Do you Need to Get You Noticed Online?

A few months ago, we had an episode where we discussed how businesses can stand out from all the noise within their markets. But now, more than ever, to stand out, we need to focus on sharing our knowledge, exposing our values, and being of service. But how can you do that? And that's coming up next on Marc Haine Live. Welcome to Marc Haine Live episode number 38. This is where small business owners and entrepreneurs pick up core skill sets to help them work on their business, not just in their business. I am your host, Service Expert and Master of Experiences Marc Haine. Thank you so much for joining me today. My guest today is Innovative Strategist Liz J. Springer, and we'll get to her in just a moment. In the meantime, I'd love it if you would drop questions or your own thoughts in the comment box below so people can benefit from your experience as well. You know what I've always said, every— almost every single episode? Knowledge is power, but only if it's shared. And don't forget, go ahead and hit the bell and give me a thumbs up. It will not only give you notification when I bring you fresh content, it'll make me feel really, really, really special. Honestly. You know, as business owners, we do struggle to get seen. 30 years ago, you could spend copious amounts of money and get seen on major TV networks. You could be heard on radio and seen in print. Today, it's never been cheaper to market your business, but the airways have never been so polluted. So this brings me to my What are you doing to get noticed? Since the beginning of COVID have you done anything different to get yourself noticed? I'd love for you to be part of this conversation. So, why not share your experiences and put your answers to those questions in the comment box below? As I mentioned, joining me today is innovation strategist Liz J. Springer. For the last 15 years, Liz has worked with businesses that want to bump up their business strategy using unique video marketing techniques and get her clients found. She is the host of Innovator's Influence. It's a podcast, and she is an author and international speaker. Welcome, Liz. It is so nice to have you on the show.

Marc, I'm so excited, and thank you for having me here, Marc. I'm looking forward to it.

It's wonderful. Before we get into today's topic, could you tell us a little bit about what you do for your clients?

Okay. So, Marc, really what I do is help people to grow their businesses and look at how they can have a strategy that works for their particular area of business Nice, nice.

Could you— I love this idea of being an innovation strategist. Could you dig a little deeper and tell us what you do as an innovative innovation strategist?

Well, Marc, my background when I started off in my business was as a management consultant. And I worked for the larger corporates. And I basically had to come up with ideas on how they can change their business, change things in their organization so that they can look at different models on how to get things done better, faster, easier. And that was my goal to just like I had a whiteboard and I would have to come up with lots of different ideas and then pitch them to, you know, get them to think about, you know, the different ways of how they can actually have change in their business. that impacts their income and their people.

Nice, nice. And, and so typically, what kind of businesses are you working with?

So right now I'm working with coaches, speakers, trainers, authors. And do you know what has happened over this period of pandemic? I've had all different types of businesses coming forward who I wouldn't probably particularly normally work with. So consulting firms, people in the AV industry, magicians, you name it. And this is really down to the fact that they now need to become visible, and also printers. And normally I would only ever be involved with a printer when I need printing. So this is exactly a complete change, complete turnaround.

So yeah, it's so interesting because, you know, I know that before COVID-19, a lot of small business owners pooh-poohed technology before the whole COVID-19 thing happened. I think just before we got— we went live, we talked a little bit about what the reality was like before COVID and now with COVID And so you had especially the baby boomer owner-operators were like, oh, why do I need that? I've been in business for 20 years. I've never had it. Why do I need it now? And so initiatives like online ordering systems, even working from home initiatives were not supported until We were forced to do it through COVID. So have you seen any specific trends taking off?

Yeah, I mean, in fact, in 2019, I actually done a few predictions on what I thought was going to be something that was going to really take off big in 2020. And one of them was the online networking. And I'm a business analyst by trade, so sometimes I can be a little bit ahead with some of my ideas, but that's a good thing, right? So that was one of them, the video, and people looking at different ways of marketing their business through video, getting into online training, so, you know, repositioning, and this was before this actually happened, so using the training element particularly for coaches where they can actually now switch it up and have coaching, but they can also have a wraparound the training around it as well. And those things have really, I think, come to light, and now everybody's scrambling to get on that platform, or plane if you like, to get their online course up and running. And just like you said, Marc, absolutely. I mean, I think I had more calls in a week than I had in a month with people just asking me, and these were businesses who'd really thought that, look, had, like you said, had poo-pooed before and said, look, no, we don't need to use this. They were now like, oh my God, what do I do? And they were asking me, you know, what should I do now? And this was where, you know, people use the word pivot, but I think of the word reposition. Because what you really need to do for some businesses is look at, you know, what can I do now? Where am I at? What can I do now? How can I service my customers now, you know, in a different way without losing too much of the value?

Gotcha. Yeah, yeah. You know, I want to dig a little bit into your expertise, but before I do, I just wanted to remind everybody that this episode is brought to you by my brand new book, Lights! Camera! Action!, Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theater. It tears down what it takes to put on a show for your customers no matter what business you are in. The book has just launched. It's available for sale on Amazon and your favorite online bookstore, so you can get more information about it at marchaine.com/lightscameraaction, and the link will be in the show notes. That's the end of my shameless little plug. So Liz, there are so many types of mediums now, um, that are out there, different ways of people being able to get seen, uh, Are you seeing ones that are better than others for business operators to gain visibility?

I think, I really do think that the video, because the video lends itself in a way that I can speak to you, Marc. You can get a flavor of my energy, perhaps what I'm like, and that is so different from having kind of salesy words on a webpage or just having some words on a webpage. It now means that you can still speak to me, see me, and get my energy and understanding of perhaps, you know, what, you know, what this could do for me. And I think that's really key in moving forward because at the end of the day, particularly if you're a coach, if you're a trainer, a speaker, an author, these are the things that people want to see, that people, you know, if you're gonna work with your coach, of course I'm gonna see you.

Yes.

And so, do you know what I mean? And like I said, At the end of the day, those expressions and so on, all those things can be portrayed and seen and picked up.

Yeah. I started this segment off by talking about the need to bring value to the audience. How focused should operators be in providing actual value versus the digital version of I don't know, a newsletter or a news magazine. What are your thoughts?

I think, I think at the end of the day, you know, we are here, those of us who are in service, to help people solve a problem. So at the end of the day, your value should have the pain points of your potential client. Okay, so it then means that, you know, you are giving a few nuggets on those pain points. Now, what does that mean? That means to that customer, that client, actually, she's just, or he has just touched upon a particular point that I resonate with. Yes, I, yep, that's me. Next point that you've given, you know, next piece of nugget, I now resonate with that. What's happening now is that this person is now saying, actually, this person has actually helped, you know, solve 2 of my problems. Perhaps they can actually help me take the rest of this forward and solve the rest of my pain points. So that's where the value comes in. So when you're— people seem to think that they shouldn't give value. And you know, Marc, the thing I absolutely hate is when people say, oh, it's a strategy call, and basically it's a sales pitch.

Yeah.

And they don't give you any strategy. Now, if you give me some strategy, At the beginning, I don't mind that, but that's what it means, it's value. So that means to me, well, actually you gave me no value. So I am question marking whether you can help me or not and question marking whether, you know, you're gonna be the person who can even help me with the expertise. So, you know, I always say to people, don't stray away from value because at the end of the day, you just never know, you know, that person could be your next client. So I think value is key in whatever it is that you create.

Yeah, and it's so funny that you said that because back about 15 years ago, so this is really before, you know, or just as YouTube was starting up and starting to become really popular, I had just heard a story of a spa owner who was doing videos on how to maintain your spa and how to repair your spa. And his competitors thought he was on crack. It's like, what are you doing? You're telling everybody how to fix their own spa. It's like, what are you doing? And people couldn't understand why he was so successful even though he was giving away all the secrets. And he got up, he was talking at an association meeting, and he said, people are too lazy to do it themselves, but they are curious enough to know what it takes to do it.

Absolutely.

And so by him kind of like opening the magic coffer and revealing how he did the work, People actually trusted him more. And they said, this is the guy that I want to talk to. So, for people who are watching this, this is not just for consultants or speakers. This could be a chef. It could be an owner of a golf club. It could be a mechanic shop. It could be anybody that you want to reflect who your values are. Have you seen a lot of these as a trend now?

Yeah, I mean, do you know I have always for a number of years When I needed to find out anything, I just go online and do a search. And, you know, we are in the age of information. People want to know how to, like you say, you know, we are on a clock. So of course, if we can, and I always say this, if we can find a way of how to do something better, faster, easier, wouldn't you want to know that? Because I know I certainly would. And it just means, like I said, you know, this can give us more time because at the end of the day, we have all these goals. But the outcomes that we're wanting is more time, more freedom. Of course, yes, we want money, but there's the other part. Do you know what I mean? You know, being on the beach, being on the sea, you know, soaking up the sun. And so there's that part to it as well. And I think that at the end of the day, you know, that's really important because like you say about the trust issue, and in fact it brings me on to kind of, you know, the next step, which is the conversations. Because then it means then you, you now have got this person to another point in your funnel. So then you can now engage and have conversations and look at how you can convert and turn them into a client.

How important do you think production value would be? Because I imagine that there might be some business owners watching this saying, oh well, it's fine for them, you know, they have video cameras and they have microphones and it's, it's so easy for them. How important is production value when it comes to putting together any kind of a video?

I think it depends on your platform. So for example, on your Instagram, if you're using Instagram, you can just get up and do a video straight, straight video. It's not expected on Instagram. Yep, using your phone, sorry, using a phone, and you can just go straight to it. And basically, it then means that, you know, You don't need to have editing at the beginning, at the end, intros and outros. You don't need to have all that, and people don't expect either. Also Facebook, again, it's something where you just can, you know, jump on and, you know, you're not— that's not expected. But I think when it comes to something where it's a little bit more perhaps professional, like on your website or someone, then yes. you're looking at having something a little bit more professional. But, you know, I do say that there are, you know, fast ways to get out of the gate, um, because sometimes if we worry about, uh, being a perfectionist, you know, we're not gonna— we're not gonna get very far. And so, you know, I always say, uh, you know, that Bill Gates, do it now, fix it later. Um, so for some of that, you know, you can do— and just like we were having a conversation that, you know, the fact that, you know, You're more human if you make mistakes because we're not perfect. And I think previously we were in that state of, you know, this must be perfect, I must be looking pristine, and, you know, can't say a single word wrong. And whoa, has that changed.

Yeah, well, and, and so it brings up, it brings up my next, my next point is this idea of authenticity versus production value. You know, I, I did a, you know, I shocked my chef. I was working at a community center, and we were— we, we just taught her how to make some pasta. And so she, for the very first time, she was making handmade pasta, and she was so excited. She was like a kid at Christmas time. And I thought I needed to record this. And so I took out my cell phone and I recorded her. I said, what are you doing? And she actually talked through what she was doing as she was cranking out the pasta. And you could— but you could see the joy in her face.

Yeah.

And I thought no production value could ever replace the authenticity of a person living their passion.

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And I think, I think it's a great thing because I think that's the other thing, for some of these things that you would not get to see, um, you know, through text, uh, you know. And, and in terms of video, it's actually a, a statistic that 74% 74% using video increases the understanding of your products and services.

Wow, so 74%.

Yeah.

That's crazy. And, you know, and then when you think about it, when you think about it through the eyes of how we interact as human beings, the level of interactivity that an audience member has is now it's about connecting on values.

Yeah.

And so, how important is that to engineer that or to build that in? Or because, you know, I would never tell somebody, oh, be authentic, and then, you know, he's in a mechanic shop and there's cursing going on and all that sort of stuff, right? It really is this idea of leaning towards this need to serve.

Yeah.

And reflecting your values.

I think that what's happened now is that it kind of comes hand in hand, and because we've had such a rise in the social media, what's happened where we're watching these sort of like reality shows, and, you know, we are still having these thoughts of whether we thought that was wrong or right, and also people are deciding not to support people for certain things that they do online. So that really is their value. So although we think that people are actually doing it even more now, and the rise has increased so much on the social media side with that happening.

Is there specific content that they should be looking at producing that would help reflect them? Because again, it's not a question of, hey, welcome to ABC Company. I want to tell you what we're all about. We love our customers, right?

We're not talking You see, this is the thing. See, a lot of people, and particularly, you know, if you've gone to networking events, you know, the old— you know, I have to say the old now— the offline networking events, you know, people talked a lot about the boat. Now, your customer doesn't want to know about the boat. They want to know about the problem. And the solution. What can you do to help them? So it now means this is in reverse. So stop talking about yourself. Now it's about talking about what the pain is that your customer or potential customer has and how they could possibly do that. And like I talked about giving the nuggets, so talking about those bits of nuggets, giving a little bit of insight and And also, like you said, letting people know that you're authentic, that you are human.

Right.

And I literally, you know, said that how I had just basically slept for most of the holiday that I had. And, you know, people think, oh, Liz, you know, I just thought, yeah, I did. Because I am a human being and I may have done all these things or whatever, but at the end of the day, you know, I'm still a human being. And so there is that point where we need to make sure that we, as businesses, let our customers know that, that we're not automatic machines or robots and stuff, and there's a certain amount that can be done. But in terms of servicing your customer and providing value, at the end of the day, there's different psychometrics which show you what different types of people are and how they fit in. And, you know, I'm a person where I need to know a bit more. I'm a bit processy. So I want to know that. That doesn't mean I don't want to buy. That is my thought process. That's my thought pattern of getting me to the next step of understanding. So I know, yep, okay, this is right for me, I'll buy. And so sometimes people in the past have thought, oh well, you know, they've been a bit, you know, uppity about it. Thought, oh well, she's asking more questions. Oh sure, she's obviously not interested in buying. And that's the problem where people thought, actually, I don't want to give anymore. But you, you are actually losing customers in that way.

Yes.

Because you've not provided the additional information or the additional value. Because it could be just that, that's just the icing on the cake.

Yeah. When a customer walks into a shop, right away when we deal with that customer, our intent is to build trust. And I imagine that it's no different if you're going to be doing any kind of online content. It's about this trust building.

Yes, absolutely.

This is really great information. Before we get any further, could you let everybody know how they can get in touch with you and your absolute wealth of knowledge?

Okay. So I have a website called mystrategiesforgrowth.com. And on there, in fact, I've got some things happening at the moment where I'm actually offering a a free checklist on content marketing ideas and what you potentially could be doing. So if you go to mystrategiesforgrowth.com, go ahead there, and then you can also get the opportunity to book a call with me. So, and just like I said, you know, it'd be a 30-minute call, and I would absolutely give you some nuggets. So I would be authentic in just explaining what I did. And it would be a strategy call where I'm actually giving you some nuggets.

Fantastic.

Yeah.

Fantastic. You know, it's so nice that hosting this podcast, I get to meet terrific people like you to help move business operators forward. And it's incumbent upon the people watching this to say, you know what, maybe I need to reach out. Maybe I just need to, you know, pick her brain for 30 minutes, find out exactly what I'm doing, maybe helping with directions. Because one thing that we have said on this show is that as entrepreneurs, I have this philosophy. Most entrepreneurs are incidental entrepreneurs. They fall into their business, and they usually fall into about here, and then they realize that they don't know everything. Then being able to understand that you don't know anything, obviously, then there's all these resources around us. I do hope that you will Investigate the options that are out there. And if you are watching this and you're finding this of value, please go ahead and give it a thumbs up. Even better, if you think of anybody who could use this information, somebody who's been sitting on the fence going, I want to do something more than what the television ads used to be or the radio ads used to be. I want to get my brand out there and reflecting. Please share this episode with them. That is the way that we're going to be able to make change and support each other.

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So Liz, if there's a business operator out there scratching his head about this idea of getting started, what would you recommend as kind of the very first step?

I think the first thing you've got to understand is what is your why. So what is the reason for you creating the content? Because at the end of the day, you want it to be aligned with your business and your service or your product. So it's always important to start there. So what is your why for creating your content? And then once you understand what that is, then the next step is to be able to look at how to pull that together.

Yeah.

People in the video industry, and what we do is we actually help them come up with a script. We actually help them come up with a plan of how to actually put that together, because people tend to come up with all this stuff and go, hold on a minute, your video needs to be a minute. And so, you know, and what we do is take out kind of all some of the kind of woolly stuff and Cluttery stuff and we really hone it down so that the main things are getting across with what it is that you want to get across. Then you've got your contact details, your brand details in that video.

I'm liking the direction you're going with this because what you're saying is essentially that you want to make this part of a marketing strategy.

Absolutely.

How does one evaluate this as being part of a marketing strategy rather than the newest shiny object?

I always say to people, listen, at the end of the day, it's not just about having a pretty video. It's about bringing you closer to a point of sale. And with that said, it's about taking your, if you like, your offline funnel and bringing it online so that you've got that first step. And then from there, you're actually giving them The opportunity to take the next step with you. Okay, so if you have a pretty video— I watched one once and it had no details and no contact details. I thought, how can anybody get in touch with this person? So, um, so from the fact that whether it's something where you have an interactive link which you can click within the video now, because now we've got all this interactivity going on and so on. And I've been talking about this for a number of years, um, and now, you know, people are, you know, understanding in terms of, you know, this is where we need to be going. So you can have a funnel where it takes you to the next step. So they can actually click in the video and it can take them to your website, blog article, um, you know, an event, wherever it is you want them to go. So literally that is what we're looking at. And like we talked, people— I would much rather watch a video, and I have for years. A lot of my training has been on video And, you know, you can consume it faster. Like I said, it can consume it faster and remember it. And the thing about it is that what you can do from there is, you know, posting on different platforms. And video ranks higher than a sales page.

I believe it.

So it then means that, you know, this is getting seen, people are getting noticed. And of course, That is what you want. What you want is to get visible. The other methods are now on the back burner. And, you know, the hoping and waiting that so many people have been resistant to move forward, you know, it's— the time is now.

Owner-operators, when they don't know something, can be paralyzed by fear. How do they uncover the knowledge that they don't even know they don't know?

I think, I think the first thing is, is, um, is, is to basically acknowledge, um, and identify that you don't know what you don't know.

Right.

Because I think at the end of the day, it's, you know, sometimes, you know, you meet people and you think, God, and you say something, they're like, I never thought of that. And so, you know, I think the first thing is to kind of, um, literally is to hold your hands up. and be, you know, and just really just kind of like to say, you know what, I don't know how to do this. And I'll tell you the thing that I love about small business owners, they will say that. They will just hold their hands up and say, do you know what, Liz, you know, I want to get to D, but I don't know how to get there. Fine. So it then means that immediately an analysis can take And once the analysis takes place, it then means you're able to have a plan. Then from the plan, you're able to start implementing it. And I think when you've got the right support along the way and the right strategy, it's something that you can take forward and win in your business.

Yeah, yeah. And then, and, you know, again, the strategy is not just a magical kind of, you know, take out a magic wand and the strategy happens. This is everything that you define or the operator would define Define as part of a whole. It's not just, oh, we just need a video marketing strategy. No, no, you need a marketing strategy that leverages the power of video.

Absolutely. I mean, Marc, for me, like I always say, it's not just video marketing as a strategy. There is a blend. And so when normally we work together, it's a blend of those strategies because there's other elements that come into it. To make, like you say, to make it the whole approach for your marketing. And having those blends, and also there's different ways for, you know, different niches as well. Because I think that sometimes we, we— someone says, oh, okay, um, you know, I did this in my business and, you know, you should copy me, you should do this. And then you go and try to do that and it doesn't work because you need to understand where is your target audience. Your target audience might not be on Facebook, they might be on LinkedIn, and so, you know, and for that reason it may be that people are then really resistant to go across to Facebook, so you serve them where they are. And the other thing about it is that I think that people, you know, sometimes just think that, okay, let's just do this one thing. I think it's Great to stop. Take a look at what you've been doing, what's been working well, and to continue doing it. What's not working, either stop or get it looked at and tweaked. Because, you know, at the end of the day, if you've gone into networking and, you know, at the end of the year you've done your ROI and, you know, you haven't got your ROI back, then that's a question mark. Either you are doing something wrong or it's not the right place.

Liz, this has been so amazing.

Thank you, Marc.

I know that the topic is just so huge. Do you have any last thoughts about what we're talking about today, either as a next step, as a cautionary, anything that you think the audience needs to know?

I think right now it's that point where we need to look at you know, how can we bring in other things? So whether it's looking at, you know, us focusing on how we move forward in 2021, how we look at additional income streams that we can actually put in to help cover or recover some things that we may no longer be able to do, you know, in 2021 until, you know, we have to say the new normal. And then, and also, and I just think that, you know, looking at how to, you know, get going, because I think the more that we resist, the more that we freeze, you'll find that a year has gone by and you're still in the same spot, and we absolutely don't want that to happen.

Yeah.

So I think looking at those areas in particular And particularly focusing on repositioning, give yourself some time to just, you know, brainstorm, spend time on that business development, because lots of people don't. They just firefight in their business and work on an impact basis, not leaving room for that business development to happen, for those ideas and those thoughts to be able to come in because you've taken a little bit of time out. And I think, you know, schedule some time in every single day or every single week to make sure that you are looking at what is happening in your business, what could be happening, and what strategies that you could be using right now to reposition and move forward and have a greater 2021.

Yeah, in a lot of episodes we've talked about you cannot see the label from inside the jar. And so sometimes what you need to do is you need to go outside of the jar and ask other people about what their needs and what their what they expect of you as well, right? It's not just a question of, oh, today I'm just going to do this. But it's understanding what you're serving, who you're serving, and what their needs are.

Yes, absolutely. I mean, I really feel like sometimes I have a big heart, Marc. And so, sometimes I do actually help some businesses out. And I did help quite a lot of businesses out last year. And, you know, and it's nice to see that, you know, I've been able to do that. And I think that, you know, making sure that, you know, you are operating in a way that you are open to new ideas, to new strategies, and not sort of being, you know, in a, you know, a very tight-fit shirt or blouse because you don't want to move forward. And of course, stepping into the unknown is always scary. But at the end of the day, what you want to be able to do is to take your business forward.

Sure.

And when you're in business, you're in business and it's a risk. At the end of the day, if you're not going to take risks, what type of business are you going to have? Because sometimes it's that very thing that you've done which has just launched your business forward, which has given you the opportunity, given you, you know, the income and the abundance that you need on all forms. So I think, you know, really thinking about that and being a lot more open and a little bit vulnerable is the word I have to say. Because when you're able to open up and say these things, that's the very thing that someone might be able to help you with. And, you know, you could be the key to someone else's miracle. Absolutely.

Liz, this has been so wonderful.

Thank So you so much for joining us.

great. Thank you so much for doing this. This really is all the time that we have. I'd love to thank you so much for being on the show today.

Thank you so much, Marc. I've loved being here. And do you know what? It's a pleasure and honor for me to be here, Marc. So I truly thank you.

Thank you. And could you remind everybody one more time how they can get a hold of you?

Okay. So they can go to my website, mystrategiesforgrowth.com. And they can download— in fact, they can download a free content planning checklist, and they can also book a call to get, um, speak with me on a free 30-minute strategy call.

Nice. Thank you again. I really want to acknowledge you for being here and sharing your knowledge and your expertise. I, I, it's such huge value, and I know it's things that business owners need to hear because I do know that this is one area where people don't know what they don't know. And so just the mere fact that they've had— you and I have had this conversation today has given them some things into, well, you know what, I don't know anything about this, but now I know I don't know. Now I can take the steps to move forward. So thank you again, Liz.

Thank you, Marc.

Why don't you give Give me a thumbs up if this is of value to you. As always, my offer stands. And that is if you would like 30 minutes of my time to brainstorm your business with you and your team, feel free to book yourself on my online calendar. The link is in the show notes. It is the one that's marked meetme.so/MarcHaine. As always, I am at your service. And if you haven't done so yet, hit the subscribe button. Thank you, Marc. Hit the button. Ring the bell. That'll give you first dibs whenever I bring you some fresh content that will help you work on your business, not just in your business. My name is Marc Haine. I hope you stay safe, stay healthy, and dare to be the exception.