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Top 10 Reasons to Rebrand Your Business (Infographic)

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In order to grow, sometimes you’ve got to go back to the drawing board.


2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Businesses often need to rebrand, and it can be a result of many reasons, including international growth, new management, a bad reputation or an outdated image. Whatever the reason, it’s important to create a stellar brand that people will remember.

Related: The 8 Must-Follow Rules for Rebranding Your Company 

Because of internationalization, Raider changed its name to Twix. If you plan to grow internationally, it’s incredibly important to choose a brand name that’s adaptable and appealing to cultures worldwide.

Walmart, known for its low prices, is also a prime example of a major company that wanted to reposition itself in the market. However, instead of changing its name, the company simply changed its slogan from “Always low prices” to “Save money, live better.”

Related: 5 Signs It’s Time to Rebrand Your Company

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he changed Apple’s rainbow logo to a sleek metallic one. Keeping up with trends, changing times and his vision for Apple’s future, Jobs’s rebrand worked well and aligned with the company’s brand of offering minimalistic, contemporary products.

Related: The 3 Fundamentals for a Successful Rebrand

If you’re planning to rebrand your business, it’s important to think about what will help your company grow. To learn more, check out Custom Logo Shop’s infographic below for the top 10 reasons to rebrand your business.

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What You Need to Know to Create a Best-selling Book

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My book made it to No. 1 on Amazon’s self-help, new releases. Here’s how you can find similar success.


7 min read

A Note From The Editor

Think your company has what it takes to make our Top Company Cultures list? Apply now.

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Five years ago, I decided that it was time to write my first book. It was the story of how a single dad of five led his kids, his business and himself from disaster to success. At that time, I hadn’t written even a single word on the topic. Writing a book seemed like an overwhelming task and I didn’t even know where to begin. What kind of book should it be? A self-help, memoir, parenting, leadership or business book? Should I self-publish or try to get a traditional publisher or was there another option? I researched and found 10 individuals who were either experts, consultants or had published books. I got 20 opinions on what to do.

I have recently completed the long and arduous journey of writing a book. Leader of the Pack, a self-published book memoir, even reached No. 1 in self-help, new releases on Amazon. Now I get to brag about having a bestselling book and share how I made it happen. So, here are some the techniques I learned along the way that you’ll need to create your best-selling book:

Content is king

Before you decide to write a book, think about what the reader will get out of it. Tell your story to friends, family and on social media. See the reaction. I raised five kids on my own as a single-dad for 20 years, had a five-year divorce, a Supreme Court case and ran my own business with 100+ employees and had to reinvent that twice to survive. When I told people my story, I frequently heard, “you need to write a book.” If you are not hearing that, change your approach — or maybe realize your book isn’t worthy. It’s better to know this before you begin.

Personal branding

Start building a powerful and visible personal brand even before you begin writing your book, because it is going to be the most valuable asset you have to evaluate your audience, find your voice, sell your book, get reviews and get noticed by the press. I started building a powerful and visible personal brand years before I began writing my book and about a year before my book was done, I started preparing my audience for the content of my book. About 120 days before the release, I started telling my audience specifically about the book.

Blogging

Writing blogs relevant to your personal brand and book topic is the best way to find your unique voice, understand what exactly you are trying to say to the world and how your message resonates with your audience. Thoughts in your brain look entirely different when you write them down knowing other people will now read them. It is unlikely you will find success as a book author if you haven’t written a few dozen blogs first.

Seek professional help

Get help with your brand, messaging and your voice from experts. Since I was writing about single-fatherhood of five little kids, divorce, ex-wives and struggling businesses, how I crafted my words was crucial. I didn’t want to sound like an angry man or a superhero, and my branding expert was crucial in this process.

Ghost writers are real

If, after writing 25 blogs, you still aren’t good enough at crafting your message, hire a professional writer who has written in your subject area before. There is no shame in that. You don’t even have to list them as a co-author if you agree not to in advance.

Agents and publishers

I prepared an official book proposal, which includes an author’s bio, marketing plan, table of contents, summary of each chapter and a sample chapter — all before I wrote the book. I submitted it to a dozen agents, and one well-known agent accepted it. I was thrilled.

The agent submitted my book to many of the big publishing houses and smaller ones. I got rejection after rejection with a similar response: “You have a big personal brand, but we don’t know where your book fits.”

Eventually, a smaller publisher took my book and after going through six months of work with them, they decided my book wasn’t working for them for “legal” reasons and canceled the contract. I was less than thrilled. 

Self-publishing to success

Self-publishing is the best way to go for most first-time authors. There are many self-publishing platforms to use and you should research them carefully. I published my first edition with Bookbaby. But after learning the ropes, I published my second edition through Amazon Createspace for the paperback and Kindle Direct Publishing for the e-book. I had good experiences with them all. Bookbaby is more expensive to use but does most of the work for you. Createspace is less-expensive to print books and gives you all the control over your book you could ever want including the ability to quickly update the book itself and pricing. The best part of self-publishing is you keep more of the money from the sales. And since, you will be doing most of the book promoting anyway, why even bother with a traditional publisher?

Promote, promote, promote

Time to use that powerful and visible personal brand to promote your book. As soon as you know when your book is going to publish, you should start using all your social channels to get the word out. Email blasts, live video, requesting appearances on podcasts, and just telling everyone you know are all techniques you need to employ. Reach out to local bookstores and set up book signings timed to the release. Look for venues that are relevant to your book topic and see if they will let you speak to their audience. Be relentless and expect that it will take many weeks and months to continuously promote your book to get it to the top of the charts. This is as hard a task as it was to write the book.

Amazon book reviews

It is common knowledge that more reviews you get on Amazon, the more your book gets promoted by the Amazon algorithm and is likely to sell more. Some say the magic number is 50 and some say it’s 100. If you promote your book well, you will get some reviews organically – meaning readers will submit reviews on their own. But if you want to reach the 50 or 100 marks, you will have to solicit reviews one by one, repeatedly. Use that personal brand and personally ask people to buy and review your book. I spent time each day reaching out to anyone I thought would enjoy the book, and because I have a large social following, I was able to add an average of three reviews per day in the first month of release. This is a process you should continue through the life of the book.

Have a party

Plan to have a book launch party timed near the release of your book. It’s a fabulous way to generate interest in your book, get the attention of the press, and get a direct feel for how people view you and your book. This will be promotion money well spent and if you are able, look for a sponsor. My book party had over 75 people attend, I gave away 100 books, and I’m still having people contact me about the party and my book. The party also created a personal relationship with the attendees, giving you the opportunity to directly ask for book reviews. Finally, you have worked your ass off to get to this spot, and the party is a well-deserved reward for your efforts.

You can see now that writing a book and getting it to be a bestseller is not an easy task. It requires creative thinking, excellent writing skills, personal brand building and a truckload of hard work. But anyone can do it — you just have to ask yourself one question: “How bad do I want it?!”

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How to Choose a Business Partner (Infographic)

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Finding the perfect business partner isn’t easy, but it can make or break your company.


2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Finding the right business partner is a matter of chemistry. While it can be a tough, it’s extremely important to find someone compatible with you and whose skills complement yours.

Related: 5 Things to Consider Before Getting a Business Partner

So what can you do to have a good partnership? For starters, understand your business and leadership style so you know what you need from a partner. Ask yourself questions including: Do I prefer coming up with facts and figures or brainstorming ideas? Do I like to plan things or play them by ear? Do I look at the bigger picture or focus on details? Questions such as these can help you understand what you can bring to the table in order to figure out what you need from the other person.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Business Partnerships

Once you figure out the type of partner you need, there are a few other rules to live by. Before jumping into a partnership, you should know that person for at least a year so you’ve seen their true colors and have a solid grasp of who they are. Next, make sure your core values and beliefs line up. It would be no fun to butt heads later on. Lastly, draft it all out: Write out your partner’s responsibilities, rights and exit strategy so everything is clear and transparent.

To learn more, check out Business Backer’s infographic below.

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How 10 Billionaires Faced Failure (Infographic)

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Success doesn’t come easy.


2 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


When you’re starting a business, you can expect mistakes and sometimes even failures to come along with it. For most successful people, failure is always a part of their journey. It’s learning how to handle and grow from these experiences that make us stronger and better position us for future successes.

Related: 10 Blessings That Come Hidden in Rejection, Losing and Failure

Just take a look at Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Walt Disney. Before dropping out of Harvard and creating Microsoft, Gates co-founded a traffic monitoring website called Traf-O-Data, which failed.

For all Branson’s life, he’s struggled with dyslexia. He dropped out of school when he was 16-years-old, but then went on to create Virgin. Even at Virgin, Branson has faced many troubles, attempting to start a soda company, a bridal company and a digital download agency, all of which failed.

Related: 10 Strategies for Entrepreneurs Dealing With Failure

Walt Disney was also prone to failure: the high school dropout was fired from a magazine job at 22-years-old because the editor felt he “lacked imagination.” After that, he created Laugh-O-Gram Studio, which went bankrupt after two years.

To learn more, check out Quick Base’s infographic to see how 10 billionaires faced failures.

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What’s Best For Your Business?

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3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


When you own a digital marketing agency, clients want to know where to invest their marketing dollars. A question we frequently receive is, “Should I invest in PPC or SEO?”

Related: SEO vs. PPC: Knowing Which Is Right for Your Website

According to WordStream, PPC stands for pay-per-click, “a model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.” Essentially, it’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically.

Earned placement via Google organic (or SEO) means you don’t have to pay for each click.

An example

Below is an example of PPC result versus SEO via Google Search. The search term I used was “car insurance.” Using Google’s Keyword Planner, I was able to determine that the average cost per click for this car insurance keyword was nearly $60. This is one of the more expensive terms, folks!

You’ll notice there is a little box that says “Ad” to the right of the PPC advertisements. For organic results, this box does not display. Even though organic placements are below the ads, search engine users overwhelmingly click on organic results on Google and Bing by a margin of 94 percent to six percent, according to Search Engine Watch.

Related: 5 Pay-Per-Click Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

There is enough search volume where Geico, Progressive and Farmers could each get thousands of clicks per day via PPC advertisements. For this example, let’s say Geico generates 100 clicks daily to its site via PPC. This would mean it would pay $6,000 on paid advertisements daily (100 clicks x $60 cost per click = $6,000).

Allstate, on the other hand, ranks No. 1 organically. This means any time someone clicks on its organic placement, that is not costing it a penny. From an ROI perspective, this is obviously much more lucrative than paying $6,000 per day to acquire customers.

Diversification plus patience

The mistake we see most brands make is that they want to get results tomorrow. They don’t have the patience to invest in SEO for three months or possibly three years from today. This makes them quick to jump into PPC and forget about SEO. PPC can drive results tomorrow. SEO is a longer-term process.

On the other hand, we see businesses that don’t want to pay each time someone clicks on their advertisement. They want to have the No. 1 position, similar to Allstate. The issue is that their SEO metrics are far behind their competitors. Their on-site SEO needs work. They need assistance with local directory submissions. They don’t have a backlink and digital PR strategy.

Related: 9 Key Questions to Ask an SEO Company Before Hiring It — or Firing It

My recommendation

If you can rank in the top three positions on Google for every prominent keyword within your industry, you are fortunate and don’t have to invest much in PPC. For the majority of businesses, that isn’t the case, so PPC is necessary to drive traffic and generate sales.

If you are profitable with your PPC, why not invest in this channel as well along with organic? It is just another way to increase your customer base. Don’t think you can only invest in one of the two options between SEO and PPC. You should have a diversified game plan for both.

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A Small-Business Guide to Facebook Insights (Infographic)

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Facebook Insights is an incredibly helpful tool — if you know how to use it correctly.


1 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


Facebook is more than just status updates and photo albums — it’s a major marketing tool for businesses. However, if you don’t know how to use it properly and take advantage of all it has to offer, you might as well not use it at all.

Related: 3 Ways Facebook Spaces Could Revolutionize the Business World

From engaging customers to entertaining them, Facebook Insights provides some of the best tips and tools for boosting your business. To start, Facebook Insights will tell you information about your customer base, such as the type of people who follow you, where they are located, how old they are and more. Another important area that Facebook Insights covers is your competition. Using the tool, you can track their posts and engagement in order to get ideas for your own business.

Related: How Your Business Can Capitalize on Facebook Live

With all of this information, you can come up with a bulletproof plan for growing your business. To learn more, check out Business Backer’s infographic below.

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Protect the Environment, Protect Your Business

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If your company depends on abundant natural resources, supporting environmental causes is smart business — but it’s also so much more.


8 min read

A Note From The Editor

Think your company has what it takes to make our Top Company Cultures list? Apply now.

Apply now »

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


As the head of a company that sells fly-fishing equipment, I’m often asked the question: What will be the next boom in fly-fishing? My answer has nothing to do with the latest fly, pair of boots or trendy lodge. Fly-fishing will grow only if the resources it relies upon do so, too. That means clean, fishable waters.

Too often, protecting the environment is couched either as a partisan issue or as one that pits idealistic tree-huggers against business-minded realists. Each side resorts to using radical terms, further polarizing the issue and pulling us farther from the center. I’ve learned humans are much more likely to reach middle ground through facts.

So here’s one to take to heart: If your business benefits from natural resources, you must act to protect them. Many, many companies and people derive a living from the natural resources we inherited. None of us — including my team at Orvis — made the initial investment. And yet, every time someone buys a raincoat, purchases hiking boots or books a tour, one of us benefits.

Related: The Unintended Results of Doing the Right Thing

One region’s story: Bristol Bay.

For the past decade, I’ve been involved in the battle to protect the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, which is under threat from the proposed Pebble Mine project. The watershed in the southwestern corner of the state is home to the largest remaining sockeye salmon fishery in the world, large mineral resources and numerous species of fish, birds and mammals. Alaska Native tribes have maintained a salmon-based culture here for at least 4,000 years.

The Canada–based mining company Northern Dynasty Minerals has been trying to put a copper mine in Bristol Bay for more than 15 years, despite widespread local and national opposition. In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the results of a three-year study of the region. The report revealed the watershed generated nearly $480 million in direct economic expenditures and sales in 2009 and provided more than 14,000 full- and part-time jobs. Over 11,500 of those jobs during peak season stem from commercial salmon fishery, valued at approximately $300 million annually. The region produces half the world’s sockeye salmon, with annual runs of greater than 37.5 million fish.

The same year the EPA released its study, a subsidiary of Northern Dynasty filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the filing, Pebble Limited Partnership estimated the total copper-mine site could be larger than Manhattan and almost as deep as the Grand Canyon. Based on the available information, the EPA in 2014 determined the mine would result in a complete and irreversible loss of fish habitats in some areas of the bay. The agency applied a provision of the Clean Water Act to protect the area from certain mining activities, including the Pebble Mine project.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. President Donald Trump’s administration appointed a new head of the EPA. And in May 2017, after a 30-minute meeting with Pebble Limited CEO Tom Collier, EPA Director Scott Pruitt withdrew the agency’s protection of the Bristol Bay watershed. The action paved the way for Collier’s company to file mining applications. Surprisingly, Pruitt reversed the EPA’s position again in late January of this year. It was encouraging news for environmentalists and the region’s economy, but it by no means signaled any sort of guarantee. The EPA statement said the decision “neither deters nor derails the application process,” which means the fight is far from over.

The argument is that new mines bring jobs. And with a statewide unemployment rate of 6.4 percent, Alaska certainly needs jobs. According to Northern Dynasty, Pebble Mine will create more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for the first 20 years, in addition to thousands of jobs during the construction phase. But these are boom-and-bust jobs that can rip at the social fabric of longstanding communities. They’re also only a fraction of the 14,000 time-tested sustainable jobs the Bay currently supports — or the $1.5 billion commercial and sport-fishery industy.

Related: Why Lacoste Replaced Its Signature Alligator for Its New Polo Shirts

The larger issue: America’s water systems.

I’m lucky enough to have paddled a number of rivers in the Bristol Bay watershed, and its beauty and solitude are unparalleled. It’s truly one of our country’s last unspoiled wildernesses. I’ve also been to places in the lower 48 states that have been ruined by the downstream effects of mines that leaked or were abandoned.

The Berkeley Pit, an abandoned copper mine in Montana, is one of the few places on earth where you can pay to see toxic waste. The site made headlines last year when roughly 3,000 geese died after landing on the poisonous water. Unfortunately, the Berkeley Pit is not an anomaly.

According to the EPA, 40 percent of river headwaters in the Western U.S. are impaired by acid mine drainage. Within Colorado’s borders, 230 mines are leaking heavy metals into 1,645 miles of rivers and streams. Between 2009 and 2014, Colorado state mining officials spent $12.3 million taxpayer dollars on mine-reclamation work. Taxpayers in numerous other states have been left holding the bag when mining companies leave town. The public burden in such cases is poised to grow: Pruitt’s EPA recently reversed a rule requiring hard-rock mining companies to prove they have the financial means to clean up future pollution. 

Related: 7 Clean-Tech Companies That Solve More Than Environmental Problems

Our investment: More than money alone.

Anonymously throwing money at a cause isn’t enough. It’s time for us to make a more meaningful investment to protect the environment and safeguard the resources that so many depend on. We embrace this position at Orvis, and we’re not alone. Companies such as Patagonia and Costa also have gone beyond writing checks. They’re engaging in advocacy for causes including removing river-choking dams and reducing companies’ use of plastic.

We all understand we literally can’t grow our businesses unless we defend the natural resources on which they depend. But we need help. Any industry that relies on the outdoors — from tourism to sporting goods or food production — must step up and be heard. Here are three strategies we’ve found helpful to ensure the success of Orvis’ initiatives.

Ask nonprofit partners how you can help most. The answer may surprise you.

When we partnered with the Everglades Foundation, we expected leaders would ask us to raise money. As it turned out, they needed us to reframe the argument for conserving wetlands and present a business perspective. For a long time, the debate over the fate of the Everglades had been painted as a conflict between environmentalists and the sugar industry. By showing up and speaking out, we demonstrated that business interests and conservation don’t have to conflict. We recast the conversation. As a result, we made a greater impact on the campaign than we could have by simply sending a check.

Get employees on board.

It’s all well and good for executives to make statements in support of causes. However, most movements build their strength at the grassroots level. Employees are your ground troops. They contribute to campaigns and get customers excited about your cause. When you do outreach, don’t target only the public — make sure you’re communicating your message to your employees, too. Getting employees on board will amplify your message and may help you reduce churn. In our most recent human-resources survey, numerous associates said Orvis’ role in protecting nature is one of the reasons they work here instead of somewhere else. (Side note: It’s not just our company. A 2017 Provaddo survey of Fortune 1000 companies found that 57 percent of employees believe corporate America needs to play a more active role in addressing important societal issues.)

Speak up loud and clear.

We made some large, public statements about our commitment to protect the Everglades, and we were really pleased with the public’s reaction. Our words resonated more with our customers than telling them how many millions of dollars we’ve donated. Our marketing surveys reveal that customers are highly aware of our efforts and they value our work to protect and invest in the outdoors.

Related: Breathe In, Breathe Out. Then, Improve Your Talent Retention by Thinking: Air Quality

Conservation isn’t a luxury; it’s smart business. It’s long-term-thinking strategy and one of the best investments companies can make in their futures. If the threat from development to open wilderness areas and clean waterways is left unchecked, we’ll repeat the mistakes of the past and add to the more than 1,300 active Superfund cleanup sites in the United States today. If that happens, the next boom in fly-fishing — or any other outdoor activity — may be a virtual-reality game.

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8 Steps for the Perfect Product Launch

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Heighten your visibility, avoid costly mistakes and build buzz with these strategies.


9 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.


You’ve created the killer product that will change the world. Now you need people to buy it. Top entrepreneurs and members of The Oracles share their tried-and-tested ways to build buzz so people buy from you and passionately spread the word for mega profits.

Daymond John

Image credit: The Oracles

1. Be strategic.

One, find your core audience. Whether you’re creating the new iPhone or a cupcake stand, find and learn from your core audience. Establish your base and build their confidence in you.

Two, get advice and listen. Most friends will be your biggest cheerleaders, but that doesn’t mean they’re helping. They need to poke holes in your ideas, which you can fix before taking a product to market. Resist the urge to be defensive. And use the opportunity to strengthen your product.

Three, learn from others. There are no more original ideas, just repurposed ones. As you prepare to market your idea, examine your competitors. Take from their good, learn from their bad, and enhance what needs to be improved. Then put your spin on it.

Four, be smart about publicity. You no longer need traditional media to drive ideas, products or messages. Don’t get caught up in creating a PR budget if it won’t drive core business. Instead, spend your time creating messages to buyers.

Five, conditioning your social media audience is critical. Always pushing them to “buy” creates fatigue, making them feel like a number. Build a relationship with your audience at least three months in advance so they can learn your tone and rhythms. Then seek ways for them to interact with your product.

Six, for all your analysis, don’t forget to rely on “feel.” Entrepreneurs are risk takers with unwavering belief. Don’t abandon that now that you’re moments away from the launch. 

Finally, use the power of broke. I wrote a book about this. My biggest business mistakes came when I tried to buy success. My most successful business experiences came from using limited resources, supported by innovation. Resist the urge to spend, spend, spend. —Daymond John, Shark on “Shark Tank,” NYT-bestselling author of “Rise And Grind,” creator of Daymond On Demand and founder of FUBU, which has generated $6 billion in sales

Grant Cardone

Image credit: The Oracles

2. Go overboard with outreach.

Obscurity kills businesses. If you don’t go overboard, you won’t get the attention needed to be successful. Before launching a new product, ask yourself: One, How far will I go to get attention? Two, How frequent will I be in my attempts?

For my 10X Growth Con 2 in Las Vegas, I created 1,023 tweets, 26 YouTube videos, 198 emails and countless Instagram posts. Some think that’s excessive, but 9,000 people showed up. I called one guy back after he told me to never call again. He was outraged and hung up. The next day, I called again and he bought a $10,000 ticket.     —Grant Cardone, sales expert who has built a $750-million real estate empire, and NYT-bestselling author; follow Grant on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube

Eileen Rivera

Image credit: The Oracles

3. Use common sense.

Know your audience. If someone asks you, “Who’s your target audience?” have a concise answer. Otherwise, there’s a problem. Also, get to know your stakeholders. Find out where they spend their free time and join them after work. Events are great for getting your product into the community. Consider sponsoring a mixer at a local restaurant, brewery or wine bar to draw interest.

Know your product’s value. Interview a client who found success using your product. Ask them why it was successful.

With branding and promotion, have a multimedia approach that includes print, photography and video. Don’t treat hashtags as an afterthought; they’re a powerful tool to grab eyeballs. Use them intentionally. Follow and engage with reporters on social media who can direct attention to your product. Ask a local celebrity, like the mayor, to do an on-camera interview. Worst case, they say, “No.” Best case, they authenticate your brand. —Eileen Rivera, CEO of The Rivera Group; real estate coach, speaker and licensed California Realtor with over half a billion in sales

Trevor Chapman

Image credit: The Oracles

4. Target major media outlets.

Attention is the currency of the internet. The average person consumes an inordinate amount of information daily. To get attention, cut through the noise.

With the right strategy, you can land a major media placement. Pitch yourself as an expert and target high-profile news outlets. Figure out what story segments producers want. They’re under pressure to book the right experts, so there’s a good chance your knowledge fills a gap.

Your pitch should have a sensational hook with actionable advice. I secured press on CNBC by pitching how to make millions in ecommerce. The article and video were viewed millions of times, giving me the springboard to launch a product that made almost a million dollars in 48 hours. The best part? Zero ad-spend. —Trevor Chapman, proven entrepreneur and digital strategist who has generated over $100 million in sales for his businesses and partnerships; follow Trevor on Facebook

Sweta Patel

Image credit: The Oracles

5. Build your superfans.

Don’t jump into launching a product without first building a community of superfans who’ll vouch for it. Lay the foundation to build the buzz later. It may take one to two years, but it’s worth it. You could start with conferences. Hunt for your target audience. Invite them to join a value-add Slack group or receive exclusive invitations to your events.

After launching, if your fans don’t resonate with your product, revisit square one. Don’t judge your market; listen because they’re telling you what they want. Fix the current product to their liking and they’ll build the buzz it deserves. And you’ll avoid losing a lot of money, wondering why your promotions didn’t go as planned. —Sweta Patel, founder of Silicon Valley Startup Marketing, who has advised over 200 early stage startups and high-growth companies; connect with Sweta on Facebook and Instagram

Joe Kakaty

Image credit: The Oracles

6. Bring brand ambassadors into your business family.

It takes a village to get buzz for your business. Find ambassadors whose interests align with yours and bring them into your business family.

In the poker world, we have prominent personalities in our business family, like Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Maria Ho and Phil Hellmuth.

We choose ambassadors who are well-established professionals with impressive poker resumes and large fan bases. They’re “all-in” when it comes to promoting. Ho recently traveled to China with us to meet a valued advertising client. Esfandiari showcases his magic at big client dinners. Hellmuth helped us make a TV commercial.  —Joe Kakaty, co-founder and president of Poker Central

Jason Hall

Image credit: The Oracles

7. Use pre-launch videos to drive leads.

Use a pre-launch video campaign to jump-start product sales and build brand awareness. Your price point should correlate with the length of your video content. While lower-priced items require 15 to 60 seconds of video, a more significant ask is best served by a five- to 15-minute pre-launch video campaign.

Use a landing page with a sign-up form to capture email addresses. Then, create an email campaign that offers special incentives to buyers who refer family and friends.

A respected influencer gives instant product credibility. Get industry influencers to put your product in front of their fans through endorsement campaigns. By using platforms such as BrandBacker, Revfluence and PitchBox, our agency quickly matches clients with influencers who represent their shared goals. —Jason Hall, founder and CEO of FiveChannels; generated $17m+ in sales revenue for his clients in 2017

Simon Grabowski

Image credit: The Oracles

8. Technology is your friend.

Webinars are perfect for spreading your message in an attractive, engaging form. Here’s how to maximize your success:

One, research and choose the right webinar software: easy to use, requires no IT knowledge, downloads or installations, and is ready to go — time is money. The software should give you the necessary tools for the whole process — before, during and after the webinar.

Two, host webinars on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. That’s when you’ll get the best attendance.

Three, craft a “catchy” topic name to draw the largest audience: “The Marketing Platform of Your Dreams” is more enticing than “New Marketing Automation Platform.”

Four, tell everyone about your launch via every means possible: email, your website and social media.

Five, prepare an agenda. Tell your audience what to expect from your webinar, with the intended topics. Don’t forget timing: Our research found that a webinar shouldn’t exceed one hour — 30-40 minutes for your presentation and 15 to 20 minutes for Q&A.

Six, focus on solving a problem your audience may face. Subtly incorporate your product into the discussion, but concentrate more on the outcome and less on the product.

With a strategic approach, webinars reach, educate and engage your audience, earn their trust, improve your conversion rates and, ultimately, impact your bottom line. —Simon Grabowski, founder and CEO of ClickMeeting

Want to share your insights like those above in a future column? If you’re an experienced entrepreneur, please get in touch here.

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