Jim Connolly Marketing

3 Great opportunities, which you can start on today

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marketing blogs

Here are 3 amazing opportunities, which you can invest in right now.

  1. Look for opportunities to make promises, and then keep them. This is a wonderful way to earn trust and build a great reputation.
  2. Look for opportunities to invest in others. Leave the people you connect with in a better position than when you found them. Even something as simple as a smile from you can make a difference to someone. It may be the only sunshine they see today!
  3. Look for opportunities to learn. Commit to lifelong learning. It’s one of the best investments you will ever make.
  4. Bonus: Look for opportunities to do more than people expect from you. There are no traffic jams on the extra mile, because although every business owner claims to go the extra mile, very few do. Be one of the rare few.

I hope you find these opportunities interesting. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.

Social media marketing: Why platform hopping is a bad idea

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I see a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs making the same, costly mistake with social media marketing. So, I wrote this for you. I hope you find it useful.

Are you platform hopping?

When looking to improve the bankable results they achieve from social media, many people hop from platform to platform. The latest destination for platform hoppers is Snapchat. That’s why it’s packed full of frustrated business owners, trying to be the next Gary Vee.

They think they need to be there.

They’ve heard it’s where all the buzz is.

However, they find it impossible to stand out, attract attention and drive sales. They’re already waiting for the next hot platform. In case that one works.

Here’s the thing:

Platform hopping is like going on fad diets. After a few months of hard work, you’re usually in a worse place than before you started.

Why?

Because the platform is seldom the problem. It’s far more likely that you need to change (improve) your strategy, rather than change your platform. On every platform there are business owners doing great and others who struggle.

The strategy is what makes the difference.

What next?

Decide what you want to achieve. Then, find the social media platform or platforms, which are the best fit. Without knowing your exact situation and what you want to achieve, I can’t give you specific strategy advice.

There is, however, one thing that’s universally true.

If you copy what you see others doing, follow step-by-step guides or rely on social media management software, you will always struggle. For you to get the best results from social media, you need to stand out… which is impossible, via copying, following a guide or using software.
(Here’s how to stand out — no guide required.)

In short, spend less time hopping between platforms and more time improving your strategy. It’s your strategy, which makes all the difference.

Are you ready?

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I help people grow amazing businesses and outstanding enterprises.

  • I work with artists… creative souls who are passionate.
  • I work with people who want to make a difference.
  • I work with entrepreneurs who want to build something remarkable.

If that sounds like you, read this. I have just made 4 spaces available.

(Update — These spaces have now been taken. Thank you.)

5 Things you must know, to take your business to a new level

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marketing blogs, marketing advice

  1. It’s your business. You’re in total control.
  2. Nothing can happen (good or bad), without your consent. Starve your business of the resources it needs and it will die. Give your business the resources it needs and it will thrive. It’s your choice. So decide.
  3. You can improve your strategy. You can start moving in the right direction. You can stop dabbling and get intentional. There’s no need to carry on working hard, for too little reward.
  4. By using a great strategy and backing it up with action, the potential of your business is limitless.
  5. And you can begin this process today. Right now.

So, stop worrying. Instead, take control. Give your business what it needs and it will give you what you need.

How to get a verified Twitter account

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verified twiter account, how to, twitter

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that my Twitter account is verified. Because of this, I get a lot of people asking if I can show them how to get a verified Twitter account. That’s what this brief message is about.

There are 2 steps to getting verified. I’ll show you what they are and how they work.

  1. Submitting a verification request to Twitter.
  2. Being selected for verification.

How to get a verified Twitter account: Step 1

The first step is very simple. You just visit this link and submit a verified account request. There’s a short form to fill in, plus you’ll need to have some ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.).

It takes minutes. Here’s exactly what you need to do.

How to get a verified Twitter account: Step 2

The second step to getting verified on Twitter is trickier. The person reviewing your application at Twitter, needs to believe that you fit their verification criteria. And yes, the process is still handled manually.

Here’s what Twitter’s website says about the types of account that get verified:

“What types of accounts get verified?  An account may be verified if it is determined to be an account of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas”.

In other words, unlike a credit card application, you need to do more than verify that you are really you. And this is where the problem (and frustration) comes for most Twitter users seeking to get verified.

verified twiter account, twitter verification

In essence, you need to convince the person handling your verification request that your Twitter account is “of public interest”. I have no idea where their cut-off point is for public interest. Also, judging by some of the decisions these people make, if you want to get a verified Twitter account, you’ll need something else.

Twitter verified accounts… and luck

Also, as the process is based solely on the opinion of an individual Twitter employee, there’s a lot of luck involved. I have seen many accounts that Twitter has verified, which are used by notorious spammers and marketers who pump undisclosed affiliate links to unsuspecting followers. Equally, Twitter verifies accounts that use auto-follow software, which violates Twitter’s own terms of use. Twitter needs to address this. Not only does it devalue verification, it’s extremely frustrating, for those who are rejected.

Since my own verification, I have been approached by many well-respected businesspeople, who have been rejected by Twitter without any explanation. When I look at their credentials, it’s crystal clear they are more “worthy” of being verified than those automated marketing accounts, who use software to follow hundreds of thousands of Twitter users, in order to get more followers.

So, that’s the simple, yet extremely frustrating 2 step process for how to get a verified Twitter account. Please note, I have no way of getting you verified, so there’s no point in asking me. If you have any verification questions, please use the links in this post for more information. There’s lots of answers to common questions.

This post was last updated in July 2017.

Why your clients could be killing your business and how to stop it

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marketing blogs, marketing help

Are your clients destroying your business? That may seem like an odd question. However, it’s an extremely important one. And for most people reading this, the answer is a definite YES!

You see, a huge part of the way your prospective clients will feel about working with you, is defined by who you already work for.

Allow me to explain.

How your client’s define you

Here are just a couple of examples of how the wrong kind of client can ruin a great business.

Firstly, when a prospective client checks your portfolio or testimonials, they get an immediate insight into the quality of clients you’ve worked with. If you’ve worked for clients, who failed to give you the freedom you need to do great work, this will be directly obvious to prospective clients. Most designers, copywriters, accountants, trainers and coaches fall into this trap. And it’s usually fatal.

Secondly, if you work for clients who don’t pay you on time (or pay you enough), you will always have cash flow problems. This leaves you constantly desperate for income. Prospective clients and customers can smell desperation a mile off. They will either be put off working with you or they will use it to drive your fees or prices down.

In each of those instances, your entire commercial future is being dictated, by the quality of clients you choose to work with.

The answer: Pick your clients and choose wisely

Working for anyone who will pay you is usually a very bad idea.

  • It fails you in the short term (you’re miserable).
  • It fails you in the medium term (you’re not rewarded financially or professionally).
  • It fails you in the long term (the process keeps looping). This is how negative cycles are created and allowed to persist.

Yes, it’s tempting to grab whatever work you can get. However, it’s the root cause of the problem. It’s not the solution.

Thankfully, the opposite is also true. When you work with great clients, on inspiring projects and your time is valued, it places you in the VIP vendor box.

Prospective clients see that you work with great people. They see the projects you’re involved in. They draw the conclusion that people like you, don’t come cheap. You then attract more great clients, you get paid what you’re worth and this too creates a cycle.

A highly profitable, enormously rewarding cycle.

For more free information on the subject, read this: How to build a successful business. It contains lots of ideas and examples.