Uncategorized

Please click to view workshop slides from Crunching Demographic Data from the Dad2.0 Summit in Washington DC.

This session focussed on understanding the data that is valuable when building a digital influencer business.

How to measure the data that occurs because of your digital action, how to improve it, and most of all, how to explain the value to a strategic partner.

We have been supporting influencers in Business Development and sales for over 5 years now, and we continue to see them making the same mistakes over and over again.

These mistakes are especially glaring now with the shifts in the industry and the total saturation of the market… ensuring that in most cases, if you are making one of these errors, your ability to run a sustainable business is going to be limited.

Now, of course there are exceptions to the rule, so if you are someone who HAS done and this and it still all worked out for you, congrats! But in most cases… that isn’t going to be the case.

So, what ARE the biggest mistakes influencers make in Business?

1. Build it and they will come.
   We all know this proverb, but for whatever reason we have worked with so many influencers whose standard response to creating new products for their brand is “Find a brand to sponsor me and I’ll do it.”
   
   IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY!
   In fact, it doesn’t work that way in ANY industry.
   
   You don’t “wait” to livestream until a brand is ready to invest in your livestream. You need to SHOW the value of the asset you build, you need to have some sort of variable of proof as to the fact you CAN deliver a product that will create return.
   
   And, as your sales team and representative, we can not SELL a product that DOES NOT EXIST.
   
   
   
2. The BRAND is your CLIENT!
   So many influencers are confused about what they actually are in the industry. They get frustrated that brands don’t “respect” them, except they consistently slot themselves into being “talent” and treat their brand partners with terrible service.
   
   In the big picture here, influencers are business owners that own assets that market for a brand. A brand subcontracts an influencer to perform a set task identified in the agreement or contract.
   
   This means, influencers, that the brand is your client. That client management is up to YOU, and that you should be looking to over deliver on your project, and treat your client with respect AND with the goal of re-pitching them for future work.
   
   
   
3. You are a BUSINESS, know what you sell!
   As the CEO of your company, even if it’s a micro company, you need to fully understand what you do, how it compares in the industry, and what the results of your work are for your client.
   
   We have worked with too many “experienced” influencers who still have no idea how to measure analytics, capture data and send off reports. If you want to be successful in your industry, (one that is utterly flooded with other micro companies) you need to be the BEST at what you do, and fully understand WHAT THAT IS!
   
   The old sales concept of WHO ARE YOU, WHAT DO YOU DO, and WHY DO THEY CARE should be your baseline for every email you send out!
   
   Invest into your learning, commit to growth, never, ever, get lazy or egotistical about what you deliver. There is always someone behind you in line, just like in every industry! So, what should you know to be the CEO of your company?
   
   • Your monthly income, expenses and profit. Where you income comes from, where your expenses go!
   • What your products are, and what they deliver in terms of ROI
   • An understanding of what product to sell your client to achieve their goals
   • An active, working sales funnel. A client list, and all required pitching material (stats, media kits, rates, case studies of previous clients projects)
   • An understanding of all the publishing requirements and platforms your company uses to support the products you create, including an understanding of the Rules and Regs associated with these platforms.
   • Knowledge of key areas and voids in the market to focus your company’s growth and learning. (scalability)
   • Your competitors. Your strategic partners
   • Reporting material, and an understanding of how to find the value in the data you include.
   • Taxes, legal forms, contracts, invoicing and documentation
     
     

4. Permanent Success takes time

There is nothing FAST about sales. There is nothing IMMEDIATE about success. This is a long slog you are entering into, but if you are clever, determined and deliver excellent work, odds are you will find YOUR success.

I am always amazed at the emails I get from new clients who say “You’ve been doing my sales for 2 weeks now and I haven’t sold anything” Sales come from relationships, trust and proof of work. For influencers who have NEVER worked to think that with ONE email they will secure a large project … well, it just doesn’t work that way.

Sales, leads, cold calls, relationships, pitching…. all of this is done over months and years, not days and weeks. If you want to see success, get ready for a long ride, and never, ever think that success will be GIVEN to you, or DONE for you. YOU need to be as invested into your success as anyone you have teamed up with to help you.

5. Don’t Hire For Jobs You Have Never Done

One of the worst mistakes is reactive hiring.

If you do not UNDERSTAND the job that needs to be done, LEARN it before you hire someone to do it for you.

If you don’t, you will never understand how to measure the success of your contractors. You will never be able to work WITH them to achieve the most out of your investment.

We call these clients “absentee landlords”. You hire us to unclog a pipe, when in fact there are so many clogs on your pipes, no matter what WE do in our SILO, you will never have success.

You must work WITH your team. You MUST be able to be present and invest time into your business development and management. Help is there to HELP and absolutely no one can do this FOR you.
(That’s a lie, we can do this FOR you… but it is going to cost you A LOT)

What Does it All Mean?

In the end, these all equate to the same thing: people becoming “influencers” without the well rounded knowledge of what that position entails. If you want this to be a hobby, and something you do for “joy” go for it, but if you are “starting a business” then run it like one, and treat what you are doing and building with the respect that you expect from the industry. Know your job, know your industry, and don’t ever think that there is a magic easy button that will make you an overnight success!

Also know that Influencers come in all shapes, sizes and niche’s. Find the way to deliver your products how it works for you, and then don’t judge, analyze or obsess over opportunities that aren’t a good fit. The market is huge, and you need to focus on what you do best.

And finally, IF you sell, or we sell it, or it is sold by ANYONE… please deliver what you sell! Sales should be done with a long term vision and goal. But if your product doesn’t deliver, your ability for future revenue is eliminated.

3C is growing again and we are looking for a passionate and committed social media account manager.

How we do it: Our account managers are offered client accounts at a monthly rate. Expectations are clearly defined for each account and you have the support of our Social Media Strategist, as well as the Company Owner to deliver results.

Who You Should Be: You should know social. You should understand each of the social platforms, (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Linked In). You should be able to schedule, edit, and work with each of these platforms confidently. You should have excellent spelling and grammar (no mistakes) and potentially have some light design skills (think Canva) You should want to work from home, and be eager to acquire more accounts from our company after the initial trial. You should understand how to measure the analytics of each account. You should probably know (or be able to learn) how to use:

• Basecamp
• Canva
• Tweetdeck/Hootsuite/Buffer
• Tailwind
• Google Docs

and a variety of other platforms. You should be fun, eager to learn and passionate about our clients.

Want to Apply?   This position closes May 30, 2018.  The first month will be a trial period and you will be heavily supervised by our Social Strategist. After that point, you will have open call to accept additional accounts as they become available.

We are currently looking for someone who is skilled in Instagram, Pinterst and/or YouTube management.  (can offer training on Youtube, but passion for key words important)

Email candace@3cconsulting.ca with the answers to the following questions:

•  Why do you want to work with 3c?
• What is your favourite social media platform and why?
• What is your availability like? How quickly can you respond to client/manager requests and engagement on assigned platforms?
• Why are you a good fit for this position?
• What previous experience do you have?
• If you could sum yourself up in a meme or GIF, what would it look like? (Share in an attachment.)
• Please provide a link to an Instagram or Youtube account you’ve been managing and a brief explanation of your strategy (i.e. how many times you are posting, where you’re sourcing content, why you’ve used specific content and how it has increased your organic reach and provide pictures of reach stats if possible).
• Please provide three published writing samples (personal blog is acceptable)
• If you had one piece of advice for a new social media account manager for each platform, what would it be?

Please note, all positions are subcontractor positions and will require you to invoice 3chicken Creative for the work done in the month, including taxes if applicable. 

3cCreative is growing and looking to add a passionate contractor to our team.

Do you know the many benefits influencer marketing can bring to brands? Are you good with research? Are you looking for a part-time position that is flexible around your life?

We are looking to add a part time contractor to the 3cCreative team. If chosen, your job duties will include:

• Representing named influencers/content creators to brands they want to work with
• Researching digital marketing and PR contacts at desired brands, and finding email addresses for them
• Reaching out to target partners, crafting email pitches on behalf of your influencer clients in order to gauge interest levels of brands in working with your clients
• Tracking your progress in a spreadsheet, and updating your influencer clients weekly on your activity on their behalf
• Work with our team on client product development
• Set up client files and on boarding
• Work with our team to creatively craft custom pitches for our clients when required

This job is for you if:

• You pride yourself on your Internet sleuthing skills and can find the right contact at a company to reach out to for whatever reason
• You are organized (like hyper-organized) and have awesome attention to detail
• Are creative, within boundaries, and can see opportunities through a haze of corporate words
• Understand how to be persistent and follow-up without being annoying
• You want to work from home, set your own hours and are self driven to complete tasks, (but you are also a people person, because we are a team of people)
• Look for solutions where others see problems
• Have a working understanding of google docs, email systems, and other online platforms
• Are willing to take a leap and try something new, and work to grow with our company
• Are a small business owner, who is interesting in sub contracting for this work (i.e.: you bill me)

Compensation:
Per client, per month compensation. No set hours, only project deliverables, position starts on or before July 23.

How do you apply?
Send the answers to the following questions to candace@3cconsulting.ca

1. Why do you want this opportunity?  (Like for reals why?)
2. What skills will you bring to the position?
3. What appeals to you MOST about this position?
4. Have you ever done sales, or pitch writing before?
5. Do you think you have ALL the skills required?  (be honest) Where do you think you will need help?
6. Is there ANYTHING else I should know?
7. What GIF or meme describes you best?

Position closes July 15, 2018

 

3cCreative is growing and looking to add a passionate contractor to our team.

Do you know the many benefits influencer marketing can bring to brands? Are you good with research? Are you looking for a part-time position that is flexible around your life? Can you understand how to measure true value in an online influencer, and enjoy searching hashtags, and keywords to find “unicorn influencers” for our clients?

We are looking to add a part time contractor to the 3cCreative team. If chosen, your job duties will include:

• Researching active influencers and partners for our brand clients and campaigns.
• Tracking your progress in a spreadsheet, and managing inventory as required.
• Work with our team on campaign creatives and activations.
• Assist influencers with accessing and using our tech platform before, during and after campaigns.
• Work with our team to creatively craft custom campaign pitches for our clients when required
• Understand how to assess value and benefits of inventory as it relates to our clients and their campaigns
• Assist in managing campaign data, and results, while managing campaign participants.
• Be forward thinking, creative and perhaps a little “wild west” when it comes to trialling influencers and campaign activations.

This job is for you if:

• You pride yourself on your Internet sleuthing skills and can find awesome things based on a few key requirements.
• You are organized, and have awesome attention to detail
• Are creative,and can see opportunities through a haze of corporate words
• Understand how to be persistent and follow-up without being annoying
• You want to work from home, set your own hours and are self driven to complete tasks, (but you are also a people person, because we are a team of people)
• Look for solutions where others see problems
• Have a working understanding of google docs, email systems, and other online platforms
• Are willing to take a leap and try something new, and work to grow with our company
• Are a small business owner, who is interesting in sub contracting for this work (i.e.: you bill me)

Compensation:
Re-occuring monthly compensation . No set hours, only project deliverables, position starts on or before February 15th.

How do you apply?
Send the answers to the following questions to julie@julienowell.com

1. Why do you want this opportunity?  (Like for reals why?)
2. What skills will you bring to the position?
3. What appeals to you MOST about this position?
4. Have you ever done influencer research or acquisition or worked behind the scenes on integrated campaigns for a company before?
5. Do you think you have ALL the skills required?  (be honest) Where do you think you will need help?
6. Is there ANYTHING else I should know?
7. What GIF or meme describes you best?

Position closes January 26th

UPDATE:  POSTING DATE EXTENDED. START DATE DELAYED to on or before FEB 15. 2018.

Manager, Brand Development

3cCreative is growing and looking to add a passionate regular contractor to our team.

This is a leadership position, and offers a set monthly compensation.

Do you know the many benefits influencer marketing can bring to brands? Are you good with research? Can you lead a team, and are you passionate about promoting the clients you represent? Are you looking for a part-time position that is flexible around real life?

We are looking to add a part-time contractor to the 3cCreative team. If chosen, your job duties are based on supporting, leading, educating our Brand Development Managers as well as providing leadership and support to the influencer clients on our roster that your team represents.

• Onboard new influencer clients to our roster, managing client intake and projects
• Assign contractors to clients, and managing their work and results
• Hire new contractors for the Brand Development team, as required
• Provide leadership and guidance to our team of Brand Development Managers
• Reach out to target partners, crafting email pitches on behalf of our influencer clients in order to gauge interest levels of brands in working with your clients
• Work with our team on client product development
• Arrange and chair support phone calls with brands to represent our clients, as needed
• Work with our team to creatively craft custom pitches for our clients when required
• Work directly with our company owner to create opportunities for growth and improvement in service and systems for the company

This job is for you if:

• You pride yourself on your Internet sleuthing skills and can find the right contact at a company to reach-out to for whatever reason
• You are a strong leader, displaying compassion and understanding when leading contract staff
• You communicate clearly, and understand how to market an individual to a brand
• You are organized (like hyper-organized) and have awesome attention to detail
• Are creative, within boundaries, and can see opportunities through a haze of corporate words
• Understand how to be persistent and follow-up without being annoying
• You want to work from home, set your own hours and are self-driven to complete tasks, (but you are also a people person, because we are a team of people)
• Look for solutions where others see problems
• Have a working understanding of Google docs, email systems, and other online platforms
• Are willing to take a leap and try something new, and work to grow with our company
• You are comfortable wearing pyjamas to work, but understand how to be professional.
• Are a small business owner, who is interesting in sub contracting for this work (i.e.: you bill me)

Compensation:
Monthly Compensation. No set hours, but a required support of our team, and ability to host phone and video calls between 9am EST and 3pm EST, position starts on our before Feb 15, 2018 based on timing.

How do you apply?
Send the answers to the following questions to julie@julienowell.com, with subject line, Manager, Brand Development

1. Why do you want this opportunity?  (Like for reals why?)
2. What skills will you bring to the position?
3. What appeals to you MOST about this position?
4. Have you ever done sales, or pitch writing before?
5. Have you ever managed a team of staff or contractors before?
6. Describe your leadership “style”.
7. Do you think you have ALL the skills required?  (be honest) Where do you think you will need help?
8. Is there ANYTHING else I should know?
9. What GIF or meme describes you best?

Position closes January 20th, 2018

3C is growing again and we are looking for a passionate and committed social media account manager.

How we do it: Our account managers are offered client accounts at a monthly rate. Expectations are clearly defined for each account and you have the support of our Social Media Strategist, as well as the Company Owner to deliver results.

Who You Should Be: You should know social. You should understand each of the social platforms, (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). You should be able to schedule, edit, and work with each of these platforms confidently. You should have excellent spelling and grammar (no mistakes) and potentially have some light design skills (think Canva) You should want to work from home, and be eager to acquire more accounts from our company after the initial trial. You should understand how to measure the analytics of each account. You should probably know (or be able to learn) how to use:

• Basecamp
• Canva
• Tweetdeck/Hootsuite/Buffer
• Tailwind
• Google Docs

and a variety of other platforms. You should be fun, eager to learn and passionate about our clients.

Want to Apply?   This position closes December 22, 2017.  The first month will be a trial period and you will be heavily supervised by our Social Strategist. After that point, you will have open call to accept additional accounts as they become available.

We are currently looking for someone who is skilled in Facebook and/or Pinterest management. 

Email amanda@3cconsulting.ca with the answers to the following questions:

•  Why do you want to work with 3c?
• What is your favourite social media platform and why?
• What is your availability like? How quickly can you respond to client/manager requests and engagement on assigned platforms?
• Why are you a good fit for this position?
• What previous experience do you have?
• If you could sum yourself up in a meme or GIF, what would it look like? (Share in an attachment.)
• Please provide a link to a FB or Pinterest account you’ve been managing and a brief explanation of your strategy (i.e. how many times you are posting, where you’re sourcing content, why you’ve used specific content and how it has increased your organic reach).
• Please provide links to FB, Twitter, IG, and Pinterest accounts (if any) that you have been managing. (If you are not currently managing accounts for one of the platforms, please don’t think you’re excluded. If we find the right person we are willing to train.)
• Please provide three published writing samples (personal blog is acceptable).

Please note, all positions are subcontractor positions and will require you to invoice 3chicken Creative for the work done in the month, including taxes if applicable. 

If you check your Google Analytics, your About Page is probably the top spot for all your visitors, after they find your site.  It is a first introduction to the person behind the website, and the number one place to create a relationship, influence a sale or lead your visitors to the pages you really want them to visit.

I have assessed many websites for effective content and am frequently amazed that people keep their about page so devoid of personality and uniqueness. This page is supposed to be “ABOUT YOU”, and should give your readers the taste and feel of what it will be like to work with you – especially if you are a coach! The relationship you have with your clients is key to successful coaching – so your website visitors need to get a sense of WHO you are – and your story – on your about page!

Here are 6 Key Tips I always provide to my clients when revising their story:

1. Be authentic! This can be such an overused word, but it still holds true on your about page. This is the moment to bring all of your genius to the table, be honest and direct about what you do, and what you offer. Don’t hold back, be shy, or too humble when writing about yourself.  Your potential clients need to know “why you”. This is the time to tell them.
2. Who are you talking to? Not every client is a match for every business. Use your about page to speak directly to the client you want to work with. You may prefer some humor in your engagement, or lean towards quick and efficient- use the words on this page to let your client know – and solidify your brand. This also helps remove any surprises when you and your client begin to work together. For example, they will know that it is good to bring humor (or it isn’t ) as will you.
3. Say anything: My clients usually ask me at least once, “Can I say that?” Truth be told, it is your site, and your page, you can say anything.  If you feel it is true and valuable to your brand definition, say it.  If you are “full of awesomeness” and regularly use sentences like that in conversation, then use it.  Be who you are on this page, don’t cover up your personality – it will come out eventually anyway!
4. Be Bossy:  Your about page is a “sales launch”. Give your readers someplace to go after they read about you. Tell them what to do next.  It may be, “Check out my services page to decide which package is right for you” or “Sign up for my free life inspiring tips”. You want action from your readers, and the best way to get that is to ask for it directly.
5. Be quick and easy: Don’t ramble on. Keep it short and sweet, full of personality and action requests. Don’t overwhelm them or you will lose them.  Imagine a face to face meeting – would you list all of your skills and knowledge, or just give them a taste of how amazing you are? Give your reader a reason to travel on your website and explore. Feel free to send them to a detailed page listing your biography or resume, or lists of services and experience, but keep the details on your about page specific and interesting, don’t lose them at the first handshake!
6. Why you? Tell your reader what you can do for them. Are you going to change their life? Change their business? Will it work? Why do they need you? Lay it all out and be honest, not about what you can do, but what you can do for them!

In the end, this is your chance to make a great impression, so be sure to put the time and effort into it and revisit this page every quarter to ensure that you are delivering your very best message!