Making Profitable Connections

Helping You Grow Online

Author: JP

  • Helping LinkedIn Clients

    Helping LinkedIn Clients

    How we are helping LinkedIn clients?

    It starts with listening.

    We want to know all about your business so that we can create a marketing plan that works for you.

    We have created a document called the Client Road Map. The first few pages is a survey that helps us target your ideal client. We cater to your communication style. Do you want to answer questions about your business over a video call? No problem. Do you want to write out your answers and send them to us? We can do that too.

    Next we create a plan.

    LinkedIn is a social media platform that specializes in business connections. It’s not as effective as some other platforms for connecting to the general pubic. It is the best tool for making connections to businesses.

    MBH Stafford is a title company. Kathy Tate hired us to create their business page. This gave her a low cost way to generate leads and referral opportunities without having to take time away from running the business. She got a monthly report that provided growth statistics, recommendations, and a list of warm leads to contact. With this, she was able to grow out her client base.

    Our real estate agent and brokers are able to use LinkedIn for referrals. They do this by making connections with agents in places outside of their area. These agents make great referrals for people that are moving into the area. It is an easy relationship to setup because both parties benefit from the connection. Their searches, content marketing, and invitations are all taken care of so they can concentrate on making profitable connections

    One of our engineering clients, Afterburner Wind Tunnel Services, needed connections with both engineers that use wind tunnels for testing and the people that run the wind tunnel. Targeting through sales navigator helped them find both and the invitation and content marketing campaign helped them find interested clients.

    Unlike most digital marketers, we have a background in technical writing. This means we can create content marketing materials out of complex subject matter without needing constant explanations from the client. We want to save you time not make you tell us long explanations about the engineering documents you gave us.

    Our strategy includes a thorough understanding of business requirements via the Client Road Map and adapting communication styles to suit different needs. We focus on creating effective marketing plans, setting up LinkedIn business pages for lead generation, and using tools like the sales navigator to foster professional connections. We also provide technical writing services to simplify complex information, ensuring clear and effective communication in marketing efforts.

  • Changing the Company Direction

    Why are we Changing the Company Direction?

    My wife and I started Brayson Management about ten years ago as a full scale digital marketing company. Before that, we had careers in tech support and technical writing. We actually met at work as defense contractors working in a Naval Lab.

    We got into digital marketing when my dad started an eCommerce site that sold coral. He needed someone to run and market the website. He also wanted that person to work for free.

    We learned a lot doing that work, using skills like web development, marketing, and sales.

    We are different from most digital marketers in that most of our competitors come from a sales background. You can’t send them a specification document and expect them to understand it and make marketing content with it.

    You can do that with Brayson Management. Send us your technical engineering documents, and we will do the research and ask questions. We have a lot of experience simplifying the complicated.

    With this knowledge, we can leverage your LinkedIn presence to your audience and present them engaging content. We can even walk you through optimizing your profile and anyone in your office so that it benefits your business. Their connections become your company’s connections, and everyone benefits.

    While Brayson Management can provide quality service to anyone, we are going to focus on our engineering clients. This is because we can provide them better content marketing than anyone else. We can also provide a full range of services, but we are going to focus on providing a LinkedIn solution for businesses, because this solution provides the most benefit to this type of company.

    The solutions we use have been tested and work. They brings quality leads for your sales team. Check out the business pages that we manage and you can see the results for yourself.

  • Brand Management for Small Business

    Brand Management Explained

    We were at a discount close out store the other day, when I discovered that they had a graphics novel section. I had been told to wait by the bathroom, but the round black, red, and white little Deadpool logo on a large book kept calling me over, until I was knee deep in discounted comics feeling the tingle I get before I am about to buy something fun.

    Clutching my Deadpool minibus made me happy, even when my wife yelled at me for wondering off.

    We wondered around together through the store, which was a collection of all kinds of discounted household items. They had signs up with a cartoon character that looked like Eisenstein’s retail cousin, saying things like “The place may be a mess, but the oh the bargains.”

    We were looking at a rack of pants. Okay, she was looking at pants, and I was reading the back of my new book. It took a moment of her looking before she said, “The size on the hangers don’t match any of the pants. I have to look at each stupid label?” She managed to grab a store employee that was scurrying across the floor like a rat trying escape the light. ”Excuse me. None of these hangers match the labels,” she said. The man looked at her, his face hard to read behind his mask. “That’s what you get here,” he said before running off into a back room, quickly closing the door behind.

    We didn’t buy any pants, but the book will be digested over several days of reading.

    You may not have realized this was a story of brand management, because brands have been part of our society, since we thought society was a good idea.

    A brand is a symbol, name, or feature that represents one organization and differentiates it from another.

    Marvel weaves brands into everything they do. Deadpool’s brand includes a logo that artists use to fill spaces in their books. It is easy to see and is easily memorable. In a stack of books, it stands out. I can guess what kind of story and what the art will look like based on that logo alone.

    The retail Eisenstein store’s brand is “that’s what you get here.” It’s for people willing to sift through a dumpster to find a bargain.

    So what does brand management do for small business?

    Your brand is the public face of your company. Not managing your brand is like not brushing your hair and putting pants on before going out. It’s going to have an effect on the way the public remembers you.

    Much like a comic book character, people tend to treat brands like actual people, rather than fictional constructs. Brands are associated with emotional values, such as trustworthiness and more physical values, such as durability. Your company’s brand is the face of your company.

    Our job as Digital Marketers is to provide communication between your brand and the general public. This starts with research. Who is your brand? What values do you associate with your brand? Is your brand a Capricorn or a Libra?

    How does the public see your brand? This requires an honest look at your product or service, employees, sales process, customer service, and advertising. All of these qualities come together to form an overall perception of your brand.

    Once we know what your brand is and what you would like it to be, we can start communicating that to the public using all the tools and methods we use as digital marketers.

  • Is is Time For Content Marketing?

    When is a Good Time to Start Your Content Marketing?

    Is it after you make your Branding Plan? Is it after you talk with your Business Coach? Maybe you should start when you get enough of an audience? Should you wait until your content is perfect?

    Right Now

    The time to start your Content Marketing campaign is always right now. The benefits of content marketing are both immediate and grows over time. The immediate benefit is that you have content for people to find. By creating quality content and making it easy for search engines to find it, you are providing the chance for people to find you. Subscription campaigns are more effective when potential leads can see that the associated social media and website are updated with quality content.

    Content Marketing grows over time by keeping subscribers to your social media and website engaged and more likely to react and share content. Waiting to post content is just more time of missed growth and opportunities. Time is something that we can’t get back.

    Content has the power to engage, inform, and drive conversions for businesses. The beauty of content lies in its versatility; it can be created, modified, and shared at any time, allowing businesses to adapt their messaging and offerings to the ever-evolving needs of their target audience.

    Whether it’s a compelling blog post, an informative eBook, or an engaging video, content has the ability to attract and retain the attention of potential customers. When crafted effectively, it can establish trust, position a brand as an authority in its industry, and ultimately influence purchasing decisions.

    Not only is content valuable, but it is also highly cost-effective. Unlike traditional advertising methods, which often require significant financial investment, content can be shared and re-posted for free. This opens up opportunities for businesses of all sizes to compete on a level playing field in the digital space.

    In the realm of digital marketing, content serves as a powerful tool for driving organic traffic to websites. Search engines love fresh, informative, and relevant content, and reward websites that consistently provide value to their users with higher search rankings. By optimizing content for relevant keywords and regularly publishing high-quality pieces, businesses can increase their online visibility and attract a steady stream of organic traffic.

    However, it is important to note that simply creating content is not enough. To maximize its impact, businesses must also focus on promoting and distributing their content effectively. This involves leveraging social media platforms, email marketing campaigns, and partnerships with influencers to reach a wider audience. By amplifying the reach of their content, businesses can increase brand awareness, foster engagement, and generate leads.

    In conclusion, content is an invaluable tool in the arsenal of digital marketers. Its ability to engage, inform, and convert makes it crucial for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age. By consistently creating and promoting high-quality content, businesses can establish their brand authority, attract organic traffic, and ultimately drive business growth.

    For more Information, check out this article

    Content Marketing for Small Business

  • Content Marketing for Small Business

    What is Content Marketing?

    Content Marketing is a marketing strategy that businesses use to find relevant audiences, build trust, and increase sales. This is done by providing relevant content that is informative and entertaining. This marketing strategy differs from advertising in that it communicates more than just the company message. It offers something of value.

    Content Marketing Formats

    Video

    Video is a great format for content marketing because people are very responsive to visual cues. An entertaining video with a captivating thumbnail can get clicks. Clicks lead to subscribers. Subscribers lead to conversions.

    Print

    Print marketing involves articles, blogs, and pages. It seems like the world’s attention span is getting shorter and more people complain about having to read. This is why short titles and descriptions are important. Print media is how search engines find you. Print media is also the easiest “technically” to produce. as most people have the required software already installed.

    Graphics

    Graphics in content marketing are used to introduce your branding and your content. Messages are short, emotional, and relevant to the content.

    Examples of Great Content Marketing

    Video

    https://www.youtube.com/@HornetKingOfficial

    https://www.youtube.com/@Andrewflusche

    Text

    https://listwithclever.com/real-estate-blog/how-to-sell-a-house-by-owner-in-virginia/#list-home

    Graphics

    How to Create Content Marketing

    Audience

    Your first step is creating a persona of your ideal customer. A persona is a sort of thought experiment on the average traits of your ideal customer. Imagine being able to melt them down, mix them together, and get an average of what they are all like in one person.

    You can use this persona to determine things like your ideal marketing channels, your branding, and your brand voice.

    Content

    Make it interesting. Content that appeals to an emotional message rather than a logical one has the greatest impact. Entertainment has value in that it creates subscribers, conversions, and repeat views. Don’t forget that you are writing for your persona and they are your target audience.

    Post often. Posting drives traffic to the channel you are using each time you do it. As you create a body of work, creating content becomes easier. This is because you can combine, edit, and re-post content as it increases. Posting on a regular schedule increases subscribers. It helps with your ranking as it drives traffic to your platform.

    Use SEO on website posts and pages so that search engines index them properly.

    Combine content, combining content, by adding links for more information drives traffic to other pages on your site, increasing the ranking of your content and providing additional opportunities for conversions.

    Marketing Channels

    Where you post your content marketing largely depends on where your persona spends their free time. Are they on Facebook? Do they use Instagram to check on their kids? Are they watching fishing videos on YouTube? Or are they watching haunted places on Tik Tok. Maybe they are searching for Chinese resteraunt near me.

    Marketing Format

    The format you choose is dependent on your marketing channel. Instagram is great for pictures but does not have the video controls that tik tok has. Facebook allows long text with photos. Google My-business does not allow videos to be posted. In some cases you can post the same content across multiple channels.

    Branding

    Branding refers to things like document font’s, colors, logos, and tone. It’s important because you are trying to build a brand identity in your audience’s head. Branding is largely done based on your customer’s persona. It is the glue that ties all of your content together. All of your content is different but it has the same look because of branding.

  • Is Your Domain Overlooked and Underused?

    What is a Domain?

    The internet is a technological landscape of many different parts that come together in a way that is so seamless, most people take it for granted. These parts all work in the background to provide your internet experience. Most of the internet is made up of web pages that you access every day for various services.

    Most small business web pages seem to have been an afterthought in the beginning of their business. They are usually small with a brief description, contact information, and a picture. The older the business, the more likely the information is out of date and the page is forgotten.

    So what exactly is a web page?

    Well, now we are getting too far ahead because you haven’t asked what a domain is. It’s okay. DNS or the Domain Naming Service is the boring part of the internet for many people. A business domain is often an overlooked asset, because people do not understand it.

    Domain names were developed, because people are bad at remembering numbers. People know they can type Facebook.com into their browser, but no one is going to remember 31.13.66.35. That number is called an IP address and is used to tell the internet where the Facebook.com server is. Domain records also tell the internet where to send your email. Think of it as the internet house address for your business that tells the world where your website and email lives. Both live on a server, which is usually run by a company that is called a hosting provider, which has a server that has an IP address. You buy your domain through a registrar. It is the registrar’s job to know who owns what domain and the IP address of the server hosting the domain. The DNS hosting provider in turn tells the internet where the e-mail, webserver, and a variety of other services are located.

  • LinkedIn Group Guide

    Linkedin Groups Grow Through Members

    Linkedin is social media for business. It’s organized in much the same way as Facebook. Here we will go over some key points of Linkedin and how group members can increase group effectiveness.

    Linkedin Group Basics

    Connections are what make Linkedin work. There are multiple ways to build connections. Here we will focus on building connections through groups.

    Your Linkedin profile is your professional face to the world. Your work history, current company, skills, endorsements, and connections are all shown here.

    A Linkedin business page is a page dedicated to a specific business. Only page admins can post but anyone can react and comment. They are great for businesses that want to connect to other businesses.

    A Linkedin group is a collection of profiles dedicated to a certain topic. Group members can post, react, and comment. They can also invite members.

    Linkedin Group Tips

    • Invite relevant people to join. Large groups are generally more effective at building connections than small ones. Each member adds to the group’s overall number of connections.
    • Like and comment on group posts. Each member that does this will add that group post and their response to their feed. This increases the overall number of possible connections that see the group post.
    • Post relevant content to the group. Adding content doesn’t just help inform the group, it also exposes the group to a wider audience and allows group members to comment and react, which will increase the audience.
    • When you tag this content to a profile, the profile plus their connections will see the post.

    Following these tips will help you get the most out of group and help you build your own connections. The quality and number of your connections are key factors in determining how effective your Linkedin experience will be. Referral groups like Referral Force Two Twelve can combine connections in a way that amplifies everyone’s reach.

  • Another Marketing scam?

    Can You Spot the Marketing Scam

    A video ad popped up in my Facebook feed for Digital Marketing Services. These are great opportunities for me to learn what other companies are doing, and it was a good video. It had a young woman trying to get help with small business marketing and the frustration she had with different types of companies.

    There was the large mega digital marketing company that uses an expensive one size fits most service, and no one listens to her when she asks questions.

    They had the “Trust Me” company, where she pays for something and has no idea what she is getting in return. She is only certain that he takes her check.

    They had the single owner many hats guy. His marketing hat was a hipster outfit and a creepy stare.

    And then she met a marketing for hire site and lived happily ever after. It’s a strange little ad but entertaining.

    In the book “Clone the Ace,” the author talks about the different types of customers, and he says the overwhelming number of clients you will find will be the ones that tried a digital advertising company and were unhappy with the result.

    Most of the ads I see about Online marketing are either “The Digital Marketing System Facebook doesn’t want you to know,” or “We are better than those other guys.”

    I can see why anyone would be frustrated with ever an changing complicated world of websites, social media, and online advertising. There are experts and idiots, and there is no easy way to tell the difference.

    At Brayson we have thought about all these challenges. It’s easy to not be the large company with people walking in and out of your account, when that’s not who you are. We are a small business and you will be talking to one of the owners.

    We use tools created by the by the search engine, social media, and DNS companies to evaluate your internet presence. These are tools you can run yourself, and are the same ones developers use to test how well things are working. We create detailed monthly reports that show how our work is starting to grow leads. That’s not something the Trust Us company would want to do.

    The Many Hat company can describe most businesses. I have a pile of hats that I have to wear for my business, and you probably do too. It’s more about whether the company has the right skills for your company. Brayson has a variety of partnerships that allows us to offer you the individual care of a small business with the variety of services and the expertise of a large company.

    The questions we suggest you ask a perspective marketing company are things like “What’s your turnover rate? How quickly do you respond to technical changes in the industry? What kinds of reporting do you offer? What services will I have access to with your company?” Questions like this make it much easier to determine which type of company you are dealing with and will help you decide whether you want to spend your marketing budget on them.

  • The Case for Digital Management

    Truck Wraps are nice but Digital Management is the Future

    We had a potential client that was in the construction industry and ultimately decided that digital marketing was not worth the money. He didn’t market the company anywhere else but word of mouth. This worked, and in the beginning he found work fairly regularly with loyal clientele. This small group of customers were able to provide him with steady work for a short period of time, but it became sporadic. He would find work and be so busy that he wouldn’t have time for anything else. He would finish this work and then there would be a time where he was doing nothing. When he was busy, he would complain that he did not have enough help. When he was not doing anything, he would complain that he was not getting enough work and couldn’t hire anyone. His business ran in a kind of circle where he would find the work, do the work, and find the work again. He always seemed one step behind himself in getting the steady work that wanted.

    Some people get in the way of their own success, and I was never able to convince him why we could solve this problem for him.

    If this sounds like you, let me give it another try right now. To break this cycle, you are going to have to do something different. You are going to have to use some digital tools to build internet lead generators. But it takes time, experience, and knowledge to set this up. You can only wear so many hats in a day, and the digital marketing hat is one you should hire.

    One reason is that we are working while you are working. For a small investment, you can save time and have us handle all the work for you. This means you can spend your time running your business instead of using it to create forgotten websites and social media pages.

    We will setup a social media page with an advertising campaign. This will provide your business with an internet presence and a method of bringing traffic to that page. This simple setup will help bring customers to you, while you run your business. You might even get enough steady work to hire that extra person. With a little more of an investment, we can handle all of your internet services to provide professional domain email that you control and looks professional to your clients. We can provide a state of the art website that is optimized for your customers to find it. We can ensure your business is well connected to search engines so your clients find you.

    All of this work helps in a few ways. It provides a kind of digital sign post that allows your customers to find you on their tablets, cell phones, and computers; and it provides you a low cost and active way to reach your customers. It’s a great way to grow your business and much cheaper than traditional marketing.

  • Sell More with eCommerce

    Setup your eCommerce Store

    Almost any business can benefit from an eCommerce site these days, yet few take advantage of it. A good website can create an additional source of revenue. It can streamline your customer service. It can sell products. It can allow customers to design their own products. It can handle subscriptions, tickets, and can be a great promotion tool for both the website and your brick and mortar business. The possibilities are endless.

    So how do you start an eCommerce site? The short answer is that it depends on your business. There are a couple of approaches and each has it’s advantages and limitations.

    You can go with an eCommerce platform. This is the quickest, easiest, and least expensive. There are many different companies that run eCommerce platforms, the most well known is probably Shopify. These companies work by providing everything for you, and you just have to point and click for most setups. This simplicity has some limitations. You are stuck with whatever the platforms offers, and this makes your site much less flexible. It’s impossible to add any new features that the platform has not developed. This limits what new features can run on the, which could effect your site’s ranking. These platforms can get expensive when you add up the additional services they require to get the features you need.

    You can hire a developer to build your site from scratch. This has the advantage of building a custom site that suites your needs. The developer can code the site to current SEO standards and ensure it is fast. This solution is the most expensive and requires continued support from the developer, or the code will go out of date. Out of date code can have vulnerabilities that if left unpatched can lead to hacked sites or a site with maleware. If you change your mind, their is little chance of using the code you paid for in the next solution.

    Both of these options are great if you are either a large company able to hire a full time software developer or a small company that needs a quick eCommerce store.

    There is a middle option that provides more flexibility that an eCommerce platform for a price that is cheaper than hiring a developer. Using a Content Management System like WordPress to run your eCommerce site, lets you choose between a variety of plugins and themes without needing to write code. It provides a quick solution to creating a digital store, while allowing you to install custom code and storefronts.

    We find that many small businesses that could benefit the most from an eCommerce solution never do it. There are a lot of reasons for this; the biggest being not enough time. A lot of this is still complicated and most people can’t devote the time to learn what they need to know and create a website from what they learned.

    Brayson Management has experience creating and managing eCommerce solutions. Our pricing makes these solutions within reach of small business, providing the latest technology that fits small business budgets. We provide clear guidance using the latest seo and data to make your online business a success. With Brayson Management, you control your budget, and the money you reinvest in your business gets results.

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