Professional networking, like dating, has gone digital. Whether you’re swiping on Tinder, Bumble or Hinge or looking for connections on LinkedIn, not everyone will be your match. For many users, you may end up going on 50 First Dates, but we find comfort in knowing that Drew Barrymore herself uses the apps to meet people too.
LinkedIn offers a space to network with people without the heartbreak. Networking can help you strengthen your personal brand, form connections with other industry professionals who can help you further your career, gain valuable insight, stay up-to-date with trends and explore new job opportunities. While Bowe Digital can’t ensure that you’ll be lucky in love, we can help your business. Today, we’re sharing our advice for networking on LinkedIn.
Make Your Profile Look Legit
Stranger danger is real, ya’ll. With stories like the Tinder Swindler on Netflix, we’ve got trust issues when it comes to meeting people online, and can you blame us? If your profile doesn’t make a good first impression, viewers will swipe left and move on to the next one, because, let’s face it, they’ve got options.
A complete and polished profile will help win people over and reassure them that you’re authentic…and that they won’t end up on an episode of Catfish. Fully completed profiles result in 40 times more opportunities, according to LinkedIn. Here’s what to include to make your LinkedIn profile stand out (in a good way):
Find Your People
Not everyone is going to be your match, and that’s okay! Find people you have things in common with and request to connect with them. If that sounds intimidating, start by connecting with people you know and trust. LinkedIn allows you to upload your address book from email. Joining groups is another great way to find your people. This resource from LinkedIn suggests starting with volunteer organizations, associations you belong to and school groups. Try reaching out to alumni or previous mentors and professors (they love connecting with students and other alums).
Send the First Message
Whether you’re sending a friendly note alongside your connection request or asking another professional for advice, make it custom. If you’ve met them in person, tell them where, who you met them through or what organization you have in common. If this is your first interaction, do your research. You can use LinkedIn Advanced Search and company pages to learn about the background and interests of the people you’re contacting. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make the first move. LinkedIn is a professional community where many people are willing to connect and help each other learn and grow.
Update Your Status
Professional status: ready to mingle. Produce and share content that is engaging and sparks conversation. Try getting in front of the camera and posting a video, share an article and include your thoughts or post pictures of you and other professionals at an industry event. Never miss an opportunity to tag other people. You’re a catch, and you can remind the people in your network of that by updating your status regularly.
Start building your professional community today, and feel free to connect with our team! If you need more help, Bowe Digital is here for you! We can develop custom solutions to increase your presence on social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Contact me at bradley@bowedigital.com to get started! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
After a long or stressful day at work, sometimes you just need something strong to help take the edge off. So take a seat at the Bowe Digital bar, and order a drink. We’ll mix it up; your drink choice will say a lot about your business’s marketing.
Today’s Cocktail List:
Old Fashioned
Wayne’s Hot Tip: Wayne’s tip for the best Old Fashioned, beyond great bourbon, is the cherry and he loves this brand most.
It’s in the name…Old Fashioned. An Old Fashioned is a straightforward and strong drink with no surprises. For many people, it does not go down easy, which is not a good thing when it comes to drinking or marketing. Old-fashioned marketing is as plain as the water that goes into the drink. It does not change with the times and isn’t as popular with younger crowds. If you’re not using social media or incorporating video and eye-catching graphics into your marketing, this might be the drink for you.
However, we recommend you keep browsing the list for a new cocktail.
Whiskey Sour
The Whiskey Sour is loved by some and hated by others. It’s controversial for its sour taste and that optional egg white (because why??). It’s a risk, which in marketing doesn’t always pay off. However, it works better in some industries than others. The fast food restaurant Wendy’s, for example, has seen success from its sassy personality on Twitter, which you can find examples of here. The restaurant bravely roasts its customers and competing companies, which earns them varied responses. If this sounds like your marketing, then we suggest you chug, in case it goes too sour!
Margarita
Heather’s Hot Tip: If you’re like Heather, you want a Marg with less sugar. She suggests you skip the pre-mix stuff. The best marg is tequila, fresh lime juice and a tajin rim.
The Margarita is fun; it has no rules. Like great marketing, it can be customized to the customer likes. We can make them sweet, skinny or spicy. We can salt or sugar the rim, offer different flavors and put them in any glass you’d like. Not a tequila drinker? Try vodka. If your marketing is one-of-a-kind and tailored to reflect the likes and dislikes of your audience, then cheers! This is the drink for you and for us, too!
At Bowe Digital, the margarita is our specialty. We can make it any way you’d like. Our team of experts stays up-to-date on trends and knows what works to make a perfectly balanced marketing strategy that isn’t old-fashioned or too sour. Contact me, Bradley Erb at bradley@bowedigital.com to mix up a custom marketing plan that’s unique to your business! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
People want to feel special, and that’s what custom does. Whether it’s a custom designed cake, custom engraved gift, or custom built home, these one-of-a-kind solutions work to win people over.
Why pay for custom marketing? The same reason you pay for anything custom: you love it and want everyone else (your customers) to love it too! Custom marketing is your chance to stand out from the competition. It shows your customers that you know them and that your posts were made just for them.
Cut Through the Noise
Marketing is everywhere. Most Americans are exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day, according to this article from Forbes. However, that doesn’t mean everything we see or hear sticks. Hundreds of companies are offering the same products or services while marketing them in similar ways. It becomes noise, and only the most eye-catching and unique ones are heard. For small businesses, it’s even harder, but custom marketing can help.
Kids are notoriously harsh critics. They’ll tell you that you look fat one minute and that your food tastes awful the next, so we’ll use them as an example. Picture your kid going to the school bake sale. You send them with a pack of those thickly iced store-bought cookies (you know the ones). Other parents send their kids with sheet cakes and plastic-wrapped cupcakes. All but one, that is. Jeremy’s mom sends him with a 2-tiered custom cake designed around 2022’s most trending movie, Encanto. The bake sale ends, and your child comes home…can you guess what happens next? You hear about Jeremy, Jeremy’s mom, Jeremy’s cake and Encanto until your ears bleed! Yep, custom works any way you slice it, whether it’s a cake or marketing. It makes a lasting impact on people, and everything else fades away.
Audience Targeting
With custom marketing, you’ll reach individuals who are actually interested in your service and products without wasting money on those who aren’t. By using custom services like geo-fenced paid ads, you can target the specific geographic areas you want to hit. You can also curate your marketing materials to reflect the likes and dislikes of your customers. If your audience likes being active, you’d show them custom sneakers over a custom cake, creating opportunities for personal connections.
Consistent Branding
Quality marketing translates to quality products and services in the minds of your consumers. Not only does that mean having custom designs and content but also consistency. Your audience will come to expect your posts in the good times and especially in the hard times. It reminds them that you’re available to them and still investing in your business which means you’re still investing in them. Platforms like HeyOrca can help you schedule social media posts months in advance.
Remember, consistency doesn’t mean that there can’t be surprises. You can always find new ways to shake things up and grab people’s attention. At Bowe Digital, we’ve started incorporating trending topics into our marketing. Whether it’s the corn kid letting everyone know Bowe Digital has the juice or looking at the marketing in Netflix’s Emily in Paris, custom allows for creativity, relevance and excitement in your marketing.
Leave it to the Professionals
If you’ve ever watched Netflix’s Nailed It, you know what can happen when you tackle a new task on your own for the first time – disaster. It’s best to leave custom cakes to the bakers and custom marketing to the marketing professionals. Nobody does custom like Bowe Digital. We’ll tell your story for you and get creative when you can’t, all while moving at your pace and according to your brand image. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com for marketing that’s uniquely yours! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
We all know the story of Cinderella. Or at least some version of it, whether it’s the 1950 original movie, a live-action remake like the 2015 Cinderella or the 2004 spin-off, A Cinderella story, featuring Hilary Duff.
Bowe Digital has come up with our own modern twist on Cinderella, and you’re the main character. Let’s set the scene. In every Cinderella story, there’s a ball, a dance or a party where everyone wants to be. In our story, that place is TikTok.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform where people come from near and far to share and stream video content. And yes, it’s more than just teenagers dancing. Users on TikTok range from ages 10-50+. With over one billion active users, the application has become more popular than Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter. You don’t need to know how to waltz to attend this ball. TikTok allows dialogue, music, sound bytes and more on every topic you can imagine, personal or professional. These short videos can be anywhere from 15 seconds to three minutes in length. The application is also being used as a search engine. TikTok now receives more daily searches than Google.
Why should you be on TikTok?
In this story, if you don’t join TikTok before the clock strikes 12, you’ll turn back into a pumpkin. By that we mean, you’ll lose some relevance because pumpkin is a seasonal flavor. As a business or professional, you want to stay relevant all year long. To do that, you may need to meet your customers where they are. Joining platforms like TikTok is a great way to expose your business to new audiences and younger generations and show that you are willing to adapt to changes and trends in social media. By joining now, you can stand out from your evil step competitors and win the affection of your charming customers.
You’ve seen it on Instagram and Facebook; both platforms are incorporating more videos. TikTok is the king of video. Other benefits of joining TikTok include its huge, growing audience, international audience and ease of connection. Users can easily comment, like and share your content. According to this Forbes article, “TikTok is also the social media platform with the most opportunities to ‘go viral.’”
Getting started on TikTok with examples
It only takes one good video to go from zero to hero on TikTok. This video of our team member Joe Pittman got nearly two million views after being posted by his church. Similar to Cinderella’s glass slipper, you need to find the content that fits. The four main types of content you should use to promote your brand are videos of you and your team, user duets, advertisements and influencer related content. It could be as simple as dueting a video and sharing your thoughts, like this example here from a home inspector. You could take a clever route using music clips like this real estate example here. You can showcase your team and office culture in a fun way like this example here. Your content should be relatable, fun and true to your brand. Using popular hashtags can help ensure your content reaches the right audience. Follow this guide from TikTok to create your first video, or lean on our team at Bowe Digital.
TikTok may be the key to you and your business’s happily ever after. Bowe Digital is your marketing fairy godmother, and we can help increase your presence on social media platforms including TikTok. We’ll help you come up with ideas, edit videos and more. Visit bowedigital.com to start.
You know when your mom used to make you clean the whole house anytime people were coming over? Well, this is kind of like that…
We’re acting as Mom here and telling you to tidy up your website so that your guests keep coming back. Your website is the home for your story and services; it’s also your chance to make a great first impression. When you want a clean house, you call a maid. When you want a clean website, you call Bowe Digital!
We can help make your website sparkling clean with our 3-step website creation process, but first, let’s talk about what makes a website stand out from the ones next door.
This article lists 7 qualities of a great website. Here are 4 that stand out:
Well-Designed and Functional
Your website should have white space and breaks. It should be uncluttered, Marie Kondo style, with quality photographs and graphics to let your message shine through. See this website we designed for Golden Dog Title & Trust. Your users won’t stick around if it’s hard to navigate or if there are issues with speed and functionality.
Optimized for Mobile
Most users look at your website from their phones, so in our best mom voice, we say, “There are no excuses.” With the growth of digital technology and devices, your website should look great and work well on any platform.
Fresh, Quality Content
It’s time to renovate! Your website should use language that makes sense to your audience and avoid corporate jargon. Visitors have short attention spans so correct spelling, accuracy, relevance and frequent updates with fresh content (videos, blogs, social, etc.) are vital to improving SEO and organic traffic. Take a look at Amerititle’s, blog. As their trusted partner, we keep the information posted here current and fresh.
Optimized for Search and the Social Web
Imagine you get your website prepped and ready for visitors, but no one shows up. To grow your guest list, your content needs to be well tagged, contain searchable words, have a decluttered HTML code and be easily shareable.
If your website isn’t hitting these marks or you’re not sure if it stands out from the website next door…don’t worry! The Bowe Digital team can help clean it up! Visit bowedigital.com/contact-us to learn more about our 3-step website creation process and our website hosting services!
What do Crocs and our founder and chief inspiration officer, Wayne Stanley’s childhood dreams, have in common? They both made a comeback in 2017. While Crocs were trending in fashion and people were jamming out to Ed Sheeran’s hit song, Shape of You, Wayne Stanley was making his entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
This week marks five years since Bowe Digital made its’ debut in 2017. In the five years since, we’ve accomplished a lot and made tons of memories, friends and amazing partners along the way.
Here are 5 things we’re proud of in the 5 years since Bowe Digital began.
1. Being named #12 on the Best Places to Work in Indiana list
Landing the #12 spot on the Best Places to Work in Indiana list this year was HUGE! We’re super fortunate to have a team that brags about our company as much as they do, but this award speaks for itself. Compiled by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Best Places to Work awards are based on anonymous employee surveys with questions about company culture, pay, diversity, and more. We’ve learned first hand that happy employees produce better satisfied partners and productivity.
2. Making a name for ourselves in the title industry
Our company has carved a niche in the land title insurance industry, and we’ve made a name for ourselves through our outreach by attending and speaking at events like NS3, ALTA HOP and ALMA Agency Seminars. Even if most of you think that our name is Bowe Digital (Bow-ie) and not Bowe Digital (Bow)...we forgive you. We are proud to set the standard and serve title and real estate companies across the U.S., and we feel lucky that companies outside of title and real estate have trusted us, too.
3. Offering our customers custom solutions
The Bowe Digital difference is that all of our marketing, communications and advertising strategies are 100% custom. Forget pre-made templates… we recognize what makes you unique and start from scratch to produce original content that’s branded to fit your needs and meet your standards. We pride ourselves on being an extension of your team. Our goal is to deliver on your vision for connecting with your customers and making an impact in your industry.
4. Encouraging our team members to learn and grow
Since getting our start in 2017, we have always encouraged the members of our team to set educational and professional goals and to never stop learning. Pushing our team to further their expertise and career helps them to better serve our partners. It’s a win-win. We’re proud to share that our entire team is Hubspot certified by Hubspot Academy and that almost all the members of our team have been certified as ALTA HOP Leaders with eight earning that certificate this year.
5. Growing the Bowe Digital family
Half of businesses fail in the first five years according to the Small Business Administration, but not Bowe Digital. Despite being tested by the pandemic in 2020, our company grew faster than ever, providing the best service and support to our growing list of partners. What started as five teammates and a dream of helping a few trusting partners, has evolved into a team of almost 20 full-time employees, serving nearly 200 partners. Our team truly is a family - it means everything to us - and we treat our partners like family, too!
Like Crocs, Bowe Digital likes to make a statement. We provide our partners comfort with a bold look that customers can’t miss, and while we’d like to give Crocs all the credit, we can’t. We really owe it all to Wayne and to his grandparents, Shirley and Glen Vernon Bowe who inspired him and inspired more than just the name of this company. We honor them each day by sticking to the promise to work hard, play hard, and respect everyone. We can’t believe it’s been five years, and we’re raising a glass to the next five…and the five after that…and the five after that! Visit bowedigital.com to learn more about our story, and join us in celebrating five years by partnering with us!
All businesses share one common goal, and that’s to achieve steady and continuous growth. I’m sure we could make a laundry list of tactics that could help us get there, but one thing stands out above the rest: COMMUNICATION. If there’s one thing that your team should be focusing on this year, it’s improving their internal and external communication practices.
Whatever efforts you’re making now can be improved with some reflection and a plan. Good communication has no ceiling, and it’s worth putting time and effort into because it builds your reputation, establishes your brand, and ultimately, sells your products and services.
Internal Communication
The members of your team need to be on the same page. There are four types of business communication, and three of those are internal: internal upward, internal downward and internal lateral. All three aid in creating consistent messages and uncovering problems for customers. Additionally, keeping the members of your team informed on internal news will make them feel more involved and invested in your business.
Whether it be at an in-person meeting, virtually or over email, always ask your team what questions they get asked the most by customers. By uncovering recurring problems, you can find a way to solve them. If a customer asks the same question to multiple team members, the goal is that they’ll get the same answer every time. To achieve this kind of consistency, you need to establish a standard for the entire team and determine what you want to say about your business.
Don’t know where to start? Our Bowe Digital team helps businesses establish their brand voice and presents them with the strategies they need to communicate effectively with their audiences through our Story Arc Process. We interview your customers to find out what they really think; then, we combine that information with your values and goals to present a story everyone on your team can follow.
External Communication
Now that you have the ammunition, you need to communicate with your customers proactively with a consistent message. It's time to act as a resource and establish your team as industry experts. Eliminate commonly asked questions by answering them before they’re asked. AmeriTitle’s blog is a great example. As a partner of ours, they use this space to explain the complexities of their industry and provide tips, covering topics that commonly trip up their customers. This kind of proactive communication can be done through blog posts, social media, emails, etc.
All communication to your external audiences should be timely and of substance. The golden rule is to not keep customers waiting and to not waste their time. Never communicate just for the sake of communicating. Instead, make sure you’re always providing content that is relevant or of value to them. Focusing on communication with your internal and external audiences this year is the best way to invest in your business. Who better to help you improve your communication than our team of communication experts at Bowe Digital. We’re here to help you reach your audiences in a way that works for you! Contact us today.
At Bowe Digital, our resolutions as individuals and a team are in place for 2021! (Insert Rocky theme here!) If you are anything like us, you are pumped to hit the ground running. You have been training for this your whole life. The new year is before you like a winding road, and you can’t wait to use every twist and turn to your advantage!
Have you considered your marketing plans for this year? Each day is an opportunity to tell everyone about your business, and like Rocky, you need a plan in place to be the champ! It takes a little training, but here are some ideas that will help you knock out your goals to become a marketing champion!
Resolving to do even one tip from above betters your ability to communicate with the most important people in your corner...your customers. If you need some more support, contact Bradley Erb at bradley@bowedigital.com. He and the other members of the team are ready to cheer you on and can help with websites, social media and promotional material! Reach out because we are ready to fly now...just like Rocky.
From Guest Blogger & Bowe Digital Intern, Mackenzie LeClere:
Today, more than 90% of businesses use social media to promote their brand. Hopefully, your business is one of them. Even if you’re on social media, are you using it correctly and efficiently? Social media can be a great thing when done correctly, and Bowe Digital is here to help.
Having social media is a must these days if you are trying to take your business to the next level. To begin with, it’s cost-efficient! Social media is one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to market towards your customers and the public. Instagram, Facebook and other platforms can have a huge impact on your sales and reach potential clients or partners without hurting your marketing budget.
By having an active presence, you can engage and reach people who have never heard of your business. For example, you share a post to 100 of your followers advertising your business. Those followers share and repost your post bringing in 100 other new eyes. All this leads to new customers -- and more awareness -- for your brand with a click of a button.
Not only is it important to have social media to bring awareness, but it’s an awesome way to form relationships with customers. Within Instagram and Facebook, there are features designed to message people. This allows people who have questions about your business to ask and get a response right away. This is a plus for you because you’re showing them that customers are a priority, making you stand out from other businesses.
TIPS
Hopefully, these tips come in handy. If you’re looking for more help in this area, Bowe Digital is here. Let’s talk today!
Mackenzie is a Fall 2020 Bowe Digital intern and attends Illinois State University studying communications. She’s majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Sociology. She loves writing, dancing and spending time with friends in her free time.
“Do not try to do everything. Do one thing well.” -Steve Jobs
Being a business owner is more than a full-time job. It’s the realization of a dream that has been your focus, possibly for a long time. You know what you do, and you do it well.
Whether searching for the right insurance agent or the best popcorn in town, most of today’s customers begin their search online. Your net presence is often a customer’s first impression of you, and your brand should be on point.
Bowe Digital can get your message heard. As you focus on your business, our marketing specialists put a spotlight on your efforts, and we work hard, play hard and respect everyone as our team steps up to the marketing plate for you.
Wherever you are in your marketing plans, Bowe Digital can position your brand for success without breaking your budget. Just look at what we offer!
Bowe Digital offers all of this and so much more. You know your business, and we know marketing. Together, we make a dream team with one goal in mind…to take you to the next level. Contact our Business Development Manager Bradley Erb, or reach out to us through bowedigital.com. Trusting us with your marketing needs is a step up on the ladder to success.
