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Five tips on how to reconnect and reinvent your brand

So you want to start your own business. Excellent. You can count on us to be in your corner, especially if you need assistance with your branding and story. It’s kind of our thing.

Tell us who else has your back. Who do you consult when you’ve got questions? Who’s your go-to when you fail or, better yet, succeed? Who have you referred, boosted as much as you can, and who are you excited to meet?

Networking Tips

All this is your networking reach. How far does yours stretch? Here are a few ways to network better this year:

1. Find your people. And then meettheir people. The chain never ends if you’re networking correctly. So attend industry specific events with cards and keep an open mind about contacts you might not need today, but perhaps will someday.(A special note about business cards: Treat them like money.)

2. Make sure your people areable to find you. This means current social media sites and proper contact information. Try not to change your email address. Consistency is key; if you and your information are constant, your branding and message will benefit.

3. Work on your elevator pitch. The elevator part isn’t crucial, because when’s the last time you found yourself on an elevator with an individual who could possibly change the trajectory of your company’s success? The point is, you must craft a one-sentence statement to offer when asked “What do you do?” Answer: “I (insert service or product) for people who (insert description of dream client’s needs).”Even better than one sentence? A unique title. Now, maybe you’re lucky enough to hold a job that’s easily identified by your audience. Think surgeon, U.S. Senator, ghostwriter, and baker. But what if you’re a design blogger? A wellness professional? A creative consultant? A neon sign maker? Be prepared for the follow-up questions those titles elicit, and get specific. See elevator pitch, above.

4. Think small. If you’re talking about your business with a potential influencer or partner, narrow your focus. You don’t need to tell everythingyou can do; this is the moment tosqueeze everything into that one thing. You may be an architectural designer who wants to focus only on the designer part of your career for a while. That’s fine. In networking environments, just be sure to highlight your design talents and projects, throwing in your architectural background when necessary.

5. Quality, not quantity. At a certain point, the amount of connections and followers you enjoy will max out. Ever heard of Dunbar’s number? Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, posits that 150 is the most social connections we can manage all at once. But do we only want 150? Nope. We want hundreds of thousands, more, more, more.

No matter your ideal number of connections, focus on that tight group who can really help you get where you want to be. And make sure that you’re creating content that will resonate with them.

One final tip that always guarantees success, both personal and professional: Spread the love. If you know someone who’s great at something, tell others. Share their social media accounts. And then do it for the next peer who impresses you with their own additions to the world.

Goodwill begets more goodwill. And we can’t imagine a better networking outcome than that.

Need help with your message? We’ve got some good ideas for you. Just ask.

You’ve been in that meeting where you want to scream at everyone to ask better questions. We have, too. The one when a close colleague raises her hand and proceeds to speak in circles for at least two or three minutes, until she finally hears your encouraging cough that will hopefully redirect her focus, and gets to her intended question: “Ummm, there was a question in there…hold on…what I mean to say is…well…we’re talking about…what were we talking about?”

Painful. But it happens to the best of us, at least once.

Questions are key to understanding. (Even Voltaire knew this, writing in the 1700s, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”) If you want others to understand your content, you’ve got to ask better questions. Here’s how:

1. If you can Google it, don’t ask. That seems obvious, but important to note nonetheless. The same goes for information you’ve already received. If a client has already provided his log in information and scheduling requests, those are questions you should not ask over and over again.
2. Say what you mean to say. Don’t offer excuses as to why you might not know the answer, and don’t minimize your knowledge seeking as an inconvenience. If you treat your questions like a meaningless endeavor for which you should apologize, others won’t value your input, either.
3. Use question marks with caution. In polite societies, there’s a two question maximum. You’ll run the risk of confusing the question-answerer, not to mention stealing time away from fellow question-askers. Ask what’s most important to know; anything else is best in a follow-up email.
4. Pretend your question mark is a full-stop. The process should be as pure and simple as possible: there is an ask, and then an answer. Be concise, and resist the natural tendency to ramble. Your clarity will be appreciated and noted.
5. Make sure your questions empower. We’ve all known the guy who asks questions solely to place blame or elevate his own stature in the group. Don’t be that guy. Ever. Instead, ask questions that promote trust, inclusiveness, and ones that encourage forward thinking.
6. Don’t interrupt. Listen to the answer. Some of the best answers pop up just after the question has been answered. There may be a lull while the question-answerer thinks a bit more, and then offers up another version of their answer. Wait for it. You’ll be glad you did.

We’d ask you if this post taught you anything about how to ask better questions, but we tend to stay away from dead-end questions that require a simple yes or no answer. Think of this as Tip Number Seven, then.

And if you’d like to hear more about how better questions can grow your business, just ask us (the short answer: your prospects are searching right now for answers that you can help them with). We’re here to help.

Remember when the biggest distraction in your was not your inbox but your office mate’s compulsion for celebrating absolutely everything? “Josh got a promotion! We’re meeting in the break room for cake at 11!” Congratulating Josh – and Karen on her new baby, Dali on her relocation to LA, and Kai on his birthday – really added up in terms of time away from your real work. But still, those time sucks were nothing compared to the amount of time we waste in our inboxes.

And at least there was cake.

Using the Washington Post’s utterly depressing calculator, I figured out how many cake-less hours I’ve spent on emails: Forty thousand, or around four hours a day for the entirety of my career until I finally retire.

In that time, according to the Post, I could have learned two dozen languages or hiked the Appalachian Trail 100 times. Excuse me while I sob at the thought of all I’ve missed. But first, let me check my email. I heard a ping.

There are certainly ways to be better time managers when it comes to your inbox. Like auto-responses that inform your inbox visitors you’ll answer their note at your designated inbox-checking times of 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Pretty soon, they’ll understand what to expect from you and maybe learn to be a little more intentional with their emails, too.

There are also apps that can help…if you use them. Inbox When Ready is my personal favorite. It hides your incoming and existing messages while you’re composing new ones, distraction free, and has a genius inbox lockout feature that prevents you from checking your inbox until a designated time.

Or, we can take a few tips from the military. That’s right: They’re tough as nails, and good with emails. Kabir Sehgal, US Navy veteran and author, suggests starting with the subject line, using words in all caps that tell the recipient exactly what the intention of the message is:

• ACTION: Compulsory for the recipient to take some action.
• SIGN: Requires the signature of the recipient
• INFO: For informational purposes only, and there is no response or action required.
• DECISION: Requires a decision by the recipient.
• REQUEST: Seeks permission or approval by the recipient.
• COORD: Short for coordination, by or with the recipient is needed.

In a matter of seconds, your recipient knows exactly what your email’s intention is, which may not only help reduce the time you spend writing email, but also save other people’s time, too.

At The Found Gen, we’ve got lots of ideas to maximize your message while minimizing your involvement. Trust us: You’re going to love the time we save you. Meet you on the Appalachian Trail?

Many businesses and marketers have already embraced content marketing. They likely already know that they need content and have a basic strategy in place. But, too often, they feel that they’re missing out on opportunities and look to new content marketing trends to fill that gap.

As the marketing ecosystem is constantly evolving, it’s essential to stay on top of what’s next. Here are seven top content marketing trends for 2017 (editors note: not all trends are worth following. Don’t change your brand just because — if you shifted all of your resources to growing your Snapchat presence last year and neglected Instagram, you’d be annoyed today and playing catch-up) :

Live Streaming

Video has played an important role in content marketing over the past few years, and 73% of marketing professionals say that it has had positive marketing results.  Video will continue its reign, but, in 2017, live stream video will rise to prominence.

Top social media platforms, like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Instagram, provide simple channels for hosting live product reports, tours, tutorials, events, and more. Live video streaming provides a level of authenticity that audiences crave, because it can’t be edited before uploading. It’s definitely one of the content marketing trends worth considering.

Virtual Reality 

Every year, Virtual Reality is supposed to be the next big thing, so it’s pretty much required to be on any list of content marketing trends. That being said, we’re skeptical that VR will reach any level of market relevance this year — or potentially ever.

That being said, arely VR adopters can really differentiate themselves with something that will provide a one-of-a-kind user experience.

Visual Formats

The traditional forms of content marketing, like blogs and other written content, will continue to prevail in 2017. But, brands will be getting more creative with their content’s formats, and many will experiment with visuals.

Visual content, like infographics and gifs, will become more important as search engines get better at reading and analyzing the images.

Niche Messaging 

Content marketing is becoming more and more competitive. In 2017, content marketers will delve deeper in their approach. More specific and targeted content will be a trend as they try to reach niche audiences.

Email Newsletters

Most marketers use email newsletters for content marketing, and more will come on board in 2017. Email newsletters help convert leads into customers and keep existing customers and readers engaged. Because people have to opt in to receive your newsletter, the audience is highly valuable and can boost your content’s return on investment.

Storytelling 

The most impactful content provides readers with an experience through good storytelling. This allows marketers to tap into emotions. Storytelling will be an important brand strategy in 2017. Instead of reporting information, focus on implications and consequences of the facts, which provide readers with more value.

Native Advertising

Though not new by any means, native advertising will play a vital role in 2017, replacing traditional display and push advertising, which no longer have as much impact thanks to the prevalence of ad blockers. Native advertising provides useful information in the form of an article or video, merging promotions and content. Marketers can use it to provide in-depth information about a product, service, or other aspect of a business.

2017 will be a big year for content marketing. Lots of new trends are emerging, and many existing tools will become more prominent.

Do you follow a social media account you secretly wish you didn’t? There’s nothing specifically off-putting about it; the individual is smart, popular, and everyone you know follows her, too. She’s kind of a big deal in your industry.

But to be honest, she makes you feel like you’re not doing enough. Rather than inspiring you, her content is deflating your accomplishments and crushing your personal goals. You haven’t clicked through her links in months, you’ve finally stopped reading her photo captions altogether, and if she mentions another super top secret, amazing project she can’t wait to share as soon as she possibly can, you just might throw your phone out the window.

It’s time to unfollow.

The Power of the Unsubscribe

The same goes for unwanted emails. The general rule is that if you note the recipient, don’t bother to read the subject line, and head straight for delete, it’s time to formally unsubscribe. You’ve already distanced yourself mentally, and now it’s time to cut all physical ties, as well.

And the power of the unsubscribe shouldn’t be overlooked. It clears up your inbox (as well as your social media feed), making you more productive and adds more time to your day.

It’s been said that your inbox is other peoples’ to-do list for you. Think about that for a minute, because it truly changed my online life. From “Buy this” to “Can you send me that” to “Have you seen this,” it’s mostly action items. Once you view your email this way, there’s no going back. Carefully decide who gets to add to your to-do list, and edit those individuals and companies ruthlessly.

What this Means for Your Marketing

Realize that most people feel the same way as you do. When you’re building your content marketing strategy, make sure that your messaging accounts for the power of the unsubscribe

Unsubscribing from all the internet noise that’s not adding to your life gives you breathing space, a rare find in the online world. You’re going to love it here.