If I told you that you could become a sucessful vlogger, would you believe me? Or do you think that there is too much competition? YouTube is saturated — 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. There are dozens of million-dollar YouTubers creating thousands of hours of video a year. How could you …
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If I told you that you could become a sucessful vlogger, would you believe me?
Or do you think that there is too much competition?
YouTube is saturated — 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. There are dozens of million-dollar YouTubers creating thousands of hours of video a year.
How could you possibly break through the noise?
Well, I’m here to tell you that video blogging still has huge potential.
Just look at the growth of video ad investment among brands and agencies and where it’s predicted to go:
Investment is growing because it’s following consumption. More than 85% of US internet users watch video ads.
It might not be as easy as it was five or seven years ago to break onto the vlogging scene, video is more important than ever to build a successful online marketing strategy.
Why?
First, video remains one of the best and most effective ways for people to get to know you.
When they see you, their brain develops an impression of you that helps to build trust. You’re not just an anonymous content creator trying to drive your business. You’re a real person.
Second, video is a preferred method people have for gaining information. The stats don’t lie. People spend up to 2.6 times as long on web pages with video than without video.
Third, the cost of good equipment keeps on falling, and the cameras in our phones keep getting better.
Fourth, video has a strong impact on the user experience, and therefore SEO. A video on your site can increase organic traffic by 157%. Check out this infographic:
Finally, video blogging can be lucrative in itself. The top YouTubers make between $14 and $22 million dollars a year.
The power of video is undeniable.
All of this brings up the question: how can you become a successful vlogger?
I’m going to explain the steps you need to take to become a successful vlogger, from starting a vlog and coming up with concepts for a video series to making a quality video and making sure people find your videos.
Let’s jump in.
Many people follow the desire to make a video by coming up with one idea for one video.
That would be like starting a blog with an idea for only one article.
As you probably know, that wouldn’t get you very far.
I explain how long content marketing takes in this video:
Video, like any other form of content marketing, needs a long-term strategy defined by a subject, tone of voice, and approach.
Here’s a question to ask yourself:
“What am I trying to convey to my audience?”
Once you know what you’re trying to do, you can define your vlogging content concept:
You have to document your plan to determine if it’s going to be feasible for long enough to achieve your goals.
The reality is people need to see consistency in order to understand why they should subscribe to your channel.
If you are making random, sporadic videos, it’s going to be harder to convince people to follow you.
The content of your video will be what determines your success.
That is, of course, only if you make quality videos.
Video making is a complicated profession. When you see all of the elements that go into shooting a television broadcast or feature film you can be forgiven for thinking that you could never make anything like that.
And you probably can’t.
That’s OK.
People who are going to watch your video on your blog are not expecting a Steven Spielberg production.
People understand what vlogging is.
But that doesn’t mean that you should not care about quality. Quality is still super important.
Luckily, the cost of creating quality video has been steadily dropping and continues to drop. There are more and more types of equipment available that can make your video go from amateur to professional-looking.
You might be tempted to use your iPhone.
And honestly, cameras on smartphones have gotten amazing over the years. You have probably taken some great photos and videos on your phone already.
But smartphone cameras are difficult for serious video blogging for the following reasons:
Selfie videos are best used for things like Instagram Stories.
They can be a part of your video strategy but shouldn’t be the foundation of it.
Cameras range in quality a lot, from basic models that run in the low hundreds to professional gear that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Most DSLR cameras also have video modes, though the options can be just as limited as on smartphones.
If you don’t know, DSLR cameras look like this:
The good news is that if you’re not chasing snow leopards in the wild, you won’t need all of those fancy settings.
What you need is a camera with a good lens that’s can take high-quality video. Not 4K necessarily, but enough quality to be able to work with if you want to add any extras.
You can find refurbished HD digital video cameras like this one for under $200.
Then, mount that camera onto a tripod. Nothing is worse than shaky video.
You could always place your camera on a table or shelf, but tripods are very affordable and give you 100% control of your filming.
Full-size tripods can go for less than $20, so there’s really no excuse not to have one.
You can either get a camera with a mic-in jack to plug in an external microphone (something you can also do when filming with your smartphone), or you can buy a USB microphone and record the sound directly to your computer.
It depends on the type of conditions you’re filming in, but you usually don’t want to capture sound from directly from the camera.
Separating the recording between two devices adds the challenge of having to sync up sound and image later.
You can overcome this by creating a clap sound that spikes up your audio visualizer for each syncing, then you line that up with the audio from the video.
I can’t stress the importance of having great sound in your videos. Sound is one of our fundamental senses and it should be a part of your marketing strategy.
Here are a few ways to leverage the power of sound:
Simply put, poorly recorded audio can turn people off and get in the way of you getting your message across.
Lighting videos is an art all unto itself. But it’s surprisingly easy to get a great effect since there are normally only three primary lights in a video setup.
The important thing is to separate yourself or your subject from the background. You can do this with the focus and depth of field, of course. But it really looks professional when there is a difference in lighting as well.
You don’t even need a professional lighting setup.
You can create a fairly decent lighting setup from lamps that you might have around the house.
You can also buy LED board lights that diffuse really well without getting hot — one of the drawbacks of using incandescent bulbs. You can buy versions that you can mount on your camera if you aren’t shooting in a controlled environment.
As a general rule, it’s better to be brighter. The image is clearer since the camera captures more light and therefore more detail.
It’s great to be able to speak off the cuff effortlessly. There are some vloggers with a natural style that works really well. Take the beauty vlogger Freddy My Love. Her effortless and natural style has been honed from years of practice.
Chances are, you will need help to deliver content in a clear and structured way.
You could memorize talking points and do a couple of takes. Then you can splice together the best parts.
That’s a longer process, though, than using a teleprompter.
A teleprompter makes it easier to hit all of the important points without memorizing or awkwardly transitioning between them. You could even write a script to follow verbatim.
But it’s more than a time saver. It drastically improves the way that you interact with your viewers.
Having notes or something written off screen causes you to break eye contact when you’re addressing your audience directly.
According to a study by Cornell University, humans will naturally increase eye contact with people that we admire or like.
Conversely, we tend to break eye contact when talking about embarrassing or uncomfortable subjects.
Viewers will subscribe to vloggers they respect. You can look directly into the eyes of your viewers while still reading your script or bullet points.
A teleprompter might seem complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple.
Teleprompting uses a slanted piece of glass to reflect the words so you can read them.
As long as there is darkness between the glass and the camera lens, the camera won’t pick up the light reflecting from the text on the glass. The camera will only see you.
You, however, will be able to clearly read the text as it scrolls. It looks like this:
You can buy a teleprompting setup and use your iPad or tablet with a teleprompting app.
There are also more advanced models that hook up to pedals for your feet that control how quickly the text scrolls.
If all that sounds like way too much, you can always try to build one yourself with a CD case and your smartphone to see if you like it.
This might sound a bit controversial – and I’m OK with that because I want you to have all of the options available to becoming successful – but people like watching videos with people who are put together.
(This explains why so many movie stars can be bad at acting.)
You don’t need to be Brad Pitt, and you definitely shouldn’t go overboard, but make an effort.
You’ve got an HD camera and a lighting setup. People have never seen you as clearly as right now.
For example, when you light yourself there will almost certainly be shiny parts of your skin. That’s your natural skin oil.
The most common makeup is a powder that absorbs oil so that your skin appears smooth without reflecting too much light.
Try testing your lighting setup and seeing where your skin is a bit too shiny.
Just to be clear, this goes for men as much as women.
Then, apply a powder if needed. Your video (and you) will look a whole lot more professional.
Making videos is like any other skill. You will get better at it the more you do it.
Video editing makes your life a lot easier by making it easier to cut between the best takes to more rapidly built your content.
Video editing software is easy to find — and use. iMovie comes on all macs and is available as an app on iOS.
The drag-and-drop interface makes it a snap to use.
If you are ever wondering how to do something, like shorten a transition or overlay an image, there are tons of tutorials on YouTube.
The bottom line is that you should be creating a lot of content. The majority of it you might not even use. But you get better and better each time you try something new.
And you should be careful to avoid oversharing. Instead, you should focus on a more qualitative approach.
Even if you think you did something great the first time through, force yourself to try it again.
You never know when you’re going to stumble onto something great.
OK, you’ve got the keys to actually making your videos to execute your strategy, now comes the hard part.
When you make a video, you are in control of everything.
You decide how much you can invest time and money into creating your video. You decide who you work with and what you want the outcome to be.
Then, you decide when you put it online.
You don’t decide when other people watch it.
You can only try to grab their attention.
Getting people to watch your video can be difficult, but there are many steps that you can take to maximize your potential audience and get more people to click play.
The first thing that many people will see is the thumbnail on the player before they start the video.
In fact, this is the piece of communication that reaches all the people that come across your video but don’t play it.
That digital real estate is your little promo box and can drive engagement. Take the time to make it great.
Here are two examples from Gary Vaynerchuk. He varies the style of the thumbnail from a photo collage with the title in a fun YouTube-style:
To a more elegant and serious tone when his subject matter is more inspirational:
There’s one thing you will always see in the thumbnail though: the title.
It’s crucial real estate that you can entirely personalize to get people to click.
You will have to abide by the brand values and guidelines, but you should create something custom to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.
To add a thumbnail to your video, click on the video in your video manager.
Then, in the middle of the screen next to the player, you will see a few images that come from your video that you can select as your thumbnail.
Click on upload image to add your own custom image. The best size is 1280 x 720 pixels. A 16:9 ratio works best since that’s the format of the layout.
But you have to keep your thumbnail under 2 MB.
I’m not just talking about Google search here.
YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine by itself. All of those searches are powering an insane amount of views.
To optimize for search, you need to work on your descriptions. YouTube can’t crawl through your videos like Googlebot crawls through your website.
You need to lend a helping hand to get YouTube SEO right. Here are a couple of things you can do:
There are also a few of the advanced settings that are helpful to turn on.
If your video is focused on a local area, you should add a localization to the video.
Then, you want to drive as many views as possible so you should make sure that the two options are enabled: allow embedding and notify subscribers.
This way people can share your video on their websites, and you can benefit from their traffic to drive views.
And wouldn’t it be silly if your subscribers didn’t know you had a new video? It’s checked on by default but just double check.
Anyone who has watched your video to its completion is probably very interested in what you have to say. That is the best time of all to catch them.
YouTube developed end screens to keep people’s attention at the end of your video.
20 seconds before the end of your video, and/or for a bit afterward, you can present related or featured videos to your viewers.
To do that, go to your YouTube account and click on the video manager in the menu on the left:
You’ll see a list of your videos. Click on one of them.
You’ll see all the options to edit your video, like enhancing it or adding audio. Select Editor, then Add an end screen.
The end screen adds extra time to the end of your video where you can do two key things: promote your other videos and get people to subscribe to your channel.
Click on the Add element button.
You’ll see a dropdown menu with a few of different options. All of them are great for driving traffic.
YouTube provides three options for promoting your other videos and playlists that are pretty great.
You can choose to feature your most recently uploaded videos, or you can choose a specific video that you want to promote.
Or you can let YouTube do the work and automatically recommend videos from your channel that would be the most relevant for each viewer.
You could even link out to other people’s videos if you want.
When you add a video, it will display the thumbnail plus the title and the duration of the video:
You can reposition and resize the video.
You can add up to four elements to expose people to as many of your videos as possible.
If you want to create a successful vlog, you need to increase your subscribers.
Views come and go.
Subscribers are more than people that happened to see your video.
They are people who were so happy with that video that they want to see more. They are anticipating that you will give them something great again.
What’s more, media outlets and brands looking to partner with vloggers will use subscribers as their key metric when evaluating opportunities.
The most important is adding the subscribe action. When you do you will see your channel’s avatar in a round circle.
You can position this button wherever you want on the screen.
You can also use the end screen we discussed above to increase subscribers.
Don’t forget to add a link to subscribe to your website, email signature, and Instagram bio. It’s not just enough to add the YouTube link. You should tell people something clear like “Subscribe to see more videos.”
Live video is the new wild west in digital marketing. It represents a lot of opportunities. It’s much easier to be featured on the Live home page than the regular YouTube homepage.
I’ve written all about how you go live on YouTube and why it’s important.
Live also gives you the opportunity to interact directly with people while they watch you.
You can instantaneously respond to people’s questions that come up in the chat. This creates a real-time relationship.
Video blogging is becoming more and more important for content marketing.
And there’s no time like right now to get started in video marketing.
Organize your thoughts, sit down, and create a concept for a video series.
Like all content marketing, your video needs to give the viewer something of value, whether that be informative or educational or entertainment.
Then, make that video with the highest quality that your time and budget allows.
If it’s helpful, read some books about cinematography. I recommend Gustavo Mercado’s The Filmmaker’s Eye. You can skim through to get the basics about things like shot composition.
Finally, whatever you do, don’t forget to get your video in front of people.
You could make the best video the world has ever seen, but that won’t make you a successful vlogger.
What are your experiences with vlogging?
The post How to Become a Successful Vlogger appeared first on Neil Patel.
Does your company manage Google Ads for third parties, and do you maintain some success with the pay-per-click (PPC) platform? If so, you may want to become a Google Partner, the search giant’s members-only club.
Joining the Google Partners program can provide you with immense benefits, such as specialized training, invitations to exciting events, and focused instruction to help you boost your Google Ads performance.
You already know Google Ads work. They convert 50% better than organic traffic, and most businesses earn double their ad spend, making advertising on Google highly effective and a no brainer.
Almost anyone can use Google’s PPC system to advertise on Google and grow their business (with the right budget and know-how).
Only a select few applicants become Google Partners and earn the world’s most popular search engine’s endorsement and other significant benefits.
Here’s what to know about becoming a Google partner.
The definition of prestige on the search engine’s paid advertising platform is a Google Partner badge. Displaying the badge on your site shows that you’ve passed Google Ads product certification exams. It also tells customers you possess in-depth product knowledge, making you a Google PPC superstar.
As a Google Partner, you have the option of specializing in one or more Google Ads product areas. These include Search Advertising; Video Advertising, Display Advertising, and Shopping Advertising.
Let’s run through them one by one.
Applying to become a Google Partner is free, and anyone can try to join the program. Google gives you all the information you need to pass the exams and flourish in your chosen certification area. Whether or not you pass the certification exams is up to you.
Google wants you to pass the exams and be successful in your Google Ads endeavors. To help you out, Google gives you access to a range of essential benefits, including education, support, expanded reach, and other rewards.
Google has pulled out all the stops to ensure you get the best Google Ad education possible. Skillshop learning courses help you develop and hone your skills, while certifications are provided to prove your knowledge. Google also makes available a host of valuable case studies, access to like-minded professionals, and much more on Think with Google and Google Trends.
Google’s product support is available to help you by giving you access to relevant advice and a range of resources, including Google Ads Recommendations and Google Ads Help Center.
With Google Connect, you can display your thought leadership and host co-branded events. You can even onboard new clients or pitch potential ones with Google Ads promotional offers.
Google’s Acceleration program is a specialized online education system designed to help you boost your skills and business growth.
By taking part in the Google Partners Rewards program, you get a chance to expand your knowledge by engaging in a series of quarterly challenges designed to help you gain new clients, optimize campaigns, or obtain certification. You even get access to seasonal insights, pitch decks, product advice, and a suite of other exciting rewards. You also have a chance to win prizes.
The first thing you’ll need to do is pass the required Google Ads certification courses for your specialty areas. You must also meet the spend requirement across your managed accounts.
Finally, you must demonstrate performance by consistently delivering strong client and company growth. In other words, you must become an active and exemplary Google Ads user.
Once you’ve become a Google Partner and have demonstrated your expertise in Google Ads, you can be considered for a Partner Badge. You’ll need to meet a few additional requirements to apply.
You must consistently show advancing ad revenue and growth, as well as an expanding customer base.
You must meet a 90-day ad spend requirement of $10,000 across your managed accounts. This sends a message to Partners that your company has a healthy level of activity. Google Partners will evaluate your account based on your manager account during an 18-month period.
Your company needs one user certified in Google Ads who has admin or standard access to the Google Ads manager account. It can also be any account linked to your manager account.
Be prepared for a new set of rules to qualify for a Partner Badge. Many of the basic rules will still apply, but you won’t be required to adopt all the recommendations or achieve a 100% optimization score to earn a badge.
Going forward, you must achieve a 70% optimization score to qualify. Google introduced this optimization score to help users understand what was working and what wasn’t, and how to fix elements that weren’t performing.
Pay close attention to any suggestions Google gives you, as advertisers who increase their optimization scores by 10 points see a 10% conversion boost, on average.
To qualify for a Google Badge in 2020, your Google Ad spend must be at least $10,000 in 90 days. In 2021, this requirement will change to a $20,000 ad spend over 90 days, across your managed accounts, to prove your company maintains healthy advertising activity.
This year, In 2020, your company needs a user to certify in Google Ads or have standard access to the Google Ads manager account. In 2021, half of your eligible users will have to obtain certifications from Skillshop. As a partner, you’ll need to demonstrate your proficiency consistently.
To meet the requirements for a Premier Partner Badge, you must deliver strong Google Ads revenue and growth, meet a higher ad spend across your managed accounts, and have two or more users in your company who are certified in Google Ads (or who have admin or standard status on your organization’s Google Ads manager account).
In 2021, once your company has succeeded in earning a Google Partners Badge, you have an opportunity to be chosen for Premier status. The program will grant Premier status to the top 3% of participating companies each calendar year. The companies are selected based on annual ad spend, client growth, client retention, and other information. The evaluation process is conducted annually and may exclude some markets.
When you become certified as a Google Ads Partner, you’ll be listed in the Marketing Platform Directory. Your listing will include your business name, a short description of your organization, partner type, and the product certifications you possess.
There are two types of marketing platform partners: Certified Companies and Sales Partners.
This descriptor means you’re educated about Google Marketing Platform products. You’re able to use your expertise to offer quality services to your customers, whether you’re consulting, training, implementing Google products, or offering technical support.
Certified Companies that help Google sell products are known as Sales Partners. Becoming one gives you access to special perks such as customer management tools, sales opportunities, and co-marketing opportunities.
Familiarize yourself with Google’s Partners Terms and Conditions. It is essential to read the document when you get time. You have a lot invested in Google Ads. The better you know the rules of the game, the more successful you can be at it.
Google will ask for your company’s size and structure, the services you provide, and pricing practices. You’ll be judged on your track record of client satisfaction and your consistent Google Ad investments’ success.
The reason for this level of scrutiny is that Google wants to work with forward-driven companies that maintain a healthy ad budget and use it wisely.
Google vets you for Partner certification by scouring the web for clear documentation that proves client engagement, planning processes, frameworks, and templates. Google wants to know your clients can rely on you for complex solutions and receive pleasing results.
Lastly, your website should be populated with useful content that clearly describes your offerings.
Certification rules stipulate you must have at least five local, full-time experts working with Google Marketing Platform products. Each must have passed an associated certification exam.
Google considers your team’s size, expertise, and rate of certification. The company notes that it does make exceptions for smaller companies who have difficulty meeting this particular requirement.
You’ll also need to submit a comprehensive review of each product you offer. The review is meant to represent advanced work that shows strategic planning and optimization toward your organization’s goals.
The review will also display your ability to go beyond basic or standard implementations and use and demonstrate your client’s goal through statistics and testimonials.
Google essentially wants a case study that proves you can walk the walk.
You applied for the Partners Program, and you’ve been waiting, but haven’t received a response. Take action and check the status of your certification. If you don’t receive certification, keep trying and using the resources Google gives you. Do that, and you’re sure to become a Google Partner before long.
Being vouched for by Google and having a Google Badge to show for it are just two of the benefits of becoming a Google Partner.
Being a Google partner also gives you access to easily consumable courses. Google gives you everything you need to maintain a Google Ads campaign and keep it growing far into the future.
And when customers see your Google Badge, watch out. That may be all they need to choose you for the successful future of their Google Ad campaigns.
Have you tried joining the Google Partners Program? What was your experience?
The post Become a Google Partner and Join the Google Ads Inner Circle appeared first on Neil Patel.
It was easy to make some sweeping statements after the Austrian Grand Prix. How many of them are legitimate? The post Let's overreact to the Austrian GP – can McLaren become a regular podium contender? appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.
Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! Become a brilliant boss to your employees today!
Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.
And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!
Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about the best etiquette for holiday postings. Manta says this time of year can be terrific for bringing in more customers. But how?
You’ve (maybe) already decorated your store. But what about your website? Go beyond the clichés – but avoid overly religious imagery unless it fits. After all, if your store sells bibles, then go for it.
But if you’re a realtor, a creche is probably not going to be the best of ideas. Still, there are plenty of other ideas. Consider this idea – when your intrepid blog writer was growing up, there was a very boxy older home in town. The house was probably built at the start of the last century or so. It was white, with black shutters and a gray roof. It was a realtor’s office.
Just your standard house, right?
But they had the best holiday decoration, bar none.
It was a huge red ribbon, with a bow in the front, diagonally hung from the second floor down to the ground.
The house looked like a big holiday present. It was likely an inexpensive decoration. There were no specific lights for it. It probably just had to be folded up and stuffed into some big box to be stored.
And … that was it.
Simple. Elegant. Timeless.
People loved it.
There have been others since. But this one was spot-on perfect. And at the time, it was original.
We cannot stress this one enough. There are, unfortunately, so many ways to mess holiday communications up. Egad, there are more of them than there are ways to get it right, eh?
A look at Hallmark Movies tells the tale.
They’re adding two Chanukah films this year! Yay?
Except one is about how a Jewish actor goes to a Christmas celebration and doesn’t know how to act. And the other is about a Jewish woman and her Christian coworker decorating their office for the holidays.
No one ever asked for special attention. These films could have been presented as your standard Hallmark Christmas movies and no one would have batted an eye. Instead, they come out as what, to many folks (your blog post writer included), feels like Chanukah isn’t good or interesting enough so we need to wrap it up in pine trees and elves.
Hallmark, I have a lot of trouble believing you couldn’t find anyone Jewish in the entertainment business to bounce this idea off.
Srsly.
So please, I beg of you – run an idea like this past the people it affects the most. What you think might be a warm, inclusive idea just might turn out to be a good gesture sheen over second-class treatment to the very people you’re trying to attract.
Don’t be like Hallmark Movies when it comes to this.
The next awesome tip is about better and more effective cold calling. Sales Hacker notes a lot of people ask silly questions or stick too closely to a script. Neither will help you.
But we really loved their other tip.
Truthfully, this should be what you do with pretty much everything. But let’s just look at cold calling right now.
It can be tempting, in particular if you experience a bunch of these at once. But rejections, no doubt, are a great place to learn. Did you talk too fast? Or waste time? Did you sound unprepared? Were there objections unexpected?
Whatever it was, learn something! Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time.
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Be the brilliant boss your employees need – and more!
Our following life-changing tip concerns making your sales quota. LinkedIn lays it all out for us. A simple sales strategy was one of our favorite ideas. An easy process is going to be more likely to be followed, yes?
And one of the best ways to simplify all of it is to help your salespeople better communicate value to their prospects. If it’s easy to enumerate what’s so great about your product, then your sales team is going to be far, far more likely to do that on the first call, the last call, and every call.
For our next sensational tip, we looked at banishing content marketing myths. G2 says that some of the least common practices seem to get the best results.
We recommend you read the entire article to get the benefit of all of their insights. Here’s the one that really jumped out at us.
Well, they didn’t exactly put it that way. Rather, they said that publishing daily, everywhere, isn’t doing you any favors.
Egad, please shout this one from the rooftops. Tattoo it on the inside of your eyelids.
We ain’t kiddin’.
Being everywhere isn’t just silly and nonscalable. It’s also a lousy use of your resources. And it doesn’t target your audience. At. All.
If there is one marketing drumbeat we have been hearing throughout 2019, it’s this: specify, specialize, and get personal. Trying to target everyone with a firehose is a terrible way to market.
So don’t do it.
This tip is so different, but it works! Addicted 2 Success tells us all about refueling your passion.
What made you want to start your business in the first place? Is it feeling just a little bit stale? Are you maybe burned out a little? Then this article is for you. We highly recommend reading the whole article.
So we’ll just concentrate on one thing here: joining a community.
It’s hard to sustain your passion when you feel like the Lone Ranger. So why not join a community of like-minded individuals? They may have ideas to help you become even more successful. Or they might just commiserate. There’s nothing like talking to someone else who’s been there, done that, got the tee shirt.
In fact, that’s kind of what your Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, and a number of other local organizations are all about. You don’t have to go it alone.
Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!
If you’ve ever wanted to become a brilliant boss, then here’s your chance.
Noobpreneur provides a baker’s dozen worth of advice from the best bosses their contributors ever had.
We especially loved two of their tips.
Wellll, they didn’t actually put it that way. Rather, they said a brilliant boss knows how to delegate. And a brilliant boss also knows how to encourage and elicit feedback.
We think those two go together. Consider this: the hardest, most stressful way you can work is to take the weight of the world on your shoulders and never, ever give it up to anyone else.
Don’t do this.
You have employees for a reason. Work with them! And let them in on the struggle. Their ideas just might make everyone’s life easier.
In a way, this is a corollary to not going it alone.
Raise your hand if you ever had a boss who left you work to do on a deadline, told you it was imperative to get it out, and then grabbed their coat and left. Bonus points if they never bothered to forward the finished product, or didn’t return in time to get it out on time. And more bonus points if they sat on it, or claimed it wasn’t what they wanted – but they never told you what they wanted in the first place.
That’s passive-aggressive nonsense (there’s a nice, sanitized word for it). Don’t be that kind of a supervisor.
A brilliant boss gets in the trenches and works with their employees. They help out when the team is shorthanded. And they respect their employees’ hard work and don’t undermine it by sitting on time-sensitive work.
Let me tell you about my own experiences.
Your intrepid blog writer has had several bosses. But three tie for the title of Most Brilliant Boss. Here they are presented, in chronological order.
Amy was 100% organized. Her meetings were run like a steel trap. You always knew exactly what she wanted and needed. You knew her expectations. She was (still is!) an extraordinary communicator.
Maureen was informal and funny. The first time I ever met her, she was swearing about a report which wasn’t working for her. It was my first day on the job! And so I asked – how can I fix this for you? A few months later, I had the solution. To show her appreciation, she nominated me for a company award, which I won.
Alex is smart and is a great facilitator. He has a wonderful talent for getting in the middle of an issue between an employee and anyone else. He serves as a human shield, a buffer, if you will, between his charges and other departments. These other departments aren’t hostile – it’s more that he can interpret between them and make things better for all.
Be organized like Amy. Know what you want and need, and ask for it clearly. Your employees will appreciate the directness, and not having to play let’s read the boss’s mind. You know, where they spin a big wheel and try to figure out just what the heck you meant by what you just said.
Communicate like Amy.
Be relaxed and appreciative like Maureen. Thank the people who work for you for what they do – and not just during the holidays! You never know how your documented appreciation can help someone out. My little company award story has gotten me jobs!
Thank like Maureen.
Be protective like Alex. Cherish your employees and treat them fairly. Don’t let others undermine them. You’re the one making the big (er, maybe just the ‘biggish’) bucks. So start acting like it, and get in the middle so your employees don’t have to bear the brunt.
Protect like Alex.
Thank you, Amy. I appreciate it, Maureen. And thank you, Alex.
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Be the brilliant boss your employees need – and more!
Check out this spectacular tip, all about showing employee appreciation. Entrepreneur notes that there are a number of creative ways to show appreciation to the people who work for you.
We really loved the idea of being public about it – as public as possible. You know all those company-wide emails you sometimes get because someone messed up? Why not turn them into a force for good?
Chris did an amazing job on the XYZ report and helped us keep this vital client. Thank you, Chris!
Sending that to everyone in the company means Chris can get accolades from everyone.
Point out errors and correct mistakes in private, praise in public.
It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you better manage virtual teams. Proof Hub tells us there are differing cultures everywhere, and they can sometimes come into conflict when it comes to how teams are structured. In particular, this has to do with how the boss is treated. Are they an elite in an ivory tower? Or is even the most brilliant boss considered to be just another member of the team?
None of these are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, of course. They’re just a bit different.
Another area where things differ is in the area of holidays and days off.
Your intrepid blog writer has had jobs in four separate states: Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
Even though all of these places are in the United States, they don’t have the same holidays.
Rhode Island has Victory Day in August (confidentially, we used to call it “Rhode Island Saves The World Day”). Massachusetts has Patriots Day in April. Lincoln’s Birthday in February is celebrated as a government holiday in Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, and New York. And poor little Delaware doesn’t have a holiday of its own. So sad, Blue Hens.
If there are so many differences in the same country and even in the same time zone, then how can anyone expect the holidays will be the same in Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ireland, and Zaire?
A little sensitivity and imagination, as in a lot of places, can go a long way.
Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on getting more done in your business. Success Harbor reveals all about improving efficiency in your business.
Truth is, this can work outside of your business.
Our fave tip was to prioritize.
Does anyone read the report you spend four hours preparing every month? If so, and they get actionable insights from it, then keep prepping that report. Although you may want to explore as many ways as possible to streamline that activity.
But if they don’t, then why are you doing? If there’s a value to the report, then can it come out semi-annually or even annually? And if there is no value whatsoever, then ditch it. Don’t waste your time on it.
We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on the benefits of getting organized in your business. Young Upstarts says there are essential benefits to being organized in your business. That is, beyond saving your sanity!
We’d like to combine two – one is that you’ll be more focused, and the other is that you will have more time. We think these go hand in hand.
Picture it: you can find every single report you need, in seconds. The sales figures are right where you expect them to be. And you have your taxes organized.
The few seconds you spend filing, either in the real world or virtually, will save you hours later.
So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?
If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Be the brilliant boss your employees need – and more!
The post Become a Brilliant Boss and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.
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