But when it comes to our businesses, many of us have trouble figuring out how to tell our stories in a way that connects and isn’t boring (OK, I’m talking about myself!) That’s what my guests Michael Kass and Téa Silvestre Godfrey and I talk about in this episode of Adventures In Visibility. Both Michael and Téa are storytellers and work with others to help them tell their stories.

You’re going to learn why and how to share your personal and business story so it stands out. Learn about how to use the power of metaphors in your visual and social media marketing.

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman, Téa Silvestre Godfrey, and Michael Kass. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

Timestamps for Not-to-Miss Moments

6:57 Why should businesses be telling stories?
8:01 We want to engage the whole person
8:24 If we don’t tell the story, the person who’s receiving whatever we’re saying will make up their own story 
9:09 If you give people data points, they’ll make up a story based on their experience of the world. You’ve got to meet people where they’re at. 
12:37 People who didn’t tribe up, got eaten by tigers!
13:54 Keep in mind attention span of your audience
14:16 Make sure you have a point every time you say something
14:27 Make it about your audience and not about you (to make it engaging)
14:59 What do you want them to do at the end of the story
15:22 Then you can reverse engineer how to tell the story
16:19 Definition of metaphors
17:02 What is the big over-arching theme you’re trying to portray (Téa’s brand example)
19:24 Example of Wall metaphor
25:09 Example of using story for small business coach – new shoes story
26:53 It doesn’t matter where you start; find a thread and follow it from there to find the connections in your life
29:13 What kind of words do you use when you talk about your big why?
30:00 What’s your origin story – your spider bite story (Superman)
30:2;7 What do you like to do when you’re not working
31:43 What’s your internal story? Needs to be consistent with the external story so you are comfortable being visible in the world
32:29 Denise’s story about adventure brand
33:41 If you don’t believe your own story, nobody else will.
35:06 Give examples to show us what you mean. Are they relevant to your audience and do they understand?
38:56 You need to learn how to tell powerful stories because only the powerful ones are cutting through the noise. Authenticity trumps structure
41:03 What is no one else saying that needs to be said?
42:15 Do you feel uncomfortable sharing the story, then you need to tell it. What’s the story only you can tell?
43:06 Branding story; come at it strategically, and what is the thing you need to say in the world that no one else can express
47:58 Story of designing a hammer 
50:42 use the metaphors of your brand as search terms to create visuals for your stories
52:04 Create a “story bible” for your business so you always pull the right images to illustrate your story

Recommended Storytelling Tools

Discover Your Primary Business Story Type (The Story Bistro)

Building Leadership Stories Ecourse (Michael Kass)

How to Build Your Brand and Visibility Through Stories (interview with Carey Pena)

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/denise-wakeman/michael-kass-tea-silvestre” title=”How to Use Metaphors to Tell Your Business Story” artist=”Denise Wakeman” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” ]

About the Guests

Téa Silvestre Godfrey is a storytelling coach for small biz owners who want to change their industry and/or the world. She’s also the author of “Attract and Feed a Hungry Crowd,” and the co-author and editor of “30 Ways to Bloom Your Relationships Online.”

Michael Kass is an award-winning storyteller, facilitator, and coach whose work focuses on helping people and organizations harness the power of their stories to create change. His clients include start-ups, social impact organizations, CEOs, artists, musicians, and other humans interested in reconnecting with a deep sense of purpose and self.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes 
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list to get notifications about upcoming shows.

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!   

The post How to Use Metaphors to Tell Your Business Story – Adventures in Visibility appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

As live video becomes easier to produce with tools like Periscope, Blab and Facebook live, you have an opportunity to take your business to new heights. Big name social media stars are making waves and making money by adding live video to their marketing strategy.

But what about us solo biz owners, can live video make an impact on our businesses?

That’s what my guest MaAnna Stephenson and I talked about on this episode of Adventures in Visibility. You’re going to learn exactly how she does it in this interview/case study.

• MaAnna Stephenson’s background and how she got started with her online business (she’s a true Renaissance woman!)
• Why she’s so excited about live video
• The challenges that MaAnna needed to overcome
• Exactly how MaAnna makes money every time she does a live broadcast
• The platforms MaAnna uses (and why she LOVES Facebook Live)
• MaAnna’s top tips for using live video
• MaAnna’s most memorable adventure

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and MaAnna Stephenson. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

Recommended Reading and Action

How I Make Money with Blab

Survive and Thrive with the Demise of Blab – Interview with Denise Wakeman

How to get started with Facebook Live (affiliate)

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/denise-wakeman/maanna-stephenson” title=”How to Grow Your Visibility & Business with Live Video” artist=”Denise Wakeman and MaAnna Stephenson” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” ]

About the Guest

MaAnna Stephenson, the founder of BlogAid, is a geek who can still speak in plain English and helps non-geeks create sites that get noticed by search engines and readers, are secure, plus convert and perform well. MaAnna helps with WordPress, SEO, content and video marketing, membership sites, security, performance, and more.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes 
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and follow me on Blab to get notifications about upcoming shows.

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!  

The post How to Grow Your Visibility and Business with Live Video – Adventures in Visibility with MaAnna Stephenson appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

That’s what David Kutcher and I discussed during this episode of Adventures in Visibility.

On the show David and I discussed:

• Why your marketing efforts on social media may be going to waste
• The difference between social proof and real proof that your social media marketing is working (or not)
• How to get consistent value-based metrics from your inbound traffic campaigns
• How to test your efforts on different platforms
• How to easily create UTM encoded links to track the return on investment of your social messages
• David’s most memorable adventure

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and David Kutcher. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

The Big Take-Away about UTM Codes

Having real data (vs. social proof) helps you see in black and white which of your efforts on social media are working. By tracking where your traffic is coming from, you know which messages and networks are driving the most traffic and are converting to customers and clients.

At the 09:00-minute mark, I share the big ah ha I had when I finally got my head around how UTM codes work. As David explains and shows on screen, it’s also much easier to set up tracking codes (UTM codes) than you may realize. He also provides a clear example of how the codes have helped him track the success of his social shares on various platforms.

Recommended Reading and Action

UTM Attribution will bring value metrics to your digital marketing – this article by David Kutcher explains step by step how to easily and quickly set up UTM codes for your tracking your content.  Links in the article direct you to set up the Chrome extension and the custom Google Analytics dashboard to start today.

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/denise-wakeman/david-kutcher” title=”Can Using UTM Codes Get You Better Social Media Results?” artist=”Denise Wakeman and David Kutcher” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” ]

About the Guest

David Kutcher is the co-owner and founder of Confluent Forms, a boutique firm that builds smart and beautiful websites and online strategies for their clients. Over the past 14 years, they have worked with amazing small businesses, non-profits, academic institutions and even Fortune 100 companies among the 250+ client projects that they’ve launched. While they have lots of clients in our hometown area of western Massachusetts, their clients span the country. They’re always working to help organizations achieve greater value from their online strategies.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

The post Can Using UTM Codes Get You Better Social Media Results? Adventures in Visibility With David Kutcher appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Traffic and visibility go hand in hand. Without traffic, no one finds or sees you content. Without visibility, it’s tough to get consistent traffic to your site. Whether it’s organic, SEO, or social, creating a consistent flow of traffic to your site ensures you get your message in front of the right people who want what you offer. And free traffic is the best kind to get!

And, that’s what Ana Hoffman and I explore on this episode of Adventures in Visibility.

On the show Ana and I discuss:

• The importance of increasing your website traffic
• How to leverage your content for more traffic
• Tips to generate more free traffic
• Why Ana recommends using SlideShare
• Why personal branding is so important to your traffic generation strategy
• Ana’s most memorable adventures

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and Ana Hoffman. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

The Big Take-Away about Personal Branding

At minute 08:25, I asked Ana about the difference between personal and business branding and the impact on traffic. This was a big aha for many who were watching the show. As Ana pointed out, “…people need to see your face in your niche, showing your expertise in your niche…”

When you do so, you’re creating a “visibility picture” and creating trust. If you only have a few minutes, I highly recommend you watch this segment and learn why “personal branding is paramount” to building your business.

@AnaTrafficCafe Ana, loved Your Blab With @DeniseWakeman ! Just finished watching it. Most Excellent. What is your Instagram profile?

— Jupiter Jim (@JupiterJimsCLUB) April 15, 2016

Recommended Reading

The Ultimate Blueprint to More Profitable Web Traffic

Slideshare Traffic Case Study • From 0 to 243,000 Views in 30 Days

Repurposing Your Content – 13 Ways to Reach More People

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

About the Guest

Ana Hoffman runs a no-nonsense Traffic Generation Cafe, where she freely shares advice on getting more web traffic by all free means possible, like SEO traffic, social media traffic, and blog promotion, as well as converting that traffic into email subscribers and paying customers.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes 
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!  

The post How to Boost Your Visibility with Free Traffic – Adventures in Visibility with Ana Hoffman appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

As an entrepreneur doing business online, or offline for that matter, you know how important your email subscribers are. In the words of my guest,

Today’s email subscriber wants a value-packed and personalized experience. Companies that are creating such experiences are earning more Web traffic, signups, and referrals than the ones that still think a “batch and blast” mentality is the way to go.

Email marketing is the most effective way to reach the people who have raised their hand and let you know they want to hear from you. During this interview, you’ll learn how you can create a relationship with and nurture your subscribers so they trust your message when it arrives in their inbox. And, that’s what Stephan and I explore on this episode of Adventures in Visibility.

On the show Stephan and I discuss:

• Understanding of what your relationship with your subscribers, so you can plan your content strategy around them
• Identify and nurture brand champions and your most engaged subscribers
• How to set expectations up front so you can build value and trust
• How to design the experience for your subscribers when you ask them to do something within the email

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and Stephan Hovnanian. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

The Big Take-Away about Email Marketing

One of the big take-aways in the conversation was the concept of segmenting the people on your email list. There are many ways to do this. For bloggers, one of the best ways may be to create content upgrades (see the article linked below and an example on one of my blog posts). Not only can you create massive value for your reader, you’ll also build a highly targeted list where your subscribers are segmented by their precise interests. 

Recommended Reading

4 Email Optimizations that will increase click-through rates by Stephan Hovnanian on Marketing Profs

Six Ways to Boost the Visibility of Your Email List guest post by Stephan Hovnanian 

How To Boost Conversions by 785% in One Day (The Content Upgrade)

5 Types of Engagement Emails to Nudge Users Towards Aha Moments

Download the Audio 

For your convenience, the mp3 is posted below, from the live show with Stephan:

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/denise-wakeman/stephan-hovnanian-email-marketing” title=”Email Marketing: Know Your Audience and What They Want” artist=”Denise Wakeman” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” ]

About the Guest

Stephan Hovnanian is the owner of Shovi, an email marketing and customer success company located outside Boston. Stephan works with B2B brands who are transitioning to customer-centric marketing strategies by revitalizing the relationships they have with their audiences, and empowering them to allow marketing to touch all areas of the customer journey.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes 
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!  

The post Email Marketing: Know Your Audience and What They Want – Adventures in Visibility with Stephan Hovnanian appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.