Shop local shaming and small business messaging missteps is the topic and touch point for s8. E6. n129. of the Wait What Really OK brand communications and optics podcast.
Shop local shaming and small business messaging missteps.
If you are telling me how terrible I am for shopping somewhere else and how I need to shop local or shop at your place, where does that create a desire to do so?
Using guilt, shaming and passive aggressive behavior and tactics to try to attract customers tends to deliver the opposite results.
When we take a step back and look at the situation as well as the perceptions of others, it can allow for a more engaging messaging in the advertising that can invite and market that many more people to local shopping.
The Full Episode of this podcast can be found here on Castbox as well as on most sites, stations and apps where you may like to listen to podcasts.
Shop local shaming and small business messaging missteps.
On the other side of it, focusing only shop local shaming style campaigns and using a yell, tell, sell and insulting vibe is not drawing people in, it is pushing them away.
Moving the methodology and strategy of small business messaging to a place of authenticity, humility and respectful engagement can bring greater results.
Aggressive and fear messaging tends to keep other people’s walls up and ears closed. So many of the campaigns tend to trash the corporate stores and big business, while making an obligation statement about what you need to do, what you have to do and why you have to help, by shopping local.
You can get your point across without being rude. At the same time, being honorable and do not be selfish.
And… Telling me I don’t care about my community because I didn’t buy a product locally can be taken as very offensive, very assuming as well as very judgmental.
“Invite by explaining about you and your store. Market by educating about what you have. Message by sharing why it can be an advantage to buy from you… And consider staying in an authentic, sympathetic and relatable tone.”
It might not be true for everyone.
And, even in all of it, there is truth, but it is not going to be true for everyone. It is contradicting where someone having a hard time with their local business is telling others they are supposed to shop with them.
Yet, they give no consideration that those people might not be able to afford the costs required or for that matter, the ease of shopping.
By flipping the switch and considering a different way to explain with small business messaging that honors everyone, the chances of opening up that many more minds can happen.
Moving from shop local shaming with aggressive and fear messaging to a place of love and engagement can do worlds of good.
“Invite by explaining about you and your store, market by educating about what you have, message by sharing why it can be an advantage to buy from you and stay in an authentic, sympathetic and relatable tone.”
Consider taking a more honorable, understanding and respectful approach to draw in customers over using tactics that tend to insult, shame and push people away.
Shop local shaming and small business messaging missteps…
is the topic and touch point for s8. E6. n129. of the Wait What Really OK brand communications and optics podcast.
This brand communications and optics podcast is available here on Podbean as well as on most sites, stations and apps where you may like to listen to podcasts.
Strategic Quote Blueprinting for your messaging and optics onlineA method to consider for stronger optimization, recognition and authority with quotes from Brand Communications and Optics Strategist Loren Weisman.
Stewarding Strategic Quote Blueprinting your messaging and optics
A brief overview with a series of ideas to strategically and effectively message
quotes across the internet and on your websites.
This walk through considers the quote itself,
then the image associated with the quote
as well as the distribution of it.
lastly, a few additional measures to reinforce the quote.
And Consider staying away from going quote crazy.
One a week can allow for a simmer and build,and over trying to spam out with too many quotes, all too often.
Authentic Instruction is not always comforting or comfortable.
The Quote first: Strategic Quotes Blueprinting for the words
Create the quote.
Check to see if that quote has been said by someone else before you.Many people may come up with the same words, even the same quote, but if it is already credited and established, it is not yours from a strategic or professional sense.Alter the words to create a quote that can not be credited to others.Consider running the quote through a plagiarism checker.Sites like Grammarly and QueText can be two good resources to check.As you look online, consider searching on Google, Duck Duck Go, and Yahoo.
Just cause you thought it up doesn’t mean it wasn’t said before by someone else, much earlier that you did.
To get a better sense, consider using the incognito or private windows in those searches and look at the image, video and news results too.Also, have a look to see if that quote is on GoodReads and BrainyQuote.
Extra credit of sorts:
See if the first four or five words that begin the quote, or somewhere inside the quote can be authored/ framed in something that can make it the primary keyword phrase for the quote.
Again, check to see the results there, that is not plagiarism if you find other exact phrases, but shifting away from a very popular phrase can give you more chance of taking over that search result.
3. Save the quote for a collection.
Save the quote somewhere to be able to reference back to and use in bulk at another time. It is a lot easier that trying to dig through different blogs and websites. You can see an example blog here of a collection of quotes Brand Messaging Strategist Quotes Blog.
More Extra credit:By making it over 900 words (The collection), and correctly laid out, it can serve as cornerstone content which is viewed as stronger than just a normal blog.
Between 900 and 1000 words though, don’t get carried away.
Some Extra Extra Credit…Track on a spreadsheet, where that quote has been used or shared either by itself or in a collection.
Image: Strategic Quote Blueprinting for graphics
Use an image that is yours. One you took. Please do not use other pictures, even if they are free. Enough people do and it does not allow the quotes to stand out. It is fine to use sites like Canva to get a layout and basic design, but just as you enter your quote, make it show up on top of your picture.
Make the quote legible on the picture. From font to font size to the color of the quote, can it be easily read.
Keep your name present but not arrogant and not oversized. Allow the quote to speak for itself as a statement of authority, over screaming who said it. it is about getting the credit, but put the focus on the credentials of your words.
Keeping a watermark, a couple core fonts or some kind of theme can also help with the uniformity and continuity of your quotes.
And if you have an office or location of the image… add the Geotag to the image too and consider using a site like GeoImgr to help do that.
Extra Credit for sizings.
Here are the optimal post sizes. With Canva, you can take a quote image you have built and alter it to fit these different sizes.
For each quote and for the continuity, use the same image, the same fonts and the same adjustments on the photo, just shift things for the size if you want to do a series of the different size variations.
You don’t have to do this every time, but every so often, it is a good idea.
“If the story you are sharing is not yours, it is just another story that more than likely has already been shared may times.”
Content Planning:
Stewarding Strategic Quote Blueprinting for placement.
In the preparation of the quote. When there is room, see how you can introduce the quote so the start of your post in not starting in quotations.
Think of three primary hashtags for most sites.
Do not go hashtag crazy.
Write out a simple description of the quote for the alt tag. This is where you describe the image with the quote to someone that is blind. This would also include the quote itself. So a description of the background and then writing along the lines of “and text that reads… (add the quote here).
If it is a little long for sites like Twitter, be sure to add the beginning of it in the content you share.
As you add the image to your website be sure to fill in the description of the image, the title of the image and the alt tag as mentioned above of the image to give the image itself as much juice as possible.
This archives tag and the location on a blog will give the quote its home anchor of sorts. You can use it again in other places, but on the main page where it is used.
1. Add the photo and have it correctly filled out as above.
2. Add a break quote with the quote in the blog or on the page.
3. Reinforce the quote by adding it to a pull quote for the page if it
is available.
4. Add the primary keyword phrase for that quote to the
keywords or tags for the blog.
5. Create the archives tag page off that blog for that keyword
where you can add the image, the quote and information about it again. Seen in example above.
6. Prepare the hashtags, from the top three you will use on primary sites to the up to 30 you can use on Instagram.
“To me, artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT used by those with wisdom, knowledge and experience can authentically enhance the distribution of intelligence and information in a positive way. Though when used by deceptive, unexperienced and greedy fools… it can be a dangerous tool.” – Loren Weisman
Having a simple text file for each quote that has:
1. The primary keyword phrase
2. The Quote
3. The Alt Tag Description
4. The core hashtags and the extended hashtags.
5. The link to the archives tag for the quote.
6. The link to the page the quote is on.
7. The link to the GoodReads Post.
(This is usually one of the first place to post the text quote and can be used as the reference point for IMDb as well as a point back for Google Business, Pinterest and other pages)
…Can make posting and distribution a lot easier.
Then you are good to go to distribution.
Distribution:
Stewarding Strategic Quotes Blueprinting for the Posting.
Core places to post. You might even find in searches other places where you can do free submissions.
Do not get too caught up in trying to get the quotes everywhere, but on some days, if you have a little extra time, have a search and add a new quote in a few new places.
After you anchor the image on a website page and an archives tag as discussed in the last section, consider first…
GoodReads
(This will get you a reference link to the quote on an authority site)
Strategic Quote Blueprinting for Messaging and Optics Additional Reinforcement:
Consider over time, and not all at once…
1. Creating a blog where the primary keyword phrase (that 4 word lead from the quote) is the anchor of the blog and the blog is expanding on the quote.
To stay in certain SEO lines, make the Blog title that primary phrase and the rest of the quote up to sixty character.Do not do the whole long tail title to try to capture the quote.
2. Do the same thing for a video…
3. Then the same down the line for a podcast.
4. And consider adding that quote to a press release too.
Side note 1:
A real press release that is distributed through a channel like Send2Press and not one of those fly by night hype sites claiming they will send to all sorts of media. Choose a service that releases professionally to the press over spamming some media contacts.
Side note 2:
Anytime you put out a professional press release, try to get two quotes in per release. A release that is correctly put out across authority news channels and wires will bring up the authority of those quotes.
Using this detailed format may in the end help to secure and optimize your quotes more than just posting them and not taking the time to reinforce them.
This approach can also optimize these quotes so when your quote is searched… and if it is your quote, that it will show up in a series of different results and on a series of different sites.
Consider searching for some of my quotes to see these elements in action too:
Loren Weisman quotesMessaging and Optics QuotesMessaging and Optics Strategist Quotes
Embracing Authenticity in Your Online Presence: A blog for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Embracing Authenticity
in Your Online Presence
In today’s digital landscape, where AI can alter our appearance, voice, and even our signatures, staying true to yourself is more important than ever. As a Brand Communications and Optics Strategist, I try to advocate for authenticity, transparency, and truth in your online presence, presentation, and performance… even though at times, it feels like my head is hitting a wall with so many just using and abusing AI.
Here’s why I believe authenticity matters and how to balance it with SEO for your small business or startup.
Why Authenticity Matters:
Standing Out:
In a sea of perfection, being real can set you apart. Authenticity can allow your brand to resonate with your audience on a personal level, fostering genuine connections over so much of the hype and claims that are pushed and pressed all too often.
Building Trust:
When you’re transparent about your imperfections, you can build trust with your audience. Many appreciate the honesty and may be more likely to engage with your brand. They also might be able to spot a person, over an AI prompt or tools that make someone appear different than they actually are.
Organic Growth:
Consider focusing on real, honest, and transparent communication to grow your brand organically. This approach avoids the shortcuts of fake hype, ensuring long-term success. And at the same time, bringing real people to the table and not just bots and fake profile upping false numbers and weak hype.
Some Key Takeaways to Consider with Embracing Authenticity:
Be You:
Consider embracing your imperfections.
They make you unique and relatable.
Your audience may just appreciate the authenticity.
Avoid AI Shortcuts:
Use AI for enhancement, editing and assistance, but not to create a false image and content that is not rooted in your authority. I believe tour brand should reflect your true self, not an AI-generated version.
Authentic Growth:
Try focusing on real, honest, and transparent communication. This approach may help your brand grows organically and with a greater foundation, without the shortcuts and weak supports of fake hype.
SEO Strategies for Embracing Authenticity:
Infuse Keywords Naturally:
Use language that resonates with your audience while incorporating SEO terms. For example, if you’re a small business owner in Orlando, Florida, keywords like “Orlando small business,” “authentic branding,” and “local business authenticity” may help you rank higher in search results. Think of the keywords that connect you, not just keyword stuffing for the most popular words that have nothing to do with you.
Share Real Stories:
Consider connecting with your audience by telling true brand experiences. This not only enhances authenticity but can also provide valuable content for SEO.
Update Content Regularly:
Keep information fresh and relevant to maintain both authenticity and search rankings. Regular updates signal to search engines that your content is current and valuable. This doesn’t mean you need to post 25 times a day, it just means that honest, stable and foundational content on a regular schedule that is true and to you can go much further than over posting trending hype pieces that have nothing that ties to you or your brand.
Embracing Authenticity Conclusion:
Let’s consider setting a new or revitalized standard for authenticity in the digital age. Share your real self, your real story, and watch how your brand can resonate with those who value truth over perfection.
CommSphere: Marketing and Messaging Short Video Musings.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohViseOTRCo[/embedyt]
Motivation vs Information. Unveiling real expertise in business and entrepreneurship.
Motivation vs Information
In a dynamic world of startups and entrepreneurship, distinguishing between genuine expertise and empty motivation can be one of the keys to a better chance at success and saving some money that does not need to be spent in the first place.
Or simply put, if you need to pay someone to motivate you to build your dream, you might have the wrong dream.
A motivation vs information dilemma
As the business landscape is ever evolving, it seems entrepreneurs face an overwhelming array of self-proclaimed experts, coaches, and strategists. While I believe motivation is important, to me, it is the quality of information that truly creates, drives and builds business growth.
At the root is the importance of clearly discerning between the motivational rhetoric that boosts confidence and the actionable, educational and substantiated insights that can build a solid business foundation.
Identifying authentic business expertise
For startups and small businesses, finding the right guidance can be crucial. I think it is key to look beyond motivational speeches as well as those that work on puffed up confidence and focus on:
Substantiated proof of success
Practical methods for implementation
Detailed blueprints for business growth
Personalized and individualized plans for execution.
And thats just to name a select few.
To me, these elements are essential for developing effective startup growth strategies and ensuring small business success as well as long term run in the market.
The Danger of False Expertise
In our present age of digital marketing, it seems to be easier than ever to fall prey to flashy promises and exaggerated claims. Watch out for those “experts” who:
Offer vague assurances without concrete plans
Rely on past successes that go way far back in the past without adapting to current markets
Prioritize motivation over actionable business development insights
As well as the accountability they have in writing and what they hold you accountable for as well.
Today, I feel entrepreneurs must exercise caution and critically evaluate the credibility of business advice they receive. Just because someone is touting success, does not mean they can help everyone or specifically understand your needs.
If you need to pay someone to motivate you to build your dream, you might have the wrong dream.
Beyond feel good coaching
While positive reinforcement has its place, I find real business growth requires more than just confidence-building. I believe in a balanced approach that includes:
Accountability in business relationships
Constructive feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable
Tangible metrics for measuring progress
And the educating of a client so they have tools they can use without that coach and after that coach.
The role of brand communications in strategic business growth.
I believe effective brand communications strategies goes beyond motivational messaging.
It involves:
Crafting a compelling, compliant and concrete brand narrative
Developing consistent messaging across platforms both on and offline.
Creating authentic connections with target audiences through humility and authority, not empty hype.
By learning these elements, entrepreneurs have a better chance of building strong, resilient brands that can resonate with customers and stakeholders alike.
(yea, that was a touch of a plug..)
Seeking Real Value in Business Partnerships
When engaging with business consultants or mentors, entrepreneurs may want to consider looking for:
Clear, measurable objectives
Regular progress assessments
A clear statement of work being executed, explained and educated on.
I find these factors contribute to creating real deliverables that can drive startup growth and attract investor interest. At the same time, it also can bring accountability on the individual to be responsible for the work they have to do and not have it all be on the coach.
Conclusion: Building a Foundation for Success
In the competitive world of business and entrepreneurship, a keen ability to discern between motivation and information can be a critical skill.
By focusing on real expertise, tangible deliverables, and authentic leadership, entrepreneurs have a better chance at navigating the complex business landscape with confidence and clarity when looking for that coach, strategist or consultant that goes beyond just upping confidence.
I think true business expertise goes beyond motivation. It provides the tools, tactics, knowledge, and blueprinting strategies required to turn entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
As you build your startup or grow your established business, prioritize partnerships that offer substance over style, and information over inspiration.
Flipping the script. A fresher approach to marketing communication
Flipping the script. A fresher approach to marketing communication
In the fast-paced world of startups and entrepreneurship, effective marketing communication can be crucial for success. However, the traditional “yell, tell, and sell” approach is becoming increasingly ineffective. I touch on this in a recent YouTube short: “Stop telling me what to do… and your audience too.“The problem I see with pushy marketing
Many businesses, especially startups, seem to fall into the trap of aggressive marketing techniques. They bombard their audience with forceful phrases like “you need to,”
“you should,”
and
“you have to.”
This approach, while common, often backfires too. It can alienate potential customers and damage brand-audience relationships. With the over saturation of it as well as the fly by night self proclaimed experts saying “you have to do it this way”, it seems to have grown even worse.
A psychology angle to the persuasion in marketing
Understanding the psychology of persuasion mixed with an understanding of perceptions is one road to improving brand messaging.
As of late, it appears more commonly that consumers are slowly being drawn to engage with brands that respect their autonomy and offer value without pressure. This insight to me is key in the invitational marketing approach.
Building genuine and gentle connections with customers
I believe in a shift towards customer-centric marketing strategies. By focusing on building genuine and gentle connections with customers, businesses can create a more loyal and engaged audience that may be exhausted from the pressure pushes elsewhere.
This idea aligns with the growing trend of empathetic marketing techniques that consider the consumer and their broader experience over just pushing as hard as possible at every one.
Soft sell vs. hard sell. Which works better?
The debate between soft sell and hard sell marketing has been ongoing. However, soft sell techniques are growing in their chances to lead to better long-term results, especially in building brand trust through authentic communication that steers away from excessive hype and unsubstantiated claims.
A few alternatives to pushy marketing
Instead of using the more dominant and forceful language, consider adopting some of the non-aggressive marketing techniques.
These can include these two ideas:
Creating inviting and engaging marketing content that stewards over just the sell.
Using subtle marketing tactics that ask, invite and do not force.Implementing effective call-to-action alternatives.For example…
Instead of using the “don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe”
Consider instead…
if you want to learn more, if you enjoyed the content or here is where you can get more information.
This is not passive. It is a chance to connect a new viewer in a less forced way.
Improving brand-audience relationships
By flipping the script on the traditional ask, businesses can significantly improve their brand-audience relationships.
This approach involves:
Using a softer, kinder tone. One you would want to have used on you.
Considering how people are treated online by so many other sellers.
Differentiating your brand with a non-forceful ask that illuminates what you have or are about over pushing.
Shifting to the A over the THE approach.
Try You are a this or a that… Instead of claiming to be the this or the that.
This humble approach can also help fight potential claim issues that could stack your website or SEO.
Conversion Optimization Without Pressure
Contrary to popular belief, conversion optimization doesn’t have to involve pressure tactics. By focusing on creating valuable content and building trust, businesses can achieve higher conversion rates organically. Yes, it is not viral, but it can end up being a lot more true than hype numbers of some of the competitors that have little to show for actual conversions.
The Power of Invitational Marketing
Invitational marketing is about creating an environment where customers feel welcomed and valued, not pressured or manipulated. This approach can lead to stronger brand loyalty and more sustainable business growth. And this is not some buzz phrase. Claiming you invite but not applying the invitational tactics, only contradicts you and your brand.
Writing Non-Pushy Marketing Copy
Learning how to write non-pushy marketing copy is essential for this new approach.
It involves:
Using inclusive, humble language
Focusing on benefits rather than demands
Allowing customers to make their own decisions
Conclusion:
A shifting time for marketing communication and messaging
Many people have grown tired of forceful marketing tactics. By adopting a more inviting and humble approach, businesses may be able to stand out that much more in a crowded marketplace. This shift not only respects the audience but also has the potential to create deeper, more meaningful connections with exhausted audiences that could be ready for a different tone, tactic and temperature in marketing communication.
In the world of startups and entrepreneurship, where every interaction counts, this approach to marketing communication could be the key to long-term success. By flipping the script on the traditional ask, businesses have a chance to create a more engaging, respectful, and what I believe will be ultimately a more effective marketing strategy.
CommSphere: Marketing and Messaging Short Video Musings.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZWykZ3xOwI[/embedyt]
Flipping the script. A fresher approach to marketing communication
