Create a Kick Ass LinkedIn Background Photo in 5 Minutes or Less

Creating a Custom LinkedIn Background Photo

In this article, I'm going to give you step-by-step instructions on how to create a kick-ass LinkedIn background photo for free and in less than 5-minutes.

If you're reading this article, I'm sure you already have a LinkedIn profile. But, before we jump into creating your LinkedIn background photo, let's quickly talk about why LinkedIn is important to you.

The Challenge: It’s Hard to Stand Out on LinkedIn

Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is polished. 

The platform is full of intelligent, educated, and highly successful people. 

• 4.5 of 10 users are in upper management

• 7 of 10 users make above $50,000

• 5 of 10 users have at least a college degree or more

LinkedIn users are writing, posting, and engaging in deep business and technical conversations. 

For the average user, it's hard to stand out. 

But you're not average. You see the opportunity. 

When everyone is wearing the "traditional" blue shirt, grey pants, and brown shoes…

You're going to slide in there with some color, some pizazz...

...followed by your keen ability to cut through the crap and give your audience the exact content they're looking for. 

The Opportunities on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is growing. 

There are over 600 million users across 200 countries.

The fastest-growing demographic is 46 million students and recent college graduates.

You can use the platform to build your brand, develop new skills, market your business, and generate leads.

That means LinkedIn provides a massive opportunity for you to take control of your destiny by standing out in front of a professional audience.

Using a LinkedIn Banner to Stand Out 

Your profile picture and LinkedIn background photo are the first things people see when they visit your profile. 

That means having a custom background for LinkedIn gives you the perfect opportunity to market your business, stand out from the crowd, and build your personal brand.  

Your LinkedIn profile picture should be more professional. A good headshot.

But your banner, your LinkedIn background photo, can show off your personality, point people to a specific message, or act as a way of marketing you or your company.

And because size matters, the banner size for LinkedIn is 1584 wide by 396 high (pixels) or a 4:1 aspect ratio. 

By the way, if you might hear or read LinkedIn banner, LinkedIn background image, or LinkedIn cover or LinkedIn background photo...They all mean the same thing. 

How to Create a LinkedIn Background Photo in Less Than 5-Minutes

Let's jump into how to make professional backgrounds for LinkedIn for free. 

Step 1: Click here to head over to www.canva.com and log in

Once you log in, you'll reach the home page of Canva, which can be a little confusing if you haven't used it before. 

But, don't worry, when you follow the steps below, you'll create a spectacular LinkedIn background photo. 

Step 2: Search for "LinkedIn Banner" 

Go to the search function in the top center of the screen. Type in the search, "LinkedIn banner." 

Click the button to go to the next screen. 

Step 3: Narrow Down to Free LinkedIn Banners 

Now we've pulled up all the LinkedIn banner templates that Canva offers. You can see on the right-hand side that Canva has 140 templates.

But this includes free and paid banner templates. I have Canva Pro, but right now, I'm logged into a free account to show you the real experience you'll find when using a free account.

To get the free banner templates, go to the drop-down on the left-hand side. Click the free checkbox.

You can see that there are 97 free templates for you to choose to make your LinkedIn background photo.

Scroll through them a little.

Step 4: Select a LinkedIn Banner Template 

Scroll through the free LinkedIn banner templates. Find the template that's best for you and represents your personal brand. I selected one for this example. Once you click, it will take a little time to pull up the template.

Step 5: Get Oriented with the Customizable Options of the Template

Move around the LinkedIn Banner template to see what you can customize. For the example banner below look at the highlighted areas.

For the text, there's a quote that we can change. It looks like some sort of award this person won. We're going to change that too.

Then, you have the stock photo and what Canva calls elements. 

Elements are the different building blocks, like squares, triangles, circles, and other things that Cana allows you to customize on this particular template.

Step 6: Customize the Text 

The first thing you can do is replace the quote with your own quote or life mantra. So, the way you do that is to click into the text. 

Then, type your new text into the box. Next, replace the award text with my name and job title. 

Again, you just click into the text and type what you want. 

Step 7: Customize the Colors

Now you're going to change the color of the blocks to match your brand colors. 

First, go over to the block. Hover over it, and you'll see a highlight. Left-click into the block. 

You'll see on the top left of the screen is kind of this colored square. Click on that and then select a color to change the block. Then, repeat those steps for each block you want to change. 

Step 8: Personalize the Picture 

For this step, you're going to change the Canva provided stock photo with your customized LinkedIn background photo. So go to the left-hand side of the screen and click uploads. Then, upload media. 

Under the upload section, you can select the location you want to upload your picture from. 

Canva has options for uploading from your computer (device), Facebook, Google Drive, Instagram, or Dropbox. Select the location, find your picture, and click upload. 

Once the picture is uploaded, left click and hold, slide the picture over until it replaces the LinkedIn template picture. Let go of your left click, and you are done.

Wow! Look at your bright, professional, and customized background for LinkedIn!

Step 9: Download Your LinkedIn Background Photo

We're almost done! Now you're ready to download your new LinkedIn background photo. 

Look on the top right-hand side. See that download button, click it. 

Select the png option. Last, hit that download button at the bottom again. Save the file to the location of your choice.

Step 10: Upload Your New Background Photo to LinkedIn

Sign in to LinkedIn. Go to your profile. Look at your background photo and find a circle with a pencil-looking icon. Click that icon. 

Scroll down, and you'll see a button to "change photo." Click that button. 

Next, click the upload photo button. Make a few adjustments and finally click save. 

Boom!

Hell yes! You are done.

You just created a sweet Background for LinkedIn, all for the low cost of free. You can't compete with free! 

I have no doubt this article showed you how easy it is to update and customize your LinkedIn background photo. 

Below I'll leave links to a few other sites with free images you can use for your LinkedIn background photo. 

• PicMonkey

• Adobe Creative Cloud

• Visme
  
  
  

Do me a quick favor. If you liked this article, please share it on your social media. You'll be helping me out.

And if you want more tips on taking control of your life, building your personal brand, and marketing yourself online, sign up for my newsletter.

The TOP 7 Examples of a Personal Brand Statement You Should Replicate Today [2021]

Personal Brand Statement Examples

What is a personal brand statement?

A personal brand statement is a concise summary that answers who you are, what you do, how you help, and what sets you apart. A personal brand statement is 1-3 sentences that speak to your ideal audience that shows your value and a little bit of personality.

When you write your statement, think of it as your personal slogan or tagline.

For example, my personal brand statement is, "As a personal branding coach, I help entrepreneurs and online experts build their brand, become thought leaders, and market themselves online. With my coaching, you become the cause of your success."

In my personal brand statement example, I point out who I am, "a Personal Branding Coach." 

Then, I identify my ideal clients, "entrepreneurs and online experts." My clients own businesses or are experts in their chosen field that need to gain exposure through personal branding. 

Next, I identify what I do, help my clients build their personal brand, become thought leaders, and market themselves online.

Last, I provide what sets me apart and the unique outcome my clients receive from me and not my competition, " you become the cause of your success..." 

I work with my clients on marketing themselves online AND on the mental parts of taking control of their lives. 

You see, I can teach you all the marketing and personal branding you want.  

But, if you don't...

• Take control of your life, or someone else will.

• Learn from their past, but leave it there.

• Envision a new life, then make a plan to achieve your vision.

• Remember, bumps in the road make you stronger.

• Move forward one day at a time.

Then, you'll never "Become the cause of your success."

That's how I differentiate my brand from the competition.

Why You Need a Personal Brand Statement

I review social media profiles and websites all the time. Almost every day.

You have no idea how many profiles and websites just blend into a giant sea of the "same shit, different day." 

Rarely do I come across a unique profile that has a personal brand statement where I think..."Hell yes! This person gets it." 

Your personal brand statement is a small but essential piece of the puzzle when marketing yourself online. It helps you stand out from your peers and competition.

You can spread your statement across social media, your website, business cards, advertising, marketing materials, etc. 

You can expand your 1-3 sentence brand statement to provide more information on your website. 

Conversely, you can split up your statement to make a quick tagline for a business card or short social media content. 

Sometimes, I use "Become the cause of your success" on its own. Alternatively, I use "I help you build your personal brand and market yourself online."

Once you have a solid personal brand statement, you can remain "on brand" and stay consistent. Yet, adjust your message depending on the audience, goals, or the content you are creating.

Personal Brand Statement Examples

From these examples of personal brand statements, you'll see that some are a one-sentence jab. While others expand to three sentences, a jab, jab, right hook.

1. Neil Patel

“Do you want more traffic? Hey, I'm Neil Patel. I'm determined to make a business in Tulsa successful. My only question is, will it be yours?”

Neil poses a question first. The question stops his ideal audience in their tracks and they think…" Hell yes I want more traffic." 

Next, he introduces himself and tells you what he does, "make a business in Tulsa successful."

Neil even uses technology to personalize the message to your location, "Tulsa." 

Last, he asked you another question using a little psychology to make you want to reach out or know more.

2. Pat Flynn

“Hi! I'm Pat Flynn. Father, Husband, Serial Entrepreneur, and devourer of buffalo wings. I turn dreamers into achievers. Let's create something great together, and have fun doing it, too.”

Pat shows some fun personality with his brand statement. Showing your personality makes you human. It helps you connect with your audience.

Once Pat makes that connection, he adds his experience and how you can work with him.

3. Marie Forleo

“The world needs a special gift that only you have. Hi, I'm Marie. An entrepreneur, writer, philanthropist and an unshakable optimist dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be.”

In Marie’s personal branding statement, she tugs at the heartstrings of her audience. She gets emotional which brings you into her world.

Using emotion is another great way to connect. Don’t be afraid to use this type of emotion in your brand statement.

4. Ramit Sethi

I will teach you to be rich. Do you know your earning potential?

Boom! Talk about hitting it out of the park! Who doesn’t want to be rich?

Ramit keeps his initial statement simple. He asks a question everyone will say “yes” to…

Then, he gets you in his funnel by asking you to submit your email address.

5. Joel Runyon

“Push Your Limits. I travel the world, run ultra marathons, and build businesses.”

Joel keeps his personal brand statement simple too. But he nails his target audience with the picture and text “Push Your Limits.”

There’s a certain audience he’s going after. He wants people ready for the extreme.

6. John Romaniello

“At Roman Fitness Systems, we do two things: Make People Hot or Get People Huge. Choose wisely.” 

John gives you two choices, do you want to be hot or get huge? I like it. Imagine the conversation if someone asked John, “So what do you do?”

John: “Well, I make people hot or get them huge. Which one do you want to be?”

Quite the bold, yet authentic conversation starter.

7. Tony Robbins

“Master every area of your life. Solutions to fit your time, your lifestyle and your budget.”

Tony’s personal branding statement is a little different. He’s been around a long time. His statement reflects both his depth and breadth.

Plus, he reveals to his audience that there are options to fit any budget.

When you get as big as Tony Robbins, your personal brand statement can be broader too. Until then, I’d keep it as narrow and targeted as possible.

Tips on writing a personal brand statement

Be concise. Whether you're speaking with someone in person or writing your brand statement on your website, resume, or social media profile, your personal brand statement needs to grab their attention. So keep your personal brand statement simple, short, and highly targeted. Once you grab their attention, you can go deeper.

Be authentic.. Your personal brand statement is the first step in building your know, like, and trust factor. Start off on the right foot. Don't understate your abilities or brag, but for the love of all that is good in this world, don't overstate either. Connect by being real.

Be unique. Stand out from all the same shit different day stuff out there. Find a way to differentiate yourself. Show a little bit of your personality. Being unique also goes back to being authentic. When you're unique, you'll attract your ideal audience and make genuine connections. 

Be flexible. Your personal brand statement will change over time. As you grow personally and professionally, your personal brand will change as well. You will need to adapt your brand statement to reflect your growth.

Be rebellious. Don't be scared to break the rules. Read, watch, learn from experts like me. But, make your personal brand statement your own. Be humble, but a little eccentric or contrarian. Test, Pivot, Test, Pivot. 

Now, it's time to turn it over to you. I hope this article helped by providing a few examples of personal brand statements that you can model.

If you want help building your brand and marketing yourself online, click below to schedule a free 30-minute strategy session.

Control Your Destiny. Schedule your free strategy session by

18 Disastrous PERSONAL BRANDING MISTAKES You Want to Avoid

How to NOT Market Yourself

In this video, I discuss 18 mistakes you want to avoid when building your personal brand. Don't miss these personal branding tips. Personal branding can be difficult.

But, no matter your job or industry, you need to learn how to build a personal brand and market yourself online. I've spent years building my personal brand. Plus, I've helped entrepreneurs and some of the largest organizations in the world grow their brands too.

Watch the Video:

Watch this video if you want to learn how to build your brand and market yourself online. In the video, you'll learn a few of the most common branding mistakes, such as:

1. Not Knowing "YOU" Before Building Your Personal Brand.

2. Not Setting Specific Goals For Establishing Your Personal Brand.

3. Building Your Personal Brand Around Someone Else's Idea Of You Thinking You Don't Need A Personal Brand

4. Not Putting Together A Plan To Manage Your Personal Brand 6...9...12..15...18. And, much much more.

I'm Stewart Swayze, a Personal Branding Coach and Marketing Consultant. As a personal branding coach, I help you build your brand, become a thought leader, & market yourself online. With my coaching, you become the cause of your success and not at the effect of something or someone else.

Learn more about my coaching: Click here

The Ridiculously Simple Way to Create Free Professional Backgrounds for LinkedIn

Backgrounds for LinkedIn

If you're ready to grow your personal brand and market yourself online, LinkedIn is a perfect platform. LinkedIn is approaching 800 million users. And, most of the users are from a professional corporate and startup environment.

Your LinkedIn profile picture and the LinkedIn banner is the first thing people see when they visit your profile. A background for LinkedIn presents a perfect opportunity to stand out from the crowd and build your brand.

In this video, I provide the step-by-step process to make backgrounds for LinkedIn by using a free LinkedIn banner template. You'll learn about the banner size for LinkedIn and how you can improve your personal brand with a custom LinkedIn banner. Plus, where you can find free images for LinkedIn backgrounds.

You might hear me say, LinkedIn banner, LinkedIn background image, or LinkedIn cover...they all mean the same thing during the video.

Watch the Video:

VIDEO TOPICS INCLUDE

• Backgrounds for LinkedIn

• LinkedIn banner template

• Banner size for LinkedIn

• Free background images for LinkedIn

• LinkedIn banner ideas

• Canva for DIY Graphic Design

• Personal Branding

During the video, I discuss a LinkedIn banner temple site Canva. I love Canva for DYI graphic design. Click here to check out Canva.

Another DIY graphic design site you can try is PicMonkey. Click here to look into PicMonkey.

I'm Stewart Swayze, a Personal Branding Coach and Marketing Consultant. As a personal branding coach, I help you build your brand, become a thought leader, & market yourself online. With my coaching, you become the cause of your success and not at the effect of something or someone else.

Learn more about my coaching: Click here

What Is Competitive Analysis | How Analyzing Competitors Can Help You Win Big!

Analyzing Competitors to Improve Your Go to Market Strategy

By Stewart Swayze

Conducting a competitive analysis is one of my favorite consulting services. I love digging into competitive intel and generating tactical steps for my clients to beat the competition.

There's nothing worse than getting your ass kicked by a competitor. Your sales team always says, "We lost because of our price." The marketing team says, "It's not our pricing, our sales team just sucks."

As a leader, how do you know who's right? Beating competitors is always on your mind.

How does it feel to get blind-sided by a competitor releasing a disruptive product? 

Well crap! 

Your R&D and product management teams start scrambling. Emails are flying … conference calls scheduled … but nobody has an answer. 

Analyzing competitors is an essential tool for growing your business. The competitive analysis process helps differentiate your go to market strategy.

You can stay on top of innovative product developments. And you develop market-based pricing. 

Your content marketing will be laser-focused. And you make informed and data-backed business decisions.   

What is competitive analysis

The definition of competitive analysis is the process of gathering specific information, data, and insights from your competitors. Then, analyzing that competitive information against your business competencies, products, services, or functions.

Competitive analysis aims to identify gaps, trends, and insights to improve your strategic decision-making.

How is competitive analysis related to market research

When you conduct competitive analysis and market research, you gather market information using primary and secondary research. Both types of research help companies improve.

However, we define market research as the process of gathering insights on your target market by using primary and secondary research on/from potential customers.

In contrast, competitive analysis is a research process that focuses on your competitors. You're comparing a competitor's products, process, and strategy against your own.

To simplify: Market Research gathers information on your customers (and the overall market). Competitive analysis collects information on your competition.

How competitive analysis gives you a step up on the competition

1. Identify service or product gaps that you can fill to adjust your marketing strategy or multi-generational product planning 

2. Determine how your competitors are winning and losing customers so you can adapt your go to market strategy

3. Identify how your competitors are attracting prospects so you can differentiate your lead generation strategy

4. Identify your competitors' product marketing and sales strategies, so you can develop, and promote your unique selling proposition

5. Conduct a gap analysis so you can improve your strengths and weaknesses versus the competition

6. Analyze the market's reaction to your competitor's content marketing strategy to enhance your content and communications

7. Determine your market position, so you can make strategic and tactical decisions to improve your positioning

8. Determine market share, so you can identify emerging competitors and create strategies to increase your market share 

Gathering competitive information

 

Although collecting competitive information is generally legal, there are compliance requirements and laws you need to understand. The Strategic & Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) website is an excellent resource for compliance-related information. 

Compliance issues are a significant reason many organizations engage external partners to conduct their competitive analysis.

• 70% of large enterprises believe having competitive intelligence would have increased the effectiveness of previous campaigns

You can use primary and secondary research to analyze your competitors. For example, you can conduct primary research by interviewing customers and former employees of your competitors. 

But, be careful when conducting primary research for your competitive analysis. Don't ask for any intellectual property information or proprietary information.

For secondary research, collect competitive information through publicly available sources. The internet is the most critical source of competitive intelligence.

Sources of competitive data

There are plenty of sources to analyze your competition. Your competitive data sources depend on the ultimate goal and the kind of competitive information you're trying to gather.

Primary Research for Competitive Data

• Customers - interview customers 

• Former employees - interview former employees of competitors 

• Industry analysts and domain experts - interview industry analysts or domain experts

• Field employees - interview your customer-facing and field employees (sales & field marketing)

Secondary Research for Competitive Data

• Competitor website - copy, keywords, and search traffic (SEO)

• Competitor social media - company page, leadership profiles, and advertisements 

• Competitor content - content shared on the internet and social media (white papers, brochures, case studies, and others.)

• Email marketing - newsletters and marketing emails

• Press releases - PR releases and announcements sent to news agencies

• Competitor support sites - reviews, Q&A, and customer support requests

• Financial reports/disclosures - annual reports, analyst presentations, call transcripts, SEC filings, and others.

• Patents and patent applications - US & global patents and applications

• Product/technical information - product and technical specifications from the internet or inside the product packaging

• Investment websites - Morningstar, E-Trade, TD Ameritrade, PitchBook, and VentureBeat 

• Industry analysis websites - Industrial Info Resources, IBISWorld, Nielsen, Forrester, and others.

• News/Magazines - your choice of news sites and magazines

• Trade journals - niche and market vertical trade journals and magazines

• Third-party review sites - independent product, service, and company review sites

• Forums - internet forums that discuss products, markets, trends, and people.

• Trade shows and events - competitor booths and speeches

• Academic research - is often overlooked - research that cites companies, provides case studies, examines products, strategies, and other research.

• 98% of companies agree that a competitors website is a valuable source of competitive intelligence

Tools for competitive analysis

Since every competitive analysis has different goals, it’s hard to know which tools for competitive analysis are beneficial for your project. Plus, there are a ton of “paid” tools out there. However, I’ll list a few of my favorite free tools that you probably haven’t thought about.

• SpyFu - is a competitive analysis seo tool. The tool identifies the keywords that your competitors are buying on Google AdWords. When you use this tool, you can determine who your competitors are targeting and how they are using ads to drive lead generation. Once you have this information, develop a content marketing and advertising plan to “steal” leads from your competitors.

• Google Advanced Search - You might be thinking, wait what? C’mon. But, hear me out. You can use Google Advanced Search to find your competitions public documents. Go to Google advanced search. Type in your competitor’s name. Then, scroll down to “file type.” Now you can search for pdf, excel, powerpoint, etc. Another way to use google search as a competitive analysis tool is to do a specific site search. In the search bar type site:competitorsurl.com, then a document type (PDF) or any other keyword. Don’t put the http or www. If I were doing this for GE it would look like this - site:ge.com PDF

• G2 - Use G2 as a competitive analysis tool to determine market position. This site is a peer-to-peer review site. You can gain valuable information from verified users of software and services. Basically, you can collect “voice of customer” about competitive products.

• Facebook Ad Library - I love using Facebook’s Ad Library as a competitive analysis tool! You search for your competitor’s ads. Then, you reverse engineer your competitor’s funnel. Seriously, you can figure out the step-by-step process they are using to generate leads. You’ll also find out their target audience. Like SpyFu, you can create a GTM strategy to beat your competitor’s lead generation process. This works for all products including large capital industrial equipment.

• LinkedIn - You might be saying, “no way” again. But, you have no idea how much competitive data and insights you can gather from LinkedIn. Go to your competitor’s company page. Look at the documents, presentations, videos, and posts. Or, do a LinkedIn search for people that use your competitor’s products or former employees. Send an invite asking for a quick 15-minute call. Lots of people will say, “Sure, happy to help.”

Give these competitive analysis tools a chance. Test them out. I bet you’ll be surprised at the competitive analysis you can pull together using these simple tools.

Example of a competitive analysis

Project Goal: Improving GTM Strategy With Competitive Analysis

Recently, I worked on a competitive analysis project for a global industrial equipment manufacturer. I cannot reveal the client information, but I can provide an overview of the project. 

The equipment manufacturer considered itself a top 3 provider in the market. 

However, the industrial company noticed that competition was getting stronger. They were losing more projects, and their market share was decreasing. 

The company wanted to conduct a competitive competitive analysis to understand the competitive landscape and improve its go to market strategy.

The competitive analysis focused on 5 competitors across 7 regions: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. 

Competitive insights were gathered on:

• GTM strategy

• Market positioning

• Market share

• Product development

• Brand awareness

• Pricing strategy

• Organizational structure

• R&D strategy

For this competitive analysis I used primary and secondary research to triangulate and analyze the data and insight to ensure accuracy. 

Project Result: After a full competitive analysis, the client was provided with the research. Interestingly, the company found out they were no longer a top 3 provider. And a competitor they didn’t consider a threat, had overtaken my client’s position in the market.

Using the competitive analysis, I was able to provide GTM strategy recommendations to win back market share, adjust pricing, and develop innovative products.

•  69% of organizations that used an external partner to gain better insight report positive results from that decision

A competitive analysis helps you anticipate your competitor’s activities. It supports business leaders with data to make informed decisions and develop strategies to beat competitors. Just ensure you gather data legally and ethically.

If you need support with your next competitive analysis project, reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you think through and execute your project. Click here to learn more.

Personal Branding Tip: Color Outside the Lines

When I was in kindergarten and first grade, I refused to color inside the lines. My teachers tried everything they could to get me to hit that damn “developmental goal.” They wanted to check that box.

During parent-teacher conferences, those teachers would express concerns to my parents. But, my mom would always push back.

You see, my mom loved that I didn’t color between the lines. When the teachers displayed the kids' drawings on the wall, she could always tell which drawing was mine. My drawing stood out. It was unique.

My drawings represented me and only me.

Here’s the point.

Personal Branding experts like me will give you how-to guides. You’re going to read blog posts on building your personal brand. You’ll find content that has a step-by-step process.

Follow their tips and instructions. But… And this is a big ole booty…

You are unique. You are custom-made. There is only one of you in the world.

Your goal. Your personal brand. It’s screaming to stand out from everyone else.

So, learn from those guides and steps.

But, for the love of all things pigs in a blanket...color outside those damn lines!

If you need help building your personal brand and marketing yourself online, please reach out to me or schedule a free strategy session.

Take care my friends.

If you want to chat more, you should schedule a free strategy session with me. As a Personal Branding Coach, I'll help you create a custom strategy and plan to build your brand and market yourself. 

Take care, and have an excellent rest of your day. 

Change your life. Schedule your free strategy session by

>>> clicking here. <<<

Personal Branding Tip | Color Outside the Lines 2021 (Video)

Personal Branding Tip

Building your personal brand is hard. And, there are plenty of experts out there offering personal branding tips. Listen and learn to their instructions, but don’t get stuck inside a box.

In this video, I’ll give you a personal branding tip to stand out from the crowd but remain authentic.

Watch the Video:

I'm Stewart Swayze, a Personal Branding Coach and Marketing Consultant. As a personal branding coach, I help you build your brand, become a thought leader, & market yourself online. With my coaching, you “Become the cause of your success and not at the effect of something or someone else.”

Learn more about my coaching: Click here

18 Personal Branding Mistakes You Don't Want to Make [2021]

Personal branding can be difficult. But, no matter your job or industry, you need to learn how to build a personal brand and market yourself online. I've spent years building my brand and helping people and some of the largest organizations in the world build theirs too. 

When the pandemic hit, my brand was the only thing that saved my business. Seriously! My company, like other businesses, took a hard hit. Consulting and coaching opportunities dropped off. 

But, because of my brand, other opportunities popped up. All of a sudden, I had companies asking me to write white papers and case studies. 

I was like, "Say what?" Nobody's paid me to write before … 

Hell yes! "Okay, it will cost you $XXXX for me to write that." 

Guess what? They said, "YES!"

Boom, I was back in business. You see, because of my brand, my previous clients trusted me. Sure, the pay was less than a full consulting project, but I was making money and paying the bills.

Plus, I continued to add value and maintain relationships.

Once everything started to settle down a bit, my coaching and consulting picked back up. And, I have new services with a writing portfolio … more ways to make money. 

For those of you who work for a company and not for yourself, you need a brand too. Let's get real for a bit. 

Who gets promoted first, the person that works the hardest? Or the person that has a brand and knows the right people? 

You know the answer.

Who gets hired? The person applying through Indeed.com, or the known entity with a brand and an inside referral to the hiring manager? 

You know this answer too.

Now, let's get started. It's time for you to build your brand and market yourself. So, here are the 18 mistakes you want to avoid when building your personal brand. 

1. Not knowing "YOU" before building your brand

Before you build your brand, make sure you know who you are and what you represent. When you build your brand, you need to be your authentic self. Nobody trusts a faker. 

2. Not setting specific goals for establishing your brand

You're creating a personal brand and marketing yourself to accomplish goals. Write down at least three goals and a timeline. New job? Higher salary? More clients? Becoming a paid speaker? Goals, my friend … goals!

3. Building your brand around someone else's idea of you 

Speaking of authenticity, don't build your brand around what your parents, friends, or colleagues think of you. Be YOU! With all your craziness, weird little quirks, and everything else that makes you unique.

4. Thinking you don't need a personal brand

Like it or not, you ARE a brand. If I asked your boss or client about you … what they honestly think and say about you … that's your brand. Are you managing it?

5. Not putting together a plan to manage your personal brand

Speaking of managing your personal brand, do you have a plan? Have you thought through the steps of creating, building, and maintaining your brand? Well, you should.

6. Thinking building a brand is quick and easy

You see, planning and managing your brand takes time. And that's okay. The time you put into building your brand will pay off. More clients. Higher salary. Better job. More opportunities.

7. Not defining a target audience

You need a clearly defined target audience, not a general one. Your audience should be able to help you achieve your goals. Either directly or indirectly.

8. Not understanding your target audience

You need to understand everything about your target audience—their wants, needs, and desires. The more you know about them, the better chance you have to connect with them.

9. Not sharing your own thoughts and opinions

You'll build your brand and market yourself by posting content. But, no matter what content you post, always share your thoughts and opinions. Sharing someone else's article is great but won't build your brand. Being a thought leader is the best way to market yourself.

10. Posting but not engaging with your target audience

When you start posting content, you need to engage with your audience. Have conversations. Agree or disagree. Add value. Build relationships by engaging with them. 

11. Thinking you need a large audience for your brand to work

You don't need a large audience. You see, you have a specific and targeted audience. You engage with your audience. You have personal relationships with them. Your audience helps you with your goals because you provide them value in return. The size of the ship doesn't matter in this case. 

12. Being afraid to stand out from the crowd

You know the saying, "same shit different day?" That's how I feel 99% of the time I'm scrolling through social media.

People, so called "experts," are posting the same old crap. Everything looks the same. Not you. You're not afraid to stand out from the crowd. You're unique. You're YOU.

13. Worrying about what others think

Stop worrying about what "others" think. You're not building your brand for the "others." Your marketing yourself to a specific group of people. Your "tribe" to borrow from Seth Godin. Haters are gonna hate. Don't worry. Your tribe's got your back.

14. Not having a personal website

You need a personal website. Even if you work for a company and not for yourself. Build a website using a DIY website builder like Weebly or a WordPress website using BlueHost.

15. Not telling YOUR story

You have a story. In fact, you have 100s of stories. Incorporate your stories into your content. You're building YOUR brand. Your stories are a significant part of your brand. The good, bad, and ugly can make great stories, connect with your audience, and add value.

16. Not laughing at yourself when you make a mistake

You've made mistakes. You're going to make more mistakes. Laugh it off! I make them all the time. Don't be afraid to share those mistakes too. Make them a part of your story. Have a good laugh with your target audience. Ask them to share their mistakes with you. Connect and engage. 

17. Spreading yourself too thin across too many platforms

I 100000000% spread myself too thin before. I was trying to manage every possible social media platform, email marketing, blogging, YouTube, etc. I read all the experts that said, you need to be on anything and everything. Problem is … they have employees, freelancers, and teams to help them. I burned myself out! I took a little break and refocused. Pick 2-3 platforms where your audience hangs out. Build your brand and market yourself there. 

18. Not building an email list, NOW … like today!

Yo! You NEED an email list. Today. You don't own Facebook. You can be kicked off Twitter for whatever reason they want. Google can change their algorithm. But, if you have an email list … it's yours. Nobody can take your list away. People that join your email list opted-in to hear from you.

Build your website. Create a lead magnet using Cava. Build a landing page to capture emails. Create an account on ConvertKit for email marketing. Build your list today. 

Whoa! That's some good stuff. I have no doubt after reading this post, you're well equipped to start building your brand.

If you want to chat more, you should schedule a free strategy session with me. As a Personal Branding Coach, I'll help you create a custom strategy and plan to build your brand and market yourself. 

Take care, and have an excellent rest of your day. 

Change your life. Schedule your free strategy session by

>>> clicking here. <<<

How to Get Promoted [2021]

---

What your Boss and HR Won’t Tell You

Look, by now, I'm sure you've read a lot about getting promoted. 

You've heard the typical tip "Dress for success." Check!

You know to be the first in the office and the last to leave. Done that.

You keep track of your accomplishments and do all the other "no shit" stuff. That’s great, keep do it! 

So here’s what I’m going to do. I'm going to propose a few twists and other ideas on getting promoted.  

You know, like the real-world stuff that your boss or HR probably won't tell you.

Most of these tips help you build your personal brand. As you build your brand, you'll get more opportunities to get a promotion.

After you read this article if you want help building your brand and getting a promotion, schedule a free strategy session with me. 

You can schedule a session by >>> clicking here <<<

Now, let's jump into getting you a promotion!

1. Stand out from the crowd

Everyone in your company wants the same thing. 

They want to get a promotion and move up the corporate ladder!

When you finally meet the executive with the power to change your life, they better remember YOU — not the other 200 people they talked to that week.

When I first started at GE, I put my head down and worked my ass off. I helped my teammates, landed some big deals, and flat out executed. 

You see, my big plan was to stand out with my performance, and I was on my way!

My boss loved my work. But there was a huge problem ... our team leader ... had no freaking clue who I was. NONE. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

In fact, during one of my presentations, he leaned over asked his right-hand man my name. Seriously? And, I'd been on the team for over a year.

Why? How the hell can this happen? My performance was top-notch. I was crushing it! 

You see ... just like me, my teammates were successful and performing too. 

But, they found a way to stand out, and I didn't. 

So ask yourself, "In a room full of amazing people, what are you doing to stand out?"

2. Get in shape

First, I'm sorry. This tip might piss a few people off, and I agree 100% with those people. 

For me, getting a promotion should be based on your performance towards goals. 

What you do and how you do it! 

So it sucks to tell you this, but there's evidence that getting in shape helps your career. 

How you look should have nothing to do with getting a promotion. But, if anyone tries to tell you how you look has nothing to do with how you're measured, they're lying or naïve. 

People judge. It's a sad and simple fact. 

In a Business Insider article, "Attractive People Are Simply More Successful," Daniel Hamermesh explains that attractive people earn an average of 3% or 4% more than people with below-average looks.

Mr. Hamermesh wrote a book on the subject titled "Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful."

There's a silver lining. Working out and getting into shape has benefits outside of income.

Studies show that as you get into shape, your self-confidence increases. Exercise is also a way to relieve stress, decompress, gather thoughts, etc. 

Shoot, you can even learn new skills or expand your knowledge while exercising. Find a book on tape or podcast. Learn as you get in shape.

You don't have to go crazy. Take small steps. Stop drinking sugar-filled crap, eat a little healthier / smaller portions, and take daily walks for 30 minutes.

It's a journey, not a sprint. Please consult with a physician first, though.

3. Lead teams outside of work

I'm sure you already know this one, but it's worth a short mention. Leading teams outside of work will help to develop management/leadership skills. 

Find a local charity, non-profit, or professional organization. Volunteer to lead teams, projects or join the board. 

I'm on the board of a local non-profit. After a few years, I'm now the Vice President and Chair of the Governance Committee. I love every moment and have grown as a person and leader.

Discuss what you're doing and learning with your colleagues and boss. Let everyone know you are taking on extra responsibilities to develop as a leader.

4. Become an expert at something everyone hates, find a better way to do it, and then teach others

We all have processes, tasks, or other things that suck but have get done. Nobody wants to do it because it's broken, archaic, or complicated.  

Bingo! This is your opportunity.

First, become the expert. Learn everything you can about the current process. 

Then, find a better, faster, or simplified way to do the same process. You become the expert and solution to the problem. 

Last, teach others to do it. 

You are now the expert everyone relies on to get the job done. Recognition baby!

5. Network like hell

You're only as good as your network. As you move up an organization, your network becomes your most important asset. 

It's the age-old saying ... "it's often not what you know but who you know." 

Did you know that people also get promoted because of the value of their network? Think about the term "value." Yes, your network has a perceived value to others.

A long time ago, I knew someone that sucked at their job. And, I'm being nice saying that. Yet, this person kept getting promoted. Eventually, they moved into a high-level role within a company. 

I kept asking myself, "How the hell can this happen?"

Then, I asked my boss. He explained that if you needed anything, I mean anything, this person could find ten people to get it done. Or someone that has the information, data, and resources you need. 

In this case, this person's network value outweighed their performance. 

So, build relationships by adding value to others—network like hell. And, do a damn good job. If you do those things, you'll be well on your way to getting a promotion.

6. Understand corporate political capital

As much as we hate it, corporate politics is a living and breathing beast. I'm not even talking about brown-nosing. 

You might find it shocking, but there's a form of corporate politics that's a system of currency trading. But, it's corporate "political currency." 

It's a simple concept to understand, but executing is a different story. When you go out of your way to do something for someone … they owe you.

When you need something from that person, you can ask for repayment.

Skilled corporate politicians build a lot of favors from high-level or strategic contacts. The higher up the corporate ladder or, the more strategic a person is … the more value a political currency carries. 

I've seen this corporate currency trading in action. It's incredible how well it works.

Be careful. This type of corporate politics can be dangerous. Execution is key. At first, you have to figure out how to do this without the other person knowing.

7. Learn to communicate

If you want to get a promotion, learn to communicate. And I mean, become a master communicator!

I've worked with 100s of executives and mid-level managers all over the world. All were good are their job. 

The single skill that separated good managers from great executives ... Communication.

Can you present a clear and concise message? 

Can you think on their feet? 

Do you answer the question first and then provide background? 

Do you pause and allow for comment versus puking the presentation?

Read your audience. Provide the information they need, not the information you want them to hear. 

Learning to communicate may require an investment of your time and money. Practice your communication skills with a colleague or join Toastmasters. 

Communication is an undeniable asset and will help you get the promotion you deserve.

8. Solve problems and remove roadblocks on your own

So you have a problem, challenge, or roadblock. Don't go to your boss with every possible reason or excuse why you can't get something done. 

Solve it yourself. 

Learn to diagnose the root cause and attempt to fix it. If you fail the first time, learn, and try an alternative solution.

If for some reason you still can't solve it on your own, then propose several solutions to your boss. Don't worry if your boss thinks those solutions are wrong. Don't get worked up if he/she disagrees with them. 

This scenario would go something like this: Boss, we have a problem. The problem is 1, 2, and 3. I've tried X, Y, and Z. All have failed. This is what I've learned. My next thought would be to try A, B, or C. What are your thoughts?

Try it. I'm serious. Your boss will appreciate the fact that you proposed solutions and not just excuses. He/she will think of you as a problem solver. 

And, problem solvers get promoted.

I hope this article helps you understand the steps to get promoted. If you'd like to build your personal brand and change your life, schedule your free strategy session by >>> clicking here <<<

Sincerely,

Stewart Swayze

What is Market Research? (W/ Real Project Examples)

Understanding the Market Research Process

By Stewart Swayze

What is market research?

Market research is the process of gathering information on market trends, needs, and preferences. You can conduct market research on your brand, product, customers, prospects, or competition.

The market information gathered helps you make informed business decisions, remove distracting noise, and focus on the market information that matters most.

Why is market research important

The market is rapidly changing, product life-cycles are shrinking, and customer preferences continue to shift. Researching the market helps your business keep on top of the changes and remain ahead of the competition. 

The benefits of market research are only limited to your goals, resources, and budget. Hinge Marketing found that companies that conduct market research — at least quarterly — grow almost 12X faster and are practically 2X as profitable as firms that do no research.

Primary vs secondary market research

When conducting research, there are two methods of research — primary and secondary. 

Primary market research is original research conducted by you or someone you hire. The information you gather comes directly from the source. Primary research includes surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. Your research participants could consist of current customers, former customers, prospects, industry experts, and influencers.

The information you collect is raw, unanalyzed, and specific to your project goals.

Secondary market research is gathering information that's already published and publically available. Secondary research includes analyzing studies, reports, statistics, and data that answer your market research questions. 

Often, the secondary research data you gather was already analyzed or interpreted by a 3rd party — not specific to your goals. 

Qualitative vs quantitative market research

There are two types of market research, qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative market research is gathering non-numerical data or insights. The insights are subjective such as feelings, attitudes, and concerns. Marketers use qualitative insights to add depth and perception to the overall research. Often, it helps market researchers understand the "why" or to develop a hypothesis for further study.

Examples of qualitative market research include:

• Interviews

• Focus Groups

• Open-ended survey questions

Quantitative market research is the collection of numerical data. The data is objective and measurable. Quantitative market researchers analyze the data to find correlations, determine causations, conduct regressions, and perform other types of market analysis. Often, quantitative research helps you identify "what" is happening in the market.

Examples of quantitative market research methods include:

• Polls

• Questionnaires

• Surveys

Market research objectives

You can conduct market research on almost anything. But, before starting a market research project, you need clearly defined objectives.

Below are a few common market research objectives:

• Buyer personas - Build profiles that represent your ideal customer based on research

• Market segmentation - Divide your customers and prospects into specific segments based on demographics and psychographics

• Marketing message testing - Create or adjust your marketing messages to match what your target audience wants to hear, read, or see

• Market sizing - Understand the total available market and serviceable available market

• Competitor analysis - Analyze your competition to determine your market position or conduct a gaps analysis to improve your go-to-market strategy

8 Common market research mistakes

Many marketers jump into the market research process only to find themselves overwhelmed. Before you start your next market research project, avoid the most common mistakes. 

1. Not clearly defining market research objectives

2. Dumping too many research objectives into one study

3. Allowing confirmation bias to skew your research

4. Analyzing data without context

5. Thinking correlation is causation

6. Not spending enough time collecting and analyzing data

7. Believing your customers and prospects are telling you the truth

8. Thinking your too big to worry about the competition

Examples of market research

I support large companies and startups. My clients use research to improve their products, services, strategies, and operations. Below I'll list 3 examples that I've worked on for my clients. One of the critical components of a successful marketing research project is the ability to tie and apply the results to a specific goal. For each example, I always provide recommendations based on the uncovered information. I'm able to deliver these recommendations because of my depth of expertise in B2B strategy.

1. A global B2B industrial equipment manufacturer wanted to understand its competitors and improve its go-to-market strategy. I conducted a competitive analysis using primary and secondary research. Using qualitative insights and quantitative data, I presented my client with a detailed gap analysis, competitive positioning, and GTM strategy recommendations.

2. A domestic O&G distributor wanted to improve its sales strategy and key account management program. I used voice of customer (VOC), quantitative analysis of market & sales data, plus competitive benchmarking to recommend improvements to their sales strategy and key account management program.

3. A global B2B company wanted to redesign its sales performance management strategy. Using primary and secondary research, I conducted a market and competitive benchmarking project, plus analyzed its current sales performance management process to recommend a new and innovative strategy.

Can you conduct market research yourself

The short answer, Yes. There are certain aspects of marketing research that you can conduct yourself. But, be careful to consider the mistakes above.

Creating a non-biased market research questionnaires takes skill. Even if you’re only gathering secondary market research. Your confirmation bias can creep into your results.

Your internal marketers have a story they want to tell or not tell. It's easy to find insights and data to confirm that story unintentionally. 

You're going to collect a lot of information. Unless you have marketers with specific expertise in analyzing market research, it could be best to hire an outside resource. Plus, think through the opportunity cost of allocating full-time resources on market research. Are your investment dollars better spent elsewhere?

Last, and more importantly, your customers and prospects are more likely to open up, share thoughts, and provide truthful insights to a third party — especially when the market research is blind. If you conduct primary research interviews yourself, those customers might be reluctant to be critical of your company or products. And give you the juicy information on your competitors. You want the critical and juicy information, that's where you can make the most of your research.

Everything starts with market research. When you need to develop a content strategy, you need to conduct research. If you want to improve your GTM strategy, you need market research. When you want to build a new product or service, you need to gather research. 

If you'd like an expert to help with your next market research project, reach out to me. I'd be happy to support your company. You can learn more about my market research consulting by clicking here.

What is B2B? + Examples of B2B vs B2C

Understanding the Difference Between B2B vs B2C

By Stewart Swayze

B2B meaning

B2B is shorthand for "business to business." Business-to-business (B2B) is business conducted between one company and another.

It refers to sales you make to other businesses rather than to individual consumers.

B2B vs B2C

B2C is short for business to consumer. So, instead of conducting business with another company, with B2C, you're conducting business with a consumer.

B2B marketing means your marketing activities focus on another business. B2C marketing is targeting the final consumer.

Same with B2B vs B2C sales. With B2B Sales, your sales team focuses on business buyers. B2C sales teams are selling to consumers. 

Some companies are B2B and B2C. Think about Amazon. Amazon is selling directly to businesses and consumers. 

B2B examples

Here are a few other examples of B2B businesses and transactions. 

B2B transactions happen directly or along the supply chain, where one company will purchase raw materials from to support the manufacturing process. 

Aircraft Engine Manufacturers

• Aircraft engine manufacturers, such as GE Aviation, market and sell their engines to aircraft manufacturers, like Boeing.

B2B Services

• Attorneys represent business clients, accounting firms that help companies do their taxes, and B2B marketing consultants, like me, who help companies increase revenue, generate leads, and build their brand.

Toy Manufacturing

• Toy manufacturers are B2C companies. However, to build and sell those toys, they conduct business to business activities. For example, a toy manufacturer buys raw materials from suppliers.

Another example would be wholesalers that sell their products to retailers who then turn around and sell them to consumers. 

Supermarkets

• Supermarkets are a perfect example of this activity. They buy food from wholesalers then sell it at a slightly higher price to individual consumers.

What is B2B? Lead the different between B2B and B2C from Stewart Swayze

Summary - What is B2B?

• If you're transacting with another business, that's B2B

• If you're transacting with a consumer, that's B2C

• If you're marketing is targeting another business, that's B2B

• If you're marketing is targeting a consumer, that's B2C

Do you want more clients? Reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you think through and execute your marketing activities. Click here to learn more.

How to Increase Market Share + 13 Tactics to Beat Competitors

Increasing Market Share to Beat the Competition

By Stewart Swayze

What is market share

The definition of market share is the percentage of a market that a company or product controls. How to calculate market share - you take sales of a product or service and divide it by the total available market.

Market share example

Let's say Alpha Industrial Equipment sells low voltage switchgear. Alpha's annual LV switchgear sales are $12B, and the total available market is $60B. That means that Alpha's global market share is 20%.

How to increase market share

On a high level, there are 3 ways to increase market share:

1. Take market share from a competitor

2. Convince inactive prospects in the market to purchase your product or service

3. Acquire a competitor

Taking market share from competitors

You take market share from your competitors by beating them in sales and marketing. You convince people to switch from your competitor's product to your own. 

The value of the total available market remains the same, but the value of your overall sales increases. Using the market share example above: Alpha's sales increase from $12B to $15B. Therefore, its new share of the market is 25%. 

Convince inactive prospects to purchase your product or service

You can increase market share by converting inactive prospects into customers. 

Many organizations forget to include inactive prospects when calculating market share. But, companies not participating in the market are a part of the total available market. And, they are your hardest competitors.

Using the original market share example above: If the total available market for low voltage switchgear is $60B, a portion of the market is inactive. Maybe the inactive companies are using old equipment and haven't purchased anything in 10 years. Or, the inactive prospects - for some reason - only buy medium and high voltage switchgear. 

But, you work your sales and marketing magic to activate and convert these prospects to purchase your low voltage equipment. The value of the total available market didn't change, but your sales increased - your market share grows.

Acquiring a competitor

You can increase your market share by acquiring a company and combining its sales with yours. 

The value of the total available market remains constant, but the value of your total sales increases. You own more of the market share.

Adapting from the original market share example above: Let's say Beta Industrial Equipment sells $10B of low voltage switchgear annually. Alpha decides to increase its share of the market by acquiring Beta. Alpha + Beta’s sales are now $22B ($12B + $10B). If the value of the total available market remains the same ($60B), Alpha's market share is now 36.7%.

Tactics to crush the competition and increase market share

As a B2B Marketing Consultant, I've provided a few good examples of how to increase market share below. The list is not exhaustive. I include marketing strategies and tactics I've used as a marketing leader or recommended as a consultant. 

1. Niche Marketing Strategy - You improve your B2B marketing strategy by employing a highly contextual and niche marketing approach. You generate qualified leads from customers wanting to switch from competitors and convince non-participants to join the market. 

2. Competitive Intelligence - You conduct a competitive analysis to understand why you're losing deals. You perform a competitive gap analysis. Then, use the insights to develop a go to market strategy and take market share from your competitors.

3. Product Marketing - You conduct market and competitive research to improve your R&D and product development activities. You put a better product on the market, but at a competitive price.

4. Sales Training - You implement a sales training program. Your sales team gets better at identifying, persuading, and closing deals.

5. Sales Force Effectiveness - You use competitive intelligence to adjust the location, reach, and frequency of your sales team.

6. Contracting T&Cs - You offer better terms and conditions (T&Cs) than your competitors. For example, your competitors ask for payment within 30 days—you off customers 60-day payment terms. 

7. Contracting Risk - You find a way to assume and manage more product or operational risk than your competitors.

8. Marketing/Pricing (Special offer) - You create a special and limited time offer for customers to switch from your competitors or participate in the market.

9. Pricing Strategy (Price at cost) - You price at cost or negative margin. This pricing strategy is risky and only works in very specific cases. You sell the "product" at cost or negative margin, knowing you will make up the revenue through aftermarket sales & services. 

10. Pricing strategy (CAPEX to OPEX) - You switch from a CAPEX to OPEX transaction, almost like SAAS. Instead of paying full price - a capital expenditure - for your product, your customers pay through an operating expenditure over time. Example 1 - You hold the product on your books. Your customer pays a fee to use the product. It could be leasing or lease to own. Example 2 - You sell the product to a financial institution or partner. That financial institution holds the product on its books. The customer pays the financial institution for the use of the product. 

11. Performance Contracting - Your product reduces the customer's cost. The customer pays you based on the cost reductions each month. Your performance contracting continues until the product or service is paid off. Or, your product increases the customer's revenue. The customer splits the increased revenue with you until the product or service is paid off.

12. Joint Technology / Collaboration Agreements - You partner with your prospects or customers in joint R&D. You lock them into your products b/c you are sharing costs, profits, intellectual property, etc. And, you build stronger relationships.

13. Master agreements - You sign master agreements, simplifying the contracting process. You lock customers into long-term contracts. Or, reduce your customer's negotiation costs by agreeing on T&Cs and pricing. You offer discounts or rewards programs within your master agreement. 

There are many more ways to increase market share and beat the competition. Almost too many to list. But, with these ideas, there's no doubt you'll develop a great strategy crush the competition. 

If you'd like to discuss how you can gain market share, click here to set up a free 30-minute strategy session. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

How to Become a Better Communicator (Video)

Become a Better Communicator

In this video I provide two tips to instantly become a better communicator at work.

DESCRIPTION:

• Career advice on becoming a better communicator

• How to answer leadership questions

• Why communication is an important leadership skill

Watch the Video

DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW VIDEOS

Here are a couple Free Personal and Professional Development Downloads for you to enjoy:

• Increase Your Emotional Intelligence: http://bit.ly/2TqEaXr

• Increase Your Self-Confidence: http://bit.ly/2QYniom

Want to know if you’re satisfied with your career:

• Career Satisfaction Quiz: http://bit.ly/2BJne7I

What is Market Intelligence?

What is Market Intelligence? Let’s keep this quick and easy, outline style! If you can fill in the information from this outline, you’ll have a tremendous amount of Market Intelligence. I’ve also provided links to relevant articles that I’ve written.

Customers

• Voice of Customer (Read More)

• Purchasing Habits

• Preferences

• Needs

• Challenges

• Demographics & Psychographics (Customer Personas)

• Answer to: Why are they buying your products / services, etc.

Prospects

• Voice of Prospects (Read More)

• Purchasing Habits

• Preferences

• Needs, Challenges

• Demographics & Psychographics (Customer Personas)

• Answer to: Why aren’t they buying your products / services etc.

Competitive Intelligence (Read More - Using Open Source Intelligence to Analyze the Competition)

• Who are your top competitors?

• Communications Intelligence - gathering and analyzing publicly available marketing, communications, and sales resources

• Technical Intelligence - gathering and analyzing of publicly available technical and product information

• Financial Intelligence - information gathered from analysis of publicly available financial history

• Human Intelligence - gathered from a person on the ground (sales, field marketing, etc)

Risk – A Simple PEST analysis should help

• Political – Risk that political decisions, events, or conditions will impact the profitability of a business or value of an economic action

• Economic – Risk that macroeconomic conditions such as exchange rates, government regulation, or political stability will impact an investment or business entity

• Social - demographic and cultural aspects of the company's market

• Technological - technology issues that impact delivery of product or service to the market

Product

• Pricing

• Promotion

• Cost structures

• Features, Benefits, & Outcomes (Read More: How to develop brilliant customer centric outcomes)

• Channels

• Supply Chain

 Market

• Product Market Fit (Read More: How do you test and determine product market fit)

• Partners, Influencers, Distributors, etc

• Total Available Market (TAM)

• Serviceable Available Market (SAS)

• Un-addressable Market(UAM)

• Trends & Forecasts

• Segmentation & Targeting (Read More: Want to know how to uncover your own golden $3B segment?

I'm also running a "You ask, I'll Answer" campaign. So if you have any questions on Marketing, Sales, or Strategy, let me know. You can shoot me an email at stewart@stewartswayze.com

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to tag me in a comment or connect with me via social media.

Stewart Swayze