Mike McGuff, Blogger and Social Media Power Influencer
By Cheval John
December 13th, 2017
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Mike McGuff.
Mr. McGuff is a blogger who covers breaking news in the Texas media.
He was named a Houston Social Media Power Influencer in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Mr. McGuff’s work has been featured in media outlets like the Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, NBC News, The U.K. Daily Mail and CNN International.
He also been interviewed on media like ABC 13 Houston, The Roula and Ryan Show and Fox 26 Houston.
Mr. McGuff also served as a correspondent for ITV’s Good Morning Britain
In this episode, you will hear:
-How he started blogging
-Why Texas media outlets sends him press releases of changes happening within their organizations
-The importance of being patient in building a business
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Website: www.mikemcguff.com
Twitter: @mikemcguff
Quotes from Mike McGuff On
FACEBOOK LIVE
I think it’s important to remember that even if you do not have the audience immediately during the live broadcast, you will get more of an audience after the live broadcast in the replays in people’s feeds.
I think what businesses can do is show a more personal human side to the business and get the information out there that they want.
You do not want to sell or market to someone.
Video is a great opportunity to get in front of someone.
It seems one-on-one though it’s not.
But you kind of feel like you know the person when you are watching them on video and actually seeing them and hearing them talk.
I think that makes a stronger connection from the client or customer than just reading words.
So really you’re going to humanize yourself and get the person to like you or your brand more and you can be selling indirectly at that point.
BUSINESSES LEARNING FROM THE HOUSTON ASTROS
When the Astros were sold, they lost a lot of the heart and soul of the team.
What they smartly did was used analytics to look at what they needed and they drafted the players that could help them.
I think any business should say, “Nothing Is Immediate.”
You’ve got to take time to grow your business.
You got to use analytics and measurements to kind of figure out what works and what does not work.
You look for people with specific skills and have the smarts and talent that you can help nurture.
You want to eventually achieve your business goal.
So I think any business can learn a lesson from the Astros definitely in that sense.
Work hard and do it smartly though.
You really got to have an ultimate strategy.
Clearly they had a strategy laid out to win the World Series.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I think social media is a daily struggle.
You always have to have new content out there that’s relevant and interesting to your audience.
What can I do today that will get me more followers tomorrow.
It’s something you always have to be thinking about.
If I miss a day, it’s probably because I’m sick or extremely busy.
Even on vacation, I sometimes put out stuff on social media.
I learned that from working in television because you are putting content out there and I think having that training is perfect for social media.
TWITTER BEING AN UNDERUSED RESOURCE FOR ENTREPRENEURS
A large percentage of my audience are members of the media because that is where they are.
The reason they are on there is because Twitter is immediate.
It really is perfect for delivering news.
Twitter is a headline service.
Though Facebook is fun and has news too, it has a lot of extra distractions.
You can sort through twitter and make your own lists.
For journalists, that extremely important.
So it is a great way to get out in front of them because a lot of times, while going on assignment and their photographers driving, they are scanning their phones looking at twitter and facebook, largely twitter though to search for stories.
HOUSTON MEDIA PERSONALITIES WHO STAND OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Some of the most popular, Dominique Sachse and Jennifer Reyna, those are two of the top people I think of.
Dominique has a YouTube channel where she is offering make up tips because as a television anchor, she has done make up for 20 years on herself and has learned a lot about makeup techniques.
The last time I looked, she had around 50,000 to 60,000 YouTube subscribers.
This is not just the channel to viewers in Houston, this is all over the world apparently.
She gotten this massive following by doing this.
That’s pretty smart to be able to have one successful career in television and then having a totally separate career in YouTube.
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle and Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston are excellent at using twitter to breaking news on the social platform.
You can leave a comment below if you agree or disagree with this post.
Jessika Phillips: Founder and President of Now Marketing Group
By Cheval John
December 6th, 2017
Disclaimer: This Is A Sponsored Post
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Jessika Phillips, who is the founder and president of Now Marketing Group.
Her Ohio based company is a Forbes agency which serves about 200 clients nationally and worldwide.
This podcast episode was recorded on facebook Live using Blue Jeans Network months prior.
The reason for the disclaimer: Two weeks prior to the airing of this episode, Now Marketing Group became a client for my company to promote their upcoming conference, “Social Media Week Lima 2018” and this blog post is one of the ways I am promoting the conference.
Even if they were not paying me, I would still promote social media week lima because I spoke there as a panelist earlier this year and I saw first hand how well run the conference is.
I saw first hand how Jessika worked alongside her Now Marketing Group team and the university student volunteers from the University of Northern Ohio.
This is one of the reasons why I would recommend attending Now Marketing Group’s conference.
In this episode, you will hear:
-How Jessika decided to start Social Media Week Lima
-How she got the opportunity to speak at Social Media Marketing World 2018
-The difference between a magnet and bullhorn (her terms)
-The one person (past or present) who she would spend time with
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Website For Social Media Week Lima 2018: www.nowmarketinggroup.com
Facebook Page: Now Marketing Group
Twitter: @jessikaphillips
Quotes from Jessika Phillips on:
OVERCOMING DOUBTS
The doubts came before I started the business.
You get super comfortable and the biggest obstacle you have to overcome is just getting started.
If you can get started, you’ve built up enough momentum to keep you going.
You just have to feed that momentum.
Whether that’s through training, getting connected with other people or hosting things on your own, you just have to keep that momentum going.
I sat with my computer for five to six hours with the same screen up before I hit enter to submit for my business name.
I was so paronoid because I had a good job, a company car, the whole thing.
It was like, “do I really want this or do I not?”
Sometimes your family and your friends, God love them, they are not always going to tell you that you can go after that thing.
It’s something you have to do within yourself.
It’s something that you have to say, “I’m willing to take this chance. I know that I am capable and I know what I want to do is going to serve someone else.”
Your family and friends are there to try and protect you and they may be afraid for you.
But you literally have to put blinders on and just be in your own lane and keep your momentum going.
ON BEING A MAGNET THAN A BULLHORN
They have been trained that marketing is having to spend money and broadcast your message out.
They preaching the same message that everybody cares what you have to say and all you need to do is say it to them.
I attribute that to being the same as you only calling someone every time you need something.
They are gonna get pretty annoyed with you and not want to pick up the phone.
So you have to think, “How can I offer value. How can I work as a magnet and draw people in to me” because they have more options.
Now you are competing with a larger audience and there’s so many pools for our attention.
Customers don’t want to be bullhorn.
That’s why DVRs exists.
That’s why Pandora exists.
That’s why YouTube is out there.
You can get news on Twitter.
People do not want to be interrupted in their day.
They just want to be in their own lane and be around things that are serving to them.
So you have to think of ways you can attract people to you.
We as marketers need to do a better job of working with our clients to tell them the same thing like “Yes, people will care about what you have to say, but they have to know you care first about what they are struggling with or what they are trying to find an answer to or why they’d be coming to you” because if not, then you are just an interruption and a part of the noise.
Listen more. Know who you are trying to talk to and how you can help them along the way.
ON LIVE VIDEO
When podcasting was becoming big, I just could not see myself podcasting.
So I was like, “how can I do this in another way?”
I was comfortable with video at the time.
I worked with our videographer to actually shoot videos to keep people up to date on what was happening in social media and what new things clients could try out.
I just knew I could help more people if they had instant access to it and did not have to come to me or sign up for a webinar.
They could just find it online.
Then live video rolled out.
Now we don’t have to produce this and wait for it to be edited.
We can go live in the moment.
So it was a very easy decision at that point to say, “Let’s double down and do this, make it consistent every tuesday at 4 p.m. eastern, we’re going live and we’re gonna have a show concept all about how you can be a magnet versus a bullhorn with your marketing.
ON CHOOSING THE LIVE VIDEO PLATFORMS
It depends on their goals.
If their goals are to be found, then I honestly would say YouTube because I do see a huge potential on YouTube Live right now in the moment, having your video there, building up a community especially if they already have subscribers.
Facebook right now seems to be the one that’s kind of holding the trump card as far as live video.
I’m excited to see where that goes and how they are going to be building this creator community of people that are going to be going live.
It truly does depend on who you are trying to target and who you are as a brand.
I still see value in instagram.
I still see value in snapchat.
I have seen several people that have done really, really well on snapchat as an influencer. They are building up a community and some of the millennials are still there.
If you have a super niche, periscope (twitter’s live video app) works for so many brands.
So literally, this answer could change depending on what company you are and who you are trying to attract.
You can leave a comment below and share this post if you enjoyed this article.
The Right Company Will See Your Instagram Account
By Cheval John
We heard this saying a lot of times in our lives: “A picture speaks a thousand words.”
The saying is more true today.
That is why many take photos of the places they visit on their vacation or even their best friends and family to show everyone how much they mean to them.
If a person is very gifted at photography, they will pursue additional training either in college or at a professional photography school to make a career of it.
If a professional photographer wants to land clients, they create a page on their website showcasing their portfolio of their work.
In addition, they post their best photos on instagram with a link to their business or personal website to reach their target audience directly.
Upcoming fitness competitors and fashion models used instagram to launch their careers.
With the influencer industry for instagram alone being over a $1 billion dollars according to mediakix, many are rushing to become well known on the social platform which now boast 700 million active users.
I honestly think those who are trying to use instagram to become influencers, missed the boat.
Instagram should be use as a way to tell your story via photos of either running a business or building your professional career.
People will be more inclined to follow you because they see your authentic self in the photos or videos you share on the platform.
There is a journalist who is excellent with using instagram.
When you look at her photos, you see her journey of working at her first job at a television station in a small town to now working at one of the largest media markets in the United States.
You can also see her sing on occasions with shocking reactions from her colleagues which will make you laugh.
In closing, if you want to excel at using instagram, focus on taking the audience along with you on your journey to success in business and life.
They will be inspired to pursue their own journey of starting a business or finding a better career.
And the right company will see your instagram account which will lead to them working with you.
You can leave your comment below if you agree or disagree with this post
December 1st Newsletter
By Cheval John
As we are drawing close to the end of the year, here are some articles which will allow you to finish this year out on a high note.
Lettermade Cocktail Napkins: Q&A with Malia Dreyer-Diane Gottsman of The Protocol School of Texas
How Venus Williams Is Serving Up Her Entrepreneurial Dreams-Isaac Butler, Contributor of Entrepreneur Magazine
10 Signs That You Are a Disrupter-Patty Fletcher, VIP Contributor of Entrepreneur Magazine
How One University Used Social Media to Raise $28M in a Single Day-Emily Copp, Lead Copywriter at Hootsuite
How to Capture an Audience in 7 Simple Steps-Diane Gottsman, Contributor to Inc Magazine and Owner of The Protocol School of Texas
Top 10 Livestreamers To Follow In 2018
By Cheval John
As we are coming close to the end of 2017, we can see the rapid changes in social media.
Facebook continues to be the dominant social media platform with over two billion monthly users.
YouTube is second with one billion monthly users this year
The biggest shocker was YouTube TV being the official sponsor of the 2017 World Series in which the Houston Astros won (yeah for my friends here)
Instagram (a subsidiary of Facebook) achieved 800 million monthly users and is on pace to reach one billion monthly users next year.
Snapchat has 178 million monthly users by the third quarter of this year according to Statista.
Though it is less than facebook, snapchat seem to be the dark horse in social media because they are more focused on dominating the iPhone market.
Which leads to video.
It has been the driving force for 78% of all internet activity this year.
It is set to be at 82% by 2021 according to Cisco.
Snapchat is leading the way with ten billion video views a day.
YouTube is second with five billion video views a day.
Facebook has 500 million video views a day.
It is a different story in the case of live video.
According to the state of live streaming by Go-Globe.com
17% of video views is on Facebook Live
16% of video views is on YouTube Live
12% of video views is on Snapchat
And more live streaming shows have become more professional looking thank to third party video platforms like Blue Jeans Network, Zoom and Crowdcast.io.
We can expect to see more businesses invest in live video next year due to personalizing their message to their target market.
We also will see more post cable networks created next year and become a force like Cheddar.
Businesses can take a look at the people who made the top ten livestreamers to follow in 2018 list.
They use a variety of social media platforms like facebook live, youtube, periscope and snapchat to put out quality content on a weekly basis and grow their audience.
So without further ado, here are the top ten live streamers to follow in 2018 (not ranked in any particular order).
1. Vicki Fitch
Vicki’s shows are business related topics since she is a direct sales expert.
She hosted Vicki Fitch Live, A Fresh Perspective which she interviews highly successful entrepreneurs.
You can catch her shows on Periscope and Facebook Live.
2. Jessika Phillips and Mike Gingrich
Jessika and Mike co-host Magnet Marketers, a weekly training which give the viewers advice on social media tactics and the latest trends in social media.
Sometimes, they interview guests who are highly regarded as the leading experts in their particular social media niche.
The show airs on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. eastern, 3 p.m. central on facebook live.
3. Chelsea Peitz
Chelsea is regarded as one of the leading experts on Snapchat.
She written a book on the social platform called “Talking In Pictures: How Snapchat Changed Cameras, Communication and Communities.
She is the host of ChelsChat, a morning weekly show which talks about marketing and the latest tools for social media.
The show is only on Snapchat and you would have to see them within the 24 hour time frame.
4. Kat Macauley and Chris McManamy
They are the host of “Simply Social Live”
The show dives into the world of social media, content marketing and other related topics.
What is really cool is Chris is based in St. Louis, Missouri while Kat is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
They just completed their second season and will be back on Facebook Live next year.
5. Ross Brand
Ross is the founder of Livestream Universe.
Under the company, he hosts Livestream Stars, a weekly show which interviews live streamers who have made a dent in social media.
Ross recently branched out into hosting Livestream Deals, a show which showcases deals on products and services for livestreamers.
The shows airs on Facebook Live.
6. Stacy Harp
Stacy is the host of Bible News Radio, an interview based show which has grown a loyal listener base.
The show is now available on Spreaker and Periscope.
7. Jennifer Quinn
Jennifer host the JennyQTips, a show where she interviews experts on livestreaming and social media.
Her show airs on Facebook Live
Jennifer has been live streaming since 2015.
8. Winnie Sun
Winnie is the founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners and hosts a weekly twitter chat called #winniesun
She gives advice on finance and managing your money on facebook live.
This week, she has been sharing tips on smart spending during the holiday season.
9. Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn is a well known expert on growing your audience using twitter.
She is the host of two popular twitter chats called #twittersmarter and ManageFlitter‘s #socialroi.
Madalyn host a live streaming show recap with the guests of those twitter chats to dive deeper into the questions.
Both of those shows airs on Facebook Live.
10. Dr. Ai Zhang.
Dr. Zhang is a digital consultant.
She served as a professor at Stockton University in the Philadelphia area before moving to South Korea.
Dr. Zhang was recognized as top social media blogger at Medium and host “Classroom Without Walls.”
The show features experts in higher education and how they use social media to incorporate in their classes.
It airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. eastern time on Facebook Live
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Lindsey Henry
Lindsey is a reporter at Fox 26 Houston where she covered events like the Super Bowl and the World Series.
She gives her audience a preview on Facebook Live on stories she is working on for the station.
Sometimes, you will see random singing especially during the holiday season.
Meisha Johnson
Meisha is an anchor/reporter for CBS Philadelphia.
She is also the host of #askmeisha.
The show talks about motivation to overcome all the obstacles thrown into a person’s live and learning to have an attitude of gratitude.
It airs every Monday at 2 p.m. eastern time on facebook live.
Cynthia Bazin
She is the founder of Smart Chic, a company which helps business owners stay laser focused on their goals.
Cynthia shares tips on how people can eliminate distractions from their lives and have a question and answer day.
It airs on Periscope.
Kami Huyse
Kami is the host of Social Media Breakfast Houston, a “seminar” where she interviews experts on different trends like livestreaming.
It is held at the Canopy Houston the second friday of each month and is filled to capacity.
The “show” airs on Facebook Live
Do you agree or disagree with this list? You can leave a comment below.
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