In the end, it boils down to basics. “We assess the potential opportunity,” says Eric Kim of Goodwater. “And the rate of return for investors.”
And sometimes, the VCs just don’t get it. Example. Neil Young’s high resolution music ecosystem Pono was turned down by VCs, so Young turned to his millions of fans. His subsequent crowdfunding campaign raised $20 million on a $50 million valuation.
Effectively giving VCs an entirely different kind of “aha!” moment.
About the Author
Patrick Hanlon is ceo and founder of THINKTOPIA® and one of the leading branding practitioners in the world. His book Primal Branding: Create Zealots For Your Brand, Your Company And Your Future (Simon & Schuster, 2006), is recommended by YouTube, the largest social engagement platform on the planet. His new book The Social Code helps startup (and grown up) entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes understand how to create a community of fans who are so passionate about your success, they are willing to create it themselves.
* This article originally ran on Forbes.com
How to Make Your Product Look Sexy on Facebook
By Aaron Lee
Do you want to learn how to spice up your product and make it sexy on Facebook?
To be honest with you, I’ve heard it all before. People have told me that their products are too boring or that they work in an industry that’s not interesting enough to be on Facebook.
I, on the other hand, believe that any business can be on Facebook.
A little creativity is what it takes to make it work. I’ve seen countless unique pages —everything from swimming pool accessories to poultry products, and even a horse farm — that have built great communities on Facebook simply because their competitors are not represented there.
You can do this too!
1. Show what it represents.
What is your product to you and to your customers?
Other than simply solving your customers’ problem, you could show them what your product represents.
For companies like GoPro, it’s all about “the adventure.” For others’ pages it’s about fun, freedom, love, God, etc.
Quest Nutrition hopes their product will represent clean eating and a healthy lifestyle. To reinforce this idea, they constantly share photos of fans who have worked hard to lose weight, and they’ve had great success in doing so.
2. Dress it up.
I only have one tip in this area and that is to get out of the studio! A professional product photo with a white background is pretty. It’s great if you’re selling it on your website, but if you do that on Facebook, it’s just not sexy.
Take your product, take yourself, get out of the studio, and capture your product it in a different environment. Now that makes it sexy!
Just take a look at how sexy these pretzels are.
3. Have some fun.
If it fits the tone that you want to convey on Facebook, go and have fun. You’re not required to be professional all the time. Many businesses limit themselves here by being too professional and they forget that social networks like Facebook are very personal.
A few simple ideas:
* Add a meme to your brand
* Share a joke
* Show fun people working in your company
4. Show the ways you can use it.
How do you use your products? Instead of simply posting and trying to sell based on the product’s specifications, demonstrate to your fans the ways that they can use your products.
Facebook is a great platform for this type of sharing: you can make a step- by-step infographic, a video tutorial or simply a daily or weekly tip.
One of the best examples that I’ve seen came from Duck Tape. Duck Tape! Who would have guessed adhesives could be so compelling on Facebook? Not me!
5. Customers
There’s nothing sexier than having your customers do the selling for you. You can do this by getting your fans to send photos of them with your products.
Ask them to share a photo with you by submitting it through an app, comments section, or even on Instagram through the use of a hashtag. Share the best couple of photos and reward your fans.
I love how Quest Nutrition does this on Facebook. For me Quest Nutrition ticks all the boxes for really marketing on Facebook.
6. Make it current
The trick to using current events in your Facebook marketing is to predict what current events will be relevant to your fans. An easy example would be events like the Super Bowl, but others could be more niche, like the Teen Choice Awards. For Fitness enthusiasts there are events like the Crossfit games.
Know what your fans love, and then use it as a topic to engage with them. You could even have a subtle product placement inside the visuals that you use. It doesn’t have to be too direct.
7. Show the human side
This last one is perhaps the most important, and will connect everything mentioned above. Showing the human side of the business will make your product sexy because it makes your page more memorable, especially when compared to the thousands of other pages constantly bombarding their fans with ads and corporate messages.
You can do this by showing what happens at your workplace. Perhaps give your fans an idea of the people that run your daily operations.
Summing up!
To really succeed in this space, you have to be honest and, most importantly, be yourself. The best practices are fine, but allowing your unique personality to show through is what will really help distinguish you from the pack.
It’s your turn. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you would make your product look sexier on Facebook.
About the Author
Aaron Lee is the Grand Master of Customer Delight at Post Planner, a platform that makes it easy to increase Facebook engagement. During his free time, he shares his fun adventures at AskAaronLee.com.
Why You Should Never Give Up On Your Dreams
By Adriana Langford
Autumn is the season where we reap the benefits of the seeds that we planted in the spring according to the great philosopher Jim Rohn. I wanted to touch base with the entrepreneurial community on why you should never, ever, give up on your dreams.
Last Labor day as many of us celebrated American workers with family and friends or looked upon the upcoming new season with regret or disappointment for the things we want to achieve or feel that we should have already achieved, Diana Nyad, a 64 year old endurance swimmer became the first swimmer to cross the 110 mile journey from Cuba to Key west without the protection of a shark cage. This was Ms. Nyad’s fifth attempt to reach her goal in 35 years and she finally made it.
After Ms. Nyad completed her journey, she gave us three simple but powerful messages that I want to share with you to show you how this applies to us as individuals as well as entrepreneurs, myself included. Diana’s three messages were:
1. We should never, ever give up
Think of all the situations that you have been through, how bad you fought for the dream you wanted the most, and most importantly for those of you that are still struggling to reach their destination this is not the time to quit. Ms. Nyad tried this five times and each time before there was an obstacle in her way. Storms, stinging jellyfish, and terrifying sharks. I can’t think of one person in my life that would do what she did, can you? You could be that person.
2. You are never too old to chase your dreams
Whether you’re 35 or 53 chances are deep down inside there is something burning you on the inside. Maybe this goal is something you dreamed of doing twenty years ago . It could be the dream of working for yourself or the dream of finally getting that MBA title that you may not even need but want to have it make you feel complete. Ms. Nyad showed us all that it’s really never too late. All you need is perseverance and determination to succeed.
3. It looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team
This lesson was actually my favorite. I confess! It’s my favorite because
I’m running a company, as are many of you, and we both know that doing it ourselves is just a crock of you know what. If it weren’t for my team I honestly don’t know how I would do it. A well-balanced team makes all the difference.
If you are running your business alone this really applies to you. Think about all of the things you would be able to achieve if you developed your A team. After so many attempts Ms. Nyad knew what she had to do and whom she had to consult to make this journey a success. On one occasion she had a severe asthma attack that stopped her journey, which prompted her to call a pulmonologist. After being severely stung by a swarm of jellyfish, she called in a jellyfish expert. Sharks are usually an absolute menace so she called in shark divers. After each lesson she learned exactly whom she needed to succeed and you must do the same.
We are living in an age where anything is possible, including the outrageous dreams you have in your head. So today as we reflect on Diana Nyad’s successful journey, I want you to continue telling yourself, IT’S POSSIBLE!
About the Author
Adriana Langford is The Chic Entrepreneur Coach and founder of www.chicentrepreneurenterprise.com. A mindset and marketing mentor teaching women entrepreneurs how to step out of their comfort zone and into their path to success by transforming their mindset and mastering their marketing skills.
The Quest for the “Easy” Startup
Tabitha Jean Naylor
If you’ve ever played video games, you have heard the word quest on a regular basis. You are often completing quests in order to save the princess or find the missing dragon. If you haven’t noticed, these adventures are not real.
The ‘easy’ startup is also a fantasy.
For some reason, there are many myths that are involved with running a startup. Who thinks these fantasies up and spreads them around like wildfire? Nobody knows. Often these rumors are started by those who have never experienced running their own business. These myths are also created by those who assume they know the answers to running a startup.
The truth is, many people have dreams of beginning a startup but are too afraid to move on it. Moving past your fear is the first step to beginning a startup.
Before you truly begin, you must learn the truth behind many of the myths that follow an ‘easy’ startup.
If your startup fails, you’ve failed.
For some reason, people associate failure with two ideas: that your product must not be worth purchasing or that you should quit altogether. This is absolutely incorrect.
Many successful startups have failed numerous times. If you need proof, look at one of the cofounders of Paypal – he launched 4 startups; 3 failed and one did “okay”.
Failure is more of a state of mind than anything else. Yes, it means that something needs to be changed because you did not reach success, but success is also not a journey. Many people need to fail to learn and grow, because failure teaches lessons.
If you’re facing a failure with your startup, find out why – what needs to be changed? What areas of your startup were successful? There are many questions you can ask yourself to turn these negative issues into positive opportunities.
Expectations: Expect to fail. Failure will allow you to alter your business in ways that will eventually benefit your company in the future and open the doors for success when you come out for round 2. If your startup is successful from the get go, work hard to ensure that it continues to thrive.
A new product will obviously mean immediate customers.
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a TV infomercial that advertises your product line, immediate customers is definitely a fantasy.
Just because you have created something great does not mean customers are going to flock to your business. In fact, many people may not even know – or care – about your business.
Whatever services or products you are trying to sell are irrelevant; even if it’s something that has never hit the market before. Unless it is an absolutely breakthrough in science, it needs to be properly marketed and given a purpose.
Customers need to be given a reason to care about your product and know that it serves a purpose for them that no other product can serve.
Expectations: You’re going to spend a lot of time marketing and advertising through social media and be reliant on word of mouth, including your own, to spread the news about your business. Even after you’ve spent hours and hours marketing, customers are still going to be far and few. It may be months before you begin to see a rise in customers, so don’t get discouraged.
Passion will keep your business alive.
Did you know that passion doesn’t actually run your business? It is extremely important to be passionate about your company and brand. You must care about your products and what you’re going to be giving back to the public, yes, but it is not what is going to keep your business thriving.
Passion is not going to sell or market your product. It isn’t going to spread the word through friends and family. Once your products have been sampled or used, the excitement in customers may sell your product to others, but it is not passion that will get it there.
Many startup founders get distracted with their passion because they believe that their product is good enough to sell itself. While it is vital to having faith in your own products, you must be able to see your products from the customer’s point of view.
Expectations: You have to allow yourself to see things from an outside perspective. Being able to accept criticism and make changes is what is going to help keep your business going. If you’re too passionate about your services or products, it may be detrimental to your company. The dreams you have of succeeding and selling an unbelievable product should not trump your intelligence or attention to details. Every product has flaws – don’t let your vision blind you from seeing them.
If you don’t know, get a cofounder who does.
It’s obvious you cannot do it all. While being the jack of all trades is ideal, it’s often unrealistic.
Getting a cofounder can help reduce some of your workload, but if you’re getting one for the wrong reasons, your startup may still fail. Because you aren’t familiar with the technical details of running a startup is not reason enough to find a cofounder to help your business.
You may be asking yourself why you need to know something if you have a cofounder who knows already.
Expectations: You should have some knowledge in every aspect of your startup. There will obviously be large holes in your knowledge because some business areas require a lot of education, such as software programming or the financials, but having some knowledge in each department is helpful. This can provide you with some insight as to what is going on in your business; this way, you aren’t completely oblivious if something happens. If your cofounder is busy or out of town, you must be able to step up to the plate and know who to call if something breaks or what the next step to take is to find a solution.
A good business plan is the key to success.
For some reason, people in general think having a plan is the best solution to avoiding chaos. Then, when something goes awry you can panic and have absolutely no idea what to do next.
Yes, a business plan can help lay things out and begin a startup successfully. Depending what kind of business you’re starting, a plan can help you maintain a guideline as to how things are supposed to be done or what your prediction may be for the future.
Expectations: Stay realistic and remember: a business plan is simply full of predictions. The future can never be known even if you do everything in your power to control it. Expect your business plan to be a guideline rather than something that is set in stone. Things can always go in different directions and creating a new business plan every time something changes is absurd.
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