatdayhowpowerfullyaninfluencerinasocialnetworkcanengagewith theiraudienceandget them to takeaction.Yes, it was an emotional ask but nevertheless the results spoke for

themselves. So Idecided I’dhadenoughofworkingwithDisneyandsellinginto corporates like ASDA, Sainsbury’s, New Look, M&S and internationalretailers.Itwastimeforachange.

DropBoxwaslaunchedin2008,whichIloveandspeakaboutlateroninthisbook.ItwasalsothefirstyearIreallyunderstoodthepoweroftheinternet.How it can help companies reach their target audience without having totravel around the world, nor set up trade shows at an extortionate costwithouteverknowingifyouwillreceiveaROI(returnoninvestment).

After researching the best Internet Marketers globally, I discovered thatAmerica was leading the world. At that time, a few UK organisations wereinvitingtheseAmericanexpertstosharetheirknowledgewithsmallgroupsofpeople,foracost,inthehopeofapplyingtheirlearningtotheirbusinesses.

IwasfascinatedbywhatIsawgoingonandIdecidedtowriteabookaboutit,in fact Idecided towrite threebooks,as Ihavenever reallydone thingsbyhalf.ThefirstbookwasasalesbookabouthowIachieved$1millionsalesinonemonthandwhatthestrategywasbehindthatprocess.

The second book explained how a UK based business could sell and growinternationally by setting up offices, distributors and partners in variouscountries.WiththeexperienceIhadgatheredduringmyDisneydays, I felt IhadtheknowledgetogivetoothersandIputthisfirst-handexperienceintomyfirstbusinessbooks.

Thethirdbookwasaboutsocialmediaforbusiness.Ihadspentthebestpartof a yearunderstanding this new landscapeand Iwanted to let companiesknowhowtheycoulduseittobuildtheirbrand,locally,andinternationally.

I felt ready to help companies understand social media to achieve brandgrowthandincreasesales.IdecidedtoreturntothetradeshowsthatIoncedislikedsomuch; this timenotasanexhibitor,butasaspeaker. Iknew if Icouldspeaktoaroomfullofpeopleinmyindustrywhoweretheretolistenandlearn;Icouldturnmyyearsofknowledgeintoausefuljourneyforthemandabusinessforme.

I found an amazing designer, called Gary who developed my first Warren

Knightbrandandbuiltmeawebsitethatreflectedmyknowledgeandshowedhow I could help companies to grow. I have always done things that I ampassionate about, but at thispoint onmy career journey, I felt I had foundsomething I truly loved and was good at, which also added value to otherpeople;publicspeaking.

However, being good was not good enough for me, as although changingindustry and business models was not easy, encouraging companies toembrace the power of the internet and digital marketing was a hard task.Afterseveralpersonalsetbacks,includinggettingdivorcedandgivingupworkforeightmonths, Iwasnot inagoodfinancialsituationandIstartedtofeelfrustrated.Iknew,howeverIneededhelp.

Thehelp I needed came in the formof amentor. Someonewhohadbeenverysuccessfulintheirlife,againstmanyodds;IhadtheupmostrespectforPaulandsoIaskedhimtobemymentor.Aftercomingtowatchmespeakatan event, we sat in his car for nearly two hours talking. Everything he saidaboutmewastrueand itbroughtmetotears,although, Iknewhewastherightpersontohelpmegotothenextstageinmyprofessionalandpersonallife.

Forthenextthreemonths,Ihadthemostintenseemotionalrollercoasterofaride, learningtotrulyunderstandmyselfandwhatwas important tome. Ihad to do this so that I could define my next journey. Also, I learnt tounderstand other people better and because of this, I became a betterspeaker.

During this time, Ihad thehelpof twoverydifferent coaches.One,Macaninternationallyrenownedprofessionalspeakerwhosestyleisverystructured,but personal and that was what I needed formy talks. The other, Steve acomedianandalsoaprofessionalspeaker.Withthisprofessionalhelp,IfinallyfoundtherealmeandIlearnthowtobringmypersonalityontothestage,ina structured way. In fact, I actually found the perfect combination for mypersonalitytype.

By2010, thebirthof Instagram,whichsold for$1billion toFacebook, Iwasspeaking at more and more events and trade shows and to hundreds ofcompanies,learningabouttheirbusinessgrowthproblems.

I began to realise there was a massive gap in the eCommerce market forcompanies wanting to sell online. At this time, there was no self-service,onlinestorebuilderthatwassimpleandeasytouseandofferedabigbrand

experiencesuchasASOSorJohnLewis.

I called a friend ofmine Sydwho had helpedme out with our fundraisingcampaignin2007andtogetherwediscussedtheissuesthatUKbrandswerefacing. Also, I conducted marketplace research and discovered there wasnothing available that matched what I was talking about. Nothing thatincorporatedthebigbrandexperiencewiththefeaturesandfunctionalityofabig brand; but utilising the power of social media and digital marketing togrowbusinessesonline.Myfriendlovedtheideabutwasnotinapositiontohelpme financially.Hewasa shareholderof a small creativedigital agencyandsuggestedIspeaktothefounders,whichIdid.

Afewweeks later,we’dcomeupwithanewbrand,abusinessmodelandaroutetomarket.DuringthenextfewmonthshisteamofdevelopersbuilttheUK’s 1st social sharing eCommerce platform, designed to give SMEs a bigbrand experience offering a multichannel experience and Gloople waslaunched.

In2011,Google tookasecondstabatbuildingasocialnetwork tocompetewithTwitterandFacebook,thisbecameGoogle+.ThiswaswhenGloople(thenamecame from thedesire to “glue” “people” together) launchedandgrewvery quickly, turning over six-figures in less than 12 months. We startedbuildingeCommercewebsitesformorebrandsandwewerewinningvariousawardsandmanyaccoladesintheindustry.

Byearly2012,weknewtheonlywaytotakethecompanytothenextstagewastoattractinvestment.Iengagedwithanexpertintheindustrytohelpuswriteabusinessplanandwepreparedathree-yearcashflowforecast.Threemonthslater,wewerereadytogotomarket.Ipresentedourpropositiontoaroom full of investors and before I had even finished my presentation aninvestorwalkeduptomewithhisbusinesscardandsaid“Iwanttobeyourleadinvestor”.

Six weeks later, on the 27th September 2012, the funds were in our bankaccount,valuingthebusinessatjustunder£1millioninlessthan2years.To

help the investors protect their investment,wewere approved for the SEIS(Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme). I highly recommend any businessownertousethisschemeifyouarelessthantwoyearsold.

WenowhadthefundstogrowtheteamandbuildaSaaS(subscriptionasaservice)platformenablingbrandstobuildtheirownonlinestore.Twomonthslater,mytechnologybusinesspartner Julianbecamevery illandhewasnotable tohelp the teambuildaproduct to revolutionise theonlinewebstorespace. This caused many concerns for the current shareholders and ourinvestors, so I went back out to the market to find the next round ofinvestment.IalsoturnedtoanoldfriendTarquin,whoIhadknownformorethan20years,toeitherhelpandorgetinvolved.Ineededtostayfocusedonsales, continue running a technology team, while working with the boardmembers and shareholders. I alsoneeded toprepare anewbusinessplan,withafour-yearcashflowforecastandaseven-figureinvestment.

2013,was about to becomeone of themost challenging business years I’dever experienced and after months and months of preparation, findinginvestorsandapproachingnewchallengesheadon,wehadrunoutofcash.InSeptember2013,wehadtoclosethecompanydown.YoucanimagehowIfeltafterthreeandhalfyears,IhadtowalkawayfromourShoreditchofficeandstartalloveragain.

Iquicklyrealisedthatforeverypositiveandnegativethingthathadhappenedtome professionally during the past 25 years, the one thing that I alwayslearntwastogrowfromeverysituationandstaytruetome.

Duringthelastyear,whilestillmaintainingmyonlineprofileandlookingforwaystoaddvaluethrougheducation,IsawanotherneedinthemarketandIhelpedco-foundanonlineeLearningplatform,that’srunbyateamofvirtualstaffanddoesnotneedanoffice.Wedidhoweverreceivealoantohelpwiththe marketing from Startup Loans, another great initiative from the UKGovernment.

This bringsme nicely to 2015, and where I am now helping companies togrow,utilisingtwoamazingGovernmentinitiatives,providingmoneytogrowtheUKeconomythroughSMEs.

1.

Start Up Loans; I have partnered with Start Up Loans to deliverworkshopsupanddownthecountrytoentrepreneurstakingpartintheprogramme. It’s a government-funded scheme to provide advice,

businessloansandmentoringtostartupbusinesses.

2.

GrowthAccelerator (now part of Business Growth Service); I am anapproved “Growth Coach” delivering Business Development, Access toFinanceandLeadershipandManagementtraining.Ihavehelpeddozensofbusinessownersachievemorethan500%increaseinsales.Thisisthebiggestoftheinitiativeswith£200milliongrantstogiveeligibletoSMEs.

Both of these are designed for Start Ups to a £40million turnover (or 250staff)-companieswhichwanttoflourishintheUK.

Inthisbook,IamgoingtotakeyouthroughtheSevenSimpleStepsthattook25 years in themaking. If you follow each stepwithme, youwill have theknowledge to grow your business from the groundup.Think#Digital Firstandlet’sturnyourpassionintoasocially-savvybusiness.

Anentrepreneur’sfirststeptobuildingasocially-savvybusiness isacceptingthat you are theonedriving your business forward. Todo this in themostsuccessfulway,youneedtobuildasocialbusinessfromthegroundup.

It’s all about understanding howbrandsmust learn toThink#Digital First.This book has been designed to help you embrace the digital technologyavailable and allow you to strategically focus on the two most importantaspectsofgrowingabusiness;salesandmarketing.

Thelineshavebeenblurredbetweensalesandmarketingbecauseofthewaybusinesses and consumers are using the World Wide Web. As anentrepreneur, it is your role to understand all of the aspects of running abusiness. You need to focus on where your passion and strengths lie andwhereyourweaknessesareandbuildastrongteamaroundyou.

Whatmakesasuccessfulentrepreneur?

Hereare10traitsofsuccessfulentrepreneurs.Youmightalreadyhavetheseoryoumightbedevelopingthem.Theyareimportanttounderstandandtakeon board, to make sure that the reason your business is successful, isbecauseofyou.

1. Taketimeoutforyourself

2. Dowhatyoulove

3. Takewhatyoudoseriously

4. Investinyourself

5. Becomeanexpertinyourfield

6. Beaplan-a-holic

7. Beopentochange

8. Manageyourmoneywisely

9. Stayuptodatewithtechnology

10. Understandyourstrengthsandweaknesses

Thereasonitiscriticaltomentionthese10traitsatthebeginningisbecausetobeasuccessfulyouand#expressyourself-istoinspireyou,tobeabetterversionofyourself.ThereareanumberofpeopleIhaveencounteredinmyprofessional and personal life that inspire me every single day with theirwords and advice. Without having people around me that have my bestinterestsatheartandalwayschallengemetoimprovemyself, Iwouldneverhadthestrengthtowritethisbook.

Stopwhatyouaredoingandthink

Realignyourself.Lookahead.Whereareyougoinginthenextchapterofyourlife? Itwasn’tuntil Iwassat in thatcarwithmy friendandbusinessmentorthatIreallystoppedtoquestionmyself.Inthatmoment,Iallowedmybarriersto come down and to be okay with feeling vulnerable. It was a positiveexperienceandgavemetherefocusIneeded,toseewhatwasimportanttome.Tocointhephrase“intelligencehigh,emotionslow”,Ihadtocommitandmakeintelligentdecisions.

WhatamIdoingwrong?

Youcouldbe reading thisbookbecauseof theoverwhelming feelingofnotknowingwhichway to turn. Have you asked yourself;Why do these thingskeephappeningtome?IknowIhave.

Thereissuchathingasaviciouscircleandit’sdifficulttofindawayoutoftheloopofnegativeactionsonceyouareboundupinthem.Therearehabitsinlife that we keep repeating; even knowing they are not good for ourpersonality. Take baby steps when changing the direction of your life andbuildabetter,happierandhealthieryou.

I’msureyou’veheardthesayingthatwehavetwoofthese(ears)andoneofthose(mouth).Inotherwordsspendmoretimelistening.

Questionyourself?

What is it that iscausingyoutohavethisblockagethat’sstoppingyoufrommoving forward? Is it time?Money? Family? Location? Give each of these aratingonascaleof1to10.Lookatyourresultsandfindthepainpoint,thehighestscorethathurtsthemost.Workoutforyourselforwithamentororbusinesscoach,whereyouhavetoputinthetimetosortouttheseissues.

Agreatstartingpointisaskingyourself;What’simportanttome?

Itmight be going to the gym, green juicing, or going to the cinema once aweek.Whateveritis,startwiththesimplethingsinlifeanddecidewhatyourdaily/weekly/monthlypersonalexpectationsareinallareasofyourlife.

Whatdoyoulove?

YourMum?Dog? Car? New trainers?Whatever it is, reconnect to the inneryou,buildnewhabitsandchosetomakeadecisionwithapositivemindset.

Figureoutwhereyouarenow

Whatdoesthatlooklike?Areyougenuinelyhappywithhowyourlifeisgoingforyouand ifnot,howdoyouget towhereyouwant togo?Self-belief isastrongpushforanyentrepreneur.Onceyoubelieveinwhatyoucanachieve,youcanfaceanysituationheadonandbuildyourfutureexactlythewayyouwantittobe.

I started towrite thisbookmore than12months ago, but Iwasnot in theright place, not physically, nor emotionally and spiritually. Every step I tookwaslikeswimmingupstream.OnceIrealisedthis, Istoppedpushingagainstthetide,tookastepbackandputthebookdownforawhile,leavingitaloneuntilIwasfullyreadytopickitupagainandcompleteit.

Mappingouttheprocessandatimelineforyourselfisafantasticwaytohelpyouknow ifyouhave the timeandcommitment tocomplete the task.Also,havingadedicatedtimelinekeepsyouaccountablethroughoutthisprocess.

It’stimetoinvestinyou!

Throughoutmy life, I’ve foundbetterpeople thanme to learn from.Oneofthemost important things you need to remember as an entrepreneur andbusinessowneristotakemassiveactioninyourlearningsandapplyittothespecificareasofyourpersonalorbusinesslifethatyouwanttodevelopandgrow.

Findyourownvoice

Yes it’sok tomodel yourselfonyourpeersbutmake it yourownstyleandalwaysdoeverythingwithhonesty and integrity. Be aroundpositivepeopleand stay away from negative energy. Develop your awareness of negativeenergysoyoucanseeitclearlyandknowwhenit’saroundyouandstoppingyoufromdoingwhatyouwanttodo.

WhatisitthatIdoright?

Haveyoueverbeeninarelationshipwhereafterafewyears,youbothstarttogrowindifferentdirections?Onewayofdealingwiththisistowritedowntogether theareaswhereeachperson feels theotherpersonhas changed.Youcandothesameforyourself.

Whenyouwanttogetthebestresultsoutofwhatyouaredoing,youneedtofocusonthethingsyoulikeandthethingsyouknowyou’regoodat.Thisgivesyourmindthepowertocompareandaddcontrasttoalltheoptionsyouhavetomove forward.Knowingandusingwhatyouaregoodat, isempowering.Usingstrategiesthathaveworkedforyoubefore is takingpositiveactiontoachievewhatyouwant.

Getridoffearandtakecontrolofyou

Togiveyouanexample;theonethingthathasstayedconstantduringthelast25yearsismeandIhaveneverstoppedlearningorgrowing.WhenIwasonly20yearsold,Iexperiencedthepowerofthis.Iwasonstageatabigevent,infrontofahugecrowddancingforShadesofRhythm.Iremembermisjudgingthe stage and falling straight into the crowd. I can assure you this neverhappenedagain.While I havemademanymistakes (somebig, some small)I’vealwayslearntfromthemtobecomeabetterperson,bothinmypersonallifeandinbusiness.

At each stage of your journey, you must always be making notes andevaluating the process, ultimately paying attention to every action, andreaction and systemising. If you are not ready to break the old habits and

build newones, thenpause and take some time away from the immediateissueandcomebacktoitlater.

Ihaveaprocess inplace foreverything Ido, includingbuildingmy team tohelp me visualise, design, write and deliver this book for you. Working onyourselfisjustasimportantasbuildingyourbusiness.Thereareanumberofimportantfactorsyouneedtoconsidertomakeyourbusinessasuccess.

SomeonewhoIadmirefromapersonalandbusinessstandpointisAnthonyRobbins.HetalksaboutthesixHumanNeeds,whichIoutlineforyoubelow.

1.Certainty/Comfort

Withgreatcertainty,comesgreatcomfort.Weknowthereisnothingwhichisofabsolutecertaintybutthethingswevaluelikewaterflowingfromatap,orourcarstarting,isoneofourimportanthumanneeds.

2.Variety

Certaintyissomethingwhichwealldesireinlifeandsoisvariety.Weneedtohave just enough uncertainty in our lives to give us the variety needed tomakeourlivesmoreadventurous.

3.Significance

Weallwantour lives tobe important.Oneofourhumanneeds, isknowingthatwhenwedie,ourlifehadmeaningandwehadbeensignificantenoughtohelpothersachievetheirgoals.

4.Connection/Love

The need for love in humans is overwhelming and building lifelongconnections is just as important. We all care and want to be cared for inreturn.

5.Growth

Growing is a huge part of what every human being wants and needs. Tobecome a better person, increase your knowledge and help others to go

throughtheprocessofgrowing.

6.Contribution

Just like significance, we want to feel as if we have contributed to helpingothersandmakingtheworldabetterplace.

Toachieveallofthesesixhumanneeds,youneedtoevaluateyourpersonalmotivations and seewhich are themost significant for you. Understandinghowyou fulfil theneedsofotherswillultimatelymakeahugedifference inhowyoudowhatyoudo.

Whendefiningyourpersonal journeyto improvingyourself, thebestwaytomake the biggest improvement, is to KISS it; Keep It Simple Stupid. Takingbabystepsonyourjourneycombinedwithyourpassion,isasurefirewaytoimproveyourpersonalgrowth.

Letmeask youaquestion.Wheredoyouandyourbusinesswant tobe inthree years? Or more importantly; where do you see your role in yourbusinessinthenext12months?

Buildinga framework for successwillneed to include thekeyareasaroundyourbusiness.Youmustknowwhattheseare,soyoucanbuildthestructureofyourbusinessonstrongfoundations.

SendingarandomtweetoruploadingaphotoonceamonthtoFacebookisnotenoughsocialmediaactivityforasuccessfulbusiness.Foreveryactionorno action there is a reaction. You must always ask yourself: what is theoutcomeIamseekingtogettheresultIamlookingfor?

Onlinemarketinghasevolvedbecauseofthewaybusinesseshavedevelopedduringthelastfiveyearsandtorunasocially-savvyandsuccessfulbusinessyouneedtohaveacomplete frameworksetupfromthestart to the finish.Thiswillincludeeverypartofyourbusinessmarketingstrategy;meaningtheold schoolmarketing (picking up the phone or a face-to-facemeeting); andnewschoolmarketing (tweets,blogsand infographics) to connectwithyourpotential customers.Onceyouhaveyour customers’ attention, youcanusean autoresponder to give them something more, such as your latestcatalogueorareport thatshowsthecurrent industrynewsandyoucandothisasadigitaldownload,tomakeiteasierforthem.Theirnameandemailautomatically go into your email marketing campaign system and you cancontinuetodeliveryourmarketingmessagetothem;addingvalue,educatingand ultimately getting them to buy what you are selling via your onlinemarketing.

Thisdigitalprocesstoacquirenewcustomerssoundsamazingdoesn’tit?

However, as it is almost impossible to include every aspect of becoming asocially-savvybusiness,thisbookbreaksitdownforyouintomeaningfulbitesizechunks.Younowhavetherightmindset tomoveforwardthroughthisbook and this chapter looks at the framework needed for a successfulbusiness.

Here is a list of things that youmust have the answers for, before you doanythingelse:

1. What’syourbusinessVision?

2. What’syourcompany’sMissionStatement

3. Whatproblem(orpain)doesyourbusinesssolve?

4. What’syourUSP?

5. Whatdoesyourtargetcustomerlooklikeandwhatareyourmarkets?

6. HaveyoudoneyourSWOTanalysis?

7. Haveyoudoneyourbranding?

8. Whatdoyouchargeyourcustomers?

9. Whatdoyoudobest?

10. Whattypeofstaffwillyouneed?

Thefirststep(evenifyouhavebeeninbusinessforsomeyears)istodesignasimpletwo-pageminibusinessplan.Trustme,it’snotasscaryasitseemsanditdoesn’thavetobeascomplicatedasyouexpect#TheChoiceIsYours.

Realigningyourbusinessisanintelligentthingtodo,soyoutrulyunderstandwhereandhowyourbusinessisgoingtogrow.Itdoesn’tmakeanydifferenceifyouareastartupbusinessorhavebeentradingforthreeyears.Writingabusiness plan helps you clarifywhere you are now andwhere youwant totakethebusiness.

Tohelpyoubuildyourtwo-pageplan,let’selaborateonthesepoints.Thiswilldefinethenextstepyoutaketogrowyourbusinessintelligently.

1.MissionStatementdefined

AMissionStatementdefineswhatabusinessdoes,whoitscustomersareandhow it creates value for its customers. AMission Statement gives you thatclarityandfocus.Herearetwoexamples.

“Toprovideourcustomerswithsafe,goodvalue,point-to-pointairservices.Toeffect

and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure andbusinessmarketsonarangeofEuropeanroutes.Toachievethiswewilldevelopourpeopleandestablishlastingrelationshipswithoursuppliers.”EasyJet

‘To organise theworld’s information andmake it universally accessible and useful’.Google

2.VisionStatementdefined

AVisionStatementisapredictionofwherethebusinesswillbeinthefuture.This can be an emotional driver for those in the company and can be apowerfulandpurposefuldrivingforcetosuccess.Herearetwoexamples.

“Bringing to the world a portfolio of beverage brands that anticipate and satisfypeople,desiresandneeds.”Coca-Cola

“ApersonalcomputerineveryhomerunningMicrosoftsoftware.”Microsoft

3.Whatisthecustomer’spainyouaretryingtosolvewithyourproductorservice?

Knowing this iscrucialsoyoucandevelopyourproductandknowwhoyouneed to be targeting. As a professional speaker, I have come acrossmanysmallbusinessownerswiththesamefrustrationaroundusingsocialmedia.What I learntwas that asmost small business owners are time short, theywant to improvetheirknowledgefromthecomfortof theirownhome.Thiswasthecustomerproblem,whichIidentifiedandsetouttosolvewhenIco-foundedaneLearningplatform.

If you know the customers’ pain you are trying to solve, you can find thesolution.Boththecustomerproblemandthesolutionneedtobecongruentwithyourbusinessgoals.

4.USP

Whatisyouruniquesellingproposition?WhenIwasdefiningtheUSPformyeCommerce platform, I had to create an elevator pitch, which you can seebelow.

“TheUK’s first social sharing eCommerceplatformdesigned for SMEs tohaveabigbrandexperience”.

Let’sbreakthisdown,soitisclear.

• Thetargetmarketatthattimeandforthe12monthswastheUK;

•Theuniquefunctionalityof theplatformwasthesocialsharingaspectanditwasthefirsteCommerceplatformtohaveasocialmediasellingfeature,whichallowedmetousethewordfirst;

• ItwasaneCommerceplatform(doeswhatitsaysonthetin);

•ThetargetmarketwereSMEs(smalltomediumsizedenterprises);andlastly

•Focusonthebenefit,whichforuswastheabilitytogivethecustomerthesameexperiencetheywouldhaveonabigbrandwebsite,suchasBooHooorAsos.

Thisiswhatmadeusdifferenttoourcompetitorsandyouneedtospendtimefiguringoutwhatmakesyourbusinessunique.DefiningyourUSPtakestime;Isuggestanightinwithyourfriends,pizzasandbeerstohelpchallengeyoutogetthefocusedandcreativeanswersyouneed.

ToreallyunderstandyourUSPandwhetheryourbusinesshasthepotentialtobe successful in themarket, youneed todoyourduediligence.Thiswillinclude everything from competitor, industry sector and target marketresearch to solving your customers’ pain point. Research is an integral partthroughout thisbookdemonstratinghowcompletelynecessary it is tobuildstrongfoundationsforasuccessful,socially-savvybusiness.

OnceyourUSPhasbeendefined,youcan lookatyourbusinessanddecidehowyouaregoingtosharethiswithyouraudience.OnequestionIalwaysaskmyclientsis.“IfyougotintoaliftwithRichardBransonandyouonlyhad30secondstodescribeyourbusinesstohim,whatwouldyourelevatorpitchbe?Memorisingyourelevatorpitchsoyouaresayingit inyoursleepwillalwaysguarantee that in themost opportunemoments, you can share what yourbusinessdoeswithcertaintyandclarityinjust30seconds.

5.TargetMarket

Atargetmarketisagroupofcustomerswhichabusinesshasdecidedtoaimits marketing efforts towards and ultimately its product or service. A well-defined targetmarket is the first element to amarketing strategy and is acriticalelementtoyourbusinessstrategysoyouknowthatyourtime,energyandmoneyarebeingdirectedintherightdirectionforyourbusinesssuccess.

Decidingonyourtargetmarketmaynotbeaseasyasitseems.Itwillbetimeconsumingandwill takemorethanjustyourowninput.Firstly,youneedtocreatewhatIliketocallaWishList.

WishList

A Wish List is as simple as specifically defining who is going to buy yourproduct or service. You need to identify your target customer by location,interest, age, gender, income, occupation and marital status. You mustrecognise that you can’t do business with everyone and creating your ownniche target market will allow you to develop your business in the bestpossibleway.

Valuing each different type of customer and making sure your messagereflects this is key to your successful sales andmarketing. This is theValuePropositionyouaregivingyourdifferenttypesofcustomerandinChapterSixI’llbeexplainingwhatImeaninmoredetail.

Being laser-focusedonyourtargetmarket iscrucial foryourbusiness.Onceyoudefinewhoisgoingtobuyyourproductorservice,youknowwhoismostlikelygoingtoneedyourbusinessandtheproblemyouwanttosolve.Beingabigfishinasmallpondratherthanvice-versaisamoreeffectivestrategyforanysmallbusiness. It iseasier tobuildyour reputationandsales if youaremoretargetedinyourmarketing.

Tofullyunderstandthedifferenttypesoftargetcustomeronereallygoodtipistogivethemaname.Untilyoudothat,youonlyhavecharacteristicsthatdefine who you want to target, and once you humanise them by namingthem,theybecomeamorerealisticbusinesstarget.

Togiveyouanexample,Debbieismytargetcustomer.Sheis38andhastwochildren, liveswithin theM25area,hasadisposable income,drivesanAudiandistimeshort.Debbiealsowantstolearnmoreaboutsocialmediaassheisn’ttech-savvy,worksfull-timeandrunshersmallbusinessontheside.ThisismynichetargetmarketforoneofthetechnologycompaniesIfounded.

Deciding on my target market was not as simple as picking a name and

characteristics. Youneed to look at yourownexperience, theopportunitiesaroundyouandyourbusinessfocus.Thinkaboutwhatyouhaveachievedinthepastandwhatindustriesyouhaveworkedin.Thiswillhelpyoufocusonspecifically where your knowledge and abilities are, whichwill give you theguidanceyouneedtofindyournichetargetmarket.

Inamedmytargetcustomertocreateavisual inmymindofwho Iwant tobuymyproductandonceIknowthis,mymarketingstrategybecomeseasiertodesign.Withanimageinyourmindandcharacteristicswrittendown,youcanavoidtheobviousmistakethat“everyoneismytargetcustomer”.

6.SWOTAnalysis

STRENGTHS

ThesearetheskillsandservicesIoffer,thatothers

don’t.

WEAKNESSES

Thesearetheskillsandservicesothersoffer,butI

don’t.

OPPORTUNITIES

Herearechancesthatthemarketoffers,andthatIcanuseforthebenefitofmy

business.

THREATS

Herearepossiblemarketdangersthatcanthreatenthebalanceandgoalsofmy

business.

ASWOTanalysiswillhelpyouidentifythepositivesandnegativesinsideyourbusiness. You identify, measure and analyse your Strengths, Weaknesses,OpportunitiesandThreats.CompletingaSWOTanalysiswillhelpyouto:

• improvestrategyplanninganddecision-making;

•determine where change is possible in the business by looking atpossibilitiesandpriorities;

• adjustandredefinestrategies;and

• exploresolutionstoyourcustomers’pain.

Remember to look at strengths andweaknesses, opportunities and threatsinternallyandexternally. Internal factors includeeverything fromyourstaff,

location, financesandcommunityreputation.External factors includefuturetrends, theeconomy,business funding, localandnationalevents,aswellaschangesindemographicsandtargetmarketasthebusinessgrows.

7.Branding

It’seasytolookatthebigbrandssuchasNikeorVictoriaSecretandsayyes,that isasuccessfulbrandbutwhen itcomestofindingyourownwayasanentrepreneur,brandingyourbusinesscanbechallenging.Whenyoudevelopyourbranding,youmustbeauthentic,knowyourvalues,haveyourMissionStatement defined and know where you want your business to be in thefuture.

Building yourbrand startswith you. Your consumerneeds a reason tobuyyourproductorserviceandthatbeginswithahumanconnection.Consumersknow what they want and your brand must reflect this. To offer yourconsumers an engaging experience, your branding needs to reflect thisvisually. It is critical to have a logo that is recognisable, relatable and isconsistentwithother images.Takea lookat your competitorsandseehowtheyhavebrandedtheirbusiness.Itisoktomodelyourselfonthesuccessofthebusinessesyouseeeveryday.

Findingyourbrandingidentitydoesnothappenovernightandcanbealong,challengingprocessandyoudoneedtolooktothefuture.Thinkthreeyearsahead. Will your branding still be relevant to your consumers? As yourbusinessgoalschange,somightyourbranding;andbeawarethatconsumersarenot fondofchange.Bear inmindthatstrongbrandingwillstillsellyourbusinessinyearstocome.

BusinessImageandDirection

Whatisyourultimategoal?Doyouknowhowyouwantyourbusinesstobeperceivedonlineandoffline?Doyouknowwhereyouwantyourbusinesstobeduringa long-termperiod?Thisbookgives youa90-dayMarketingPlanandyoualsoneedtobeawareofwhatcouldpotentiallyhappeninthefuture.

Yourbrandmessagecanbeelaboratedon togivemoreofa vision, cultureand stronger customer value. It can be placed acrossmultiple socialmediaandvariousotheronlinemarketingplatforms.Keepyourbrandingconsistent.

Branding

Thebrandingofyourcompanyshouldportrayhowyouwillconnectwithyourtargetaudience.Your logoandotherbusiness imagesshouldbeincludedinthe branding part of your business. Your website must also be brandedconsistentlywithyourmarketingmaterialandyouronlineprofiles.Havingabrand Style Guide will give conformity to the business and gives newmembers of your team a single point of reference about the brand and aclearandcertainimagetoidentifywith.

8.CostBasedPricing

When designing the final cost price of your product or service, take into

consideration the true cost to acquire a customer. As a service drivenbusiness, your conversion rate of acquiring a customermight be 50%. Thismeans you have to go through your customer acquisition process twicebefore you invoice one of those customers. Let me share with you somethingsyouneedtothinkaboutwhenacquiringacustomer.

1. Theinitialemail

2. Firstphonecall

3. Followupemail

4. Confirmationemailofmeeting

5.Timeittakestotraveltomeeting,havemeetingandreturnfrommeeting

6. Followupemailandproposal

7. Arrangingthenextmeetingtodeliverproposal

8. Timetotravel,havemeetingandreturnfrommeeting

9. Preparationoftheagreement

10. Sendingoftheagreementwithinvoice

11.Followupemailconfirmingyouhavereceivedsignedagreementandpaymentintoyouraccount

Productdrivenbusinesse.g.anonlineretailer,willhavetogothroughvarioustouchpointstobuildbrandawarenessandgaintrustbeforesecuringasale.

1. OrganicSearch

2. GenericPPC(payperclick)(Google)

3. GenericPPC(Social)

4. Email

5. Text

6. FacebookUpdate

7. Blog/Article

8. PR(PressRelease)

9. Referral

10. DirectTraffic

Every business has a Customer Acquisition Journey andwhicheverway youlook at it, it will cost you, whether it’s time or cash because your time isvaluable andhas aprice. Theseare someof the actions that either you, oryour staff can take before you even deliver on the product or service yourbusinessproduces. It is important youvalue your timeandyouassociateacosttothistime.Thismustbepartofyourfinalcostpriceondeliveringthatserviceorproduct.

9.WhatDoYouDoBest?

WhenIwaslookingatbuildingmyfirsttechnologycompany,Iknewwhatmystrengthswereandthatmy25yearsexperienceinsalesandmarketingwaswhere I would excel in the business. What I couldn’t provide with myexperience, I knew I needed to bring in with outside help. To build atechnology product, I needed an accountant, administrator, web developerand designer in my team to move forward. However, this is unique anddifferentforeverybusiness.

Really think about where your strengths and weaknesses lie within thebusiness,tohelpyoubuildtherightteamaroundyouforthejobyouneedtodo,toencouragebusinessgrowth. Ifyouarefinding ithardtodefinethis,agreattooltouseisDISCPersonalityProfiling,whichstandsfortheindividualcharacteristicsof:Dominance; Influence;Steadiness;andConscientiousness.It is a 15-minute assessment which will help you determine your personalprofileaswellasyourstrengthsandweaknesses.

“GetDISChereforFREE”–www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile.php

Theassessmentgivesyouachoiceoffourwords,whichyourankaccordingtowhat yourpreference is,orwhichanswer ismost like youor least like you.

This is followed by more ranking questions which define your personalstrengths and values. At the end you can download your results as a PDFdocument.

Knowingtheseresultswillhelpyouunderstandwhoyouneedtodeveloptohavethebestpossibleteamforyourbusiness.OnceyouhavedonetheDISCprofile, it is agood idea tohaveyour teamdo it aswell.Be the leaderandsomeoneyourteamlooksupto,byencouragingyourownpersonalgrowth,aswellasencouragingtheirs.So,whyisyourteamsoimportant?

10.WhatTypeofStaffDoYouNeed?

Itwilltakegreat,decisiveleadershiptobuildthebestteamforyourbusiness.You will have to make difficult decisions and establish standards ofperformancethatmustbemetbyeveryteammember.Buildinganeffectiveteammeansunderstandingthosearoundyou,theirstrengthsandultimately,whatmakesthemhappyintheworkplace.Itisanartandasciencebuildingateam.

Herearethreedifferentwaysofdoingit.Dependingonwhereyourbusinessisandthetypeofbusinessyourun,youwillfindoneofthesemoresuitablethantheothers.

Employee

An employee is someone you hire towork inside your business and give aspecificareatofocuson.

VirtualAssistant

A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who is self-employed and providesexpertiseinadministration,technology,creativity(social)orsitsinanassistantrolefromthecomfortoftheirownhome.Thismeansyouarenotresponsiblefortheiroverheads.

Contractor

Acontractorissomeonewhoyoubringintothebusinessforashortperiodtofocusonaspecifictaskwithinthebusiness.Theywillbeexpertsintheirfieldandtheycostmorebutareonlytherefortheshortterm.

Thischapterhasincludedthemainareasyouneedtobuildtheframeworkfora successful business and to keep your journey moving forward as anentrepreneur. Thenext chapterwillhelpyoumanageyour timesoyoucanfocusonwhatisimportant.

Team

This isn’tthefirsttimeanditdefinitelywon’tbethelasttimeImentionhowimportantitistohavetherightteamaroundyouwhenbuildingyoursocially-savvybusiness.Doyouhavetherightskills todeliver theoutcomeneedforyourMarketingPlan?Ifnot,youwillneedto:hireanagency;orfreelancers;orbringing in someone to do this for you. You will need a MarketingManagementContentPlan,including:

• SocialMediaMarketing;

• PayPerClickCampaigns;

• SearchEngineOptimisation;

• WebsiteManagement;

• WritingArticles;

• ImageCreation;

• EmailMarketing;and

• ContentMarketing.

Ifyoudon’twanttospendanextortionateamountofmoneyhiringpeopletodo thiswork for you, hire a VA (Virtual Assistant). I have twoVAs, onewhospecialisesinbusinessdevelopmentandoneinonlinemarketing.

Asanentrepreneur, youare always going tobebusy. Thequestions is, areyouabusy fool?This isan industry term,usedtodescribesomeonewho isdoing a lot of things, but not owning their time or growing their business#InsaneInTheMembrain.

I am passionate about this step in the process of building a social-savvybusinessbecausethiswaswhereIwasin2008.Itwasn’tuntilIbeganworkingwithmymentorthatIreallystartedtobuildmypersonalbrandandgrowmybusinesses.Hesharedwithmesomesimpleandreallyeffectivetechniques,which helped me to own my time and stay focused on what I wanted toachieve,andyoucandoittoo.

It is critical to understand where you are spending your time. Here is adocument to help you which will inform you of what you should be doingevery30minutesofyourwakingday.Usingthisdocumentwillgiveyouclarityandfocusandadeeperunderstandingofwhereyouspendyourtime.

Did you know that management in businesses wastes six weeks per year

lookingforlostdocuments?Timemanagementissomethingmanysuccessful,busyentrepreneursstrugglewith.Ifthisisyou,Iamgoingtosharewithyousometipstohelpyoubettermanageyourtime.Furtheroninthebook,therearealsosometoolsyoucanusetoprotectyourtime.

Whenitcomestoyourworkingdayremembertospendsometimeplanning..Tosavetime,youwillneedtospendtimeandit’soktodothat,especiallyifitmeansyourdaysaremoreorganised.RemembertheParetoPrinciple,whichstatesthat80%ofyoursuccesswillcomefrom20%ofyouractivity.Workoutwhatthat20%ofyouractivityisthatdrivesyour80%success,soyouknowtogiveprioritytothoseactivities.

Itcanbehardtoletgoandallowotherstohelpyoucompletetasksbutyouwillneedtodothisifyouhavealotonyourplate.Delegatetoothersinyourbusiness the less important tasks and those that are not aligned to yourstrengths and outsource where possible. Sometimes, things come up thatcannotbeavoidedandit’snottheendoftheworldifthishappens.Makesurethemost important tasksarecompletedbeforeanythingelseso that if youhaveinterruptions,youknowyourimportanttaskshavebeenaccomplished.

Thisisagreatvisualanalogy.Imaginethreeemptyglasstubesinfrontofyou;the first is empty; the second has small rocks; and the third has big rocks.Howcanyougettubes2and3intotube1?

Thisiswheretheterm“getyourbigrocksinfirst”comesfrom.Onceyouhaveallthebigrocksinthetube,thesmallrocks(smallertasks)canfitaroundtheimportanttasks(bigrocks).

Havingdeadlineswillpreventtasksfromdraggingontoolong.WhenIknowIhavealottogetdoneinoneday,IwillalwayssetmyselfadeadlinesoIpushmyself to finalise what needs to be completed. We are not robots we arehuman beings. Unfortunately, we can’t work 24 hours, 7 days a week.Knowing your limits between work and free time is very important too.Without living a balanced life, what was once the work that you enjoyed,becomesachore.

Whatisyourbiggestdistraction?AbigdistractionofminewhenIamtryingtocomplete an important task is my mobile phone. It takes 23 minutes torecover from every interruption. I, like many millions in the world, feeluncomfortable being separated from my smartphone. However, I havelearnedthatbyremovingthisdistractionIacceleratemovingforwardwithmydailytasks.

YourPrimeTime

Whenareyoumostfocusedduringyourworkingday?Yourprimetimeisthetimewhenyouarethemostproactiveincompletingimportanttasks.Thiscanbeinthemorning,aroundlunchtimeorintheevening.Makesureyouattendto important tasks during the time you are feeling your best, your highest.Allocatingtheappropriatetimetoeachof theseareas isaboutbreakingoldhabitsandformingnewones.

Thesetipscanhelpyouimproveyourtimemanagement.Givethemago.

We are now going to consider other important areaswithin your business.

Ask yourself howmany of the tips below you are doing and if they aren’twithinyourskillsetornotahighprioritytask,areyoudelegatingthemtostaffmembersorVAs?

Asanentrepreneurwewearlotsofdifferenthats.Eachofthesedifferenthatsneeds tobeapartofyourweeklyhabit.Theamountof timeyouspendonthemmustbefocusedanddedicated.

TheDifferentHatsofaBusinessOwner

Thelinesbetweensalesandmarketinghavebecomeblurredbecauseofthewaywenowcommunicateonlineandusedigital technology.Therefore, theneedforclarityinbusinessisevenmoreimportant.

Sales

Salesarealwaysthelifebloodandpumpingheartofanybusiness.Tofocusonsales,youmusthaveaveryclearGotoMarketStrategy.ThiswillshareyourbusinessUSPintherightway,fromdayone,totherighttargetaudience.

Whenwasthelasttimeyoudidyourduediligencetofindyourbusinessthreenewcustomers?

Or more importantly, when did you upsell or cross sell currentcustomers/clients?Anastounding61%ofconsumerstaketheirbusinesstoacompetitorwhentheyendabusinessrelationship.Onceyouhavefoundyourtarget customers,areyou taking themthroughwhat is called theCustomerAcquisitionJourney?

Definewhatworksandwhatdoesn’tforyourbusinessandyourcustomers.

This is about creating a process for your business to become a well-oiledmachinethatcontinuouslybringsinprospectsthroughyourmarketingfunnelintoyoursalesprocess.

Thisishowtodoit:

1. Buildtrust;

2. Engage;

3. Convert;and

4. Buildbrandadvocates.

WhileIwaslookingtoacquireChannelPartnersformytechnologycompanyor helping a business owner as a coach, I had to protect my time. Thisincludesunderstandinghowmany30minutecallsyouneedtomakefollowedbyhowmanyone-hourmeetingsyouneedtohavetoacquireonecustomer.Outofeverythreephonecalls,youmighthavetwomeetings,andacquireonecustomer. If this is true toyourbusiness, youknow thatyour ratio isat3:1(threephonecalls=onecustomer).

If you’re an online store, you need to have a conversation rate of 3%. Thismeansit’sallaboutdrivingtargettrafficonaconsistentbasis.Remember:themoretraffic,themoresales.

Determining thiswill help you understand the value of your time and yourtrueworth.Onceyouhaveacquiredacustomer;whatisthelifetimevalueofthis customer? You need to know howmuch total cost and time you havespent acquiring that customer and working with that customer from thebeginningtotheend.Thiswillhelpyoucalculateyourcustomer’sworthandhowmuchyourtimeisworth.

Do you market research your competitors and benchmark their pricingstructureagainstyours?Remember:findyourmicro-nicheandincreaseyourworth.

Marketing

Asamoderndayentrepreneur,youmustThink#DigitalFirst. Forexample,whenyouarewearingyourmarketinghatandgoingtoanetworkingevent,doyourmarketresearchtodeterminewhoyouwanttospendyourtimewithand connect with them online before you arrive through various socialnetworks,(myfavouritesareTwitterandLinkedIn).Thisisagreatwaytoopenaconversationandstartanewbusiness relationship.Startby talkingaboutyour passion for helping people and remember you do not need to putyourself into salesmode in the first 30 seconds, because you have alreadybuiltrapportonline.

Someof thebestbusinesseswithmassivegrowth in the last5-10yearsarethose,whichhavebeencreativeintheirmarketingandbrandpositioning.Youcan model their success, making it your own, by being transparent andbringingyourpersonalityandbusinessvisiontoyourmarketingstrategy.

Takingonthemarketingroleinyourbusinessmeansyouwillhavetospendtimebuildingrelationshipsofflineandonline,withyourpotentialandexistingcustomers/clients whether they are direct customers or acquired via achannel partner. Keeping consistent with your brand message and onlinevoiceiscrucial.

Inyourmarketing,youneedtodetermineanonlineandofflineapproachtoyour 90-day Marketing Plan. Your offline Marketing Plan will includeeverything from public speaking and trade shows to magazine ads, directmailings, networking events and even cold calls. I’ll talkmore about this inChapterSix.

Finances

Managingyourfinancescanbedifficultifyoudon’thaveabackgroundinthisfieldofexpertise.Havinghappycustomerswhoarepreparedtopayforyourproductisgreat.However,ifyoudon’tunderstandyourP&L(profitandloss)you won’t know where you stand with your business finances. Here is asimple12-monthcashflowforecastforyoutoplugyournumbersinto.

Did you know that 80% of paper and information that we keep, we neveractuallyuse?

Accountabilityforcashflowissomethingeveryentrepreneurneedstotakeonboardasaresponsibilityofrunningabusiness.Knowingwhatyourburnrateis (monthlyexpenses-officespace,staffcosts, travelcosts,stationery)givesyou the knowledge to focusonbringing in sales to thebusiness tomake itprofitable.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatyourtruecostsareinabusiness,howmuchtimedoyouknowtogiveyourselftofocusonsales?

Operations

Howtechnically-savvyareyou?

Theworld of the internet has now (while it has builtmillionaireswhoworkfrom home) lost the fine art of communicating with people andmanagingpeopleinawaythatshowsthebestoftheirabilities.

Maintaining awebsite; daily use of socialmedia and digitalmarketing; andunderstanding Google are three important technical aspects of running abusiness you, or one of your team members need to be experts at.Remember, your time is priceless. Doing something technical that will takeyoutwohourswhensomeonemoreexperiencedwillonlytake20minutes,istimebetterspent.

Anotherpartofmaintainingyourwebsitealongwithmanagingthemarketingcontent is through copywriting. If you are responsible for this, you

automaticallybecomethecopywriterforyourbusiness,whichistimeheavy.Doyouhavetheabilitytoworkatthespeedneededforcopywriting,aswellastheaccuracy?Thinkaboutthis,seriously.

Thesedays,copywritingisintegralandtheaverageonlinecontentmarketingspend should be a minimum of 30% of your overall marketing budget forwhateversizebusiness.Itshouldbeupto80%ifyouareanonlinebusiness.Thisiswhyhavingacopywriterthatunderstandsthetoneofyourbusinessisthefutureofbusinessonline.

If you want to be responsible for all the copywriting on your website andmarketing and sales materials, you will lose a lot of time, which could bebetter spent elsewhereon thebusiness to bring in themoney. I know thatcopywritingisnotmyexpertise,soIhavebroughtsomeoneintomybusinesswhohastheparticularknowledgeneeded,atasmallcost.

There are some great websites you can use to find experienced freelancecopywriters for a reasonable price, if you do not have the experience orconfidencetodoityourself.SeeChapterFive.

As a business owner, delegation is something that cannot be avoided. Theappointment of a responsibility to another team member is how I definedelegation.Successfulpeoplestartwithacoreskillsetlikesales.Evolvingintoanentrepreneurandbuildingateamisaboutcreatingtherightatmosphereand learning tomanagedifferentpersonalities.Theartofdelegationcomesfrombeingagreatmanager.Excellinginsalesdoesn’tmeanyouknowhowtomanagefivemembersofstaff.

To work well with your team, you need to understand the strengths andweaknesses of each team member. As the founder of your business, youneed tobe a team leaderwhohas the ability todivide tasksbetween yourteam,sothemostqualifiedpeopleineachexpertiseareaaredoingtherightwork. Clever hiring from day one will have you standing on strongfoundationsforfastbusinessgrowth.

Choosewhattasksyouwanttodelegate.AsIhavementioned,youshouldbespendingyourtimeonthemostcriticaltasksofyourbusiness,notonesthatcanbeeasilydelegatedtootherteammembers.Ifsomethingdoesn’tinterestyou, you don’t have to do it. Part of building and working with a team isunderstandinghow towork together productively. This also includes onlinemeetingswithvirtualstaffandface-to-facemeetingswithpeoplewhoworkinyourbusinessfullorpart-time.Theirprogressisultimately,yourprogressand

becauseyouarenotwiththeminanofficeeveryday,youneedtostayuptodatewiththeirdailyworkings.

Whendelegating,youneedtogiveclearinstructions.Spendsometimedoingthiswithyourteamsotheyfullyunderstandthetaskathand.Theideaistosave you, as the business owner as much time as possible, so if you arespending too much time hand holding, you should pass the task on tosomeoneelse.AgreatonlinetoolIusetokeeptrackofmyteamandthetasksthey are doing isHubStaff. It takes a screen grab every fewminutes and itshowshowlongtheyhavebeenworkingandhowproductivetheyhavebeen,whileattheircomputer.

Youwillcomeacrosschallengesintheworkplaceeverysingledayandifyouhavealreadybuiltastrongteamworkfoundation,yourworkingenvironmentcan act as a supportmechanism for staffmembers. It is critical to build ateamthatworkwelltogetherandsupporteachother.

Atoneofmystart-upcompanies,wehavea‘StandUpScrum’(aninteractiveand incremental agile software development framework for managingproductdevelopment)onceaday.Atthestartoftheworkingday,Icanhearfromeachmemberofmyteamregardingtheworktheyaredoingandhowthey are finding it. We can discuss ideas tomove forward and collectively,come to a decision around certain areas of the business we all agree on.Working as a team is crucial to your success, because a happy team is amoneymakingteam.

Howareyougoing towork collaborativelywith your team? Iwould suggestusingGoogleDrive fordocument sharing;Dropbox for storing collaborativeinformation;andTrelloforupdating,settingtasksandworkingtogetherasateam.IhaveusedallthreeofthesetoolswhilewritingthisbookandtheyallfeatureinChapterFive.

Finally, setting a deadline; this is crucial for getting a task completed in atimelymanner.Yourteamneedguidanceandapartofthisincludesknowing

whenaprojectortaskneedstobefinished.Makesureyouarethereforyourteamwhendelegating,incasetheyhaveanyquestionsonlyyoucananswer.

BrandAmbassador

Thelasthatyouneedtobeabletowear,andinmyopinion,oneofthemostimportantisbeingabrandambassador.

Entrepreneurscansit in theircomfortzonehidingbehindthebusiness.Theonethingthatbeinginbusinessduringthelast25yearshastaughtmeisthatbusinesses come and go. Companies reinvent themselves. Stock marketscrash.Newways tomarketyourbusinessevolve.Theone thing throughoutyour life that stays constant is you. You are the one that learns and growsfrom the failures and successes in your personal and business career. As ItouchedoninChapterOne,youarethemostimportantpartofyourbusinessandatthisstageofyourbusiness,ifthereisnoyou,thereisnobusiness.

Youneedtohavepassionandtheknowledgeforeverypartofyourbusiness.While you may not, for example, be responsible for the technology orfinancialpartofthebusiness,youareresponsibleforwhoisandyouneedtoknowtheyaredoingtheirjobtothebestoftheirability.

Takingonthisrolemeansyoumighthavetostandup infrontofaroomof40+peopleandtalkpassionatelyandinformativelyaboutyourbusiness.Canyoudothis?Beingconfidentenoughtospeakprofessionally,leadyourteamand build relationships, arewhatmakes a great brand ambassador. Itmaytaketimetobuildthesequalities.Itistimewellspent.

Lookingatall thehatsyouneedtowearasabusinessowner:howmanyofthemcanyoudelegatetoamemberofyourteam,soyoucansaveyourtimeandfocusonbringinginnewclients?

A process that works forme, day in day out, is assigning tasks as the firsttouch point in the process of speaking to a new customer, to my VirtualAssistant.WhensomeoneisinterestedinspeakingwithmeabouthowIcanhelp their business grow, I will get my VA to pre-qualify and book in a 30minute discovery call with the potential client. After I have taken this call, Iarrangeaonehourmeeting face-to-face, if I know I canhelp this individualwiththeirbusinessandattheendofthemeetingwedeterminewhetherwewillworktogether.

Managing clients and customers can be difficult, especially when you arebalancingyourtimespentwiththem,whiledoingeverythingelseyouneedto

dotokeepyourbusinessgrowing.

Herearesomewaystohelpyouprotectyourtime:

1. Keepato-dolist;

2. Alwaysmakenotesfromeachclientmeeting;

3. Setachievementgoalsforyourtimewitheachclient;

4. Holdthemeetingandmanagedistractions;

5. Remembernottooverwhelmyourclientstoomuch;and

6. Timemanageeveryclientmeeting.

Timemanagementisanintegralpartofbuildingasuccessfulbusiness.Whilesome peoplemay find it easier to focus on just one task at a time, I havecome across many people in my industry who think they can multitaskextremely well. Before we move onto Chapter Four, I want to talk aboutmultitaskingandhowitcanbeusedeffectivelyforyourtimemanagement.

TheArtofMultitasking

Surprisingly, multitasking does have its benefits. However, there is badmultitasking and goodmultitasking. For example, when driving, you shouldnotletyourmobilephonedistractyou,whilelisteningtotheradioortalkingto the passenger in a car, is deemed ok. All of these have the potential tocauseacarcrash.However,wehaveadaptedtomultitasking,whichallowsustodotwo(ormaybemore)tasksatonce.

Our brains can handlemultiple tasks and it is not dangerous to divide ourconsciousness. The risk only comes into playwhen our cognitive resourceshave too much of a demand - known as the cognitive load. This happenswhenatask is toosevereortimeconsumingandtheabilitytoperformthistaskandothersatthesametimewillsuffer.

Protectingyourtimecanbedifficult.However,withtherighttacticsyoucanensureyouarebeingefficientwithyourtime.Beingfocusedonataskwithadeadline andmultitasking is not an option. Themore focused you are, thebetterjobyouwilldoandthequickeryouwillachieveyourgoal.

Oneofthebestwaystoprotectyourtimeistostayawayfromemails.Theycan, at times, become a black holewhere you lose hours of your precioustime.Toavoidbeingsuckedin,remembernottolookatyouremailsuntilyouhave completedyour important tasks. If youare struggling todo this, set atimersoyouonlyspend,say10minutesgoingthroughemails.Anotherwayto stay time efficient is to keep a checklist of your daily tasks. Doing this,combinedwithknowingyourlimitsandnotmultitaskingimportanttasks,willhelpyoufocusonsales,whileprotectingyourtime.

Welcome to the new world of connecting with your consumers online#EveryDayPeople.

TimBerners-Lee is aBritish computer scientistwho is considered tobe theinventorof the internet,afterhewroteaproposal in1989,which ledto theintroduction of the World WideWeb or www as we know it today. On 5th

September1997,Google.comwasregisteredasadomainbyLarryPageandSergeyBrin.

InApril2000,Googlebecamethesearchenginewehaveallgrowntouseonadailybasisand in14years,Googlehasmanaged toachievemore thananyothercompanyinthehistoryoftheinternet.Thisbringsustothenextpartofyour business growth journey through the use of Google and SEO (searchengineoptimisation).

Since2007,TimBerners-LeehasbeentalkingaboutmakingthewwwawebofpeopleandnotawebofwebsitesandinSeptember2013,Googletookagiantstep forward in this same social direction by introducing Hummingbird.GoogleHummingbird judgessearchqueriesbasedoncontext,whichallowsGoogletogiveauserthefullextentofasearch.Thewholequeryistakenintoaccountandnotjustawordorphrase.

Steve Masters wrote, “The Hummingbird approach should be inspirational toanyone managing and planning content - if you aren’t already thinking likeHummingbird, youshouldbe. Inanutshell, thinkaboutwhypeopleare looking forsomething, rather than what they are looking for. A content strategy should bedesignedtoanswertheirneeds,notjustprovidethemwithfacts.”

As if this wasn’t enough for Google users, they introduced another searchalgorithm in September 2014, which prevented low quality sites and pagesfromrankingwell in thesearchengine results.ThisnewabilitydesignedbyGooglewasforcompanieswhoputtheircustomersfirst.

We were suddenly in a new era of the social web. Now, brands are beingforced to be more visual with their branding and be consistent with theircontent, specificallyusingSEO (searchengineoptimisation)andSMO(socialmedia optimisation). Doing this rewards your businesswith targeted trafficandahigherpageranking.But thismeans that to increaseyourchancesofconvertingusers tocustomers,yournewwebsiteneedsto look, feelandbeusedalittlebitdifferentlytothreeyearsago. Ifyouhaven’tdonesoalreadynowisthetimetoupdateyourwebsitetoreflecttheseexcitingchanges.

A clean, simple, fast and effective onsite experience often called a user-journeycanbebrokendownintotwoimportantfactors.

Firstly,theUX(UserExperience),whichisabouthowtheuserfeelswhentheyexploremany different approaches to solving a specific user problem. Thebroadresponsibilityof theUX is toensuretheuser flows logically fromonesteptothenext.OnewayaUXmightdothisisbyconductingin-personusertests to observe behaviour. By identifying content and visual stumblingblocks,youcanrefineyoursearchtocreatethebestuserexperience.

Secondly,unlikeUX,which isconcernedwiththeoverall feelof theproduct,theUI(UserInterface)isallabouthowtheproductislaidout.ItisthedesignofeachscreenorpagethatauserinteractswithanditensuresthattheUIisvisuallycommunicatingthepathaUXhaslaidout.

Tohelp youget abetterunderstandingof this, ask yourself this.Whatdo Iwant a user to do? Also, how do you want to communicate with them, bycapturing their name or email or by getting them to buy your product orservice?Ifyou’restillnotclear,takealookatwhatyourcompetitorsaredoingand go through the step-by-step process yourself. If you are finding thisdifficult,sowillyouruser.

IhavegivenyouabriefoverviewofwhatGooglehasgivenusintermsofSEOforbusiness.Nowwe can look further into SEOand reallydefinewhat it isandhowimportantitisforyourbusiness.SEOistheuseofasearchenginetoaffect the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s searchresults,whetherthisbenaturalorpaid.

SEOOnsite

Searchengineoptimisation isallaboutmakingsureyouronlinepresence isvisible to thosewho aremost likely going to need your product or service.Understanding your business, target market and product/service is thefoundation for marketing your business through online content usingkeywords.SEOcanbebrokendownintotwotypes:OnsiteandOffsite.Onsiteis defined as being optimisation within your website and includes; domainname,metadescription,webcontent, internal links, title tagsandkeywords,richmediafiles,permalinks,outboundlinks,bouncerateandloadingspeed.

ThislistcanbeveryconfusingandIliketosimplifyitforyou,soyoucanfocuson the most crucial parts when constructing your website, using Google’slatest algorithm. The most important aspects of SEO are your competitor

analysis,keywordresearch,applyingkeywordsandsitespeed.

TomakesureyouarebuildingtherightSEOstrategyforyourbusiness,youneedtoeitherhiresomeonetohelpyoudothis,orlearnfromanexpertanddoityourself.ThebesttoolforyourSEOresearcharoundyourbusinessandtargetcustomerisGoogleAdwords:KeywordPlanner.ThisGoogletoolallowsuserstobuildadocumentbasedonkeywordsaroundtheirbusinessandseebasedonmonthlysearches,how influential thosekeywordswillbe foryourbusiness.

To give you an example; one of my clients is a swimwear and clothingcompany, with different types of products, including; swimwear, lingerie,nightwearandactivewear.Togetherwecreatedanexceldocumentwithonetab labelled target customers and a further four tabs for each differentproductrange.

Weput inkeywords foreachproductandkeywords todescribe thespecifictargetmarket.

Youcandothesameforyourbusinesssoit isaccuratelydescribedthroughkeywordsandsoyoucanmoveontoplanyourwebsitepagemap(theuserjourneyyouwanttosendyourcustomersonwhentheycometoyourwebsitehome page). You want to be looking for keywords, which have lowcompetitionwithhighmonthlysearch.

As soon as you have created an excel document for your businesswith atleast50keywords foreachtab,youcanapply thedata toyourwebsiteandtell your own website story. If you are new to SEO and don’t know whatinformationyoushouldbeputtingwhereonabasiclevel,keepreading.

As a business, youwant to be at the top of theGoogle search engine as aresultofusingtherightkeywords.Thehigheryouareonthesearch,themorelikelyyouaretomakesales.Tocontinuetellingthestory,youneedtomakesure every page on your website is optimised, from a search engineperspective;otherwiseyourwebsitewilllosepotentialsales.

SEOOffsite

OffsiteSEOislinkbuilding.Searchengineswillquantifyawebsite’sinfluenceonlinebasedonwhatotheronlinesourcessayaboutthesite,whichiswherelinkbuildingcomesin.Alongwithlinkbuilding,therearethreeotherpartstooffsiteSEOyouneedtoimplement.

LinkBuilding

Alinkbuilding’scampaignobjectiveshouldbetohaveinboundlinkstoyourwebsite from high quality and popular sources. Having quality links withregularlyupdatedcontentare twosure fireways to rankhigh in thesearchenginesanddrivemoretraffictoyourwebsite.

CompetitorAnalysis

Thereisnoonebettertolearnfromthanyourcompetitors.Analysingthewayyourcompetitorsaredoing theirSEOwillhelpyou learnagreatdealaboutyourownbusiness,whetherthisisthroughsuccessorfailures.Doingthiswillhelpyouachieve therightoutcomewhendevelopingyouronlinemarketingstrategy. Looking at everything from their site architecture, keywords andinbound links will give you the knowledge you need to improve your owninfrastructure.

WebsiteCode

Coding constructs a website and this an important factor you need toconsiderwhendoingyourSEO.Thebetterthelayoutofthewebsiteandtheeasierthecodeistoread,thehigherGooglewillrankyouintheirsearch.

Analytics

Youmustmonitortheperformanceofyourwebsite.Withoutdoingthis,youwon’tbeabletoseehowmuchtrafficyouaregetting,salesyouarereceivingand many other important analytical factors. Running a regular analyticalperformancereportwillprovideyouwiththedatayouneedandIwillgiveyouatooltodothisinthenextchapter.

Onsite and offsite SEO are very important steps in building a socially-savvybusiness, because without the correct SEO data on your website and linkbuildinginplace,Googleespecially,won’trankyourbusinesshigherthanyourcompetitors.

GoogleKeywordResearchforSEOandSMO

Toreallyunderstandyourbusinessandyourtargetaudience,youfirstneedto know what keywords and phrases they are using when they search forproductsandservicessimilartoyours.

Hereisastep-by-stepguidetosetupyoursocially-savvybusiness,whichwillprepareyouforcontentmarketing.

1. Keywordspreadsheet(downloadfromthinkdigitalfirst.today)

2.Sign up for Google Keyword Planner, to select keywords for your PPCcampaign (ifyou’renewto thisyoumust fill inyourdetails toaccess thisfreetool)

3. Clickontoolsandthenkeywordplanner

4.Itwillaskyou‘whatwouldyouliketodo;click‘searchfornewkeywordandadgroupideas’

5.

Youaregivena fewoptions. I recommendtaking theurlofacompetitorandplacingitintothe‘yourlandingpage’boxandclick‘getideas’.Thiswillgive you a comprehensive list of keywords and phrases used on theirwebsiteandusedbyanindividualtosearchfortheproduct/service.Thisisagreat startingpoint,whereyoucan take thekeywords relevant toyourbusinessandplacetheminthekeywordspreadsheet.

a. Startwiththewordchosen

b. Thentheadgroup

c.Take threewords thatappear in theadgroup (alwaysmakingsureyouareonlytakingtherelevantkeywordsandphrases)

6. ContinuetopopulatetheKeywordspreadsheetusingdifferenttabsfor:

a. thebusiness-overviewofwhatthebusinessdoes

b. thetargetcustomer-listalltheattributesofatargetcustomer

c. yourspecificproductsorservices

7.Remember to add the amount of monthly searches along with howpopularthatkeywordis.

Youshouldnowhaveanexcelspreadsheetwhichisfullofkeywordsthatareallrelevanttoyourbusiness.Hereisanexampleforanichemarketswimwearbrand.

SEORESEARCH

Phrases Keywords1 Keyword2 Keyword3

CabinetMaking Kitchencabinets CabinetDesign kitchencabinetdesigns

CabinetMakers CabinetMaker BespokeCabinetMaker LondonCabinetMaker

KitchenCabinetMakers

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Thenextstep is to take this informationanddefine themetadataandpagecopyforeachwordandeverypageofyourwebsite,includingyour‘About’and‘ContactUs’pages.

To make sure you are staying page specific, you must decide which fourkeywords you want to stay consistent with for Google (metadata) and theconsumer(on-pagecopy).

Hereisanexample(downloadfromthinkdigitalfirst.today)

JACKETSANDCOATS

Focusphrase

CasualJacketsforWomen,PufferJacketsandWomen’sParkas

AltImgText

CasualJacketsforWomen,PufferJacketsandWomen’sParkas

SEOTitleJackets&CoatsIShopCasualJacketsforWomenandWomen’sParkasIBRAND.CO.UK

Metadescription

Shoprelaxedwomen’sparkas,pufferjacketsandcasualjacketsforwomenfromourselectionofFrenchandItalianlabelsatBRAND.CO.UKIFreeDeliverytoUK&Europe

LandingPageCopy

Fromtheultimatenavyblazertoarelaxedwomen’sparka,you’resuretofindtheperfectcover-upfromourselectionofwomen’sjacketsandcoats.Choosefromultra-sophisticatedcutsbyExtenzoandCaraLottioroptforPiomini’scasualjacketsforwomen.

Onceyou’vecompletedtheall-importantpagesofyourwebsiteinthisformat,youneedtogoandapply it totherestofyourwebsite.RemembertogotoGoogleWebmasterandinformGoogleyou’vemadechangestoyourwebsite,soitcancrawlandindexallyournewkeywords.

InChapter Six, Iwill sharewith youhow to take these keywords and applythem to your content marketing strategy and integrate it into your digitalcommunication,stayingbrandandkeywordconsistent.

SocialNetworks

Only a decade ago, social media was no more than a budding trend,introducedbyMySpace,BeboandFriendster.From2005,Facebookchangedthegame.TwitterandLinked In increased thealready impressive FacebookuserdatabaseandGoogle+,Instagram,YouTubeandPinterestsoonfollowed,plussomeotherbrilliantnewkidsontheblock,including:Vine,SnapChat,ElloandPlague. The future forbrands is aboutunderstanding:why should I beusingthesenetworks?andhowtoengageaseachnetworkhasitsownUSP;andwhattosayaboutyourbrandandindustry.

As someone who has spent 10,000s of hours of my career connecting onsocialnetworks forpersonalandbusiness, I cansaybeing focusedonSMO(socialmediaoptimisation) that complimentsmySEO,has changed thewayI’veconnectedwithpeopleonlineandinareallygoodway,likenothingelseinthehistoryofmarketing.

Foryoutoreallyunderstandhowyoucanbenefitfromallofthesocialmediaplatforms mentioned so far, right across free and paid advertising, I havehighlighted the important things you need to know to apply a marketingbudgettoyourcampaigns.

Facebookischanging.Itisnotthenetworkitusedtobe.Thisisthefirstthingyouneedtorealise.SimplyhavingaFacebookpageorgroupandexpectingpeopletofindyou;isnotenough.

Just likeGoogle, it hasauniquealgorithm that knowshowoften youuse itandwhetheryouarestayingcontentconsistentandengagingyouraudiencewithyourbrandmessageonadailybasis.It’scallEdgeRankandwhenyoudoarelevantstatusupdate,itknowsifyouraudiencehasliked,commentedandsharedyourpost.Itranksyourpageaccordingly.YouwillnoticeafewwordsIwillkeeprepeating throughout thisbookand twoof theseare relevantandconsistent.

Sharing updates, uploading pictures, asking friends and family to like yourpagealongwithpostingonotherpagesandconnectingwithusersareallfreewaystouseFacebookforyourbusiness.InChapterSix,I’llbesharingwithyouastrategytohelpgrowyouraudienceusingafreeandpaidapproach.

According to Facebook:Most online advertising reaches only 27% of its intendedaudience.Facebook’saverageis91%.Yourbusinessgetsmorevaluefromeveryad.

According to an AdRoll (paid content distribution platform) analysis of adimpressions throughFacebookads in thenewsfeedachieve49-timeshigherclick-throughratesanda54%lowerCPC(infull)thantraditionalplacementsin the right-rail sidebar. To reachyour customerson socialmedia,promoteyourbusinessrightinthemiddleofthesocialsphere,thereisnobetterplacethanthenewsfeed.Thisiswhere40%ofFacebookusersspendtheirtime.

It can be hard to make sure your business is showing up in your fan’snewsfeeds, so here are three ways you can help improve your Facebook

newsfeedexposure.

1.Calculateyourreach

You can easily calculate your Facebook Ad reach by visiting your Facebookinsights.Lookatyourreachduringthelast30daysanddividethatbyyourfancountandthisisyourexpectedexposure.

2.AlwaysPostPhotos

Photosdriveupto20timesmoreinteractionthanapostwithonlytextoralink. Photos are the most engaging type of content and are most likely toreachahigheraudiencethananyothercontent.

3.Driverevenue

Ifyouwanttodriverevenuerunacompetition,whichwillallowyoutogrowyourfanbasewhileconvertingcustomers.Competitionsaregreatforvisibilityandeventhoughyouhavetogiveawaytheprize,therevenueyoucandrivefromdoingthis,ismuchmoreworthwhile.

Twitter is my personal favourite and best customer convertor for leadgenerationandsales.

Withanaverageof5,700tweetsbeingsenteverysecond:howdoyoustand-outfromthecrowdandgetyourvoiceheard?

Thefirstwaytodothis,freeofchargeisthroughtheuseofhashtags.Usingthe# before aword or phrase (with no spaces)makes it into a searchablekeyword. The tweets with a hashtag are two times more likely to getengagementbecausepeopleknowhowtolistenintowhattheyareinterestedin.

ThesecondwaytouseTwitterasabusinessforfreeistouseTwitterLists.AlistisagroupofTwitterusers,whichyouoranotheruserhascreated.Viewingalistwillshowyouastreamoftweetsfromonlytheusersonthatlist.These

canbepublicorprivate.

In 2010, Twitter started a new trend in the native social media-advertisingworldwhentheyintroducedpromotedtweetstousers.Promotedtweetsarethosewhichadvertisershavepurchasedtoreachawidergroupofusersandto encourage engagement. You can tell the difference between promotedtweetsbecauseit isclearlylabelledasPromoted.Tohelpyouusepromotedtweets,herearefivewaystohelpyoubuildyourexposurethroughTwitter’snativeadvertising.

1.PromoteGreatContent

Your content needs to be engaging and interesting. Tweeting informationalandinspirationalpostsisagreatwaytodriveengagement.Evenwhenyoudopromoteatweet,thisisn’ttheendofyourmarketingonTwitter.Youneedtofollowitupbybeingconsistentwithyourtweets,makingsureyourcontentissharable.

2.Events

Whenyourunapromoted tweet, talkaboutaneventyouare running.Thiswillmakeyouradtime-basedandexciting,makinguserstakeaction.

3.OwnHashtags

Twitteradvertisingisagreatwaytointroduceahashtagyouareusingaroundyour business or an event you are running. The tweet you are promotingmustincludekeywordsorphrasesthatarerelevanttoyourbusiness.

4.Geotargetting

Regardless of whether your business is operating in one specific area, youneed to target an area where your demographic lives. Remember not towastemoneyonpeoplewhowon’tbuyyourproductorservice.

5.EncourageAction

Offeryourreadersimmediatevalueiftheyclickonyourpromotedtweet.Youneed to tell your readershowyoucanhelp them, rather than talkingabouthowgreat youare.Make theaction youwant them to take clear and time-based.

Using Twitter’s promoted tweets will allow you to grow your audience andgenerateleads.Youcancheckyourcampaignsregularlysoyouareawareofwhatisworkingandwhatisn’t.A/B(splittestyourads)testingandmeasuring

your results will give you the knowledge you need to either change youradvertisement,orcarryonwithit.

LinkedInisthelargestB2Bsocialnetworkandboostsmorethan300millionusers.TherearemanywaysyoucanuseLinkedIntomarketyourselfandyourbusiness.

Thefirstthingyoumustdoiscompleteyourprofileupto100%,byfillinginallofyourprofileandgettingrecommendations.Aquicktipforyoutobeseenonthefirstpageinthesearch,youmustplacetwokeywords,whichreflectswhoyouareandwhatyoudo,infiveseparateplacesonyourLinkedInprofile,aslistedbelow.

1. Professionalheadline

2. Summary

3. Skills

4. Currentjob

5. Pastjob

By doing this, you are visible to LinkedIn’s algorithm, you need to set up abusinessprofileandaskallofyourstaff,stakeholders,Boardmembersetc.toaddtheirroletotheirprofile.Startagroupandgettinginvolvedingroupsisagreatwaytoconnectwithlike-mindedpeopleandreachyourtargetaudience.

Sponsored updates allow you to raise awareness for your business andgenerate quality leads. Publishing content on LinkedIn is a great way toconnect to business professionals who are already in your network. Withsponsoredupdates, you can reach an even larger audience acrossmultiplechannels,includingmobile.

Another way you can use LinkedIn’s marketing solutions is by using their

contentadvertisementtool.ThisisverysimilartoFacebookadsandwillgiveyou the platform to distribute content in multiple formats. In September2014,LinkedInintroducedanewmarketingtoolcalledlong-formposting.Thisallowsyoutoshareyour latestblogsandarticleswithyouraudience. IhaveseenamazingresultsusingLinkedIn’slong-formpostingandknowfirst-handhowgreatitcanbetoincreaseexposureanddriveengagement.

Pinterest is the fastest growing social network in history and is one of themostexcitingplatformsinthesocialsphere.Visualcontentis40%morelikelytoencourageacustomertobuyaproduct.Pinteresthasdefinitelynailedthis.

LookingatPinterest,theorganicgrowthofthenetworkisextremelyvaluable,especially ifyour targetmarket is female.Pinterestboasts80%womenwhoarepositivelyengagedwithbrandsonthesite.Thisgivesbusinesseswiththattargetaudienceagreatopportunitytoreachconsumersinonecentralplace.

However, Pinterest ismore than a social network for SMO, it is also reallyuseful from a SEO perspective, because Google and Pinterest have a greatrelationship.Whensomeonesearches inGoogle fora ‘whiteweddingdress’andclickontheimagestab,GooglewillbringimagesfromPinterestthathavethose specific keywords in the title and present them on the front page ofGoogle.Onceagainfreetraffictoyourbrand.

TocomplementtheimportanceofkeywordsandyourSMO,earlierthisyear,Pinterestannouncedithadintroducedpromotedpins.ThisworksinthesamewayasLinkedIn’spromotedpostsandTwitter’spromotedtweets.While it istoo early to see whether Pinterest’s promoted pins drive more sales for abusiness, it is safe to say that thenetwork is evolving every day and inmyopinion,opportunitiestogrowabusinessonPinterestareendless.

Instagram was launched on October 6th, 2010 and is one of the mostinnovative social networks, because sharing a photo or video using ofhashtagsresultsinbetterexposurethananyothersocialnetworkmentioned.

Bytheendof2011,Instagramhadhittheonemillionmark,seeingthelikesofStarbucksandMarc Jacobs leadingtheway forbusinesses. Itnowclaims60millionphotosarebeingsharedonadailybasis.

On Instagram your brand’s story will be surrounded by other beautifulcontent inacreativeand inspiringenvironment.Oneof theuniquefeaturesabout Instagram, is that you can tell your story about the image by simplyusinghashtags.Peoplesearchbyhashtags,sothemorerelevantyouarewithyour hashtags about the image and the brand, the easier it makes it forpeoplefindyou.

Becauseit’samobileonlynetwork,youcan’tuseyourdesktoptosavephotosandsharelater.Orcanyou?InChapterFive,Iwillsharewithyouatoolthatallows you to do that and in Chapter Six I talk about an Image Contentstrategy.

HerearefivequickwaystogetyoustartedonInstagram.

1.Shareavarietyofcontent

Justbecauseyouwanttoincreasesales,itdoesn’tmeaneveryposthastobeaboutthis.Yourcommunitywantrelevantinformationfromyouthatisn’tjustsalesfocused.

2.Timingisimportant

Regardless of how many users are on Instagram, timing is still important.Therearepopulartimeswhenusersaremoreengagedwiththeircommunity.Studieshaveshownthatpostingapicturebetween9amand9pmBSTisgoingtogiveyouthebestresults.

3.Hashtagsarecrucial

HashtagshaveahugeimpactonhowsuccessfulyourInstagrampostis.Also,Instagram is a search tool andhashtags compliment thisperfectly.Connectwithunconnectedusersbyincludingrelevanthashtagsinyourposts.

4.Videofunctionality

Instagram allows users to post photos and videos. Using a video to shareinformationaboutyourbusinessallowsuserstoconnectwithyouonamorepersonallevel.

5.Filtersarekey

Using a filter on one of your Instagram photos is a great way to give yourimageamoreprofessionalandedgyfeel,aswellasincreasingthenumberoflikes youwill receive. The top threemost effective filters areNormal orNoFilter,MayfairandInkwell.

Justlikealltheothersocialnetworksyoucanalsosponsorimagesandvideostoyourtargetaudience.

Here’swhatInstagramsay:EveryoneonInstagramwillseeadsfromtimetotimewhetherornotthey’reFacebookusers,andbasicinformationfromFacebookhelpscreateamorerelevantexperience.Providingfeedback ifyouseeanadyoudon’t find interestingwillalsohelpusshowyoumoreengagingadsovertime.

Applying a natural and paid strategy to your campaign will increase yourbrandawarenessandconversion.

YouTubehasfourbillionviewsperdayandyouwon’tfindthesestatsonanyother network. Brought by Google in 2006, YouTube is the second largestsearch engine in the world and holds more video content than any otherwebsiteintheuniverse.AsI’vepreviouslymentioned,optimisingyourcontent(SMO)inYouTubewillalsodrivenaturaltrafficfromGoogle(SEO).

YouTube is free and the basics still apply. Set up a strong and brandconsistentpage fromavisualandcontentperspective, sowhenyouupload

photos, add descriptions, keywords and categories based on your industrysector,itwillbesearchabletotheuser.Ifyouwanttoadvertise,thisiswhereitgetsinteresting.

YouTubeadsaresetupthroughGoogle’sadvertisinghub.However,itworksslightly differently. When you set up YouTube ads, you only pay whensomeonechosestowatchyourad.Thiscanbealotmorevaluablethanaclickthroughifyouareusingtherightcontentinyourvideo.

Hereare10tipstohelpyouuseYouTubeforyourbusiness.

1. Keepintroducingnewcontent

2. Includecallstoaction

3. Customiseyourchannel

4. Speaktoyourviewersthroughcomments

5. Testyourtitles

6. Chosetherightcategoryandtags

7. Considercollaborating

8. Usesubtitles

9. Writeanengagingdescription

10. Shareyourvideosonothersocialnetworksaswell.

Google+

Google+ has been quoted as the 2nd biggest social network. It’s one that’seasily forgotten but often for the wrong reasons. Offering images, videos,content,communitiesandmuchmore,itstandssidebysidewithsomeofthelongerrunningnetworks,whichofferthesametypeoffeatures.

Asasmallbusiness,whatdoyouwanttogetfromusingGoogle+?

Inmyopinion, youneed to include it in youroverallmarketingmix, fromabranding and SMO and SEO perspective. Yes, it’s possible to build acommunity if youalreadyhavea large clientbaseanddatabase,whichuse

Google+.

ThenewlynamedGoogleBusinessoffersbusinessownersasuiteoftoolstohelpbuildthepresenceofyouronlinebrand,fromplaces,toevents,photostovideo, livestreamingviahangouts. InChapterSix, Iwillsharewithyouastrategy,whichgotmeonthefrontpageofGoogleusingmyGoogle+accountbasedontargetkeywords.

Whatever social network you decide is right for your personality, yourbusinessorwhereyourtargetaudiencehangout,alwaysmakesureyouputyourbest foot forwardandThink#DigitalFirst.Give theuseranexperiencetheywill fall in lovewith,overandoveragainandremember toalwaysaddyoursocialiconsinyourvariousonlineprofiles,includingyourwebsite.Also,haveyour socialmedia linksonyourprinted literature frombusiness cardsandleafletstobannersatallpubliceventsandtradeshows.

DigitalMarketing

PostinganupdateonFacebook,sendingatweetonTwitter,uploadingapinonPinterest,sendingoutaGoogle+orLinkedInupdateandsharingaphotoon Instagramare organicways to drive socialmedia traffic. Socialmedia isjust one ofmany ways to drive organic traffic. To reallymake themost ofgeneratingtrafficonline,youneedtoconsiderdigitalmarketingasawhole.

Digitalmarketingisthemarketingofproductsorservicesusinganumberofdifferent digital channels to reach new and current consumers. The mainobjectiveofdigitalmarketingistopromoteyourbusinessthroughyourdigitalmedia.

Digital marketing is more than what you see online. It extends to offlinechannels, including: SMS andMMS. It requires a whole new approach andunderstandingofcustomerbehaviour.YouneedtoanalysethevalueofeveryactionfromatweetandFacebookliketomobileactivity.

Diggingdeeper intodigitalmarketing,herearea fewways tocontinueyourtwo-wayonlineengagementbyrunningcompetitions,doingemailmarketing,blogging and utilising the power of bloggers through influencer marketingand connecting with your target audience in forums and communities.Runningawebinarisagreatwaytoaddvaluetoyouraudienceandenablesyoutosharethevalueofyourbusinesstoa largegroupofpeoplefromthecomfortofyourofficeorhome(asIdoonamonthlybasis).

Competitions

Torunacompetitiononanysocialmedianetwork,youfirstneedtochooseathird party application, which has been verified, especially on Facebook.Running a competition using the online stream without a third partyapplicationbreaksFacebook’srulesandtheywillcloseyourpagedownovernight.Iwillshareagreattoolforyoutouseinthenextchapter.Youneedtothinkaboutwhatyouareofferingandwhatyouwantinreturn.Areyougoingto give a product away for free and in return ask for a name and emailaddress?Attractive images,videosanddescriptionswillneedtobe includedsoyoucandrawyourtargetmarketin.

EmailMarketingIf you decide to run a competition and ask for a name and email address,your end goal for this should be to use it as part of your emailmarketingstrategy. Lead generation is one of the best ways to build your emaildatabase.However,youshouldneverbuy listsunless theyhavebeen100%qualified.Deliveringhighlyrelevantcontent isastrategicgoal,which67%ofmarketerssaytheirbusinesswantstoachievethroughemailmarketing.

Herearefivethingstoconsiderforyouremailmarketing.

1. Makeemailmarketingpartofyourcustomeracquisitionjourney

2. Usemobileoptimisation

3. Usepersonalisedtemplates

4. Giveawaygreatcontentandvalue

5. Knowwhatyouaregoingtoshare

BloggingSomesmallbusinessesdon’thavethebudgetneededtorunadvertisementsandoneoftheonlywaystheycandigitalmarkettheirbusinessisbyblogging.ThereissomedebateastowhetherbloggingisstillasimportantasitusedtobeandIcansayforcertain,itis.

I write two blogs onmyWarren Knightwebsite everyweek and the first ispostedonTuesday(#TechTuesday),thesecondonaFridayaspermyonlinemarketingstrategy.Ithasbeenoneofthebestwaystovalidatemyselfasaninfluencerinmyindustry.Ifyoustruggletowriteorcan’tthinkofatitledon’tworry, I amgoing to sharewith youa tool tohelp youwith this inChapter

Five.

MarketinghasevolvedintoaP2P(persontoperson)relationshipsratherthantheusualB2C(businesstocustomer)orB2B(businesstobusiness).Thelatestcraze coming from the digital world is Bloggers Outreach. Publishing yourmessageouttopeopleisnolongerenough.Youneedtomakeaconnectionwithconsumersandtellthemaboutyourself.

Bloggerstypicallyhaveanadvantagewhenitcomestospreadingamessageonline because they have direct access to your target audience and caninfluencesalesthroughwordofmouth.

Research from BlogHer showed that 81% of the online population trustsinformation and advice they get from bloggers and 61% have made apurchasebasedonablogger’srecommendation.

Therearemanywaystogetbloggerstalkingaboutyourbrands,productsorservicesandherearefivethingstohelpyou.

1.Do your research; know who the blogger is before you ask them towriteaboutyourbusiness.

2.Dotellthetruth;behonestinyouropeningemailtoabloggerandtellthemexactlywhoyouareandwhatyouarelookingtodo.Credibilitygoesalongwayonline.

3.Doberespectful;neverappearrudeorhostilebecausethiswillonlyinfluencethebloggertotalkaboutyouinanegativewayonline.

4.Dosendagift;athankyouforwritingaboutmybusinessgoesalongwayanditwillhelpyoubuildarelationshipwiththatblogger.

5. Dobeunique;createuniqueandqualitycontentthatwillbeengaging.

ContentMarketing

Content marketing is creating and distributing valuable content acrossmultiple channels using keywords to talk about the brand, product, serviceandtargetcustomer.Didyouknowthat61%ofconsumersprefercompanieswithcustomonlinecontent?

•Articles

WritingarticlesandbloggingshouldbeakeypartofyourContentMarketingStrategy.Writingblogsaboutyourbusinessandrelevant industrycontent isonewaytodrivetraffictoyourwebsitethroughcontentmarketing.

•Infographics

Aninfographicisavisualrepresentationofinformationaboutacertaintopic.Therearemanygreattoolstohelpyoucreateaninfographicfreeofcharge,which Iwill share in thenextchapter.Makesure thecontentyou include inyour infographic is sharable and visually stimulating. The better the layoutandthecolours,themoreitwillcatchpeoples’attention.

•Whitepapers

Awhitepaper is a report or guide written by an authoritative figure, whichhelpsusersunderstandatopicorsolveanissue.WritingawhitepaperaspartofyourContentMarketingStrategyisagreatwaytoboostyouronlineprofileasathoughtleaderinyourindustry.

•Guestblogging

Iamaguestbloggerfortwohighlyinfluentialplatforms;SocialMediaTodayandBusiness2Community.Theybothsit inmyindustrysectorandallowmeto post worthy content to drive social media activity and build my onlineprofile.

•Repurposingcontent

All theseways to contentmarket don’t need to beused just once. You canrepurposeyourcontent.Creatinganinfographiconcewillallowyoutoshareviaallyoursocialchannels,emailmarketingandevenonyourblog.Onepieceofcontentcanflowouttomultiplesources.

Onceyouhaveyourcontentreadytomarket,youneedtoamplifyit.ChapterFive is about tools to help your business grow and when it comes toamplification,therearesomegreattoolsyoucanusetohelpyousavetime.

PaidAdvertisement

Ifyoudecidethatyouwanttospendmoneyonnativeadvertising,youcandoso through PPC which means you will pay for every designated click youreceivetoyourwebsite.

Google

The holy grail of advertising comes from the largest search engine in the

world, Google. Introduced inOctober 2000, Google advertising has allowedbusinesses to improve their search engine ranking for a small fee via PPCadvertising. Google Adwords generated £10.33 billion in revenue in Q4 of2013,whichshowsthatbusinessesareseeingthebenefitsfromusingGoogleas an advertising platform. Expect to pay on average £1.53 per click for anadvertisement(thismayvarydependingonyourniche).

ThisiswhyyoushouldbeusingGoogleAdwordsforyourbusiness.

1.MeasurableandFlexible

OnlinemarketingandspecificallyGoogleAdvertisingisveryeasytomeasure.Thanks to Google’s other great tools, including Google Analytics you canmeasurehowyourwebsiteisperformingandalsoithasitsownPPCmetricswhichwillgiveyoualltheinformationyouneed.

2.FasterthanSEO

One of the biggest problemswith search engine optimisation is that it cantake months before you see any drastic results. With the use of GoogleAdWords,youwillgetinstantresultsassoonasyousetyourcampaignlive.

3.Engaging

Google have introduced new advertising formats, which give users amoreengagingexperiencebyusingimageandin-videoadvertisement.

4.Fullcontroloveradvertisingcosts

ThesameasonFacebook,yousetamaximumcostperclickforeachdayofyouradvertisingcampaigns. Ifyouonlyhave£100tospend,Googlewillnotgooverthisallowanceandwillgiveyouthedatayouneedtodecidewhetheryouradvertisementisdrivingtherightamountoftraffic.

5.Gettheupperhandonyourcompetitors

Using AdWords gives you an advantage over your competitors because ofhow quickly it works. According toMoz 80% of search results now containAdWordsadplacements.

6.ReMarketingadverts

ReMarketingisshowingadstouserswhohavepreviouslyvisitedyourwebsiteas theyarebrowsingyourweb.Doing this isoneof thebestways to reachyourtargetmarket,morethanonce.

Bing

Googleisn’ttheonlysearchengine.Microsoft’sBingcontrolsmorethan25%of theworld’ssearchengines,mainlybecausecountriessuchasChinahavebanned the use of Google. Youmight decide youwant to focusmore timeoptimisingyoursiteforBingandthegoodnewsisthatitsalgorithmissimilarto Google’s in many ways. These have a large number of high-qualitybacklinks and also, they optimise urls and domain names for keywords.However,therearesomethingsyouneedtoconsiderwhenoptimisingyourwebsiteforBing.

Bing favours older websites withmore official domain names, for example.eduor .gov.Bingalsoknowshowto index flashmedia (unlikeGoogle)andBinghasastrongerattachmenttoshowingsmallbusinessresultsratherthanbiggerbusinesses.GoogleandYouTubearethetwobiggestsearchenginesinthe world and in my opinion Bing’s popularity isn’t substantial enough tofocusalotoftimeandefforton.

AdvertisingonAmazon

Amazonisthelargestsellingproductserviceinhistoryandhasnowmadeiteasier for businesses to get better exposure through their productadvertisementtool.

AllyouneedtodoisuploadyourproductsusingAmazon’suser-friendlytool,decide on a budget and set your product live. Your advertisement will betargeted at shoppers searching for related items on the Amazon website.Your adwill be seen in detailed pages, search results and the buy box. Assoonasapotentialcustomerclicksonyouradvertisement,theywillbetakentotheproductpageonyourwebsite.

Amazonwill only charge youwhen a shopper clicks on your advertisementandreachesyourwebsite.ThisisknownasCPC(costperclick).Theamountyoupayisbasedonyourinitialbid.Asthecustomerendsuponyourwebsitetopurchase yourproduct, youare in complete controlof thebrandinganduser purchasing experience. This is a great way to capture leads whileincreasingsales.

PublicRelations

PublicRelations(PR)isthemanagementofinformationbeingsharedbetweenapersonandanorganisationasawaytoboosttheprofileofanindividualorbusiness.Ifyouarelookingtolaunchyourbusinessandwantextraexposureforyourproductorservice, thebestway to reach thosewhoare influential

andmightwriteaboutyourbusinessisthroughPR.Ifyoudon’tknowhowtowriteapressrelease,herearesomepointerstohelpyou.

• KeeptheheadlineofthePressReleaserelevant,clearandtothepoint.

• Usethekeywordswithinyourbusinesstohelpyouwiththis.

•Usea larger font foryourheadlinebecause it is thefirst thingpeopleread.

•Capturethefeelofthepressreleaseinthefirstsentenceofyourmainbodytext.

• Havethedateandthecityyourcompanyisbasedin,inthebodytext.

•Keep it simple to read and easy to understand. Avoid using longsentencesaswellasfancylanguage.

•Sumupthepressreleaseinthefirstparagraphandtherestofthetextshouldelaborateonthis.

•UsethefiveWs(Who,What,When,WhereandWhy)towriteyourpressrelease.MakesureyouhaveinformationoneachWinyourdocument.

• Provideinformationlinkstosupportyourpressrelease.

•Includeinformationaboutyourcompanyandcontactdetailsattheendofthepressrelease,forthepeoplewhowanttofindoutmore.

IfyouknowfromChapterThreethatwritingisn’tastrengthofyoursandyourtimeisbetterspentelsewhere,youcanhiresomeonetodothisforyou.

AffiliateMarketing

Affiliatemarketingis,inessenceasalesstrategy.Anindividualwillsharelinksto your products and receive a commission when they get a sale. This isotherwise known as Performance Marketing. The 2010 IAB InternetAdvertising Revenue Report (www.iab.net/adrevenuereport) showed thataffiliate advertising accounted for 62% of Internet ad revenues. This haschangedbecauseoftheincreaseinbusinessesusingsocialmediaadvertising.However,AffiliateMarketingshouldnotbeignored.

To make your Affiliate Marketing a success, you need to be able tocommunicate.Thisneedstoberegular,especiallywithkeyaffiliatesandclear,concise and straight to the point. This process teamedwith planning, clearcommercials, great product feeds and banners along with incentives andpromotionsarewhatwillmakeyourAffiliateMarketingasuccess.

Tohaveatotallysocially-savvybusiness,whereyouhavethoughtabouteverysalesandmarketingopportunity,utilisingeverythingIhavementionedinthischapter, takes time. It takes weeks of preparation, implementation andanalysing the results to make sure you are always increasing your brandawareness, lead generation andultimately sales. Takebaby steps and eachday focus on achieving a small goal, which always moves the businessforward.

EnteringAwardsAgreatwaytomarketyourbusiness,buildyourprofile inyour industry,getaccreditations and have something to talk about via a press release andacrosssocialmediaistoenterlocal,industryandbusinessawards.

Inoneofmystart-uptechnologycompanieswewonmanyawardsandalsowere highly recommended in others and this quickly built a name for ourbusiness in our industry, simply by focusing on writing a great story andspendingafewhundredpoundsonenteringtheawards.

I have had the pleasure of being a judge at various digital marketing andtechnology awards and because of this, I wanted to share with you, a fewhelpful tips. There are some very simple questions that need answering,however, the answers are not as easy as they seem. Firstly, which awardsshouldyouenter?

Never wait until an organisation approaches you to enter their awardsprocedure.Createaplan,knowwhichawardsyouaregoingtoenterbeforethey accept entrants and be prepared for the difficult questions. Here aresomethingstoaskyourselfbeforeentering:

1.Howmuch of yourmarketing budget have you allocated to enteringawards?

2. Whatdoyouwanttheawardtosayaboutyourbusiness?

3. Areyoufocusingonlocal(regional),nationalorinternationalawards?

4. Whenareyougoingtobereadytotellyourstory?

5. BereadytoPRandMarketonceyouhavewon.

Itsoundsgreattoentereverysingleawardinyourindustryinthehopethatyou get shortlisted for at least half, but think about the cost. Entries areusuallypricedbetween£50 -£750and thatdoesn’t include thenightof theawards,whichwillmostlikelycostbetween£99-£500forjustoneseat.

To be fully prepared to enter an award, have a planning session with thepeoplearoundyou.Knowyourstory,buildupafileofcasestudiesandhaveshortbutintelligentanswerstopotentialquestions.Winninganawardisnoteasyanditusuallydependsonhowwellyouhavepresentedyourbusinessinawrittenorverbalpresentation.

About20%ofawardsarenotjustbasedonawrittenentry.ThereisusuallyasecondstagewhichisapresentationofsomeformtoapanelofjudgeswithaQandA.Thisisalotmorechallengingthanawrittenentry,somakesureyouknowwhichawardsrequirethisfromyouandbeaspreparedaspossible.

InChapterSix, I’ll be talkingabout your90-dayMarketingPlan,wherealloftheseactionscanbeplannedoutandexecutedwithlaserfocusprecision.

Ihavespentthelastsevenyearsresearchingandlearningmanymanagementtools to helpme growmy business knowledge. I’ve come across and used100s of different online tools and it can be pretty overwhelming. So, I willshare with you the best that I have found, researched, tested and usedeffectivelyineachcategory.Thischapterisaboutknowingthetoolsyouneedfordifferentaspectsofyourbusiness.Ihavefocusedontheonesthatinmyopinion are the most intelligent whatever stage your business is at now#NoOneCanGoItBetter

ThefirstsetoftoolsIwanttosharewithyou,arethosethathelpyouresearchandlistentoyourcustomersandcompetitors.

1.ResearchingandListening

Addict-o-matic: allows you to create a web page filled with content fromsearchenginesandsocialnetworks.Asabusiness,itcanbehardtomanageyour time andwhen it comes tomarketing, you need to be able to gatherinformationonlinesuitableforyouraudience.

Alltop:ifyoudon’tknowwheretofindyoursourcesorinfluencers,checkoutAlltop. It was built by Guy Kawasaki and is a great website to find articlesbasedonyourindustrysector.

BrowserFolder(Bookmark): this isabrowser folderyoucancreate inyourinternetbrowserasagreatplacetosavewebsiteurlsforalaterdate.Thinkofitasyouronlinefilingcabinet.

Feedly:allowsyoutofindonlinecontentandkeepitinoneplace.Ifyouhavewebsitesyouwanttosavevisuallyinanorganisedway,thisisthetoolforyou.Iuseitonadailybasis.

GoogleAlerts: use this tool to keep an eye onwhat is being posted onlineabout your business. Bewarned, itmay take awhile for you to receive anemail fromGoogle sharing the latestmentions around your keywords. Butthis is a useful platform to listen to what is being said about you, yourbusinessforbrandreputationandyourcompetitorsonline.

Social Mention: for real time searches across all social networks, SocialMentionisagreattooltouse.Enter inanybusinessor individualnameandseehowtheyhavebeenmentionedacrossvariousdifferentnetworksonline.

Twellow: this is the yellow pages of Twitter where you can search forinfluential people in your industry and follow them. You can also increaseyourfollowers’listbyusingthistool.

2.Business

Buildingabusinessandunderstandingtheonlineworldcanbedifficult.Withthehelpof the following tools, I candelegate tasks, save timeand createabusiness that is fully integrated from offline to online. If you want to findsomeone todelegatework tovirtually,hereare threewebsitesyoucanuseandatooltohelpkeeptrackofthem.

Freelancer:ifyouarelookingforprogrammers,webdevelopers,designersorwriters, try freelancer.Youcanhireskilledprofessionalsata fractionof theusualcostandFreelanceristheworld’slargestoutsourcingmarketplace.

oDesk: is similar to Freelancer and gives you a database of savvy businessand professional freelancers toworkwith. There aremore than 45,000 UKbusinesses,whichalreadyuseoDesktohireandmanagefreelancersonline.Thisisagreatplacetofindtherightexpertiseforyourbusiness.

People Per Hour: this is a great website to use if you are looking forprofessionalvisualworktobedoneforyourbusiness.Priceswillbefixedbythefreelancersandwillbeonaperhourbasis.

OnceyouhaveyourVirtualAssistantdoingtherequiredworkforyou,youwillneed…HubStaff.

HubStaff: is a tool I use to track how efficiently my Virtual Assistants areworking. HubStaff includes great time tracking software with screenshots,activitylevels,timesheetsandreports.Thisisacompletetrackingsoftware,soyouknowyourstaffareworkingtoahighstandard.

When it comes to your website andmarketing content, there are websitesthathavebeenspecificallydesignedtohelpyouwithyourcontentideas.

BlogIdeaGenerator:thiswebsitehasitsownblogpostIdeaGenerator.Haveyoueverbeenstucktryingtocomeupwithanideaforyourblogandwastedvaluabletime?Thistoolisveryeasytouse.However,itmightnotprovideyouwithenoughinspirationbasedonyourindustrysector.

BlogTopicGenerator:HubspothasbeenmentionedmorethanonceandhashelpedmewhenIneedtocomeupwithatopicformyweeklyblog.Allyouhavetodoisgivethetoolthreenounsanditwillgiveyoufiveblogtitles.

Portent’s Content Idea Generator: will give you a great blog title and willexplainwhytheyhavechosencertainkeywordsbasedonwhatonlineusersaremostlikelytoclickon.Thiswillhelpyoudecideontherightkeywordstouseforpresentandfutureblogs.

Soovle: isacustomisableenginethatletsyousearchanykeywordorphraseacross all of the internet’s top providers including Google, Bing, Amazon,YouTubeandWikipediainone,centralplace.

Subject Line Gold: is one of my favourite tools for email marketing. It iscriticallyimportanttocomeupwiththeperfectemailsubjectlinebecausethiswillultimatelyaffecttheopenandclickrateofyouremails.Thistoolpredictsthe results of your campaign, basedon your subject line andwill offer yousuggestionsofhowtoimproveyoursubjectline.

Ubersuggest: if youare looking for keyword ideas,Ubersuggestwill do thisforyouandallyouneedtodoisgiveitatermanditwilldoit’smagic.Itwillsaveyousomuchtimeandprovideyouwithgreatkeywords.Italsosearchesshoppingnewsandvideosites.

Oneofthebiggestproblemsentrepreneursfaceisfindingthetimetoshareinformation with the people they work with. Here are four of the bestcollaborationtoolsIhavecomeacross.

Dropbox: is a cloud storing application that allows you to store files awayfromyourcomputer.Youcancreate foldersand invite thoseyouworkwithintothefolderssotheycanseeanduseyourfiles.

GoogleDocs:ifyouneedtocollaborativelyworkonaworddocumentorexcelspreadsheet,useGoogleDocs.Youcaninvitesomeoneintoadocumentanditallowsformorethanonepersontoworkonadocumentatonetime.Youcanalsosetupasurvey;designapresentationandmuchmore.

HighriseHQ: is a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager), which helps youkeeptrackofallyourbusinesscontactsandtheconversationsyouarehavingwithpotentialcustomersandchannelpartners.Alsoyoucangroupcontactsandsetupalertssoyouneverforgettocallsomeoneback. IfHighriseHQisnotfeaturerichenough,tryNutshell,CapsuleorInsightly.

Trello:helpsyoukeeptrackofeverythingfrompictures,articlesandnotestoimportantinformationandto-do-lists.Everythingcanbecolourcodedanditalsoallowsyoutocollaboratewiththoseyouworkwithonprojectstomakesureprogresscanbetracked.

InChapterTwo,Ispokeaboutmanagingyourtimeandhowimportantitistokeepfocusedandsavetime.Herearesomeofthebesttoolstohelpyousavetime.

Evernote: allows you to keep all your work in one place. It integrates withyourGmailsoyoucansaveemailsandneverhavetowastetimetryingtofindanimportantemaileveragainEvernotealsosyncswithRemembertheMilk,whichisataskmanagementtool.

FocusBooster:isoneofthebesttimeproductivitymanagementtoolsaroundand is completely free to use. It is based on a pomodoro technique,whichbreaks tasksup into25minute intervals,allowingyou tobeproductive inatime-basedway.Itisagreatvisualtoolwithasleeklookingapplication.

MeetCarrot: isamorevisuallyappealing timemanagement toolwhichyoucanusetocreateto-dolists,setalarmsandevenmanageyourworkouts.Itisgreatfortheprocrastinators,whoneedsomethingtokeepthemfocusedonimportanttasks.

Pocket:isanothertimesavingtoolwhichallowsyoutopocketsomethingforalaterdate.Alsoitautomaticallysyncstoyourphone,tabletorcomputersoyou can view it at any time, regardless of whether you have an internetconnection.

Movingontothemoretechnicalsideofthebusiness,herearethreedifferent

websitebuilders.

Squarespace: offers a number of different options to create your website.Theyaresimple tocreate, lookprofessionalandgreatonmobile.Theyalsohaveanonlinestorebuilder.

Wix:isaneasytousewebsitebuilderbecausenocodingskillsareneeded.Ithasmorethan56millionusers,with100sofcustomisabletemplates.

Wordpress:inmyopinionisoneofthebestwebsitebuildersaround.ThereissomuchyoucandowithWordpressand it’seasy touse,withanumberoffreetemplates.

If youare looking to sell productsonline, youneedanonline storebuilder,which you can use on a subscription-based service. Here are some of thebest.

BigCommerce: is aneCommerceplatform,which I have spent a lot of timeworking with for clients. It has everything you need to create a fullyintegrated,professionallookingonlinestore.

Shopify:givesyouafree14-daytrialbeforeyoupayfortheirmonthlyservice.It has so many amazing features from customisation, analytics integrationanddiscountoptionstosearchengineoptimisationandunlimitedproducts.

SupaDupa: is a greatwebsite builder, based in theUK. It has slick designs,easy customisation and is perfect for a business that has more than twovariations for a product. Also, it includes; search engine optimisation, high-resolutionproductimagesandmorethan45+forwardthinkingthemes.

Onceyouhavebuiltyourwebsiteoronlinestore,youneedtolookatwhichpaymentgatewaysyoucanuse.

PayPal: isoneof themostpopularways tosendandreceivemoneyonline.MostwebsitesandonlinestorebuildersintegratewithPayPalveryeasilyanditprocessesmorethan10millionpayments,daily.

Skrill: is for businesses that need to accept easy, cost effective globalpayments.Youcancustomisetheplatformsoyourconsumershaveasmoothpayment experience, regardless of whether they are using a PC, tablet orsmartphone.

Stripe: is a great gateway as an option to Paypal and you can give yourcustomersoptionswhen theyarepurchasing fromyou.WithStripe there isno need to design payments from scratch, as they offer customisablepaymentprocesses,whichyourcustomerswilllove.

Ihavealreadysharedwithyousomegreatlisteningandresearchingtools,aswell as tools you need for your business. Now it is time to give you a fewdesigntoolstomakeyourlifeeasier.

3.Design/Visual

Animoto: is used to create professional looking videos for free, with aslideshow feelandwithbackingmusic.Thesevideoscan thenbeplacedonplatformslikeVimeoandYouTube.

Canva:isdeemedasgoodasPhotoshopbysomeofthebestdesignersintheindustry. With great features and already existing images to use, you cancreateaprofessionallylookingimageinamatterofseconds.

PicMonkey:isagreatimagecreationwhichIhavebeenusingforalongtime.If you want to add some text to an already existing tool free of charge,PicMonkeyisforyou.

Snapseed: if you want to adjust and add filters to your photos, this is thesmartphone app for you. It is convenient on-the-go and can be fun at thesametime.

Visual.ly: is one of the best tools to use when you want to create aninfographic.Withexisting templates, you justneed todoyour researchandfindgreat informationandyoucanhaveagreatpieceofmarketingmaterialinlessthananhour.

99designs:ifyouaretimeshortandhavedecidedthatyoucan’tfocusonthedesigning sideof yourbusiness, use this tool to find someone tohelp you.Thereisaprocessyouneedtogothroughwhichisrunthroughacompetitionwith an uploadedbrief. You can be inundatedwith hundreds of designs tochoosefrom.Yourfavouritedesignisthewinnerofthecompetition.

Videois justas importantas imagesfromamarketingperspectiveandhereareafewwebsiteswhereyoucansharevideos.

YouTube: is the world’s second largest search engine and one of the bestplaces to share your videos. I have spoken about YouTube in an earlierchapter, but I had to include it as one of yourmust-use websites. Amorebusinessfocusedvideo-sharingplatformisVimeo.

Vine:isoneofthehottestnetworksaroundandthebestwaytosharelifeinmotion.Thevideosarenolongerthan30secondsandareeasilyshareableonsocialmedia.Ownedby Twitter, Vine’s app canbeused to browse throughvideospostedbyotherusers.Also, it canbeusedwithgroupsof videosbythemeandtrendingvideos,allowingyoutocategoriseyourvideosbasedonyourbusinesssector.

ThenextsetoftoolsandwebsitesIamgoingtosharewithyouaremarketingbasedandcanhelpyoubuildyouronlineprofile.

4.Marketing

Gravatar: isanaccounteveryentrepreneurshouldhavebecauseitissimpletocreateandisanimagethatfollowsyoufromsitetositeappearingbesideyournamewhenyoucommentorpostonablog.

Klout: can be used to discover how influential you are online within your

socialmediacommunity.Anythingmorethan60meansyouareinthetop5%.It is a website andmobile application that ranks users based on it’s socialinfluenceonanumericalscalefrom1to100.

To amplify your message across social media, take a look at the followingtools.

Hootsuite: I have been using Hootsuite for many years and cannotrecommend it enough. It is one of the best amplification tools out there,allowingyoutointegratewithyoursocialnetworksandscheduleinadvance.

Openr:allowsyou toconnectwithyour targetaudiencebysharing relevantcontent.Openrgivesyouthetoolstoshareuniquecontentthroughapop-upwindowwith amessage and call-to-action. This is a greatway to showcaseyourlatestproduct/service.

Schedugram: is used to manage multiple Instagram accounts, as well asschedulingimages,whichalsosavesyoutime.

SocialOomph: is similar to Hootsuite because it enables you to easilyscheduleposts togooutonyoursocialnetworkaccounts. Italsohelpsyoumonitoryouractivityandfindqualitypeopleinyourindustrytofollow.

ViralWoot: is specifically for Pinterest, and is a scheduling tool, as well asproviding you with analytical information, pin alerts and management ofmultiple Pinterest accounts. It is used bymore than 30,000 individuals andbusinessesgivingyoueverythingyouneedfromamanagementandanalyticalperspective.

Asabusiness,youshouldbelookingatasmanywaysaspossibletogeneratecustomerleadsanddrivecampaigntraffic.Oneofthebestwaystodothisisbyrunningacompetition.Herearesometoolsthatwillhelpyou.

Gleam: isagreattooltoruncompetitions,captureemailsandofferrewardstoyourcustomers fromonecentralplace. It takes intoaccountactionswithrealuserswhenbuildingacampaigntoengagewithothers.

Shortstack: allows you to drive traffic to your campaign fromanywhere ontheweb. It is also a greatplug-in for a FacebookBusinessPage. Shortstackallowsyoutocreatevariouscampaignsaswellasservingasamarketinghubforyourbusiness.

Slideshare: is slightly different because it is more of a presentationapplication, rather than a video sharing site. If you use power pointpresentations, PDFs, Case Studies,White Papers and eBooks that youwanttheworldtosee,useSlideshare.

Wishpond: is a third party application where you can run competitions onsocial media platforms, specifically Facebook. You can also create landingpages,runcontestsandpromotions,aswellascreatingforms,pop-ups,adsandemailcampaigns.

There aremanyways you, as a business can engagewith your consumers.Hereare three tools tohelp you converse in real time, runameeting via awebinarandconductasurvey.

Gotowebinar:isapieceofsoftwarewhichIhaveusedforyears,itallowsmeto runmonthlywebinars tomore than100people.11comeswitha30-day

free trial and allows you to customise and record your webinars, so yourcustomerscanwatchitintheirowntime.

SurveyMonkey: isagreat tool tousewhenyouwant torunasurvey togetfeedbackonyourlatestproduct/service.Also,youcananalyseresultstoseewhich options were chosen the most frequently and it is free of charge.GoogleFormisanotheroptionforyou.

Zopim: is a free, live, chat software which allows you to engage withconsumersinreal-timeusingamessenger-likewebsiteplug-in.Thisisamuchfaster and more personal way to connect with your consumers who havequeriesinreal-time.

ThenextthreetoolsIamgoingtosharewithyoucanhelpwithyourinboundmarketingandautomation.

Hubspot:isaninboundmarketingandsalesplatformwhichhelpscompaniestoattractvisitors,convert leadsandclosecustomers.Theirfeatures include;blogging, socialmedia, SEO, landingpages, CRM, analytics andmuch,muchmore.

Marketo: provides easy and powerful marketing automation software,including everything from; email marketing, inbound marketing, contentmarketing, social marketing, customer engagement marketing, real-timepersonalisationandleadmanagement.

Moz: builds tools that make inbound marketing easy, backed by industry-leadingdataandthelargestcommunityofSEOsontheplanet.Itgivesyouthetools tomeasurewebsite rankings,social traffic,websiteandSEOerrors,as

wellasopportunities,researchandcustomreporting.

Emailmarketing, as youwouldhave read in theprevious chapter, isoneofthemostcrucialpartsofyourdigitalmarketingstrategy.Keepreading,ifyoudon’tknowwhichtooltouse.

Constant Contact: is a complete package, which includes email marketing,socialmediamarketing, online surveys, eventmarketing, digital storefrontsandlocaldealstools.Theirtoolkitgivesyoueverythingyouneedtocreateagreatemailmarketingstrategyandcomeswithafreetrial.

Infusionsoft:with23,000smallbusinessusers,thisisapreferredtoolusedbymany onlinemarketers. It comeswith a highmonthly fee and takes a littlegetting used to, but it is highly effective if you have the budget. Featuresinclude;automation,websitebuildingandtheability to increasesales,whilestayingorganisedandfocused.

Mailchimp: is the world’s leading email marketing tool and offers greattemplates, analytics, autoresponder, list creation, and personalisation,completelyfreeofcharge(unlessyouhavemorethan2,000contacts).

Contentmarketingisjustasimportantforyourbusinessasdigitalmarketing.Herearefourtoolstohelpyouorganiseyourcontent,readyforyourstrategy.

Outbrain:isanadvertisingplatformwithoneofitsmainfeaturesfocusingoncontent marketing, helping publishers increase web traffic. Other featuresincludeamplificationandadvancedtestingtoboostyourconversionrate.

Reddit: is a well-known entertainment and news website, with a largecommunity of members who submit content for other users to read andshare.

StumbleUpon:isotherwiseknownasadiscoveryengine,whichholdsalargecollection of web content, created based on a user’s interests. Look nofurther,ifyouwantgreat,relevantandspecificcontent.

Triberr: is an influencer marketing platform, where bloggers and onlinethoughtleaderscometogethertosharegreatcontent.

InChapterSix,IwillsharewithyouastrategytohelpyouimplementthenextsetoftoolswhichfocusonyourSEO.

5.AnalyticsDashboards

When it comes to analytics, I have three great dashboards that you candownloadfrommywebsite,theyare:

• eCommerce:givesyouclarityonwhichitemsarethebestsellers;

•leadgeneration:showsyouwhichpagesareconvertingthebestforyouandwheretheuseriscomingfrom;and

• socialmediadashboard:tellsyouwhereyourtrafficiscomingfrom.

ThenextfourtoolsIamgoingtosharewithyou,focusonwhichtoolstousetomeasureyourwebsitetrafficanddata.Forrealtimeanalytics,takealookatthesetools.

GoogleAnalytics:isthefirstchoiceformostsmallbusinesseswhenitcomestoanalyticaldataandanalysis.YouwillneedaGmailaccount.

GoSquared: is the real-time analytics service that helps you act now, nottomorrow.Youwillhaveaccess toa trenddashboard,eCommerceanalyticsandabreakdownofwhat ishappening in yourwebsitenow.YoucangetafreetrialwithGoSquaredfollowedbyamonthlyfee.

GTmetrix:helpsyoudevelopafaster,moreefficientandall-roundimprovedwebsite experience for your users. Features include, tracking the history ofyour website, analysis on mobile devices, testing from multiple regions,monitoredalerts,pageloadingplaybacksandmuch,muchmore.

KissMetrics: is a person-based analytical platform for your business,whereyou can optimise your marketing, increase conversion rates and find newcustomers.

6.SEO/MetaData

Google Adwords Keyword Planner: is one of the best tools coming fromGoogle’sempire.Thishelpsyougenerateallthekeywordsyouneedforyourwebsiteandyourcontentmarketing.

Spyfu: exposes some of the search marketing secrets from your mostsuccessful competitors. You can download your competitor’s profitablekeywords,foreverydomainandtheplaceswheretheyhaveshownuponline.

Yoast:isaWordpresspluginthatallowsyoutooptimiseeverywebpageandblogpostonyourwebsite.ItwillrateyourSEOonatrafficlightsystem(red,orangeandgreen).

TherearemanyotheronlinetoolsavailableandIamsuretheyareallgoodtoolstouse,butIhadtodrawthelinesomewhere,otherwiseyou’dbeherealldaysearching.

Inthelastfivechapters,I’vehelpedyoutounderstandanewmindset,givenyouthetipsandtoolstohelpsaveandprotectyourtime,andautomateyourmarketing process while focusing on sales to prepare your business forsuccess.Nowletthefunbeginbytakingallofyourlearningandputtingitintoaction, so you canhelpmore customers solve their painwith your productandservice#PushIt.

To make sure you and your team are prepared for every eventuality, youneedastrategyandanactionableplan.

Doingyourhomeworkonaprospectivecustomeriscrucial.Thereisnopointpicking up the phone to make a sales call, without knowing how to fullyexpress the benefits of your product in the right way, so your customerresponds positively. It is important that you know your pricing structure,basedon sellingdifferentquantities, so youarenot caughtoff guardwhenyourcustomerrequeststhis.

Tohelpyou,here isa simple four-stepprocessanddiagram.Using thiswillmakesureyoualwaysknowthestepsyouaretakingareintherightdirection,attherighttime.

1. GotoMarketStrategy

2. MarketingPlan

3. SalesProcess

4. CustomerRetention

StepOne:yourGotoMarketStrategy

AreyouabusinesssellingB2B(businesstobusiness)andorB2C(businesstoconsumer) or a company,which onlyworks through organisationswho selldirecttoyourspecifictargetaudienceonyourbehalf?

Here is an example. Basekit (an online storebuilder) has a businessmodelwheretheydonothaveonboardanyclientsthemselves.Theyonlyworkwithselectivechannelpartnerswhoalreadyhavetheirtargetaudienceengaged.

Attheotherendofthespectrumisbeingtheonecompany,whicheveryonespeaks to.Forexample:RichardBranson,he’sa front facingbrandandyouconnecttoVirginbecauseofhim,hisbrandingandhismarketpositioning.

Onasmallbusinessscale,lookatLeviRoots.Hehadanideaandpassiontocreate a simple sauce and now he is worthmore than £30million. This isbecauseofwhoheisandhowhisconsumershaveconnectedtohisstory.

Youneedtounderstandthatyouandyourbusinessareuniqueandtherightprocess for you, might not work for another, even if you are in the same

business sector. Unfortunately, it is common to see the wrong businessmodelswithinorganisationsandhopefully,ifthisisyou,youwillbenefitfromthepenultimatestepofcreatingasocially-savvybusiness.

Yourcompany’ssituationisdifferentfromyourcompetitorsandascustomers(takingourbusinesshatsoff for amoment)wehaveevolved thewww intothis amazingnew socialweb. It gives youa voice toopenly talk about yourpositive experiences, making brands listen and changing the way they dobusiness.

Sowhenitcomestomarketingyourbrand.It’snolongerassimpleastheoldAIDAsalesprocess,whichyouhavebeenusingsince1904,asfollows:

• buildingAwareness;

• gainingtheInterest;

• sharingtheDesire;and

• gettingtheusertotakeAction.

Thesedaysyouwantmore fromyourcustomers,youwant loyalty,andyouwant them to talk about your brand, to become brand advocates. At eachstageofyourGotoMarketStrategyyouwantthemtobuyfromyou.Whetherthis isan impulsebuy in real time,orawell thought throughprocess that’stakenmonthsofresearch…itstillmatters.

GotoMarketStrategy

Thisisyourcompany’sblueprint,fromwhichyouroverallsalesandmarketing

planevolves.Yourbusinesswill share thevalueof itsproductor servicebyconnectingwithyourlasertargetedcustomers.

Whendecidingon yourGo toMarket Strategy, youneed to include variousrevenuestreams,whichcanflowintoyourbusiness.Thiswilldeterminehowyoucommunicateyourmessagetoyourtargetcustomer.YourGotoMarketChecklistwillincludethefollowing.

• Solvinganeedinthemarketwhichoffersfastgrowth

• Understandingyouropportunityinthemarket

• Knowingwhoyourlaserfocusedtargetmarketisforinitiallaunch

• Identifyingtheinfluencersinyourindustrytobebrandadvocates

•Understanding the pain point which will help you know what thebusinessproblemisanddevelopauniquesellingpropositiontosolveit

• Discoveringhowyoucanbedifferentfromyourcompetitors

• Preparingaproductroadmapfromideatodelivery

• Trackingandmeasuringyourresults

•Developing a sales and marketing plan integrated with a customerretentionstrategy

• Trainingyourteamineveryaspectofthebusinessprocess

• Identifyingchannelpartnersbasedonyourtargetaudience

• CompletingyourUSP

When sharing the sameUSPwith two different target customers youmustofferadifferent valueproposition tohelp themunderstandwhatpainyourproblemsolvesandhowitcanhelpthem.

Next,youneedtodesignanactionableplanintheformofadocumentwhichlistswhatstepsmustbetakenandbywhomtoachieveaspecificgoal.

Marketing

Marketing is in essence, identifying, anticipating and meeting therequirements of what consumers want, to make a profit in your business.Putting thecustomers’wantsandneeds firstwillbe identified throughyourmarketresearch.

Because your competitors might have the same target market as you itdoesn’tmeantheyareultimatelysolvingtheirpain.Youmustbecarryingoutresearchtofindoutwhatyourtargetmarketreallywantsfromyourspecificbusiness.

Ask your customers about your product or service. What improvementswould they like to see? Once you know this, you can develop a range ofproducts or services, suitable for your specific customer and they will lovethis.

Sales

Selling, on the other hand is about persuading customers to buy yourproductsbyhelpingthembelieveitiswhattheyarelookingfor.Thiswilltakeplaceoncethemarketinghasinfluencedacustomer’sbuyinghabit.

After youhave completed your customer focusedmarketing, you introduceyour product or service to your potential customer, by highlighting thefeaturesasbenefitsforthem.

Thismightincludethefollowing;

• advertisingandpromotion;

• directselling;and

• supportingliterature.

Onceyouhaveeffectivelysharedthebenefitsofyourproductandservicetoyourpotentialcustomerthroughmarketingyourbrand,youcanengagewiththem through your sales process to the point of purchase. Marketing andsalesgohandinhandbecauseofthissimple,butcritical-to-get-rightprocess.

Here are two examples. One is a product driven and one a service drivenbusiness.

ProductDrivenBusiness,forexample,buildingaproductledbrand.

Thefashionindustryissynonymousforhavingtwoseasons;spring/summer,

autumn/winter.Havingworkedintheretailindustryformorethan23years,Ialways come across the same problem. For a brand to get into themarketplace it must first invest in stock. This stock has a short life cyclebecause of the two seasons. Whilst you can discount your stock it has anaffectonyourP/L (profitand loss)at theendof theyear.The first route tomarketishavingabusinessmodel,whichallowsyoutogetforwardordersonyour stock at a wholesale price before the stock even arrives in yourwarehouse. You need an online store allowing you to sell at the RRP(recommendedretailprice),whichoffersyou,thebusinessowner,amassivemarginfromcosttosaleprice.

Your other route to market is selling direct to the customer through yourwebsiteandpotentially,pop-upshopsandmarketstallsinspecificlocations.By selling direct to the customer, the value you bring is focused on yourbrand,thequalityoftheproduct,thepersonalserviceyouofferandthefactthat they are part of a community of customerswho love your brand. Theconsumerwants to feelgoodaboutbuyingyourproduct.Thecustomerhasnointerestinmakingmoneyfromyourproduct,notlikeyourotherroutetomarket;yourbusinessowner.

These two routes to market have a different type of target customer andtherefore, the value that you give to those target customers has to bedifferent.WhatdoImeanbythis?You’reabrandwhowantstosellintoahighstreetstore.Thehighstreetstorehasenoughstocktolastaseasonanditwillbuy various sizes and colours from your range, potentially spending ££££swithyouatawholesaleprice.Thisguaranteesvolumebutdoesnotguaranteeahighmargin. Toachieve this, youmighthave togo to trade shows, travelandworkwith a distributor/agent to sell your products on your behalf andyoumayhavetosupplypointsofsale tohelppromoteyourbrand in-store.Moreimportantly,youaresellingyourproducttotheowneroftheshopwhoknowstheircustomerandknowstheycanmakemoneyfromyourbrand.Thevalueyoubringtothistargetcustomeristhefactthatyoumakethemmoney.

ServiceDrivenBusiness

Therearemanyservicedrivencompanies,whichselldirecttocustomersandsell direct to business. If you are a service driven business, you need toconsideracquiringyourcustomersthroughmorethanonesalesavenue.

Forexample: ifyouareaconsultancy firmspecialising insales,youneedtothink about more than one way of acquiring a customer to maximise the

value you bring to a business, ultimately acquiring more customers andbuildingyourbusiness.Themore traditionalwayofacquiringa customer isgoingandsharingthevalueofyourbusinesswiththem.Thatpersonneedstosee the value ofwhat your business can do for them and they hire you todeliver that specific piece of work. Again, that individual is looking forpersonalservice,potentially looking tohave theirhandheld throughout theprocessandforknowledgesharing,toultimatelyhelpthemup-skilltheirownstrengths.

The other Go to Market Strategy for a service driven business is to findorganisations,which Icall, channelpartners,whichalreadyhaveyour targetcustomer on their database. You work with that organisation to share thebenefitofyourservicestotheircustomers.

Thevaluepropositiontothechannelpartneristhattheyareonacommissionforeveryoneoftheirtargetcustomerswhobuyintoyourbusiness.Also,theyknowifyourbusinessdeliversfortheirtargetcustomer,theircustomerswillalwaysrememberthemformakingtheintroduction.

Ultimately, you must always be thinking about ways to bring differentrevenuesintoyourbusiness.Thisdeterminesyourbusinessmodelandhowyoumarketyourbusinessonline.

AlwaysThink#DigitalFirstandtogetthemostfromyourstrategy,youmustbelaserfocusedonknowingyourtargetcustomer(asmentionedinChapterTwo).Knowingtheirage,sex,incomelevel,habits,interests,whotheyareandwheretheyhangout,willhelpyouunderstandtheirbuyingpatterns.

Yourtimingiscrucialinmakingsurethecontentyouprovideiscurrent,addsvalue and contributes to the buyers’ purchasing journey. As mentioned inChapterThree,yourbuyerswillgothroughthefollowingprocess.

1. Buildtrust

2. Engage

3. Convert

4. Keepbuyingandbecamebrandadvocates

Buildingyourbrand’sonlinepresenceofferstwicethepotentialofacquiringacustomerwhenyoufollowthisfour-stepprocess.

Your90-dayGotoMarketStrategymightlooklikethis.

30DAYS 60DAYS 90DAYS

PEOPLE Whatdowewanttoachieve?

Connectwithdecisionmakersonsocialnetworks

Sendquotes&contract

PEOPLE Whoisgoingtoimplement

BuildrelationshipsImplementretention

strategy

PEOPLE Brandingyourself Strategichire Expandtheteam

PROCESS Keyperformanceindicators

Implement&analyse Takeaction

PROCESS Budget Extracosts?What’sthecostper

lead?

PROCESS Learnthetechnology Otheralternatives Monitor&refine

TECHNOLOGY Website Worktheissue GetextraITsupport

TECHNOLOGY Contentplan SetITgoals Measure&followup

TECHNOLOGY Toolstoautomatethemessage

Realign&stopwhat’snotworkingStop&starttheloop

again

1–30days:Researchandsetgoals30–60days:Developtheplanandstarttheexecution60–90days:Followupandanalyse

By having a 90-day Go to Market Strategy, with a focus on sales andmarketing, you will be able to keep the business moving forward, whileholding the team member personally accountable for each of the actionsneeded.

Youroleistoconstantlybeworkingonthebusinessandnotinthebusiness,meaningyouarenotinvolvedintheday-to-dayoperationsofthebusiness.Asthebusinessowner,youneedtoknow,howyoucantakeyourbusinesstothenext level by implementing systems and procedures which enable the

business to run smoothly and have the strategy that is always growing thebrand awareness and increasing sales. This can only be done by taking ahelicopter view of your business, your competitors and your industry; asthingsarealwaysevolving,especiallywiththefastpaceoftechnology,whichischangingthewaywework.

MarketingPlan

While it’s important to know what’s happening during the year in yourbusiness, for me 90 days has always been the perfect time to prepare,implement and measure, to a real effect. Measuring one year after acampaignhasfinishedwillnothaveanyeffectonwhereyourbusinessisrightnow.

Your90-dayMarketingPlanwillexplainwhatyourmarketingstrategyisandhow it will be executed to generate increased brand awareness and drivetargetedtrafficintoyoursalesprocess.WhendevelopingyourMarketingPlanyouwillneedtoaskyourselfthefollowingquestions.

• Howwillyoushareyourproduct/service?

• Howwillyouenticepotentialcustomerstobuyyourproduct/service?

•Howwillyoudevelopcustomerloyaltytodeveloprepeatbusinessandreferrals?

YourMarketing Plan is created for your specific target audience,which youhavealreadyidentified.Keepreadingtofindoutwhatyoucanincludeinyour90-dayMarketingPlan.

90-DayPlan

Thevisualonthenextpageisanexampleofa90-dayMarketingPlan,whichincludes what and when your business is going to market to your specifictargetaudience.This templatehasa varietyofofflineandonlinemarketingactions associated to a specific month. These actions and the month theyhappenwilldifferaccordingtoyourbusinessandthethingsyouneedtotakeintoconsiderationbeforeputtingthisplantogether.

Tohelpyou,I’velistedthingsyoumightwanttothinkabout;

• Whattimeofyearisyourproductmentionedonline?

• Whendoesyourindustryhaveatradeshow?

• Whenareyoulaunchinganewproduct/service?

• PressReleases

• IndustryAwards

• ChannelPartnerevents

• Seasons;autumn/winterorspring/summer

• Competitions

• Networkingevents

Thedownloadiscolour-codedtohelpyoustayfocusedonthatspecificaction

requiredinaparticularmonth.

Now you’ve decided what actions you’re going to take during the next 90-days,let’sdefinewhatcontentyou’regoingtoshare,usingvarioustoolsandmarketingplatforms,withmy7-dayContentMediaMarketingPlan.

AsmentionedinChapterFour,contentmarketingisthesharingofmediaandpublished content to reach more customers as part of the customeracquisitionjourneyandtoincreaseyoursales.Thisincludes;everythingfromproducts, news, blogs, PR, videos,white papers, e-books, infographics, casestudiesandimages,allofwhichcanbesharedacrossmultiplechannelswithkeywords ineverymessageyoushare.Thiswill come fromtheoriginalSEOresearchdocumentyoupreparedaboutthebusinessinChapterFour.

7-daySocialMediaandContentMarketingPlan

By following this step-by-step process, you will be able tomanage all yoursocialmediainjust30minutesadayandshareallofyourvaluablecontenttoyour targetaudienceknowing thatevery tweet,blog titleandPinterestposthasbeendesignedtoconnectwithyourcustomer.

Itwilltakeyouonehourtoprepareandamplifysevenday’sworthofcontenttoall your socialmediaanddigital channels, aswell as spending just a fewminutes each day to have two-way conversations, findmore followers andanalysethesuccess.

Fromabestpracticeperspective,Irecommendthefollowing:

• 5tweetsaday

• 1postadayinFacebook,Instagram,PinterestandGoogle+

• 1blogaweek

Forme, one tweet at two-hour intervals from 9am-5pm, once you’ve spenttimeanalysingyouronlineaudience,willgiveyou:

9am

11am

1pm

3pm

5pm

Pinterestinfographicsareagreatsourceofdataforyourindustry.Bytypingin the keywords of your industry and doing #infographic will give you thevisualdataaroundthebesttimestopost.Thisisagreatstartingpointbutyoucanstillanalyse it foryourbusinessandyour laserfocusedtargetcustomerandtweakaccordingly.

Everytweetmustonlybe100to120charactersincludingtheshortenedURL,basedonthefollowingstrategy;

• 1sttweetofdayistobeaboutyourproduct/service

• 2ndtweetaboutyourblogoftheweek

• 3rdtweetiscompanynews

(new product/service coming soon/preview, an event, competition, pressrelease, product on sale, new store, newproduct, trivia, behind the scenes,what is happening with the team, team challenges, testimonials, events,picturesofstaff,oldblog(ifrunoutofcontent).

• 4thtweetanotherproduct/service

• 5thtweetglobalnewsi.e.newsoutsideofthebusiness

E.g. charity or upcoming events, whitepapers, best practice, blog or videointerviews.

ForFacebook,Pinterest,InstagramandGoogle+,youshouldonlypostonceadayusingthesamecontenttakenfromtweets;

•Fri-blogoftheweek,competitionannouncement(whenithappens,takesprecedence)

• Sat-product/service

• Sun-companyinformation

• Mon-staffatwork,profile,tripsetc

• Tue-globalnews

•Wed-anotherproduct/serviceornewproduct/servicecomingsoon(carrotdangling)

•Thu-focusonacustomer,thankingthemfortheirreferralorrecommendation.

Hashtags-foruseacrossallofyoursocialnetworks;

• Location

#London|#UK|#Shoreditch

• Brand

#Google|#Asos|#Hootsuite

• Product/Service

#Swimwear|#CRM|#Email

• TargetCustomer

#Entrepreneur|#Female|#Foodie

Now you know what subject to talk about and when to post across whichnetwork, it’s time to gather the information in a simple and easy to usedocument.

7DAYSOCIALMEDIAPLAN

(DownloadfromThinkdigitalfirst.today.)Onceyouhave filled in sevendaysof content, which will take only one hour, use Hootsuite to schedule toTwitter,Facebook,LinkedInandGoogle+.

YoucanscheduleusingScheduGramforInstagram,ViralwootforPinterest(asmentionedinChapterFive).

90-daySalesPlan

The 90-day Sales Plan is the final part of the jigsaw for building a socially-savvy-business. It should be short, to the point and determine what thestrategy should be and which tactics will be used to achieve the financialgoals.

When thinking about sales for any size business, you only have to think ofthreethings;

1. HowdoIgetnewcustomers?

2. HowcanIupselland/orcrosssell?

3. HowcanIretainclients?

To simplify the process even more, here are some quick tips to help youdeviseyourSalesPlan.

Setsimpleandachievablegoalsonadailybasis.

• Makefivecoldcalls

• Send10emailstointroduceyourselfandthebusiness

• Arrangetwofacetofacemeetings

• Createnolessthantwoproposals

• Makenolessthantwopresentations

• Runonewebinar(mightonlybemonthly)

• Speakatoneevent(startwithoneamonth)

You can download my simple 5-day spreadsheet to help you track andanalysetheresultsandremembertoalwaysinputthedataintoyourCRM(asmentionedinChapterFive).

Itcanbedifficulttofindtherightpersontospeaktoifyouaredealingwithacompanywhereyougetheldupbyagatekeeper.Agatekeeper issomeonewhoisthefirstpersontopickupanofficephoneandwhoscreensallthecallsforthedecisionmaker.Youneedtofindoutwhothekeydecisionmaker is,haveyoursalespitchreadyandbeaspoliteaspossiblewhentryingtoreachthatperson.Gatekeepersknowtheyholdalotofresponsibilityandtakethatwithpride sounless youknowexactlywhy youwant to speak to someone,theywon’tconnectyou.

Onceyougetpastthegatekeeper,youcanspeaktotherightpersononthephone.Don’twastetheirtimeoryours,afteryou’vebuiltrapport,getstraighttothepointofthecallandspendnolongerthan30minutesonthiscall.

Ifmaking calls is something you do not enjoy doing, here is a step-by-stepstructuretohelpyoustay incontroloftheconversationandmakesureyouare helping the caller at each stage of the process andmake sure you arealwaysgettingtheresultstheywant.

Stage1

• Introduceyourself

• Buildrapport

Stage2

Pre-frame:

• 30minutesforthiscall

• Findoutwhatyoucanaboutthem

• Answertheirquestionstogettheresultsyouwant

• Attheendofthecall,howyouaregoingtomoveforward,together

Stage3

• Tellmeaboutyourself

• Tellmeaboutyourbusiness

What is your main driver for success? Is it your family? Money? Freedom?Wanttosucceed?And,what’syourvisionforthebusiness?

Stage4-WhattheyWant

Gobacktodifficulty-Askformorefeedback:

• Whyisthat?

• Explainmore?

• Canyouelaborateonthatformeplease?

• Whatdoyoumean?

• Whyisthatimportant?Rateonascaleof1-10

• Whatarethebarriers?

• Gointomoredepth(aboutkeywordsmentioned)

• Howimportantisthattoyou,onascaleof1-10?–soIcangettheidea

•AmIrightinsaying,youwantmoretrafficfromFacebook?(example)Explainprocess-Howyouseeit.

• Smallamountfirst-Makethemseetheproblem

Whatconcernsyouthemost:Time?Money?Orcertainty?

Play it back again: Is it the time you don’t have to spend on this? Is it toshorten the time to get to where you want to be. You aremissing out onmoney,bynottakingactionnow.

Stage5

Inaperfectworld,whatwouldyouwanttohappenand:howmuchwouldyoupayforthat?

Stage6

Pre-close:

• Howdoyoufeelthingsaregoing?

• Doyouthinkwecanworktogether?

• Doyouhaveanyotherreservations?

• DidIunderstandYOU?

Thisiswhereyouneedtounderstandeachother.Attheendofthecallwhat’sthenextstep?

MovingForward

At the end of your call, you should schedule a meeting to discuss yourproposition further. This can either be at your office, or a mutual location

agreedbyyouand thepotentialcustomer.Youshouldhaveyourobjectivesandaplanofwhatyouwanttotalkaboutinthatmeeting.Youneedtobeasengagingaspossibleotherwiseyoursalesprocesswillstophere.

Achieving customerbuy in for yourbrand is essentially asking them tobuyintoyouaswell.Youarerepresentingyourbusinessandyourpassionneedstoshinethrough.Thereisonlyoneofyouandthatalonemakesyouunique.Makesureyourbusinesssharesthesameuniqueness.

Implementthestrategytogetnewcustomers

Now I’m going to let you into some of the secrets I use in the sales andmarketingprocessthathasenabledmetogrowoneofmycompaniesto£1millioninlessthantwoyears.Also,IwillsharemyknowledgeaboutbecomingtheUK’sTop10SMESuperherocoachandtheUK’sTop10businessadvisorfor2015.

Here is an example of my customer acquisition journey, which I havementioned a few times in this book. This example includes the marketingactionsandthesalesprocessallinonesheet.

Therearetwokeythingstorememberwhendesigningyourjourney:

1.Makesureyouaddeverysteptoacquiringthecustomerallthewaytoreallyunderstandthetimeittakes;and

2. Alwaysmakeanoteofwhatworksandwhatdoesn’twork.

Thiswillhelpyouavoidmakingthesamemistakeagainandbuildgoodhabitsforyoursalesprocess.

HereareseventacticsIhaveused.Remember,thesestrategiesaredesignedtocapturenewcustomersandgainmarketshare.

1. Analyseyourcompetitors

Takingaholisticoverviewof your competitive spaceandanalysing thedatakeepsyouonestepaheadofthegame,especiallyifacompetitorhasshiftedtheirpropositiontobeverysimilar toyours.This isdoneby lookingatyour

competitors’websites,socialmediaactivity(especiallythedirectorsorCEOonLinkedIn)andtheirrankingonAlexa.Seeifthebusinesshasgrownorshrunkby checking their companyaccountsusingDuedil andbusiness informationonCrunchbase.Thiswillgiveyouthegranularresearchyouneedtocreateacomparisondocumentandalsoaninsightintohowyourcompetitionutilisestheironlinespace.

2. Research:alwayshavecontenttoshare

SignuptoFeedly(https://feedly.com/)andresearchthewebsites.

•Lookforvariousindustrywebsitesandblogsusingthesearchfunctionalityandaddthemtoacategoryforfuturereference;and

•TaketheurlofawebsiteandaddtoFeedly‘AddContent’buttonandaddthemtoacategoryforfuturereference.

Herearesomewebsitesforyoutogetstarted-ItypedineCommerceblogs:

• http://www.getelastic.com

• http://tamebay.com

• http://www.ecommercetimes.com

• http://ecommercepulse.com

3. Goingtoanetworkingevent

Acquiringanewcustomerusingtechnologyandoldschoolwaysispowerful.HereismytacticbasedongoingtoaneventwhenIknowachannelpartnerwillbethere.

1. Connectonallsocialnetworks

2. SayhiinLinkedInbeforetheevent

3. Meetandbuildrapport,getbusinesscard

4. Sendemailtosayhiandofferdigitaldownload

5. Thedownloadisaseriesofautoresponders

6. Trackopenrate

7. Callattouchpointofopeningaspecificemail

8. Arrangeameeting

9. Followupandclose

4. TwitterGrowthStrategy

Find a Twitter account, which contains your target audience, and do thefollowing.

1. Follow15peopleperday

2.Writeapersonaltweettothreeofthepeopleyou’vefollowedandsendalinktotheeventoraddedvaluecontent,likeablog,articleorpressrelease

3. Dothisfivetimesaday,sonowall15peoplehavebeencontacted

4. Trackwhofollowsyou,repliesandsignsup

5. Ifyougetasignup,followupwithapersonalemail

6. Followupwithacall

7. Arrangeameeting

8. Closeasanewcustomer

Listeningtowhatyourindustryorcompetitorsaresayingisjustasimportantaspushingcontentouttoyourtargetaudience.

5. EmailingcustomersusingPinterestwebsite

Usesocialnetworkstofindyourcustomers.

1. SetupaneventonEventbriteorrunaGoogleHangoutonGoogle+

2. Promoteitonallsocialnetworks

3. UploadanimageintoPinterest,inasuitableboard

4.Editthepinandaddallthe@nameyouarefollowingandclick‘Save’.Pinterestwillemailallthepeoplesayingtheyhavebeenmentioned

5. Gobackinremovethe@…@..

6. Waitforpeopletosignup

Remember:Youneedtofollowthepersonforthistowork.

6. SellingtonewChannelPartners

ThishasbeenoneofthebesttacticsI’veimplementedtomakesureIalwayshaveapipelineofnewcustomers.

1.

GetyourPersonalorAdminAssistantorVirtualAssistanttocollatealistofcompanieswhichhaveyourtargetaudienceandincludethedecisionmaker’sname,email,telephonenumber,companywebsiteandallsocialmediaaccounts.

2.Inputthenameandemailaddressintoanemail-marketingtoollikeMailchimpandsendalasertargetedemailtothelist.

3.Threedayslaterlookattheanalyticsandseewhohasopenedtheemail,itwilltellyouwhoandhowmanytimes.

4.Nowyouknowwhoisinterestedinwhatyouhavetosay,goandfindthemacrosstheirsocialmediaplatformsandLike,FollowandSharesomeinformation,soagain,yourbrandisvisibletothem.

5.Pickupthephoneandtakethemthroughyoursalesstructure,whichIexplainedearlierinthischapter.

Thisgivesyoutheopportunitytocontactthelowhangingfruitofcompanieswhichfourdaysagomighthaveneverheardofyou.Nowthey’vereceivedan

email,a re-tweet,andaphonecall.However, youhaveonly focusedon thecompanies,whichhaveshownaninterestandthisdatacamefromtheopenrate inMailchimp, savingyou timeandmakingsureyouaregettingagoodROI(ReturnonInvestment)onyourtime.

7. GettingReferrals

Within30daysofdeliveringmyproduct/serviceorsolution,Iwillaskeachofmynewcustomersforatleastthreenamesandphonenumbersofsomeonetheyknowwhomayhaveauseformyproduct/serviceandsolutions.Askfora recommendation on LinkedIn and confirm if it’s ok to publish it on yourwebsite.

Thesearejustafewofmypersonaltacticsthathavehelpedmefindtargetedcustomers,buildtrust,engageanddrivetraffictoacquireleadsandgetsales.Youmightneedtotweakthemforyourspecificbusiness,but trustmetheywork!

Customer loyalty should be at the forefront of your customer retentionstrategy#WalkThisWay.Yournewsocially-savvybusinesswillnowbeworkingwithyourcustomersdaily,throughsharing,added-valuecontent,designedtohelp your company get noticed across the new social web. This includeseverything from Google, Bing, Yahoo (SEO) through to Twitter, Pinterest,Facebook,Instagram,YouTubeandGoogle+(SMO).

You’venowoptimisedyourcontentsoit’ssearch-friendlyandaddsrealvalueand explains how you help your customers by sharing content on a daily,weekly and monthly basis. By continuously sharing this content, you areautomaticallybuilding loyaltywithyourcustomersandyouarecontinuouslyfocusingonyourbrandawarenessandgainingmarketshare.

As previously mentioned, for your target market to convert to being acustomer, yourbusinessmighthave to touch themup toeight times.Oncetheybecomeacustomer,theywillwanttosharetheaddedvaluecontentwiththeir community,ultimatelybecomingabrandadvocateand loyal customerforyourbusiness.

As abusiness, youneed tobe continuously innovatingand takingaction toretain customers through loyalty. Before you canunderstand the strategiesfor this, you should know that 68% of consumers stop purchasing from abusiness because they are unhappy with the service they receive. The bigquestionis:whatareyoudoingtoretaincustomers?Keepreadingtofindoutthe strategies I use tomake suremy clientsbecomemore than just aone-timepurchaser.

SetExpectations

From the get-go, make sure you set realistic expectations with yourcustomers.Icannotstresstheimportanceofthisenough.Itisbettertounderpromise and over deliver than to set an expectation with your clients,knowingyouwillhaveahardtimedeliveringonthatpromise.Thiswillallowyou toeliminateuncertaintyandhelpyou toensureyourclient’shappinessondeliveryofaproductorservice.

Acustomerismorelikelytorememberanegativeexperienceandsharethiswiththeircommunity.Sayyouoverdeliveronaserviceorproductanumberoftimeswiththesamecustomerandunderdeliverjustonce;thisiswhattheywill rememberandultimately, be their reason for terminatinga contractorchoosingacompetitortopurchaseproductsfrom.

Betheexperttheyneed

OnethingIpridemyselfon,isbeingasknowledgeableaspossiblesowhenaclientstartsworkingwithme,Icanofferthemwhattheyarelookingforandnothingless.Regardlessofwhatindustryyouarein,ifyoucanbeseenasanexpert, this will help you retain your customers. Why; because people arescaredofwhattheydon’tknow.

Beinganexpertmeansthatyouhavespentyearsperfectingyourproductorservicesothatcustomerloyaltybecomesanaturalstepintherightdirectionforyourbusiness.Betheentrepreneurthatyourcustomersrelyon,trustandrecogniseasanindividualwithasuccessfulbusiness.

As someonewho has worked in sales,marketing and technology formorethan 25 years, I amproud to say, I am an expert in those three fields andbecauseofthis, Ihavebeenabletoretaincustomersandpickupnewonesbasedonrecommendationsandloyalty.

Buildrelationshipsthatleadtotrustonlineandoffline

AsIhavesaid,businessisbuiltontrustandloyaltyandthesearetwoofthebiggestreasonsaconsumerwillpurchaseaproductorserviceonmorethanone occasion. Trust is an essential part of building relationships, especiallythroughsharedvaluesinaservicedrivenenvironment.

Whenyouareworkingwithachannelpartnersharedvaluesmeansshowingyourinterestinyourclientandtheirbusiness.Understandtheroleyouplayinhelping their business grow, while building a working relationship throughloyaltyatthesametime.

Let’s face it; your customers are online. They are glued to their computerscreens and are using the latest social networks. Part of building arelationship, is giving you a strong social media presence that they caninteractwith.Why;becauseit’swhattheywanttodo.

Anticipatecustomerserviceissues

Beproactiveanddealwithissuesaroundcustomerservicebeforetheyevenarise.Remembernottowaitforsomethingtohappen,putaplanintoactionto eliminate any problems, before they become a roadblock to retaining acustomer.UsingZopim,alivechattool,whichIspokeaboutinChapterFive,isa great piece of functionality to use as part of your customer retentionstrategy.

For example, a major airline will text a customer to advise them of flightdelays, avoiding any issues around them not being aware of this. As anentrepreneur, you need to put yourself in the customers’ shoes. Take aproactiveapproachtowhatcouldbecomeanegativeexperience.

Automation

Automationisanonlineformofarepeatableprocesswhich,whendonerightcan leave you meeting your deadlines leading to an increase in customerloyaltyandimprovedcustomerretentionrates.

You should know from Chapter Three which tasks are going to be time-consumingforyouandfromChapterFivewhichtoolstousetohelpyouwiththis.Customerretentionusingonlineautomatedmessagesisawayyoucanleverageyourbusiness,withouthaving to takeconstantaction toaddvalueandretainloyalcustomers.

For example, I use Mailchimp as part of my email marketing strategy andcustomer retention strategy. I have a complimentary seven-day eCourseononeofmywebsites.Mailchimp’sautomationtoolallowsmetosetupanemailtogoouttosomeonewhosignsupforthateCourseeverysingleday,forthedurationofthecourse. Ionlyhadtodothisonceandtherestwasdoneforme.Assoonassomeoneentersintheiremailaddresstoaccessthecourse,it

goes into Mailchimp and becomes a part of the autoresponder campaign.Partofthisjourneyistoofferevenmoreaddedvalueduringafurther21-dayperiod,wheresixmoreemailsareautomaticallyscheduledtogoouttothem.

Another way to build online loyalty is through pop-up windows fromWishpond.As Imentioned inChapterFive,Wishpond is anemailmarketingtool, which also allows you to create landing pages, contests, promotions,forms,pop-upsandadvertisements.Theirwebsitepop-uptoolcomesinfivedifferentformats;entrance;exit;timed;scroll;andclick.

BuildKPIs(KeyPerformanceIndicators)

As Ihavesaid,68%ofcustomersstoppurchasing fromacompanybecausethey are unhappy with the service they are receiving. Improving customerservicewillultimatelyboosthowmanycustomersyouretain.

Establish your SMART KPIs; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant andTime-based.Thishelpsyouunderstandwhatisstoppingyoufromimprovingyourcustomerretentionandhowyoucanimprovethis.

Throughoutthisbook,IhavesharedwithyouSMARTKPIs.Untilnow,Ihaven’tframed them as SMART KPIs because I’ve wanted to stay away from thisterminology.Forthesewordstohavemeaning,Iwantedtogiveyourelatable,real-lifeexamples.

Goaboveandbeyond

Your customers expect you to go above and beyond, as they know whatloyalty means to businesses. Take a mobile phone service provider forexample.Whenyoucallthemtoupgradeyourphone,youexpecttonothaveyourcontractfeeincreasedandnotpayasinglepennyforthehandset.Thiscanbedifficultbutassoonasyouplaytheloyaltycard,theywillgoaboveandbeyondtomakesureyouaregettingthedealyoudeserveandtheygetyouforatleastanother18monthsasareturningcustomer.

FeedbackSurveys

Customerfeedbacksurveysareoneofthebestwaystoshowyourcustomersthat you are listening to what they have to say and want to improve theservice you offer them. This is invaluable for learning your customers’expectations. I shared a great survey tool called SurveyMonkey in Chapter

Five. However, Google also have a great application, where you can createyourownsurveyandsendthelinktocustomers.

There are three different metrics you should be monitoring through yoursurveys.

1.IndividualResponses

Look at individual responses because understanding the bigger picture ofwhatallcustomerssaycollectivelywillnothelpyousolveaparticularissue.

2.OngoingFeedback

Totrackfeedback,youneedtodomorethanonesurvey.Duringaperiodoftime,youcanseeexactlywhatareashaveimprovedandwhichhaven’t.

3.KnowingYourStrengthsandWeaknesses

This feedback will provide you with the intelligence you need to makeimprovements around your weaknesses, while making your strengths,stronger. This will help you retain customers because real data-drivenfeedbackiswhatwillmakeyourbusinessgrow.

ShoppingCartAbandonment

Have you ever followed one of your customers’ journey through GoogleAnalyticsrealtimeandseenthattheyhavegottothepaymentpageandthenleftyourpage?Youdon’tneedtosee ithappen, toknowthat itdefinitely ishappening.TheaverageshoppingcartabandonmentrateforeCommerce isanastounding65-75%,asmuchas95%onmobile.Thismeansthatyouarelosingalargeamountofbusinessandunfortunately,eventhebestshoppingcartsolutionscan’tfindaguaranteedfix.

VEinteractiveisagreatonlinetooltohelpyouoptimisethepurchasejourneyonyourwebsite,ultimatelyreducingyourshoppingcartabandonment.

However,therearestepsyoucantaketoensureyouaredoingeverythingtoreducethat65%foryourbusiness.

1. Freeshipping;

2. Simplifythecheckoutprocess;

3. One-clickpayment;

4. Getridofhiddencharges;and

5. Offerrealtimesupport.

GoogleisYourFriend

Googleisabusiness’sbestfriend.Ifoundthisoutwhentheymentionedmein a Google+ post, on their official Google Analytics page tomore than 3.3millionfollowers.Whatbetterbrandadvocatecanyouget?Thiswouldn’thavehappened, if I wasn’t blogging on a regular basis about relevant andinterestingcontent.Bloggingisakeypartofyourmarketingstrategy,whichIspokeaboutinChapterSix.

Let’s move on to a very important part of understanding where yourcustomersarecomingfrom,whentheyareleavingandhowyoucanmakeiteasier for them to use and stay on your website. I previously mentionedGoogleAnalyticsasatoolinChapterFive.Hereisaguidetohelpingyouuseitforyourbusiness.

1.AddingtheCode

OnceyouhavesetupyouraccountonGoogleAnalytics,youwillneedtoaddthecodetheygiveyou,intothebackendofyourwebsite.Thisissoyoucanaccuratelytrackallactivity.

2.KnowingWhatYouCanMeasure

Afteryouhave inputtedthecode,clickon ‘viewreport’onthescreen,whichwillbringyoutothemaindashboard.Therearevarioustypesofdatayoucanmeasure which includes; visitors, traffic sources, content, goals andeCommerce.Whatyoutrack,dependsonwhatyouwanttoachieve.

3.SettingUpYourDashboard

Thereisamaindashboardwhereyouwillseeanoverviewofyourdata.Thisiscustomisable.Youcanchosetoseeanyofyourreportsfromthisareaandalsomoredetailaroundeachreport,click‘viewreport’.

4.AdjustingtheTimeRange

GoogleAnalyticswillbydefaultgiveyouyourresultsbasedonamonth-longperiod.Youcanchangethisbyadjustingthedaterange.

Here are three specific dashboards for your business, focusing on socialmedia,leadgenerationandeCommercewhichIspokeaboutinChapterFive.

These are completely free of charge and are an essential part of knowingwhereyouneedtoimproveyouronlinepresencetohelpretaincustomers.

As well as the tools above, you can use Hootsuite to manage your socialmedia analytics. Hootsuite allows you to combine real-time social actionstakingplacearoundyournetworkswithanengagementsolution,givingyouaccesstodata,whichyoucantakeimmediateactionon.

Thistoolallowsyouto;

• trackyourbrandgrowth;

• visualisesocialdemographics;

• measuresentimentmetrics;

• identifysocialinfluencers;

• seewhatcontentresonates;and

• createdetailedsocialreports.

MakeitPersonal

Itiscrucialwhenbuildingasocial-savvybusinessthatyoumakeeveryactionyou takearoundyourcustomeraspersonableaspossible.Whensendingasurvey to your customers, get their dateof birth so you can senda specialdiscount/giftandwrittencardontheirbirthday.Itwillbeanunexpected,butverymuchappreciated,surprise.

With every order you receive, if you’re a product driven business, send apersonal,handwrittenmessagesoyourcustomerknowsyouappreciatetheirpurchase.

Frommakingagoodfirst impressionto tailoredemails,personalisationandmobilecustomisation,youaremakingsure thatyourcustomersknowwhattheywantandthattheirneedscomefirst.

INSUMMARY

Youarethepersoninchargeofyourbusinessessuccessorfailure.ByreadingThink#DigitalFirstyouhavebeenguidedthroughastep-by-stepprocesstochangeyourbusinessmindset.Ihavesharedwithyou:howtomanageyourtime;howtostayuptodatewiththelatesttoolsandtechnology;andhowtoincreaseyourproductivityforfastgrowth.

Building your framework for success is an integral part of business growth.This book can help you do this by following the step-by-step process. ThestrategiesandtechniquesIhavesharedarepackedfullofgreattools,whichdemystifythenewdigitalageandbuildyourentrepreneurialfootprintonline.

Youarenowreadytofindandmarkettoyourtargetcustomer,buildyourGotoMarketStrategyandretaincustomersthroughimplementingloyalty.

Myroleistohelpyougrowyourbusinessandeverythinginthisbookisgoingtobeavailableonmywebsite. Comeand speak tomeon socialmedia, viaemail or in person at one of my keynote seminars, or attend one of mywebinars. The seven steps I have taken you throughmay leave you feelingoverwhelmedbutIameasilyaccessibletohelpyouandeverythingwediscussisincompleteconfidence.

Ihavesharedmybusinessexperiencesandhavewrittenthisbookfromtheheart.IhopethatwhatIhavesharedwillfasttrackyouthroughthemindfieldofstarting,orgrowingyoursuccessfulbusiness.