How to Leverage Flipboard Magazines to Generate Leads
Have you tried a Flipboard magazine to generate leads? As a business owner, you probably have a collection of leads that you will get to “sometime.” You also have active social media profiles and belong to many professional groups. Yet, you can’t make that transition from a lead to a conversion. Why? You are running a business and there is only so much you can do in a 24-hour day. You have other priorities like getting the work done or fulfilling your orders. Forget hiring someone, no budget for this either. All are very valid reasons for not “nurturing” these leads. The end result is the loss of business and sales. OK, How Can Flipboard Help with My Business? Flipboard is an app that aggregates content from the Internet to create beautiful, eye-catching magazines. Our agency has been using it for the last four years for everything from trade shows to sales pitches and more. This said you can capture your client’s interest with a colorful magazine that can be used for any media — from emails to social or just showcasing your products on a device. So here is what you need to get started: Download the app either on Android or iPhone Have a marketing strategy ready with your objectives, target market and goals. Start with your first magazine. Don’t worry about the bigger picture yet, just keep things small until you get comfortable with the app. Creating a Flipboard Magazine Present a scenario with curated or original articles. Try to create an environment for the reader by putting yourself in their shoes. For example:If you are promoting a service, show how you can help by offering tips, suggestions, and real-life solutions to commons business problems. If you have a product, showcase how you can use the product. If you have a blog put your articles in a magazine. It’s a nice experience to read them all in one place. Now start adding content. Here’s a visual to show you how. It’s easy to flip from your phone or your desktop. Adding content to a Flipboard Magazine Adding Content for Impact Now let’s start tackling the promotion. There are many ways to use this versatile app: Add a SlideShare presentation with your company information for a sales pitch. Here is an example of a magazine designed for a sales presentation. Tailor your blog for campaign promotion. Here is an example we used with one of our client’s blogs to target the organic beauty market. You can promote a magazine like this one on your social media channels or on Flipboard directly. Add your SoundCloud podcasts to a Flipboard magazine with all your podcasts in one place. You can easily send this to an agent or an advertising prospect. Check out this magazine by Malcolm Out Loud Social good and community outreach. Create a community magazine to showcase all your company’s efforts. Present to an investor or a prospect for image building. Here is a magazine by Mashable Flipping all your press and PR articles in a magazine will make you accountable to your client. Far better than sending 26 links in a spreadsheet. With a magazine, they can visually see all your press. Educate your consumers. Flipboard is great for a soft sell approach. Your readers will enjoy learning about your company...
read moreWhy Should An Influencer Promote Your Brand?
What exactly do influencers do and how can it help your business? Influencers are the “it” girls and boys of promotions everywhere. There is a cacophony of Instagrammers, Twitterers, and Pinners, sharing their points of view with their audiences. Agencies and companies hire them based on their following, influence, and engagement. Most marketing companies have budgets for influencer programs for all kinds of promotions. But is all this effort really effective? Yes, It Is! It’s simple, if you want eyeballs to your products and services, you need to engage influencers! The first thing a company wants to know is who can make their products and services get the necessary engagement. It’s a dream to have loyal followers that recommend, share and post for the love of your products and not for payment. So How Can You Achieve This? Being both an agency and an influencer gives me a good view from both sides of the fence. Here’s an insider’s look at what makes me want to promote a brand and what doesn’t! Full disclosure: I don’t get paid for influencing but I have accepted gifts on occasion. Reasons to Promote a Product: Trust: Your products and services should inspire trust from the beginning. The promise should be obvious and consistent with those that follow it. If I read positive posts from other influencers, I will be more eager to promote you and “tell” my followers about you. I am a Starbucks follower for many reasons besides coffee. One of them is that it offers a community. If everyone else is drinking and sitting in the shops, it must be a reliable brand. Benefits: How useful is your product? How timely is it? I spend lots of time tweeting and promoting Flipboard. That’s because I see the long-term global benefits of the app for my business. If there is a clear-cut benefit, then I am very likely to promote a product. Comfort: This relates more to your brand’s customer service and reliability. You want to have your systems in place in case something goes wrong. For example, I was traveling to Los Angeles from London on American Airlines and my luggage didn’t make it. I tweeted them out, the response was immediate, and my luggage arrived shortly after. Tribe: Building a relationship with like-minded people is the icing on the cake. When promoting a product, it’s a great feeling to find commonality with my peers. I am grateful to share something of interest. I like organic foods and will support and endorse any Non-GMO products. Interaction: The best reward you can offer an influencer is showing them that you care by sharing their posts, acknowledging them, and always remember to treat influencers with kindness. After all, they are doing you a favor. What Influencers Shy Away From: Spam: People or brands that pretend to be something that they are not and keep insisting on my good graces. Ingratitude: Sorry to be curt about this! But an influencer does not owe you anything. Some of us choose to promote because we believe in you and your products. Please do not take us for granted. Short Sighted Vision: Not working with influencers long term. A quick project doesn’t go very far. Build long-term partnerships with your influencers to gain traction for your...
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