Enhance your social media presence: Social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses to increase their reach and drive sales. You can organically grow your social media presence by consistently posting engaging content and interacting with your audience. Alternatively, you can invest in paid social media ads and boosted posts to target a wider audience and increase sales. When creating ads, ensure that your focus drives sales and increases prospects rather than just growing followers. Remember, quality over quantity. A smaller, engaged following that converts into customers is more valuable than a large following with low engagement.

Utilize email marketing: Email marketing can be an effective strategy to nurture leads and keep your customers engaged. Create an email drip sequence that offers valuable content, such as freebies or exclusive discounts, and establishes an ongoing conversation with your audience. This can help you build trust and credibility, leading to more sales and repeat business. Personalize your emails based on your audience’s preferences and behaviors to make them more relevant and engaging.

Qualify your leads: Not all charges are created equal, and it’s important to focus your efforts on qualified leads that are more likely to convert into customers. Develop a checklist or criteria to qualify your information based on their needs, budget, timeline, and fit with your product or service. This can help you prioritize your resources and efforts on leads more likely to convert, leading to more efficient sales processes and better results.

Conduct surveys: Surveys can be valuable for gathering feedback and insights from your customers and community. Use surveys to learn more about your customers’ preferences, expectations, and pain points. This can help you identify areas of improvement, tailor your offerings to meet their needs, and uncover new growth opportunities. Ensure to incentivize participation, such as offering discounts or freebies, to encourage more responses.

Foster a growth mindset: The journey of growing a small business can be challenging, and it’s essential to maintain a positive and growth-oriented mindset. Believe in your capabilities and the potential of your business. Stay resilient and learn from failures and setbacks. Surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, peers, or industry experts who can provide guidance and insights. Continuously educate yourself and stay updated with your industry’s latest trends and best practices. Embrace a growth mindset and keep striving for greatness.

In conclusion, the 80/20 rule can be a helpful framework for small businesses looking to grow and succeed. By focusing on strategies such as enhancing your social media presence, utilizing email marketing, qualifying your leads, conducting surveys, and fostering a growth mindset, you can increase your annual revenue and move closer to hiring employees. Remember, not all businesses succeed, but with the right mindset and strategies, you can position yourself among the 80% that thrive.

The post The 80/20 Rule for Small Businesses: Strategies for Growth and Success appeared first on Modern Branding | Marketing & Advertising.

Robert B. Cialdini once said, “The aim is to get someone to want to buy quickly without thinking too much about it.” Let’s present some ideas about how we make decisions more quickly. What’s better, seeing a product or seeing the product being used in real life? It’s easy to say that it would be the latter. You want to see the product in use. Here’s another example: I trust 500 reviews about a company having horrible customer service. I will immediately move on to the next company with better reviews. I want to know what others think about a brand or business. It’s easier for us to know what others think or hear from someone we respect. This blog is the sequel to our latest blog, The Power of Influence. It’s about learning who helps us and our prospective clients make decisions on buying. When planning your funnel or your consumer personas, the intention of this is for you to discover who’s helping your ideal audience make their decisions. You can make the best plan and course of action. But we need to understand who impacts our ideal audience. We broke it down into four sections: recommendations, popularity, influencer, and lastly, user-generated content (UGC). 

Who is endorsing your services or products?

First and foremost, recommendations. We can also refer to them as reviews, feedback, or referrals. Regardless of what they’re called, knowing that others trust your company will allow you to grow in more areas than sales. It’s like having a support group of people rallying behind your cause and hearing your company’s story. You truly understand what makes you stand out. If you’re just starting out your business, like us, this can help you get new clients without having to spend as much on advertising or boosting posts. People want to know about you and how reliable your services or products are. You’ll trust the opinions of a friend, loved one, former client, or a credible person (with accolades in the field) about a product or service. When a friend says they tried a product and liked it, you’re more likely to buy it for yourself and see if it works. Hearing a doctor support a new children’s medicine, we’ll be more comfortable having our children use it. For consumers, it’s about knowing you’re truly going to be there for them. Once they know they can trust you, you’ll see your brand grow or maintain your current goals. Some ways that you can help get your voice out there are by doing user-generated content (we will talk about this later), case studies, or testimonial videos. Like we’ve all said, word of mouth is what can turn your product into an Oprah product. Leading us right into our next topic, popularity. 

I want to be popular

Not sure if this upcoming example is on Oprah’s list, but it is a great one. What’s the most famous fast food restaurant you know? I’ll give you a hint: it has two yellow arches that form an M. You got it, McDonald’s. We all know about how infamous Mickey D’s is. In their latest financial report, their revenue was $23.39 billion. When the masses are all in favor of a brand or company, you’re more likely to purchase from them. The same goes for your own brand or company. The more people talk about your brand and the incredible services (or products) you provide, the more people will talk about it. When it comes to expanding your brand, gaining popularity is a great way to create or maintain a consistent business. One way we do that is by getting others to promote our product, someone with the reach and the will.

Someone with a megaphone

When using your social networks to leverage your business, influencers are a great opportunity. They can help promote your business by being a magnified version of word of mouth. It’s a way to have people listen to your story from a new point of view. Thanks to the Digital Marketing Institute, we now know that almost 50% of consumers depend on influencers’ recommendations. Maybe you’re in the fashion (or beauty) industry, or maybe your demographics are predominantly female. These are some of the areas that may be impacted by working with influencers. Having someone who wants to speak up on behalf of your brand can make a difference. Finding someone who endorses your brand, stands out in your industry, and is willing to speak up might be just what your brand needs. If you’re growing your brand or want to veer into a different space with prospective consumers, this could help. Understanding how to know what it’s like to work with your product or service, user-generated content is the way to go. 

Envision 

We have moved into the final part, user-generated content, also known as UGC. Recently, you might have seen people’s social profile bios saying they are “UGC creators.” This is a new source of content that others want to see. Wikiepedia says, “It is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion forums, and wikis.” People want to see how others use a product in real time. Just think about it. Would you rather see a folded up quilt for sale or a video of a couple laughing while snuggling up in a bedroom using the same quilt? We all want to know that there are joyous moments filled with the products or services we buy. Nosto says, “79 percent of people saying user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions.” When we see others enjoying a product, it makes it easier to make a choice about whether we want to use it ourselves.

So the next time you’re thinking about building up your social proof and how it can impact your credibility and lead generation, think about who’s helping your prospective clients . To help with understanding who helps others make quicker decisions, we hope these four overarching components aid you in your social proof journey—whether it’s recommendations, popularity, influencers, or user-generated content. We hope the information we shared gives you a better understanding when building out your ideal consumer personas and mapping out how to reach out to your target audience.

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You’re checking out a new restaurant. You’re looking for the best service and delicious food. You see a place but it’s 1.5 stars. I think we can both agree you’re probably not going to go there. We care what others think it helps us to make quicker and easier decisions about where we go to even what we buy. As Robert Cialdini coined it social proof. We all know the actions of this term, it’s when people follow the actions of others to replicate others behavior. There have been numerous articles and studies published over the years about this phenomenon in humans. For the purpose of this article, we are honing in on how it pertains to businesses and generating leads. We want to utilize this human behavior to impact how others see our brand and grow social presence in various communities. Social media is the main way we get our brand out there. When it comes to influencers, referrals and popularity most of us use social media to learn what products we trust and who to buy from. In this blog, we’ll break down how we use social media for social proof.

Social Presence

Social media platforms use algorithms based on the concept of social proof. Instagram, for example, will look for posts that receive a lot of interaction quickly (in the form of likes, story shares and comments) and will highlight those posts in the explore section. This gives an advantage to posts that start off well by putting them in front of more people, resulting in even more interactions. In other words, if a post receives a large number of likes and comments, people are more likely to interact with the account because they see that others are also interested.

The same goes for business social media pages. The more followers you have, the more likely someone viewing your page will follow you and think your business is trustworthy. Bringing me to my next point. People do business with companies they trust. The more trust you build with a potential customer, the higher your odds of landing the client or sale. Having lots of high-rated reviews, social media pages with lots of followers, and a collection of testimonials will show the potential client that your company can be trusted. For this reason, one of our most popular services is our social media management and advertising.

We integrate posting content consistently with advertising on social platforms to increase follower counts and leads. A recent study by Hootsuite showed that 46% of companies don’t integrate ads and social posts. A few additional aspects of social proof we haven’t touched on which might help your company are experts, celebrities, and certifications. If there are any certifications or awards that show you are great at what you do, obtain them and showcase them on the web. If you can get endorsements from experts in the industry, that will be a great asset for you. And, of course, having a celebrity endorsement can encourage fans to try out your product and give your brand some notoriety.

Interactive Calls To Action

Knowing how important interacting with your community of followers is, the question to ask is, what are some ways to increase interaction between your social platforms and your followers? Making organic posts, making content, resources, and graphics that aren’t about selling your products. It’s beneficial to post on holidays, wishing people a good day or weekend. Keep it fun; don’t always talk about yourself or what your company can offer. Create motivational posts, maybe even a meme or two. Polls can be another great option. This can range from anything like “Who’s your favorite superhero?” to “Which of our services have you had the best experience with?”. Going back to the idea of social proof, this can utilize people’s interest in knowing what others’ answers have been to urge them to interact. A piece of advice: stay away from political or strongly divided topics, as this can cause dissension and ugly arguments.

In Conclusion

Here we touch on the high level aspect of social proof. Next week, check back we are going to go into depth about the group who can affect your social presence and help you generate leads. Make sure you check our socials to stay updated on blog releases. Now in regards to brand awareness and building your social presence we know doing all this alone can be time-consuming and daunting. Subscribe to our newsletter for a free social media posting infographic! And if you want any help making this a reality for you, fill out the contact form.

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In this blog, we’ll dive into all the aspects you might need to know about video content. Forewarning: there is a lot of information here, so feel free to come back and visit when needed. 

What are we going to talk about in this blog? 

• What is video content
• Why is it so important
• Different styles of video content
  • Description, recommendations, and the length of videos
• Platforms for the different types of video content
• How to measure success

What is video content?

Anything that is promoted, commercial, or advertised through a video is referred to as video content. GIFs, vlogs, tutorials, and webinars are just a few examples of what this can be. Who doesn’t love a good gif? You can share this content on social media, by email, or on your website. Videos can vary in length from short-form to long-form. Videos can be made in a variety of styles, including live action, animated, and screen recorded. Depending on where you want this to be, time can matter. Sometimes reading isn’t your thing, or you want something that will save you time. You can’t 2x your reading. Trust me, I’ve tried.

Why is it so important?

It’s the most popular type of content. SemRush informed us that video content, with a 37% performance rate, was the most popular type of content in 2021. And this year, Wyzowl said 86% of businesses will use video as one of their marketing tools. Marketers, agencies, and businesses are seeing the importance of having this form of content. Current or prospective consumers are 99% likely to continue using video in their strategy this year as well. Additionally, 87% of marketers claim that video has helped them achieve a generally positive ROI.  

Different types of video content

1. Company Culture

We start with company culture videos. These are all about who you are as a brand, your values, and what you do. According to Sprout Social, 71% of consumers either strongly agree or agree that it’s important for brands to raise awareness and take a stand on sensitive topics. Your consumers want to know what matters to you and your opinions. The digital world is changing from companies rarely sharing thoughts on life happenings to now speaking up on various matters. Videos are a way to do just that. 93% of marketers say video has helped them increase brand awareness. That’s a pretty high stat, especially if you’re building a brand or wanting to grow your presence. When launching a new company, invest some time into recording a few of these videos to go on your site. Examples include things like “about us,” “recruiting,” “q & a,” or “your company’s mission.” 

Websites and social media are the best places for this. Whether it’s on your welcome landing page or an organic post, people can see who you are. You want these to be short-formed videos ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

2. Advertising Videos

We’ve seen them all the time on YouTube or on TV between shows. The term “video advertising” refers to a type of paid programmatic advertising in the form of video that appears prior to, during, or after streaming video content. There are many platforms where you can view ads, including those mentioned above, as well as social media content and display ads.

These videos range from as short as 5 seconds to 2 minutes. Given that viewers can skip after 5-10 seconds, the ideal length is 15 seconds or less if you want to keep their attention. Additionally, if you keep them this short, you can use them on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

3. Social Media Videos

Social media videos are one of the most versatile pieces of video content you can have. The top channels marketers plan to use this year are YouTube, LinkedIn video, and Instagram video. When wanting to make your brand more human, videos, whether organic or paid, are a great way to do that. It’s a fantastic way to introduce new products, respond to inquiries, and establish your brand identity. There are an endless number of ways to do this by going live on your page or posting a recorded video.

When using recorded videos, your posts on your story or page will be short-formed videos. Sprout Social states that 66% of short-form videos are the most engaging type of social content. When live streaming, the recommendation is to stay on longer than 10 minutes to get more exposure on your stream.

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4. Webinars

Webinars are online presentations or events in real time. This can range from fireside chats to keynote speaking at a virtual conference or lead nurturing events. Since the pandemic, virtual events have increased. Based on vFairs’ reports, 92% of businesses continued hosting virtual events even after physical events resumed. At this moment, virtual events are maintaining their hold, and it doesn’t look like they’re leaving anytime soon.

Event planning or hosting and wondering how long the event should go? Well, most events can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Most live webinars last for an hour. An hour gives various guest(s) the opportunity to share their presentations and answer questions at the end. The goal when hosting or organizing an event is to stay on long enough to share your input and information. But you also want it to be short enough that you’re not holding the participants for long after the conversation is over. Recently, some groups have held an intro chat before the event and made it optional for the audience. If you’re wondering about what tools to use, you’ll be able to see more in the Live Events section below.

5. Vlog

Blogs are great, but what about a vlog? A vlog is a style of blog where videos are used as the content rather than written posts. People can learn more about your company’s customers and product development through vlogging. It gives your audience a deeper insight into who you are. Making a connection with your customers will increase their motivation to make a purchase. You can take advantage of the chance to market your work when a new product or service is released. Currently, 6 out of 10 people say they prefer watching videos online to watching television. That says a lot. Be one of the people they watch.

The time range of vlogs varies from a few minutes to an hour. To keep your audience focused, we recommend keeping your videos to about 15-20 minutes. On their websites or social media accounts, the majority of vloggers also have 30 to 90-second trailers or introductory videos. Just something to be mindful of. People who vlog use platforms like YouTube, which is currently the leader, or Vimeo to display their videos. YouTube is the most used tool, with 88% of users planning to use it this year.

6. Video emails

If you want to shake up your newsletters or emails, video emails are the best option. GIF videos, embedded videos, and videos with links to other platforms. By doing this, you can improve the likelihood that your emails will be forwarded, increase engagement with your subscribers, and increase open rates. You can use some of the other video content ideas to use in your video email.

Typically, you want to put the video at the top of the email. To get more open rates, let your subscribers know there’s video in the email. Most of these videos last between 30 and 90 seconds. You can use tools like MailChimp, GetResponse, SendinBlue, and others.

7. Educational/Course videos

Educational videos are informative videos explaining a certain topic or concept to help educate the audience. First off, these are wonderful for all of us who run businesses. New information is constantly available. Another way to monetize your work or services is to create a course. You could also start teaching others yourself. There is always someone willing to learn, whether the subject is photography, web design, or something else. Creating your own course gives you the option to go as in-depth as you want on an industry-specific topic.

Having said that, educational videos are more likely to last a bit longer than some of the earlier mentioned videos. They can be in either long or short form, lasting only a few minutes or several hours. The typical duration is between 6 and 12 minutes on average. Additionally, it can be set up as a single video or a collection of videos. Check out websites like Udemy or Skillshare if you’re interested in teaching or enrolling in a course.

8. Announcement or Teaser Videos

Fighting the urge to say, “If you’re happy and you know it,” but really, this is about when you have some great news to share with your followers and clients. Or maybe you want to give them a preview of what’s to come. Whether it’s a company birthday or you have a new product launching, it’s a great way to inform your clients. You want to build excitement about what’s going on in your company. Other examples are: company events, customer shoutouts, and company awards.

These videos are short-form. The length of a video is two minutes or less. You can use these videos internally or externally to reach out to your community. When focusing on outreach, it’s best to post your videos on your social accounts.

9. Demonstrational/Product Tour Videos

Similar to educational videos, these videos provide informative tours of a business’s product or service to assist in bringing on new customers. In an effort to address the majority of your questions, they will guide you step-by-step. These are frequently used to demonstrate new digital software or online tools. They’re meant to help users feel more comfortable with the interface and more acclimated to the product. As part of this, users are shown any new or crucial features as well as management advice for the tools.

The length of instructional videos can vary depending on if they are promoting new features or onboarding a new team.

10. Testimonial/ Review Videos

We feel complete when our clients tell us we’ve met and exceeded their expectations. It’s satisfying to have the chance to hear and see them express their ideas to others. Testimonial videos help you achieve this by allowing your customers or clients to share their positive experiences in a video format. Although written endorsements are great, nothing says more about the value of your work or product than hearing or seeing how it affected someone. We all understand the power of word-of-mouth recommendations! If you’re trying to attract new clients or customers, this video content is excellent to have.

The length of the video is about 2 minutes or less. Most of the time, the preferred time is about 15 to 20 seconds. This video can be used not only on your website but on your social media, ads, and email marketing as well.

11. Case Study Videos

Case study videos show prospective clients why you are the best choice by highlighting the successes and experiences of your clients. Case studies in general are a fantastic way to promote your business’s efforts and attract new customers. It demonstrates how your company tailors a solution to your customers’ problems. Ensure that the advancements you communicate are supported by data and analytics. You want to include on-camera interviews with your clients or customers.

The length of the case study video is about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. We will overlap some other content types by including testimonials, but you could also include videographics (we will be adding this section soon). You can embed them into an email, your website, or share them on social accounts. Here’s a guide to help you build out a case study.

Platforms for videos 

Virtual Events

As mentioned before, virtual events are a great way to engage with your current and prospective clients. Here we will just list out some software you can use for event hosting. If you want to balance multiple streaming services at once, check out Restream. 

Social Posting

I know we talked about social media videos above, but we wanted to drop a little more information for you here. The recommended tools to help are:

• When posting on social accounts like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, there are a few ways to post your video. When creating posts, take into account the varying time constraints of the different platforms. Want some support? Sign up and get our free social media infographic. 
• YouTube and Vimeo are another beast of a channel as this is for short and very long formed video content. On average, people watch about 19 hours of online videos per week. That’s a lot. 88% of people intend to use YouTube this year.

How to measure success:

Insert a graphic of the few ways to measure success. You can do one, a few, or all of them.

• Engagement: Linked, shares, and comments
• How many views do you get?
• Does it translate into lead generation or a number of clicks?
• Do sales increase?
• Customer loyalty
• Brand awareness

In conclusion,

You’ve made it to the end. I know it may seem like a long read, but if you’re looking for more information, no worries. We plan on making this a dynamic blog where we add updates or new information. So, check back occasionally. If you’re still wondering if you should do this, just remember what we said earlier: 99% will continue using video content in their strategy this year. Yes, you heard that correctly, 99%. For anyone not camera shy, this is your time to shine. And if you’re not, no worries. We are your number one fans. Let us know if you need a cheer! Digital media, how we manage various forms of content, is changing, and right now there’s a strong winner of that content. Video content is on the rise. Yes, that’s right, video content is changing the world. As we run through this blog, you will learn just how important video content is. 

The post Know It All: Video Content appeared first on Modern Branding | Marketing & Advertising.

It’s unbelievable to know that Modern Branding Co. is open for business. Working to build this took so much heart, intention, and effort. For us, it was worth it because we get to empower and nurture other brands. That’s what it’s all about, right? We support one another. The world can sometimes be a place where voices, thoughts, and uniqueness can be stifled. I don’t know about you, but I would rather highlight those areas than quiet them down.

And right now, the crazy part about our world is that it’s changing for the better. We are now acknowledging people have personal lives. We can sometimes see them in the background of our Zooms, and it’s beautiful. Or that company culture builds a healthy workspace where employees really want to be. And we are learning we can be human and not have it all figured out. We can ask for help when we need it.

We want to help. I know here at Modern Branding Co. we don’t specifically work on the spiritual or mental aspects of one’s life, but I am an 8-year and counting yoga instructor. So we take mental, spiritual, and emotional health seriously. Even though we might say our home life doesn’t affect us at work, it does, and that’s okay. That is why it is important to us how we support you. For us, this is more than just getting you more followers or a more engaged community. We want to make sure you are okay. Whether it’s freeing up time for you to enjoy your company (and loved ones), or having a better work-life balance, we want you to feel at peace with our help. Imagine knowing you don’t have to do it all. The deep breath you can take.

We all have value, purpose, and a calling. Assisting brands is ours. Why not let us help you tell everyone how great you or your services are? If you would like to work with us, we would love it and greatly appreciate it. Check out Our Services page to learn more about what we do and offer. Want to schedule a call? Put some time on our Calendly for a free 30-minute consultation. I hope you have an amazing week and continue following your purpose!

The post It’s Official. We’re Open! appeared first on Modern Branding | Marketing & Advertising.

At the start of college, I went up to one of my professors and simply asked, “Okay, I want to get out of here in four years and I hate writing. What major will get me out ‘on time’ with the least amount of writing?” She smirked and told me to choose the degree I ended up graduating in. Luckily, I did graduate on time but I also did end up writing a lot. Honestly, my thoughts about writing equated to being smart and capable and I didn’t feel I fit either of those. That was my narrative because I struggled in high school and college. I mean I seriously struggled with showing up to class on time and completing my assignments. The first two years of college were a scramble for me just to maintain decent grades. I was able to connect and talk to others but classwork felt like I was having to swim up a tree. I saw others thriving in this space as I stayed stuck, or at least that’s how it felt. I began having unhealthy self-talk about how I wasn’t capable and I’d probably never be. As this became my truth there was a pivotal moment.

While being one of the event coordinators for the Student Council for my college I got inspired to run as one of the executive members for junior year. I reached out to the candidate I knew was running and asked for the opportunity to run with her. She was kind but honest and said, “Hey, you’re a great person but not what I’m looking for.” At that moment hearing a no, I began reverting right into those unhealthy thoughts. To me that made sense, how could I think I would be good enough for that. While listening to this narrative, about a week later one of my friends asked me, “How would you feel about running with me as my vice president?” Vice president?! Did she ask the right person? Does she seriously think I am capable? I was stunned and doubtful (regarding my capabilities) but at that moment I realized she believed in me so I needed to step up. Fortunately, after a tough campaign, our executive board won. I was the vice president, and that year we ended up getting two awards. My junior year was my most productive year and my best grades. I share this moment because this scenario has happened many times in my life. Well, half of it. It’s the scenario where I want to leap, I hear the no I anticipated and I don’t get an immediate yes or opportunity to follow. Hearing the no became a way to nurture that unhealthy self-talk. The dynamic of struggling with my value, worthiness, and capability was the norm. A year after serving as vice president I was back to struggling academically, mentally, emotionally, and left out of college not knowing where I would be. And I’ve had a few more in between then and now. During each low, I felt it proved to me I needed to continue nurturing the no and second-guessing myself. If you’re getting concerned that this is getting dark, I am going to bring us back into the light soon. But sometimes we need to go into the dark to see the light.

I loved counting myself out before someone else could. What was even worse was when someone else counted me out it almost felt satisfying like, “Ha! See, you’re not enough.” My narrative of self-worth and self-value was quite distorted. That affected me in so many ways from relationships to my professional experiences. At some point, I was sick and tired of it. Also, a friend and owner of a gym told me, “Marrelle, you’re blocking yourself. Stop, and be the great person you can be.” Hearing that from someone I respected and being tired of always feeling lousy it was time to wake myself up. Now, I bet someone can relate to this story of nurturing the belittling traits. Because I have met a few people who struggle with imposter syndrome or constantly doubting themselves. And I am here to wake you up. It’s time to change your narrative. And how do we do this? Here are a few ways that we can nurture empowering traits.

1. Therapy is the move

Therapy can literally change your life. Whether it’s a small issue or healing from past traumas, therapy can give you the tools to combat your mental constraints. I will sing it until the cows come home and I don’t live near cows so it might be a minute. The tough part about therapy is there aren’t always the most affordable methods but here’s a source to help with that. One of the best places is 7 Cups which has very, and I mean very affordable rates. They have support groups and therapy sessions. There’s also, Open Path, which is also a great possible resource. There are also some cool counseling applications like Talkspace and BetterHelp you can use. Both have possibly lowered payment plans. Sometimes it’s not the price of the therapy but nerves or narratives we’ve told ourselves. Well, I am here to tell you, that it takes a lot of strength to speak our pains out and heal. But sometimes we need that to move forward.

2. It takes a tribe

Those who are in your tribe will impact you and your thoughts. Not to say they must affect you but they can. Whether that’s your friend group, family, your life partner, or all of the above the words or their treatment of you can influence your self-talk and decisions. Be sure to choose your tribe carefully. Neither time nor blood bond is enough for you to be treated poorly or put into a toxic situation. On the opposite side of that, your tribe can empower you to see your light and thrive. My fiance, Jonathan is one of the huge reasons I decided to believe in myself. I had someone to remind me every step of the way just how capable I am. In moments of fear his hugs and uplifting talks kept me going. Seeing him have faith in me gave me so much of my strength to leap. In addition, my best friends and family were there cheering me on in my low moments throughout life when I felt hopeless. My tribe gave me the push, honesty, and care to see the light that was meant to shine. I hope you either have that or take the steps to build that for yourself. By the way, if we aren’t friends, consider us one now!

3. A narrative or belief can be powerful

As much as I had Jonathan elevating me, I also had to believe it. For long-term success, we can’t solely rely on others’ beliefs in us to carry us through. Not every moment will be pretty or fall into place and you have to be there for yourself to keep pushing forward. What you tell yourself, whether others can hear you or not will make or break you. Toxic thoughts will come bombarding in, in those moments acknowledge the thought but you tell it and yourself that it holds no power in this space and bye-bye. You can nurture the thoughts that feed you. So choose wisely.

This is the most vulnerable or transparent I’ve been but I hope this resonates with someone. If you need someone to kick off this new space of nurturing health and supportive self-talk and thoughts. I want you to know you are WORTHY, VALUABLE, CAPABLE, and YOU BELONG. Your light is unique, needed, and the world wants to see it. So shine your light as bright as you can.

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Give everyone a voice

We want everyone to have the same opportunity to have equity in the conversation and to be a part of the community and the work everyone’s doing as a collective. 

“The best way to be more inclusive is to stop using jargon and stop assuming everyone has the same knowledge.” Supriya hit the nail right on the head with this statement. Each community is like a fingerprint; it’s one of a kind. Each and every community member makes up a swirl of this fingerprint, joining you from a different part of the world, level of education, or work experience. Having members with diverse backgrounds builds differing views, which opens the door for dialogue and learning a new perspective. 

Our goal is to inhibit moments of gatekeeping. Examples of gatekeeping can be using jargon, demeaning others due to unrealistic standards, or creating a space where others feel unsafe to express their opinion. If we as community managers ignore or devalue moments like this we are encouraging unacceptable behavior. There will be moments, in your community, when thoughts are dismissed by other community members. That’s where we step in to empower all members to have a voice. The last thing we want to do is create roadblocks to building connections and making the community not welcoming for all. 

We want to build a space or opportunity for expression. One of the ways to do that is by making sure you have a Code of Conduct (CoC). You can update it to be informative and inclusive. I recently updated Atomic Red Team’s Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct and found some great examples of other CoCs that helped me with the verbiage and structure. A few of the sites that really helped were Tech Ladies, Uplift, Internet Society, and Geek Feminism. We need to be advocates or allies for those experiencing gatekeeping and empower all members to be a part of the conversation. 

Be an Engagement Firefighter

Community managers want to see community members interacting with us, whether digitally (social or chat channels) or physically (at meet-ups or conferences). We want to see engagement. Magdalena couldn’t have said it better: “Engagement is one of the most important things to keep a community alive. I am constantly engaging with my community like a huge firehose. It’s like I am an engagement firefighter.” 

Engagement isn’t only about having conversations but making sure everyone is contributing to the cause or project. Writing informative content, sending out monthly newsletters, and making exciting events are also ways to get your community members excited about the work you all are doing. We are not here to monitor the conversation; we are a part of it and should provide resources for everyone to use. This helps us learn how people are collaborating, how we can make their experience better, and how to continue the momentum of your project. You can follow up with this by using tools like Sprout or Hootsuite, which provide you with sharing insights about what your community is talking about. 

Let’s get some data

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.” – Sherlock Holmes

Data is vital for many professionals, regardless of their role. We all have to measure our success—it’s what shows our growth. Determining what type of information to collect varies. For some, it’s purely quantitative numbers. For others it’s mainly qualitative; for community managers, it’s a balance between both. We tend to focus on growing (quantitative) and nurturing (qualitative) our communities. Most community managers want to be mindful of not only managing our goals but also monitoring the health of our communities. For us, ensuring our community members feel valued and heard is a top priority (most times we care more about this than hitting numbers). 

Like Supriya said, “I am focused on making sure all people (from all sorts of backgrounds) feel welcomed.” To do that we need to listen to our community by performing surveys, reaching out to community members, and analyzing previous data. Previous data can be tracking subscribers on your newsletters, chat communities (for my tech peeps via Slack, Stack Overflow, or Reddit), or social platforms. There are times when previous data isn’t available to you and that’s okay. 

If you are dealing with a dearth of data: Try to find communities (preferably more than one) that are similar to yours. Now some of you may be thinking, “well my project is like no other.” I feel you on that. I have experience with completely different and innovative projects. But the trick is even though projects can differ, there’s always a connection. You find what bridges you to other communities. For example, Atomic Red Team is a fun, unique, and inventive project but we have a link to other communities: cybersecurity or information security. This gave me the opportunity to meet (and learn from) Supriya, and ask them questions. Now here’s the secret gem and sometimes a scary thing to do. Reach out to the community managers of those communities for help. I am not sure if it’s because of what we do, but most if not all community managers I have met are helpful and willing to share their insights. Learning the tools or social platforms they use will help to possibly create things similar so you can start collecting data. And see how they interact with their community. Do they ask community members to fill out surveys or leave comments on certain content? 

Once we start gathering all the information we need we can begin creating goals and key performance indicators for ourselves and the community. This will help us to learn if we are on track, learn how our community is impacted by holidays, or how to move toward the next quarter. If you’re like me, analyzing data and crunching numbers is not your strong suit. Even when doing simple addition, I feel like I look like the scene from The Hangover when Zach Galifianakis is in the casino figuring out all the math in his head. And that’s fine, we are not all meant to be math whizzes, but we all can improve our skills with analyzing. If you can relate, I recommend this professional certificate from Google on Data Analytics from Coursera. It’s a lifesaver, helping me to learn how to level up analyzing data.

You’re qualified—and this takes time.

How many of us fall into the trap of should I be here? How can I give this community all it needs? Am I qualified for this? And the answer is yes, you are. Like Magda said, “Community is the backbone of so many things. It’s a tough job that doesn’t get enough credit but is needed everywhere.” 

Our role is so important not only for the help and care we give to our community but also for the company we work for. That can feel like a lot of weight but also your company, your hiring manager, the others that interviewed you wouldn’t have given you this opportunity if they didn’t see a light in you. It takes courage and patience to thrive in this role. Over time you will learn so much about your community and how you fit into everything. You just have to keep your ear to the ground and continue on the journey.

Whether you’re a new community manager or have been in this for a while I hope this blog helps you to feel at ease and know we’re all in the same boat. We are all still learning each and every day no matter our experience levels. Another reminder is that we all bring so much to the table and to our community. We share our light and empower others so much. By sharing your light, being you, and being patient, you will see how your growth may start slow but will become exponential. Remember: data is important but personal experiences in the community are just as valuable. Continue to shine and make your mark.

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So, I work on getting myself out of my comfort zone. Someone once told me, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Writing a blog (like this one) or speaking up at work tend to be areas that make me uncomfortable. That’s why I love doing them. You get so much satisfaction out of doing the tough stuff. Step by step, those pushes turn into milestones. Since I started working at Inrupt, I decided to create my voice and seat. Somedays, I struggle, and on other days it’s easy. Over the last ten months, I have made great milestones within the company and my personal life. Those triumphs inspire me to push myself out of complacency to gain confidence when there’s uncertainty. This leads to my next point.

It’s okay not to have all the answers. Seriously. Unless you are an encyclopedia (which, if you are, teach me your ways), you’re not going to have all the answers. Be honest with the people around you and let them know you don’t have the answer, but you can find out. Not knowing doesn’t make you any less of a person or qualified for your role. Even doctors are befuddled sometimes. In actuality, not knowing everything shows that you’re human and relatable. We want to create connections with our peers or coworkers because that leads to strong and genuine ties. This helps to build a support system.

The people behind you can make or break you. The different people in your life offer unique experiences to see things from a new perspective. One lesson I have recently learned from a few people in my system is not to short-change myself. Downplaying your role or abilities plays into the imposter syndrome mind games. I would have noticed I fell into this trap if it wasn’t for my support system observing and giving me constructive feedback when needed. It’s okay to be humble, but remember that you helped make this happen for yourself along with your support system.

These are just a few things helping me keep knowing I have a seat at the table. They may not work for you, and that’s okay. It took months, if not years, of trial and error to get here. I hope when reading this, you feel affirmed and know you do deserve a seat. It’s time to find out what helps you build your confidence and use those tools to propel yourself forward.

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