Tag: Branding

Instagram Stories 101: 5 Types of Content That Will Make Your Brand Stick

Instagram stories are here to stay and more people are using this marketing tool every day. But are you using it right or does it actually hurt your business? 

Instagram stories are so important because they help you further build your brand and connect with your audience on a much much deeper level. Unlike regular Instagram pictures which are all pitch perfect, Instagram Stories are meant to show the real people behind businesses and help your audience understand what do you really stand for.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if you create pictures for your stories and they don’t look okay-ish, no one will come to watch your stories again. At the end of the day, this is still Instagram, the place of beauty, it’s just that no one will judge you for creating a short video story without makeup.

Instagram stories are great for sharing lots of content without spamming your audience. Say you have an upcoming webinar, you can’t post all sorts of tips & reminders all day long on Instagram without being blocked, but you can do that through stories. Share a video tip, a reminder about your webinar, share some benefits, add a picture of your dog, share some more benefits. You get the point.

The Key to Instagram Stories Success

The key to success when it comes to Instagram Stories is to find a way to merge your personal life with your business agenda. If you constantly bombard your followers with blog posts, freebies & your paid products, people will stop looking at your stories because they know what they’ll find.

On the other hand, if you only share personal stuff, you’re not growing your business and you’re actually procrastinating on Instagram. Remember, you are running a business and people need to know about it!

When you combine the two, personal and business, people will click on your story with a sense of wonder. They will be curious to see what are you up to, be it a webinar or a picture of your dog.

Do this if you want to share a longer video in the Stories section? (PRO tip)

It’s frustrating to only film 15 seconds (which is Instagram’s limit for Story videos) and stop because you’ve reached Instagram’s video limit and it’s even more frustrating to go on and on for a few minutes and realize that you’ve only recorded 15 seconds of content. I’ve been there.

The worst part is that you lose momentum and ideas.

My advice is to record the long video using your regular camera app and then cut the video into several 15 seconds parts. I’d still advise, though, to keep the video under three minutes. Too many parts and your followers will lose focus.

In the video below, you will learn the 5 types of content that I believe best engage followers. Along with this, you will also find a few Instagram Stories tips, tricks that will make you an expert. No more guess work!

And, to top it off, you will learn the app I am using to create awesome, clean & engaging pictures for Instagram, be it regular or Stories. Also, with every type of content, you will also see an EXAMPLE of it.

Extra tip: there are several ways in which you can share content on Instagram Stories, picture, boomerang (looping short video) and video. The same advice is valid here: don’t use just one, it can be annoying. Even if it’s video (and video is KING), people get bored really easy these days. Keep it fresh!

The 5 Types of Instagram Stories That Deliver Results Are:

  • Quotes images
  • Promote your blog posts & freebies
  • Everyday activities & hobbies
  • For the other two, you’ll have to watch the video. 

Did you know…?!

  1. That you can share the same story on Facebook stories section in the app and in Messenger app?! You can automatically save the stories on your phone if you enable that from the Settings –> Story Settings –> Save Shared Photos.
  2. That once you reach 10k followers on Instagram, you can add links to your stories?! Which makes marketing so much easier.
  3. You can also share screenshots of testimonials or nice things people/clients/fans say about you. This is a great tactic used by Gary Vee (and many others) to build trust & influence.

 

But remember, the most important aspect of your Instagram marketing plan, be it stories or not, is to BE AUTHENTIC and I’ve got the right GUIDE for you.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_tagline_box backgroundcolor=”” shadow=”yes” shadowopacity=”0.1″ border=”1px” bordercolor=”#4eccc3″ highlightposition=”top” content_alignment=”center” link=”http://mihaiherman.com/authenticity-signup” linktarget=”_blank” modal=”” button_size=”” button_shape=”” button_type=”” buttoncolor=”” button=”Get Free Access Now! ” title=”!Free Guide Alert!” description=”How to build an authentic business & make competition irrelevant + a little surprise. Authenticity is the foundation to every business success in 2017 and beyond! The pdf is editable online and comes with 9 powerful questions, 2 exercises and it’s valued at $99. Click the link below to sign up!” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_tagline_box]

This is it from me.

Go give Stories a chance, even if you’re a Snapchat fan, I am really sure you’ll love them and they can really create results, but long-term. As with any branding strategy, there’s no overnight success here, it’s long-term commitment and vision.

– Mihai Herman[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

SAP002: The Anatomy of A Good Brand Story with Julia “Juju” Hook

Today, I get to feature another inspiring entrepreneur and one of my favorite people from which I’ve learned A LOT even if she doesn’t know how much of a big impact she’s made in my life.

 

About Julia “Juju” Hook

Julia Hook has been helping companies build brand identities for the past 25 years and you can follow her work over at strategicjuju.com.

She also launched an online course that promises to make your brand unforgettable and is currently accepting new students. Check it out at unforgettableu.com

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_tagline_box backgroundcolor=”” shadow=”yes” shadowopacity=”0.3″ border=”3px” bordercolor=”#4eccc3″ highlightposition=”top” content_alignment=”left” link=”” linktarget=”_self” modal=”” button_size=”” button_shape=”” button_type=”” buttoncolor=”” button=”” title=”Spoiler Alert” description=”Learn the difference between the brand story and back story + WHY one is more important than the other.” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”5px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_tagline_box]

Hit PLAY!

 

Video version

Freebies From Julia

The Anatomy of a Brand – free download!
10 Steps to Building a Brand – free download!

Great Reads From Juju’s Blog

Julia is an amazing writer and I don’t know how she does it, but she publishes an article twice per week and they are not 400 words long. I’ve scanned through her blog and selected these three articles for you that are super valuable:

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The Questions

Among other stuff, these were the main questions in our conversation.

  1. Tell us a bit about yourself and about your story, how did you started and, more importantly, why did you started.
  2. What were some of the fears and doubts you had when you started out as an entrepreneur?
  3. How did you get to know yourself better, your body and listen to what your intuition is telling you? Can you recommend an exercise, a book?
  4. How do you deal with failure, bad days or days when you feel like not doing anything?
  5. Who are your mentors?
  6. What makes a good brand besides color, logo and business cards, of course?
  7. If you were to pick just one, what would be the most important aspect of a brand?
  8. What is the anatomy of a good story?

 

Resources

 

Key Takeaways

Julia Juju Hook Quote on Perfectionism

  • Initially, as an entrepreneur, you don’t get the luxury of choosing your clients, mostly because you don’t know with whom you’d like to work with, but also because you need to make money in order to grow the business.
  • “The concept of fixing yourself indicates, in some way, that you are broken.”
  • “I don’t believe anymore that I need to fix anything at myself and that’s a tremendous weight off my shoulders. It’s not egotistical.”
  • “Comparison is a thief. We compare to other people and it robs us of our self-esteem, our ability to move forward and it robs us of the ability to see ourselves clearly.”
  • “The impostor syndrome was one of the biggest mindset blocks I had.”
  • “Balance is a practice. Entrepreneurship is a practice. Everything is life is a practice.”
  • “Perfectionism can torture you, but it’s also the driving force behind your success.”
  • The brand story is more important than the back story. The back story is your story and its point is to validate your expertise.

 

Hope that you’re feeling a bit more relaxed after watching this interview, not trying to fix yourself that much, but I also hope that you’re walking away with at least one big idea about branding that you can implement this week. Julia has a way of making branding fun and easy to understand.

Julia has a way of making branding fun and easy to understand, doesn’t she?!

Had an “AHA! Moment” while watching this interview? Share it with me in the comments section below!

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SAP001: Building Brands With Soul with Kevin Stimpson

Welcome!

This article is a first in two ways: first article published on this new website of mine and first video interview (which turned out to be only audio).

The purpose of these interviews is to feature inspiring entrepreneurs and talk about some broad topics like their journey, fears and doubts, perfectionism, but to also talk about their area of expertise.

In order to raise your excitement for what’s to come, here are some of the topics that you will learn about by watching these interviews:

  • branding (in today’s interview)
  • SEO (search engine optimization)
  • Facebook ads & marketing
  • list building
  • funnels
  • book marketing
  • content marketing
  • webinars
  • networking and building great relationships
  • becoming a great writer
  • etc.

 

Podcast/Audio Version

Video Version

About Kevin Stimpson

Kevin Stimpson owns (together with his wife, Devona) a full-service boutique branding and creative agency in San Diego, California called Strive & Grind and is one of the most inspiring and motivated people that I personally know.

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The Questions That I’ve Asked

  1. Tell us a bit about your story and why did you choose the path of entrepreneurship.
  2. What were some of the fears & blocks that you had when you started out as an entrepreneur?
  3. What does it mean to be a perfectionist to you? Was it ever a problem for you? If yes, how do you manage to keep it under control?
  4. We all have bad days, we all go through failures and disappointments, what’s your strategy? How do you deal with bad or stressful days?
  5. I believe that everyone needs a mentor, a coach if they are serious about succeeding, about making a living out of their business. Who are your mentors? Who inspires you?
  6. You are part of some amazing communities & mastermind groups, what would you say is the best way to connect with someone that you admire?
  7. What’s one book that played a very important role in your life?
  8. What would you say are some very important aspects that a brand needs to have to become successful or to be taken seriously?
  9. What do you do in your free time? What do you do when you are not working?

 

Resources From The Interview

 

Key Takeaways

Entrepreneurship was my ticket to freedom - Kevin Stimpson via @MihaiHerman

  • “I saw entrepreneurship as my way to freedom.” – Click to Tweet
  • “I love creating – that’s my biggest passion.”
  • “My biggest fear when I first started out as an entrepreneur was the fear of unknown – of not knowing if it’s going to work out or not.”
  • “A big block that I’ve encountered was not knowing where to start.”
  • Kevin started his first business at 23-24 years old.
  • Being a perfectionist was a problem for him as well because they did want everything to be perfect. Later on, they’ve learned that it’s an iterative process.
  • “I deal with bad days by thinking about what tomorrow’s going to look like and by thinking about how far I’ve come.”
  • “You build a relationship with someone by asking how can I help you instead of how can you help me.”

 

Kevin & Devona’s Wall of Mentors

mentors

 

Conclusion

Entrepreneurship is, by no means, just fun and rainbows, but it can definitely lead to freedom. This interview is, hopefully, only the beginning of some great talks with other inspiring and successful entrepreneurs.

Was this interview inspiring to you? Share it with your friends via email or on social media.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]