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3 Effective Ways to Build Your Brand and Grow Your Community Using LinkedIn Live

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3 Effective Ways to Build Your Brand and Grow Your Community Using LinkedIn Live

Every brand is looking to stand out from its competition. Building a unique and engaging brand requires a thoughtful approach and finding ways to showcase how your brand is different from others that may provide a similar product or service.  

One of the real advantages of social media marketing is the opportunity to grow a community. Your audience for your business is out there. In many cases, they are building their own communities without any brand engagement. The ability to establish and grow a brand-driven community can propel a brand very quickly. Brands can tap into or leverage those existing communities that align with their brand offering. This, of course, is easier said than done. 

There are a set of questions that can help lay the foundation for building a brand community.

Who are the members of your community?  

Where can you find them?

What do they care about?

How can you reach them?

Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Who?  

Any marketing effort should begin by understanding your audience.  Who are they? What do they look like? Social media is extremeley adept in gathering information of its users and being able to organize them in an accessible and useful way.  If we know the demographics (age, location, etc.) as well as the psychographics (attitudes, behaviors, etc.) of our audience, the tools available through most social media platforms enable us to target them quite effectively. 

Where are they?

The question of where is not related to any geographical location (even though that can be significant as part of who they are). Instead, the question of where is your audience relates to where in the social sphere do they spend time. Which platforms, which groups within those platforms, where are the online and social communities that they show up. Even if we know a lot about who our audience is, if we don’t know where to find them we won’t have the chance to engage and connect with them.  

What do they care about?

Oftentimes when we develop content that revolves around our brand and its wonderful features and benefits. Unfortunately, consumers of content rarely care about what you can do. They only care about what you can do for them. We are all self-interested, and as such want content that resonates with our beliefs, concerns, needs. Understanding what our audience cares about and finding ways to show them our brand also cares about these same issues will help foster a stronger community.

How can you reach them?

Now that we know who they are, where to find them, and what they care about – how do we connect with them. The how of reaching your audience is also the what type of content you will share and in what manner will you deliver it.

Visual storytelling is a powerful way to share your message to connect with your audience. 65% of the population are visual learners and the human brain processes visuals much faster than text – in fact, 60,000 times faster.

Engaging visual content is a must for anyone trying to reach an audience. There are many options from photographs, other static images, corporate animation, text animation, recording video, and live video.  

Video content, whether live or animated, when coupled with a compelling story will capture your audience’s attention and help them remember your message.

Live video across most social platforms is trending high. Going live is very now. 

What Is Live Video Streaming?

Live video streaming is when a video is sent over the internet in real-time. This typically takes the form of broadcasts where one creator is streaming video content out to many users at once. This differs from typical video content in that typical video content is recorded beforehand and then accessed by users asynchronously.

Live video streaming is the next big thing in advertising and if you have content worth sharing, a live video might be the way to present it.

82% would rather watch live video from a brand than read a social post and the emotional engagement rate for live content is a whopping 25% – much higher than the 17% for on-demand viewing.

Where should you go live? If you are a Business-To-Business marketing, LinkedIn, with more than 774 million members across 200 countries, is the platform to connect and build a community and hence start using live video.

LinkedIn Live allows you to build deeper connections and drive more engagement with the world’s largest professional community. Live videos get, on average 7x more reactions and 24x more comments than native video produced by the same broadcasters.

Going live on LinkedIn hasn’t been around as long as other platforms and you will need to apply to go live. A scheduled live stream will automatically create a public event post. When you create a scheduled live stream from one of LinkedIn’s third-party streaming software partner platforms (Restream, Socialive, StreamYard, and Switcher), it’ll automatically show up on the LinkedIn feed as a new LinkedIn Event post. This change combines the discovery benefits of LinkedIn Events with the viral reach and engagement of LinkedIn Live. Although engagement at the moment is not incredibly high, now is the time to dive in to take advantage of this growing trend.

Here are 3 Effective Ways to Leverage LinkedIn live for building your brand and growing your community

Be Prepared

Before you go live, make sure that your internet and wifi are ready for it. If you have low bandwidth and it takes time to load you are going to lose people. Like any video recording ensure you have a good setup with sufficient lighting and proper sound. Finally, test everything before you go live. 

Be Engaged

The aim is to build your brand and your community. When you are live, say hello and give people shoutouts, answer any questions, ask questions and try and engage in a conversation. It is suggested to broadcast for at least three minutes to reach more people. 

Provide Value

Remember audiences are looking for relevant and valuable content.  Share your knowledge and expertise to add value. Perhaps have another subject-matter expert live with you to interview to share their expertise with your audience. 43% of viewers say compelling content is the primary motivator for live online viewing. Give viewers a reason to engage by providing compelling content that matters to them.

LinkedIn and visual storytelling through live video offers a fantastic way to build your brand and grow your community. 45% of consumers want to see more live videos from brands on their social media. Start your LinkedIn Live broadcasts today!

Geoffrey Klein is the Founder & CEO of nine dots, a video and animation company that helps businesses share their message through visual communication to connect with their audience. Geoffrey is also a Tedx speaker and an adjunct professor at Temple University’s School of Media & Communications. His experience spans from being legally trained to working for Seth Godin to working on major motion pictures at Paramount Pictures and MGM Studios.

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Six Strategies for Startup Success in 2024

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startup success

Getting a startup off the ground is becoming more challenging than ever. In addition to fierce competition and economic uncertainty, entrepreneurs looking to achieve startup success in 2024 should also account for consumers’ growing distrust of brands — especially in tech. Moreover, research shows that people expect more from businesses in 2023 and beyond — especially regarding social issues. That can be a slippery slope if core values grow into politicized messages that could turn audiences away.

For these reasons, business owners looking to achieve their goals in 2024 must arm themselves with bulletproof strategies for startup success.

So, if you’re looking for data-based guidelines on successfully running your organization in the coming months, here are the six best tactics to help you stay on the right path.

Embrace the Power of Generative AI

One of the most effective ways to improve your business results in 2024 (though you should start implementing this tactic as soon as possible) is to embrace the potential of generative AI.

With its many applications, AI genuinely has the potential to transform your operations into highly efficient, affordable practices that will allow you to spend your time where it matters the most.

For starters, begin by leveraging AI for marketing and customer service purposes. Employ AI for content research and (human-supervised) creation. Use it to upgrade your marketing campaigns on search engines, social media, and email. Incorporate it into your content distribution practices to minimize the time you spend scheduling. And use it to organize your insights and expertise into user-oriented resources your customers can use to troubleshoot issues or get more out of their purchases.

Moreover, don’t be afraid to use AI to optimize your landing pages. The easiest way to do this is to employ AI as a research tool that informs you of web visitor behavior on your site. However, if you want to take things further, you can leverage AI to implement personalization or conduct A/B testing.

Lead with Values and Purpose to Connect with Your Audience

Today’s consumers don’t just want to invest in products or solutions that do the job. Instead, research suggests that people want to support value and purpose-driven brands that follow ESG best practices.

According to PWC, 80% of buyers are more likely to purchase from brands prioritizing environmental issues. 76% choose to support businesses whose social values align with their own. And another 80% will buy from brands that stand up for governance. Furthermore, McKinsey found that, in 2022, people spent more on products with ESG claims than those without, showing that leading with values and purpose allows organizations to reach and connect with their audiences.

Balancing sustainability with profitability can be a challenge — especially for startups looking to break into competitive markets. However, if you understand your target audience’s pain points and priorities and have a solid grip on industry trends, you can ensure you opt for the best approach to your business, giving consumers what they want without sacrificing profits. This is where high-quality resources like the Smash.vc newsletter come in.

Reap the Benefits of a Remote, Hybrid, or Distributed Workforce

One of the tremendous advantages of running a startup these days is that you can hire next-level talent regardless of your location (or your budget, for that matter). Thanks to the rapid advancement of collaboration technology, organizations can now find and collaborate with experts from all over the world without worrying about productivity drops or communication obstacles.

Of course, leading a remote, hybrid, or distributed workforce isn’t always a walk in the park. It necessitates a strategic leadership approach based on clarity, trust, and respect. Nonetheless, if you want to lead your brand to success in 2024, don’t hesitate to choose employees based on what they bring to the table instead of just where they’re momentarily located.

Deliver Personalized Experiences

One of the non-negotiable conditions for achieving startup success in 2024 is delivering an outstanding customer experience. And according to research, that may just come down to personalization.

In a 2022 survey involving over 13,000 consumers, Salesforce discovered that 73% of buyers expect companies to understand and meet their unique expectations. Even more, 62% want brands to anticipate their needs. From this data alone, it’s evident that building a successful brand that inspires not just conversions but loyalty as well necessitates a strategic approach to personalization.

In addition to working in a way that demonstrates your understanding of customer needs, play around with tools that will help you personalize interactions with future and existing clients. These can be anything — from email marketing platforms with advanced segmentation and automation capabilities to cross-selling ecommerce add-ons. Nevertheless, try not to go overboard with collecting consumer data, as too much personalization can be just as bad (if not worse) than none at all.

Embrace Multi-Channel Retail

Omnichannel sales was one of the leading business trends in 2023. And it’s only going to get bigger in 2024.

According to Statista, social commerce is expected to reach $2.9 trillion in value by 2026. And if 2026 is too far ahead for you to look, consider the fact that last year, brands that ran campaigns on three or more channels saw a mind-boggling 494% higher order rate than those that only invested in a single one.

So, if you want your startup to have the highest chance of success, align your marketing, sales, and content distribution strategies with consumer behavior data. For instance, a good place to start is to learn about how most people begin their shopping journeys these days. According to Jungle Scout, 56% of US consumers start product searches on Amazon, 42% use search engines, 37% go straight to Walmart’s website, 25% conduct product research on YouTube, and around 20% use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Practice Frugal Decision-making

Lastly, as you endeavor to take your business further in the upcoming period, ensure you don’t get too ahead of yourself when making any decision impacting your finances.

Yes, earning impressive profits necessitates some degree of risk. However, keep in mind that slow-paced growth always outperforms rapid expansion — especially if you plan on building a business that will stand the test of time.

So, as you explore the best strategies for startup success in 2024, be sure to practice frugal decision-making. You can even go as far as to keep your business decisions on the traditional end of the spectrum. Sure, it may mean that your business won’t get where you want it to be in a matter of months. But if you consider the fact that almost 90% of all startups fail, slowing down your growth rate for the sake of a bit more security is the best decision you can make as an entrepreneur and leader.

In Closing

There you have it: six of the most impactful strategies to adopt for startup success in 2024.

Of course, don’t feel like you have to employ all of these tactics. After all, you know your business (and your target audience) best. And that means that it’s you who’ll have the highest chance of making profitable decisions.

Still, keep in mind that all six of the business approaches outlined above offer mainly benefits (with very few, if any, drawbacks). Thus, they have a super high likelihood of helping your brand progress — especially if you are consistent with how you employ them.

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8 Reasons Why Content Creation Is Crucial for Startups

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Why Content Creation Is Crucial for Startups

Startups are continuously looking for cutting-edge tactics to stand out and draw the interest of their target market in the ever-changing business sector. The development of content is one extremely effective instrument that has become a key component of this effort. The creation and distribution of material forms the foundation of a marketing strategy, helping to both attract and hold the attention of potential customers. In this article, we’ll go into eight incredibly persuasive arguments for why content production is a crucial component of a company’s success.

Building a Resonant Brand Identity and Amplifying Awareness

Firms receive a golden opportunity to build and present their individual brand identity through their media production process. Startups may masterfully explain their core values, mission, and unique selling propositions through finely written blog posts, captivating videos, and engaging social media updates. In addition to facilitating differentiation in a crowded market, the capacity to create a consistent and well defined brand identity also helps to build familiarity and trust among the target audience. This effective combination opens the door for increased brand awareness, giving entrepreneurs a particular advantage in a market teeming with rivals.

Cultivating a Citadel of Thought Leadership

Small businesses usually struggle with the problem of proving their knowledge and authority inside a certain industry. This is where the idea of creating media comes into play, giving entrepreneurs a vibrant platform to display their knowledge base and assume the role of thought leaders. Companies can climb the ladder of notoriety as authoritative voices in their chosen area by spreading intelligent articles, thoroughly researched whitepapers, and meticulously prepared industry analysis. As a result, prospective clients develop a sense of trust and confidence in the organization, which encourages them to see it as a helpful resource for advice and answers.

Nurturing Lifelong Customer Relationships

Impactful content development has a wider range of applications than only attracting new clients; it is crucial for maintaining and fostering connections with current clients. By utilizing content, business owners can easily engage their audience after the initial sale by providing insightful information, practical advice, and timely updates. As a result of such continual contacts, customers are more likely to be satisfied and to return to a business. Furthermore, these content-driven discussions usually result in meaningful discussions that help entrepreneurs gain invaluable feedback and ideas for future iterations. Likewise these contacts can present chances for cross-selling, up-selling, and individualized suggestions based on specific client requirements.

Propelling Organic Traffic Through the Roof

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of contemporary marketing tactics. Premium content acts as a powerful SEO tool, driving a spike in organic traffic to a startup’s website. The likelihood of landing a top spot in search engine results increases when entrepreneurs deftly produce material that resonates harmoniously with their target audience and effortlessly incorporates relevant keywords. In addition to increasing visibility, this also attracts people who are actively searching the internet for the specific answers that the firm is prepared to offer. Understanding the most effective content optimization strategies is crucial because of this. A rise in organic traffic can have a positive impact on domain authority, search engine rankings, and the number of people who find the organization’s material.

Enlightening the Audience Through Invaluable Education

The benefit of educational content is unmistakable, especially for startups that market cutting-edge goods and services. Firms can educate their customers about the diverse benefits that their products offer and the pain issues that they expertly alleviate through the strategic art of media production. This educational strategy not only helps the audience better understand the product, but it also equips them with the information they need to make wise purchasing decisions. Customers who are well-informed are more likely to convert and then become ardent brand supporters. An organization’s reputation as a dependable industry authority can also be strengthened by positioning it as a go-to resource through educational material.

Illuminating the Prism of Product/Service Value

Organizations sometimes struggle with the problem of explaining the intrinsic value of their products, particularly if they launch a market-changing idea. Startups have a wide range of chances to showcase the useful applications of their goods or services thanks to material development. They can vividly demonstrate how their solutions smoothly resolve real-world problems and improve the quality of life for their clients by arming themselves with meticulous guidelines, immersive tutorials, and fascinating case studies. Additionally, demonstrating the worth of goods or services through content can help overcome objections and inspire trust in prospective clients.

Harnessing the Enormous Potential of Social Media Engagement

Social media has evolved into a powerful channel for customer connection and business promotion in the contemporary digital age. When used skillfully, content marketing enables startups to control an engaging and active social media presence. Companies may keep a firm hold on the audience’s interest and engrossment by arranging a symphony of varied elements, ranging from aesthetically pleasing photos to educational and compelling films. A firm’s exposure and reach could soar to incredible heights thanks to the possibility for material in this active social media space to go viral. In addition, participating in social media can promote in-the-moment conversations that let entrepreneurs respond individually to questions, worries, and comments.

Flexibility in Formats to Cater to All Tastes

As a flexible tool, producing material gives companies the freedom to test out a wide range of formats that are all made to appeal to different audience preferences. Startups can easily tailor their material to align with the preferences of their target audience, whether it be the timelessness of blog posts, the mesmerizing allure of videos, the immersive appeal of podcasts, the succinct efficacy of infographics, or the interactive nature of webinars. This versatility enhances the entire user experience while expanding the organization’s audience and successfully navigating a variety of platforms and channels.

Content production stands out as an unquestionable pillar of success for startups negotiating the complex terrain of the contemporary business scene. Companies that are at the forefront of creating valuable, timely, and engaging material are in a prime position to build relationships with their target audience, eventually establishing them as preeminent industry leaders and moving them up the scale of sustainable growth.

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Offshore Vs. Nearshore Outsourcing – Ideal Approach for Business Growth 

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offshore vs nearshore

The means of recruiting business personnel have significantly evolved. By outsourcing their digital needs, firms have gained more control of their processes and improved their productivity. It has allowed organizations in various industries like Insurance and IT to rely on international or nearshore teams to draw upon their services. 

Outsourcing software development is a great way to improve business performance and quickly scale up operations. Keeping costs low while staying at the forefront of innovation is a priority and outsourcing can help you achieve this goal.  

According to Statista, the IT outsourcing market is projected to reach $587.3 billion by 2027. It is essential to understand the differences between nearshoring and offshoring remote team models – two main types of outsourcing, to reduce costs and speed up the production of digital products. 

Offshore Vs. Nearshore Outsourcing: An Overview 

Both offshore and nearshore outsourcing involves hiring foreign workers for projects. With nearshoring, the countries involved are nearby, such as having an American IT firm hire staff from Canada. For offshore outsourcing, the firms are farther away from one another, like a Mexican company hiring developers from Poland, India, or Ukraine.  

Offshore Software Development Outsourcing provides the opportunity to draw from a larger pool of experts at a much lower cost, yet there is no control. Going with a nearshore developer means a client can outsource processes or tasks to a partner company while still in an excellent geographic area.  

Nearshore development presents a compromise, with the team being close enough for direct communication and onsite visits yet offering similar cost savings as offshore teams.  

Reason to Select Offshore Outsourcing 

Outsourcing works best for Startups to benefit from the lower wages software developers charge. According to reports, India is a popular choice for Offshore outsourcing services, with developers charging just $7.24 an hour.  

In addition to money-saving measures, offshoring grants access to a global pool of talented workers – something that may not be easy to achieve in a country like the US or the UK.  

There are many excellent examples of offshore outsourcing companies with experienced developers, providing access to a wealth of knowledge and existing skills. Accessing such know-how helps streamline the app creation process in getting it to market quickly and efficiently while minimizing the risk of common pitfalls. 

Prominent Limitations  

Before deciding to outsource to a distant vendor, you should take note of some potential disadvantages such as,  

  • Time zone differences could challenge direct conversations and urgent decisions with an offshore IT provider based in India compared to a US-based startup.  
  • Additionally, there is the potential risk of misunderstanding due to differences in language and culture. This could extend the timeline for development and cancel out any potential cost advantages.  

To avoid these issues, many US-based companies outsource to vendors in Eastern European countries like Ukraine or Poland, where cultural similarities are more likely to result in fewer communication issues. 

Reason to Choose Nearshore Outsourcing  

Through nearshoring, it is feasible to organize face-to-face gatherings between the startup and outsourced workers. It gives you an easy way to convey the project particulars to the programmers.  

 
Furthermore, you can circumvent the potential issues of linguistic and cultural discrepancies. Eastern Europeans typically have a better grasp of English and more similar business cultures, making nearshoring a smooth process.  

Moreover, nearshoring lets you maintain stricter security over the app and related information. It is especially crucial when a company needs to comply with data protection regulations. For instance, Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania are under the GDPR’s regulation. If you are starting a tech business in the UK, contracting with outsourcing companies in the EU zone has advantages regarding understanding data privacy rules. 

Possible Limitations  

  • Nearshoring may not always be the least expensive option regarding development costs.  
  • It ultimately depends on the country to which services are outsourced and the associated cost of living.  
  • For instance, Eastern European developers may charge between $50-$99 per hour depending on their expertise, whereas developers from Asia usually demand more than $35 per hour.  

Nevertheless, even though offshoring may provide the most significant cost savings, nearshoring has the advantage of operating in more convenient or comparable time zones. 

Significant Differences Between Offshore Vs. Nearshore Outsourcing 

Now that we know about nearshore and offshore outsourcing, let’s compare the significant differences across different aspects.  

Timezone 

Regarding outsourcing, the time zone difference between nearshoring and offshore is significant. With nearshoring, it is possible to have teleconferences within working hours or meet in person. However, the distance may be an issue for offshore outsourcing partners as these can be eight or more hours away, making it difficult for real-time collaboration. 

Specialist Selection 

Nearshore vs. offshore outsourcing differs in the available talent pool. With nearshoring, clients are limited to traditional domestic solutions. At the same time, those seeking offshore outsourcing have access to a much broader collection of skilled personnel that they can recruit from all over the world.  

Nearshoring may limit your search to 5-10 potential candidates while with offshore outsourcing, it can expand to 30-50 experts for your required skills. Additionally, finding highly specialized personnel for projects that may not be readily available in the local market is often easier with offshore outsourcing than nearshoring. 

Cost 

Nearshore outsourcing is a cost-effective solution compared to offshoring. Developers in London typically receive an annual salary of $70,000, while those in Eastern Europe can be hired for a more economical rate of $36,000 annually. Although offshore outsourcing manages your development work to countries such as India and China can be cheaper, nearshoring allows for a more substantial saving while still gaining access to low-cost labor. 

Essential Culture Differentiation 

Hiring offshore developers brings about various cultural differences, which can cause problems. For instance, US businesspeople commonly take a direct approach to communication. While those from China tend to be more restrained in expressing themselves, presenting logistical issues while working together.  

Things to Consider for Selecting the Best Offshore Vs. Nearshore Outsourcing 

When considering nearshore versus offshore outsourcing, keeping in mind certain things helps you select the best outsourcing. 

  • Deciding which skills are needed in the ideal employee for the project is essential. 
  • After identifying what you need and deciding your budget, research solutions on the market and compare the different talent pools of nearshore or offshore companies.  
  • Also, it is crucial to stay in contact with the developers in either type of outsourcing.  
  • In the case of offshore outsourcing, having a project manager to be the eyes and hands of the client is needed.  
  • Cultural differences can be expected, so it is essential to understand that somebody working differently does not necessarily mean they do a lousy job. 
  • Finally, rules and regulations should be set to maintain order. For guidance on this, a reputable outsourcing firm can help you. 

 
Conclusion  

In a nutshell, it is essential to carefully consider the type of team and project when deciding between offshoring and nearshoring. Both methods can deliver outstanding products with the latest IT tools and techs, but you should consider the cost and cultural needs when making a final decision.  

Offshore solutions are more cost-effective and efficient for companies to introduce their products to global markets. At the same time, nearshoring provides a better fit in terms of cultural compatibility and can benefit highly specialized projects like video game development. 

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