The Success Strategy of Short Form Social Videos

Short form social videos are videos uploaded to different social sites that range from around 10 seconds to a few minutes. These videos can usually be posted in a specific area of an app, if they have a section for stories or short videos.

The short videos are utilized to draw in views and viewers to your social media pages, and bring more engagement to your content, whereas those who are loyal to a content creator may stick around for longer videos, such as 30 minutes to an hour.

Many marketers struggle trying to come up with short video ideas. After all, some platforms have 15 second video options – so how do you convey anything in that short amount of time?

Why Snippets Are Now Soaring in Popularity

One main reason snippet videos are popular is because they cater to the lifestyle of the viewers. Small attention spans are prevalent now. As people spend more and more of their time on social media, multitasking, and working towards their own career goals and dreams, their attention spans are only decreasing over time.

There are too many things to focus on at once, so most people don’t want to sit down and watch one video for twenty minutes. With short form social videos, viewers can spend thirty seconds on each video, watching new and engaging content with each swipe.

Everyone is busy. In a world where work and family take up so much time, many adults are finding themselves with less time to spend on their phones. The appeal of shorter videos creates an illusion that you will spend less time on social media while taking in more content.

In reality, the shorter videos can pull you in and keep you busy for hours. There’s a running joke (or meme) about how people will turn down a two-hour movie, but have no problem binge watching a series on Netflix in one sitting where they end up spending ten hours seeing the entire show.

Snippets allow you to create and consume a wide variety of content. If you are someone who enjoys fashion, cooking, crafting, and even gaming, these short videos will have it all.

Since it takes less time to watch a minute-long video on a quick cooking tip than a full twenty minute tutorial, you’ll have more time to move on to a different topic. This type of media intake allows viewers to broaden their horizons....

Four Communication Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

Possessing proper communication habits are essential to become a successful entrepreneur or achieve any goals in life. Many activities or experiences require communication with others in order to be successful.

If you can’t properly transfer or receive important information, it will only delay your success while affecting those around you. In other words, good communication habits are vital if you want to live a more successful life and strengthen your relationships with others.

Here are the four communication habits of a successful entrepreneur:

They Listen First

Listening is the first skill you need to focus on if you need to improve your communication habits. Developing your listening skills is by far one of the most important steps to establishing proper communication. If you don’t actively listen to what others say, you will not keep the conversation flowing correctly.

They Wait Their Turn

Improving your listening skills means you will better understand when you can participate in the conversation. Interrupting others or not knowing when you can speak up prevents you from taking advantage of important business opportunities to become a successful entrepreneur. It is important to note that if you are thinking about what you should say next, you are not really listening. So don’t worry about what you want to say until you have heard their full thoughts.

They Focus on Body Language

Communication is more than just listening or speaking yourself. It also includes non-verbal communication in the form of body language. A person's body language is key to understanding what people you are communicating with truly feel, and it ensures you understand and honor their emotions. For example, when someone’s body language shows you that they are uncomfortable, you know to end the conversation. 

Understanding body language is a powerful trait to possess as an entrepreneur in order to inspire and persuade the many types of people you will meet.  Also, be aware of your own body language as you don’t want to give off negative or overpowering signals to those you are speaking with. This includes providing feedback as the others are talking through eye contact or head nods. This shows that you are engaged and truly listening instead of thinking about what you want to stay next.

They Stay on Point

Lastly, it is important as a good communicator always to keep the conversation clear, focused, and on point. In other words, don’t go through many different topics or steer others away from what they want to share. Redirecting the conversation is often due to the lack of proper listening skills and tells the speaker you don’t care to participate in the discussion fully.

Don’t let poor communication habits prevent you from achieving success. Professional and personal relationships require you to apply proper communication techniques. Remember to listen first, watch for body language, keep it positive and always wait your turn. The more your practice and learn appropriate communication habits, the more successful you will be.

Finding Ideas for Your Social Media Content

As an online marketer and content creator, sometimes finding a specific niche is the easiest part of being successful on social media. Creating the right content can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start.

With so many people joining social media in the hopes of making a career based on their content creation, the level of competition will only continue to increase. You have to find a way to stand out and be original, all while creating content that is relatable and trendy.

As you brainstorm and come up with ideas for your social media posts, there are many things to consider. It’s important to post content that is relatable, easy to understand, and appropriate with current trends and ideas.

As you create content, allow your personality to shine through in whatever you post. Your brand should be backed by your own beliefs, morals, and ideas so that you come off as an original and personable creator.

Address the Direct Needs of Your Audience

If you have a following that engages with your content frequently, you may have the opportunity to gain insight directly from that group. People are full of ideas and opinions, and most are just waiting for someone to reach out to them and let them speak.

Giving your audience the chance to talk about their thoughts will gain their respect and give you a list of ideas for content that will be enjoyed by current and new viewers. There are many different ways that you can directly communicate with your audience.

Social media comments are easy to scan and can provide a direct line to your followers. Although some people may have rude (troll) comments, you can filter those out and focus on the genuine ones that matter.

Your audience will go to a comment section first in order to communicate, since it’s the simplest way to connect. Most comments won’t be more than a few sentences, but they can provide you with opinions that will help you steer your content towards the right direction.

Providing contact information is important because it gives users the ability to tell you their thoughts and opinions in a more private setting. A comment section is less appealing when users know that anyone on the Internet can see what they are saying.

If you have an email address or contact page URL on each of your profiles that someone can find easily, they will be able to share their thoughts in a way that makes things feel more like a private conversation, rather than a very public one....

Four Steps to Boosting Your Creativity

Did you know you can actually practice your creativity, just like any other skill? Believe it or not, you can still become a creative person even if you are not “born with it.” In fact, it is best to ditch that common misconception as it is only hindering you from unlocking your true abilities and creativity. Creativity is for anyone and everyone as long as you work on it and want to achieve it.

Here are four steps to follow to boost and unlock your creativity:

Step One: Add It to Your Daily To-Do List or Schedule

Many people believe that creativity will just come to them; however, the best way to increase your creativity is to practice it just like any other skill. This requires blocking out specific times in your schedule every week or adding creative activities to your daily to-do lists to ensure you take the time to focus on them. Just think about it; if you waited around until your brain decided you were better at playing a certain instrument, you’d likely be waiting forever.

Boosting your creativity is no different. It must be worked on continually with focus and mindfulness in order to improve. Be sure to make clear and separate time for inspiration, brainstorming, and creation. This way, you can put more concentration and focus on each step of your creative process, further improving your creativity as you gain more knowledge and experience.

Step Two: Clear Distractions and Declutter

When you schedule the time to brainstorm, find inspiration, or create, clear out the distractions first and ensure the space you need to use is organized for success. Distractions and clutter can create a mental fog that is hard to notice right away. This will make you feel like your creativity is gone, when really you just need to reorganize or find a better place to boost your creativity.

Step Three: Get Active and Experiment

Creativity is not perfect. There is no clear road to success. But, that is what makes creativity so beautiful and inspiring. This means you need to get moving and take risks. You can discover more ideas and gain the knowledge you need to create beyond your imagination through risk taking.

Step Four: Rest and Try Again

Don’t keep pushing and forcing creativity to come. Instead, always add in breaks throughout the process to unwind and think about other things. Even taking a few days to sleep on it can give your brain the rest it needs to rejuvenate and start with a clear mind.

If you are struggling to find your creativity, then give these steps a try. Remember, creativity is a personal perspective that will change depending on who you ask, and you won’t please everyone. So, lower your expectations, don’t strive for perfection, keep asking questions, and enjoy the process to boost and further improve your creativity.

5 Things Social Media Can Do for Your Business

As society increasingly takes their business online, appearance on any social platform matters for your brand. Social media is a tool that can be utilized to draw in a larger audience, shape your brand’s vision, and build a repertoire with other brands and content creators.

When you take the time and effort to make the most out of the opportunities that social media brings, you will be able to watch your business grow and expand as you dominate the competition.

Enhance Brand Exposure and Messaging

Social media allows you to control the vision for your brand. You can decide what color schemes to showcase and how you want to advertise your products and business. Social media also allows you to choose your target audiences by shaping the appearance of your business online.

For example, if you want to focus on the younger generations, go for trending aesthetic color patterns and use language that is popular on TikTok and other social media sites. Social media allows you to fit in with other businesses and grow with them as you see fit.

Entrepreneurs get to decide how consumers perceive their business. Pushing for a certain look that will bring a certain audience is a great way to thrive in the social media world.

Niche appearances and trending topics are typically successful ways to find a specific audience. From there, you can start to branch out in order to build up your following. Once you’ve begun to pave a path in the media world, you can focus on personalizing your brand and engaging with your audience.

Without social media, consumers are left to make their own assumptions and opinions, while deciding what kind of brand your business really is according to them. The whole point of a brand or business is the fact that it has been set apart from the competition in its own unique way.

In order to stand out, your brand needs an online presence. If consumers hear of your business and go to find your information online, it is essential that your social media sites are what appear first, along with your domain – not someone else’s blog or social profile discussing your brand.

Social media allows you to control the narrative. If you get one crazy review and that is all that shows up when someone searches your brand on Google, they are likely to take their business elsewhere.....

Four Things That Can Sabotage Your Likability

Did you know being likable increases your chances of living a more successful life? It will not make you instantly successful, and it doesn’t mean those who are successful are all nice and easy-going people. In fact, many rude people still make it in this world, but that doesn’t mean they got there easily or without consequences.

Likability makes it easier to communicate, relate and inspire those around you – characteristics that all work together to increase your success as a business owner. Even if you don’t own a business, likability makes it easier to build personal and professional relationships that only provide increased value to all areas of your life. 

Here are four things that can sabotage your likability, and how to avoid them:

You Gossip

While obvious, this is an important habit that many are guilty of no matter how nice they are or try to be. It is a toxic and sometimes contagious habit that can be prevented by active awareness, understanding, and care for others. In the end, the only person you have a right to talk about is yourself. Even if the comments have truth to them, the popular phrase, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it,” is still true and valuable to this day.

You Constantly Complain

Having a difficult time here and there and seeking help is not the same as constantly complaining. Constantly complaining is when you find the negativity in every situation and share your frustration. This habit only creates a negative atmosphere that lowers people's energy and happiness.

You Claim Victimhood

Constant complaining usually pairs with claiming victimhood -- the act of never taking accountability for your actions and blaming others for your mistakes. Yet, no one lives without errors, and recognizing your actions or inactions is the first step to personal and professional growth.

You Micromanage

No one likes someone who takes over and expects things to be done exactly their way. Likable people understand healthy boundaries and that they will not always have the answer. They know that other people have value to provide too.

If you want to be more likable, take the time to recognize these four behaviors that may be hindering your success, and implement strategies to control or avoid them. What you give out the most to the world is what you will receive. In other words, if you give negativity, don’t expect anything else in return but negativity. The more you work to avoid these negative behaviors, the more likable you will become, making it easier to achieve your goals.

How Procrastination Will Hinder Your Success

Procrastination is the simple and common concept of delaying important tasks or things. It is ignoring responsibilities such as important work assignments or paying important bills until it is too late to ignore them any longer. Unfortunately, it often results in negative consequences that make life harder than it ultimately needs to be. So, let’s be frank; if you are a procrastinator, you are hindering your chances of success.

Here is how the bad habit of procrastinating hinders the chance of living a successful life:

It Damages Your Reputation

If you procrastinate, those around you have likely changed their schedule or provided other resources to accommodate this. But, even if you don’t notice the effects directly, skipping a meal with a friend or putting off important household chores are just two examples that can start to affect your reputation, trust, and credibility.

It Affects Your Health

Procrastination equals stress and the more you foster it, the unhealthier you will become over time. In addition, stress is known to increase inflammation that can cause fatigue, mental health problems, and irritability – thus, further preventing you from taking action towards your goals.

It Destroys Your Confidence and Self-Esteem

The more you delay an action, the more you begin to believe you can’t do it – especially as you have less time to get it done. The closer the deadline gets, the less confident you become, making it even harder to finish your work and further affecting your ability to perform and get the job done efficiently.

It Wastes Time and Delays Opportunities

When you procrastinate, you take up valuable time and resources that can be better used in other areas of your life. The stress and anxiety caused by delaying your work also prevent you from noticing your surroundings, causing you to miss new and more exciting opportunities. However, since you still have work to do, you are unlikely to have the time to take advantage of it anyways.

As you can see, procrastination is not a tool that should be used on a daily basis. It does not provide the boost of mental focus or motivation you may think it does. Instead, it damages your reputation, increases your stress, decreases your confidence, and prevents you from seeing or taking advantage of important opportunities that can lead you to a happier and more successful life.

30 Day Multi Media Blueprint

In today’s world of online marketing, content does not solely revolve around the written word. It used to be prevalent, but not more consumers are showing their preference for audio and video consumption, so you need to meet the needs of that demographic, too.

Some marketers are intimidated at the thought of creating audio and video files. Usually, this comes down to either a lack of knowledge about the process or a lack of confidence about how they look or sound.

The fact is, seeing and hearing you can help your followers create a stronger bond with you than static text can. You can even bypass the requirement of being on camera for video if you use slide presentations, which allows you to be competitive with the use of multi media formats.

Day 1: Grab Your Video Platform Profiles

Video channels are something you can create an entire brand around. So you want to stake claim to your channel name as soon as you can. There are many video platforms, like Vimeo – but YouTube is one of the most popular, and also the second biggest search engine in existence.

You also want to grab the profile on any other social site that allows video, live or recorded, such as TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat and Facebook. You can use your real name, a keyword phrase or a brand name but make sure it’s the same on all platforms.....

Read on by downloading your free copy of the full blueprint here-below!

30 Day Content Marketing Blueprint

Content marketing is an integral part of almost every business model in the world of online marketing. You need content to represent your brand, communicate ideas and expertise with your audience and encourage them to take action.

But you can’t just create and slap content up on the Internet and expect to get great results. You have to know how to use it strategically, which means understanding what kind of content to use – when to use it, and where.

Below, you’ll find a list of daily tasks that should last you a full month with your content marketing efforts. You’ll be able to build a brand and a list, engage with your audience and see an increase in traffic and sales.

Day 1: Know Exactly Who You're Targeting

Pinpointing your demographic is something many marketers fail to do. They cast a wide net with broad, generic content, hoping someone will eventually spend money with them.

There’s a better way to do this. You want to choose an audience to cater to. It might be by age group, gender, or some other criteria like interests or experience levels, finances and more.

You want your content to cater to a specific audience, so your messaging can be on point. Create a customer avatar, which is a representation of who you plan to target with your online efforts, and this will be something you can refer to when you create content to ensure it meets their needs......

Read on by downloading your free copy of the full blueprint here-below!

30 Day Self-Publishing Blueprint

When many people think of publishing, they automatically think in terms of traditional publishing – with agents and manuscript approval – a long process that ultimately isn’t very lucrative for most authors.

But these days, thanks to the Internet, you can publish on your own at no upfront cost (unless you want to spend money on certain elements) and use your new book to earn money and build a brand for yourself.

Whether you want to churn out non-fiction books or embark on a career as a fiction author in one of the many genres available to you, this is a process where it helps to have a process of bite-sized tasks that can help guide you along the way.

Day 1: Pick a Genre for Your Publishing Journey

Some people try to go all in on self-publishing, working on multiple manuscripts at once. This can be done, but you may want to wait until you have the hang of it before trying to juggle too many projects.

The first thing you want to do is pick a topic or genre. If you’re publishing non-fiction, it’ll be a niche topic that you feel is lucrative and works well for online info products. If it’s fiction, you need to pick a genre.

Genre choices can be something you, yourself love to read, or something you just find easy or interesting to write. You might choose thrillers, sci-fi, mysteries, romance, or any other number of genres.....

Read on by downloading your free copy of the full blueprint here-below!