Tag Archives: Marketing

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Sharpen Your Social Media Systems

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A March 25, 2026 verdict by a CA jury held Google and Meta (Facebook) responsible for the mental health difficulties suffered by a woman who since childhood compulsively used social media. The jury awarded $6M to the plaintiff and Meta is responsible for 70% of that amount. Heavy use of social media can lead to unintended consequences, for sure; nevertheless, most US citizens do not feel that social media is a menace to society. Datareportal found that 73% of US adults were active social media users as of October 2025, a response that verifies the often significant benefits that social media can bring to our personal and/or professional lives when it is used with discretion. All of you reading this post know that social media plays an integral role in the business sector, from lead generation to the buyer’s journey to post-sale customer service, positioning it as foundational to effective B2B and B2C sales and marketing.

 Satisfy new algorithms with AEO, GEO and SEO

Artificial intelligence has added more acronyms and abbreviations to the alphabet soup that a Freelance professional must memorize to show that you’re in the game, know what’s up and you’re worthy of receiving a new assignment. To achieve your goal of establishing a robust and respected online presence, you must once again get familiar with new search algorithms and then decide under what circumstances you might be persuaded to introduce new approaches that promise to enhance the search functionality of your sites. The obvious answer is to contact a Freelance colleague to discuss potential benefits for your digital platforms and conduct a cost-benefit analysis. Can you afford to dip into the new technology? Can you afford not to?

  • AEO. Answer Engine Optimization. AEO is meant to get your content selected as the prime answer to specific online queries and not just an alternate answer to what’s best-in-class. Incorporating AEO is meant to help your content be chosen as the best answer in our era of AI-powered overviews and voice assistants that are increasingly in the driver’s seat. AEO visibility is determined by how easily machines can read your content. The function of AEO is not to drive clicks as does SEO, but to become the certified best answer that AI agents showcase in all search engines used to post that query.
  • GEO. Generative Engine Optimization. GEO goes a step further than AEO and optimizes content so that AI-driven search engines and large language models (LLMs) like Perplexity and ChatGPT can understand the content and cite it in answers the search engines receive and generate. GEO structures content so that it’s easy to locate, access and cite. The function of GEO isn’t just to help your answer become the first on a list of responses, but goes farther to become a strategic approach that boosts your visibility, authority and citations in AI-generated responses.
  • SEO. Search Engine Optimization. You already know that SEO helps content attain a higher ranking in traditional online search engines like Bing and Google. SEO is driven primarily by keyword targeting, content quality and technical SEO (e.g., page loading time and mobile-friendliness). The function of SEO is to encourage clicks on your content and drive traffic to your website, et al.
  • Continue SEO techniques to boost social media content visibility. Keyword research, alt text, subtitles and long-tail keywords—think sentences—can all make your social media content more search-friendly. Why abandon what works?
  • Experiment with AEO and GEO. Add to your online content short social posts that directly answer questions known to be frequently asked by prospects and clients. Use question-based as titles for posts and provide clear, plainly stated answers. Maintain a conversational, yet professional voice for your Q & A inspired content (think FAQ frequently asked questions).

Social media is becoming the place for first-party data

As the presence of third-party cookies falls out of favor, brands are turning to social media platforms to access first-party data, which is regarded the most desirable. Additional sources of first-party that can be obtained with clear user consent include opt-in leadgen promotions, newsletter or blog subscriptions, webinar RSVPs and calls-to-action. The appetite for first-party data is driven by the desire brands have for customer information that is provided by the consumer him/herself, thus ensuring that the insights derived from that data are trustworthy and can be confidently used as the foundation of your CRM assumptions, strategies and activities. 

Brands are also turning to social media user comments for market and consumer info when trends and other marketplace developments evolve too quickly for traditional research methods to keep up. Social listening tools like Talkwalker use AI to pull specific brand insights from the vast quantities of data available on social media platforms, in real time. Social listening, another manifestation of that practice, tracks online comments made about your brand, industry and competitors across social media platforms. From an analysis of those comments, a the big picture will emerge of the unfiltered perceptions that your customers, prospects and others have about your brand. Social listening can also capture developing trends that are bubbling up and indicate where opportunities (or risks) that impact your entity are hiding. In short, social listening data can impact all areas of your brand.

Best practices for using social media as a first-party data source

  • Ramp up your social listening capabilities. Talkwalker can help you uncover valuable insights through a few simple AI-guided queries. 
  • Add social listening to your marketing activities. Social listening-derived data has a high probability of discovering marketplace perceptions, trends and developments that might yield potential opportunities for your brand and/or shine a light on possible risks that give you a chance to perhaps dodge a disaster. As noted, social listening has the ability to impact all aspects of your brand.
  • Test social media DM automation and/or gated content campaigns to push leadgen. You can launch a social post and announce publication of white paper, e-book, case study or other gated content resource as you simultaneously use automated DMs to collect leads and obtain first-party data from those who respond to your outreach. 

 How can you optimize social media posts for visibility? How can you adapt to updates in search algorithms?

While Bing and Google are still the go-to sites for online search, social media search is making significant headway as users increasingly conduct online searches on their platforms. Overall, 24% of US adults who use social media also use social media for online search as of April 2024, led by Generation Z (46%) and Millennials (35%). The platforms are keeping up and aggressively courting online search and capabilities are not limited to typing in the search bar. Instagram and TikTok support image and video visual searches and Pinterest Lens enables online visual searches for products by searching from a photo. Facebook supports basic voice search—take that Siri and Alexa!—58.6% of US adults have conducted a voice-activated online search at least once as of 2024. These statistics make clear that social media online search is a growing phenomenon that Freelancers cannot ignore. 2Q2026 is calling you to sharpen your social media systems to ensure that your platforms operate efficiently to give your sites visibility that opens the door to content that attracts viable leads and converts prospects into customers.

  • Content to address the needs of audience sub-groups. First, there are social media frequent followers and most are already buying your services or products–some are repeat customers and some make referrals. A second group is comprised of those who are on a buyer journey. They’ve recently discovered your brand, or they’ve only begun to learn what your company and solutions are all about. It could be that your company was swept into search results thanks to an algorithm update and your content has piqued a prospective buyer’s curiosity. This last group will appreciate product information and content that conveys how and where your solution works best. Include product/service how-tos in your brand story on your social media platforms to demonstrate how your solution delivers results.
  • Customize content for each platform. Because attention spans are short, making it’s more important than ever now. Depending on your business and customers, design content / express your marketing and sales messages to resonate with your audience and have many questions. What speaks to loyal customers and is not the same as what speaks to prospects who are browsing through the site getting to know you better. On all of your social media platforms, include basic information about your product and service because that is the brand story that prospects, especially, would like to see. You need to understand both and create content that speaks to the unique interests and agenda of each group. while both long-term customers and potential customers are interested in your brand story, be aware that those who know your brand well will have a different agenda than those who are learning about your brand and are trying to envision how the experience of working with your company might be.
  • Always have a hook. Catch people’s attention within the first three seconds to show your visitors that your content aligns with their needs and interests.  A focal point, an exciting announcement, an advance look at something new, or an enticing call-to-action can persuade a site visitor to linger and engage.

How should you manage multiple platform identities?

  • Articulate your core identity. Beyond the brand voice developed to resonate with the typical users of each of your platforms, identify the ideal language you’ll use to convey the overall message. Learn to express the core elements of your brand purpose, outcomes and results delivered, as well as the goals and pain points of your prospects. Confirm also how your customers and other followers prefer to engage on each of your platforms. Your LinkedIn and X followers may be more interested in case studies and other data-driven information, while your Facebook and Instagram followers may want to see a video of you discussing why your product or service has helped customers and keeps them coming back. The expression of your brand voice may change across platforms, but be mindful to always stay true to the essence of brand fundamentals.  
  • Map your platform identities to reflect user intent. Use social listening data to learn what users of each of your platforms want from brands that occupy your market niche and shape your content strategy and focus accordingly:
    • On X, you’ll be wise to give a no-nonsense news account using plain language and links to content on your website or other digital sources.
    • On TikTok, you can post create a series of brief, appealing, yet informative explainer videos that convey the use-case for your solution by showcasing one important goal or pain point in each video that your solution can resolve.
    • It’s time to incorporate visual elements into your LinkedIn content! Brainstorm stories you can tell so that you can shoot a 3-5 minute video. You might make an exciting announcement, or share a clip from your guest appearance on a webinar or podcast. LinkedIn data confirms that those who post videos see a 3X growth in followers.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Chinnapong for Adobe Stock

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To Court Your Competitors’ Customers

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Motivating prospective customers to do business with you is the leading function of independent Freelance professionals and business owners. You may not look at it this way, but recognize that your pool of potential customers also includes those who are currently doing business with one of your competitors. Think about it—how many B2B customers are buying within your category of services or products for the first time? Unless your solution is new to the market and not available from others, your customers have been someone else’s customers and every once in a while some of them might decide to look around to see what’s new or a better fit for their needs.

While it’s true that getting your unique selling proposition in front of prospective customers is essential to converting them into paying customers, there are messaging refinements you can make to strengthen your appeal to prospects who are currently active in a competitor’s camp. Some in that cohort might be dissatisfied with the experience they’ve had when using a certain service or product, or maybe the vendor relationship was underwhelming. Others might simply feel a little restless and inclined to look around and find out who else is out there (you!). Here are tactics that will be useful for your outreach to competitors’ customers.

Analyze the competitive landscape

You need to learn who your competitors’ customers are from a demographic standpoint and obtain insight into what motivated them to choose a competitor. Among the information you’ll appreciate understanding are factors that cause competitors’ customers to become one-off users and factors that lead them to become loyal customers—what are the triggers for each cohort? Study the websites and social media platforms of your primary competitors as a way to learn what might matters to competitors’ customers.

Conducting a competitor analysis will help you understand the Unique Sales Proposition (USP) and perceived advantages of products and services offered by your rivals and get a handle on what it could mean to their customers. What persuades their prospects to choose those offerings instead of yours’ and what can you do to make your offerings more appealing to them? How and where your competitors market their services or products, their pricing strategy, payment options, market visibility and brand popularity are certain to be integral to attracting and keeping those customers. By analyzing the strengths and potential weaknesses of competitors and comparing them to the strengths and weaknesses of your organization, you may be able to identify gaps in the market and find ways to promote what it is that rivals’ customers might be persuaded to perceive as a better on your side of the fence.

Identify gaps in the market

Does your competitive analysis reveal incompletely addressed customer needs or preferences? Those factors might crack open a window that lets you pull in a few of your rivals’ customers. Incisive competitive research may lead you to discover that a cohort of competitors’ customers would appreciate a more comprehensive customer service package—maybe after-sale training, for example? Or perhaps, in this era of rising prices, a couple of payment options that you’ve never bothered to promote, could turn the tide in your favor and carry in a few of your competitors’ customers.

Because you will not be able to research the pain points and priorities of your competitors’ customers because it’s almost certain that you cannot access their contact info. Unless someone visits your social media or website and chooses to reveal an email address—you cannot send a survey and hope for a response. So, you’ll have to get creative to learn about the unaddressed needs of your competitors’ customers.

Visit your competitors’ social media accounts and do some social listening by checking out comment sections. There you may learn of pain points or perceived inconveniences that you can address in your marketing messages. You will also be wise to read industry articles and visit the social media platforms of those organizations to read market research published by major market research firms that report on your industry sector.

Get visible

Today’s buyer journey is not like it was even a year or two ago; prospects may not contact vendors until they are well into the buyer journey. Prospects now explore potential vendors for the solutions they need and on their own compare offerings, get an idea of costs and only then will they reach out to two or three candidates to get details and create a shortlist.

Your strategy is to be proactive. Find out where competitors’ customers discover new products or services—do they watch product or service reviews on YouTube? Do they follow industry experts or influencers on Instagram or TikTok? Customers trust brands that meet them where they already are and provide value before the sale even happens. Once you’ve learned who their guiding stars are, establish a presence for your entity in those spaces.

You want to get into organic search results with helpful content that answers questions that are important to prospects and that can include getting out in front of hesitation by addressing common objections. Showcase the outcomes your service or products can produce and how to achieve them. Blog posts, short videos, webinars, or educational product Q & A guides may be effective. The more consistently you show up with the right message, the more likely you will be able to win over your competitor’s customers—as well as finding a few new customers for yourself.

Promote your USPs

Once you understand what differentiates your brand from its competitors, as well as the evolving shopping habits of your target market, you can begin to promote the desirable and unique qualities that make your brand stand out. These might include your prices, delivery time, product availability, convenience, quality, or customer service.

These traits, which are part of the USP, should be consistently promoted across your entire business, including your website, marketing and PR, packaging and customer experience from buyer journey to post-sale. By upholding these values throughout your organization’s customer experience, you can ensure that potential buyers will know why they should switch to your brand.

Nurture brand loyalty

Acquiring new customers is much more expensive than retaining an existing one, as research has shown. Once a customer has made his/her first purchase, it’s essential to encourage repeat visits if you want to see a strong return on your investment. Building these connections will instill consumer trust and brand loyalty, ensuring that you’ve won a customer for life.

Email marketing is a time-tested way to nurture customer loyalty and it is easy to personalize—a feeling that customers value. Brand loyalty starts with how you onboard people. When you acquire a new customer, put yourself in that individual’s seat and envision a customer journey that will resonate. For example, customer’s are inclined to appreciate a discount code but in the immediate aftermath of post-sale, they’ll likely appreciate more a welcome from you that explains who you are, what the customer can expect regarding the initial stages of working together, a request to meet and discuss the product or service purchased, invoicing and payment options. In other words, you can show your value by providing relevant information that also teaches them why they should open your emails. Set the tone early, and they’ll stay engaged longer and that is one of the pathways to loyalty.

Final thoughts

Customers leave brands—your competitors or you—that stop serving their needs. They leave because someone else made it easier to understand, easier to trust, or easier to buy. That can be you.

You may need to set up a marketing complicated funnel. You may not need a sizeable marketing budget. You do need to research and learn the pain points, hot buttons, priorities and emerging next big thing—way of doing business, customer service needs, buyer journey, payment options, or whatever else. You also need to pay attention to customers and prospects consistently, to help yourself make smart improvements and prove your value where it matters most. When you do that, you don’t have to out-shout your competition. You just have to be their obvious choice.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Courtesy of Brimfield Antique Flea Markets. Featuring 5,000 dealers, Brimfield Antique Flea Markets is believed to be the most popular and largest such event in the U.S.

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Specialization and How to Stand Out in Your Market

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Until the latter years of the 20th century, the majority of U.S. physicians were general practitioners who treated all manner of illness, unless one was a surgeon—that would be a general surgeon. Likewise, attorneys were expected to be multi-faceted legal advisers who could adequately represent aspiring homeowners when a property was purchased, counsel plaintiffs or defendants in legal battles that occasionally involved a jury trial, or guide clients as they wrote up a last will and testament. In the 1970s, most likely inspired by research that introduced more effective therapies into medical practice and in the legal sector, federal and state regulations whose purpose was to provide consumer protection that resulted from the increased complexity of national and global economies, distinct subspecialties eventually became the norm in both professions.

Freelance professionals are having a moment now as we respond to the growing phenomenon of specialization that is penetrating nearly every business entity and by necessity influences the way we operate. Most of you recognize that the ability to clearly define—brand—your expertise and the services you provide is a competitive advantage and many of you are probably inclined to rethink how you describe their services—and maybe also rethinking which services should be offered.

Blandly describing oneself as a provider of solutions that, for example, address human resources, IT, accounting/finance, or marketing needs may no longer capture attention. As B2B prospects continue to exercise agency and proactively research the solutions they need and give themselves a head start on finding someone who’s qualified to resolve that need, Freelancers are recognizing that the way to get noticed by a search committee is to leave no doubt that you are the best in the business within your specialty—your skill-set niche—and if your category of expertise is needed, you should be on the short-list for follow-up.

Paring down and focusing skills is already established in the Freelance technology sector, where it is commonplace to narrowly specialize, for example, in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence or machine learning, network administration, or blockchain smart contract development. To claim a specialty within your professional sector is, in fact, to operate within a niche market. You might also discover that it’s easier to stand out in a “small is beautiful” niche, where you only interact with prospects who are interested in your highly focused, expert-level skills.

In an era that favors specialization, owning a versatile skill set loses value. Thought leader opinions indicate that as industries become more complex, deep expertise is more sought-after than competencies that can address a wide range of tasks. Your prospects are less inclined to see advantages in broad-based capabilities; instead, they now see a jack of all trades and master of none. B2B search committees echo the new normal narrative: to manage the complexities of modern business the trend is to hire Freelancers who demonstrate specialized expertise that can be used to deliver specialized solutions. It’s compartmentalizing by another name; but it makes sense to sell your customers the way they want to be sold (as you know).The ultimate validation is that those with niche expertise are often more highly paid.

Clarity and precision

Simplicity makes things understandable, memorable and dependable. Unless you are well-known and connected, operating within the big pond known as the general marketplace for your Freelance sector is almost guaranteed to make you an overlooked little fish who’s surrounded by big fish who gobble up the billable hours and leave you struggling to survive and thrive. Being one of many competent Freelance professionals makes it difficult to stand out when your audience is broad. Prospects who search your service category will likely encounter several other talented Freelancers and may therefore be unable to recognize who can efficiently deliver the best solution.

But when you adjust your business strategy to limit your target market to prospects who seek a specific segment of your expert services—not just HR services, but benefits management or employee compensation, for example—and you confirm that the niche market sector is viable and sustainable, you will receive competitive advantages:

  • Narrowing your marketing strategies to communicate with prospects who have a hyper-specific problem to resolve or goal to achieve can position you as the leading authority in your tightly focused market and greatly reduce competition.
  • Micro-niche businesses facilitate deeper customer relationships that are nurtured through personalized marketing messages that are able to enhance trust, loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
  • Specializing in a small market segment allows for more efficient resource allocation and improved return on investment re: outcomes (conversion of prospects to customers).

A credible and visible authority

When you focus your specialized expertise and operate within an exclusive niche, the number of your competitors can only decrease, making it easier to position yourself as a respected thought leader and authority. As noted above, you can also expect to be able to increase the amount of your standard billable rate because specialization enhances perceived value to the customer. Moreover, by strategically limiting the number of potential customers, over time you will learn to craft highly specific marketing messages that directly address what matters most to your exclusive group of prospects—and, as noted above, helps you to nurture customer relationships. You’ll “get it” and they’ll know it and they will become your devoted, long-term customers. Your marketing could evolve from “covering all bases” platitudes to spot-on understanding of their challenges, goals and priorities.

Micro-niche growth strategy

Identifying a potentially viable B2B niche skill for your Freelance entity can become a launchpad, not a limitation and enable you to develop and package yourself and your entity yourself as a well-known and respected big fish (in a small, exclusive pond). While some of your colleagues may feel that a large potential customer base holds more opportunities, but that assumption is losing validity. In the B2B sector, attempting to sell to everyone is becoming less effective every year; rather, Freelancers who limit their focus to a select group of prospective customers are winning more contracts and are poised to dominate in revenue generated. Here’s your roadmap to specialization success:

  • Step 1: Dominate the micro-niche. Become the recognized leader in an exclusive sector.
  • Step 2: Move to adjacent niches. Expand your presence to similar groups who have similar problems or goals.
  • Step 3: Expand horizontally. Add new add-on or upgrade services to the core audience.

Closing thought

To achieve your goal of establishing and sustaining a profitable Freelance entity it is necessary to stand out and distinguish yourself as a thought leader, an authority and trusted source who is not just one of many “sound-alike” Freelancers who is trying to survive in a competitive B2B services marketplace. Resist the temptation to chase down every prospect who might be interested in your solutions. Instead, find the confidence to specialize, perhaps by focusing on an underserved customer group that is motivated by an urgent need to find a specialized solution and also has the potential to become a viable market. As the legendary Diana Vreeland (1903-1989), who was the Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar Magazine (1939-1962) and later became Editor-in-Chief at Vogue Magazine (1963 -1971) said, “Elegance is refusal.” Ms. Vreeland understood that trying to be all things to all people is folly.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Yayoi Kusama. Kusama, 2000 courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo

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How Does Influencer Marketing Work for B2B Freelancers?

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Influencer marketing has been white hot for a minute and it’s getting even hotter. A strategy born of user generated content and nurtured by early bloggers soon produced content creators who came to be considered authorities within their niche fields of expertise, developing loyal audiences for their blog content and generating follower communities along the way. Those early pioneers earned reputations and gained recognition for product reviews that showed trustworthy insights and built credibility. The DIY grassroots aura and absence of corporate advertising gave it all the blessing of authenticity. The independent and impartial assessments provided by the bloggers encouraged engagement and audience trust. But this is America so gradually, bloggers with the biggest followings in the scene featured sponsored content on their sites (often disclosed through affiliate links) and next, collaborations with retail outlets and product brands.

The phenomenon was accelerated by the introduction of social media platforms and exploded with the arrival of visually-focused platforms. Images, and especially videos, provided an ideal environment for newly minted marketing influencers to showcase themselves and the brands they represent with exciting visual content. The visually focused platforms caused an inflection point that gave rise to influencer marketing stars who found a lot of work in the B2C sector, in particular fashion, beauty and travel. Bloggers and others who had a flair for creating appealing content plus the ability to connect with and encourage relationships with their audience began to grow significant followings and exert influence over the behavior (aspirations) of prospective and current customers.

The rise of B2B Influencers 

While originally a strategy used by your flashy B2C cousins, competition for billable hours in the B2B sector seems to have stimulated the adoption of influencer marketing in the B2B sector. However, be advised that B2B influencer marketing is not about showcasing services or products. Rather, B2B influencer marketing is about helping you build trust and connect with prospective clients who, if all falls into place, will be more inclined to become your loyal clients. The goal of B2B influencer marketing strategies is to align your organization with recognized and respected industry thought leaders—the influencers— whose industry knowledge, reputation and loyal followers can be leveraged in your target market sectors.

B2B influencers are well-known and respected experts and thought leaders in their field. They’ve acquired impressive knowledge, experience and authority that confers recognized credibility that’s enabled them to build a sizeable, loyal and often activist following. Based on that authority and credibility, effective influencers are able to build trust and enthusiasm for a brand within their community of followers by making endorsements that can stimulate purchases made by decision-makers within the community. Furthermore, a brand endorsement can also result in a significant number of positive reviews posted on social media that creates a word-of-mouth campaign that can spread to the general public and can stimulate still more purchases of the brand’s services or products.

On a national level, you might think of sales training expert Brian Tracy, marketing wizard Neil Patel, professional development guru and author Stephen Covey and leadership and personal development maven Brene Brown as powerful B2B influencers. The best influencers assist brands by providing targeted exposure, building industry credibility, facilitating strategic partnerships and product or service endorsements that, ideally, will substantively enhance brand recognition, reputation and sales. Potential B2B influencer marketing goals for your organization could include:

  • Increased credibility and trust for your brand within your target market
  • Heightened audience engagement with your marketing content
  • Enhanced perceived value of your brand
  • Increased stature and influence of your thought leadership
  • Accelerated rate and quality of leads generated and an enhanced sales conversion rate

Is influencer marketing for you?

Let’s examine how influencer marketing could be useful to B2B Freelance consultants. As usual, your first act will be to assess your client base and refresh your understanding of your target market(s). You must know whom you’d like to influence, what you’d like to achieve and why that achievement will matter. Verifying your target market will enable you to recognize which influencers, marketing tactics and channels can be expected to resonate with your clients and prospects. So that you can begin to recognize the expertise, authority, connections and social media presence your most effective influencer should have, it’s imperative that you clarify the problems and projects that clients and prospects ask you to resolve. As you go through this process, you’ll also get an idea of whether (or not) influencer marketing might be a fit for you.

Identify and investigate influencers in your industry

Take your evaluation process to the next level by investigating the types of content your clients and prospects usually engage with and the platforms that supply it. What types of content do they find relevant, whom do they follow and on which platforms can that content be found? Also, what are the most common questions they’re looking to answer and the problems they want to resolve?

Next, develop a list of influencers you’d like to contact. Your job here is to speak and get to know who you might like to work with. Does this candidate have not only the industry experience and authority that you’d like but does s/he have the connections and clout in your niche to move the needle for you? Essentially, you’ll search for influencers who can help you reach and impact your ideal audience. It’s no help if an influencer has a large community of followers but does not have a prominent presence in your industry and niche. Before you decide who you’d like to follow and follow-up with, verify precisely how your potential influencer can produce what you want, which is probably some combination of upgrading and/or increasing your leadgen, enhancing company brand, encouraging brand loyalty, upgrading and expanding the earned media you receive and, ultimately, impacting purchase decisions that increase your client roster. Keep all that in mind as you look for good potential influencers. Here are common methods you can use to find influencers you can meet and interview.

  • Social media. Many influencers have large followings on social media platforms and it makes sense to start your search there. You’ll want to choose influencers who have a strong presence on the preferred platforms of decision-makers for your service or product. Engage with the content of influencers who seem to have promise for you. You can follow those who look promising and then reach out and initiate contact. This strategy gives you direct access to potential influencers and enables you to build relationships.
    • If Facebook is your preferred platform, use their search function to find influencers. You can also check out industry specific Facebook groups or pages to find B2B potential influencers.
    • Instagram is your gateway to connecting with Millennial generation decision-makers and discovering the influencers they trust. Search the platform for producers of excellent and consistent content and then visit the site profiles of those content producers you find compelling.
    • LinkedIn is the usual suspect for all things B2B, including finding B2B influencers. You can search your industry to find influencers directly. Definitely join and investigate relevant LI groups and watch for influencers within their membership ranks.
  • Networking at industry conferences and events. Attending in-person meetings and conferences provides a unique opportunity to network with professionals and identify potential B2B influencers within your niche. The strategy is effective for discovering and getting to know B2B influencers with whom you can potentially build a mutually beneficial relationship.
    • Attend relevant conferences in your industry.
    • Actively participate in networking sessions.
    • Identify B2B professionals with significant industry influence
    • Establish connections and express interest in collaboration

  • Discover B2B influencers through industry publications, influential blogs and speaking engagements. This strategy lets you evaluate is the credibility of influencers by learning who is featured in respected industry publications, which indicates expertise, authenticity and most likely, influential relationships.
    • Regularly follow industry publications and relevant blogs, with an emphasis on organizations such as chambers of commerce or other well-respected professional societies and business associations. Identify content contributors and speakers who have the industry expertise and reputations that you seek.
    • Familiarize yourself with the content of industry experts that you find promising
    • Reach out to suggest the possibility of collaboration opportunities.

Evaluate B2B influencer industry authority and credibility;

Confirm the authority and credibility of potential B2B influencers within your industry by examining their past collaborations (if possible), content quality, consistency and presence in prestige publications. Your job is to investigate which B2B influencers’ audiences and authority align with your target market and can be useful for you. Refer to your research to develop a candidate shortlist.

Reach out to your follow-up list gauge and request an opportunity to discuss the possibility of an influencer marketing relationship. Enhance your appeal to your intended influencer with a personalized and compelling outreach message that demonstrates your awareness of his/her industry authority, as evidenced by the quality and consistency of his/her published content, speaking engagements and /or professional awards. Express your admiration for their insights and expertise.

If your invitation to talk is accepted, during the conversation inquire about the brands and types of campaigns your would-be influencer has previously collaborated on. If the initial discussion leads to further and more specific talks, request a link to his/her portfolio to verify the success of past collaborations and get a feel for how a collaboration with you might work.

Negotiate terms and collaboration agreements

Clearly define and commit to writing in a signed contract your expectations of the influencer marketing campaigns, the roles and responsibilities of the influencer you’ll partner with and the compensation agreement (monetary amount and due dates) with your selected B2B influencer. Execute this agreement by producing a transparently communicated legal document—a contract.

Keep in mind that a contract is only as good as your ability to enforce it. Help yourself by keeping your wish list and the timeline for its achievement realistic. While discussions and negotiations with your preferred influencer in advance of finalizing the contract, do your best to confirm which items of your wish list outcomes seem possible for your organization as well as the amount of time and other resources that will likely be needed to get you there.

Monitor and measure campaign influencer performance

Monitor the performance of your B2B influencer campaign by tracking the relevant associated key metrics, such as client and prospect engagement, click-through rates and shares, follower growth and expansion, leadgen growth and expansion, brand reach and impressions and sales revenue. In sum, you’ll want to evaluate the campaign ROI outcome and understand the costs associated with your influencer marketing campaign versus the sales revenue that can be attributed to the campaign.

It’s imperative that you obtain an objective and comprehensive assessment of your influencer marketing activities. As with all of your business strategies, obtaining a big-picture performance evaluation is a must-do. Once you learn which strategies and campaigns are effective, and therefore worthy of your investments of money and time, and what failed to live up to your expectations, and might either benefit from an adjustment or maybe should be dropped will, as always, show you the path forward.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © gstockstudio for Freepik

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Revolutionize Your Email Marketing Campaigns

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How many times over the past 10 years have B2B marketing experts declared email marketing dead? Oh, well—sometimes experts project their own feelings onto those whose behaviors they’ve been charged to study and predict. The experts, it seems, and not the customers, were ready to move on but like a cat, email marketing has nine lives. B2B email marketing in 2025 continued to earn the trust of customers and prospects and produced a confidence-boosting performance for marketers. The median B2B open rate reached 36.7%–42.35% , an increase from 34.2% in 2024, according to data from VerifiedEmail.

Email marketing continues to deliver exceptional return on investment of $36–$42 per $1 spent as of 2025, as reported by data published by Los Angeles, CA based VerifiedEmail and outperforming all digital marketing channels by 4–5x. Bold text, eye-catching images, interactive content and an irresistible subject line are how email marketers capture the attention of intended readers.

AI tools optimize performance of an evergreen marketing resource

A 2025 Boston Consulting Group survey of 251 marketing professionals concluded that 33% of survey respondents regularly use generative AI tools and 92% of respondents feel optimistic or very optimistic about the creative potential of GenAI over the next two to three years. GenAI tools like ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI and the AI-powered search engine Perplexity are primarily used to write articles and create images that accompany social media posts. Email marketers are finding inspiration in those capabilities and are off to a good start with AI technology. According to Salesforce research, AI is positioned to greatly enhance the impact of email marketing:

  • Managing campaigns: AI helps marketers understand which elements of an email campaign are effective and which do not resonate.
  • Content creation: GenAI platforms will support the text outline and compose the narrative, as well as edit your copy and also create the images that supply visual context to your marketing message.
  • Brainstorming: Marketers can use AI to jumpstart creativity and elevate the quality of the text you produce and help you to more efficiently produce the irresistible subject lines, eye-catching images and, most importantly, compelling topics that build the audience for marketing emails that deliver your newsletters.
  • Scaling output: AI can speed up completion of the normally time-consuming functions listed above—finding the right subject line, composing newsletter text, producing an image that enhances your text and, icing on the cake, analyzing the performance of your email marketing campaigns.

Getting in, getting noticed, getting opened

The volume of daily emails received by a working adult is often overwhelming and most inboxes are inundated with messages both business and personal. Nevertheless, the response to email marketing remains robust, propelled by the value and trust conveyed in highly targeted, personalized marketing messages that address the needs and priorities of decision-makers.

Still, recipients are inclined to require opt-in permission to control their email deluge. A double opt-in protocol that asks subscribers to both agree to accept your emails and also include another security layer by adding your company email address to his/her trusted contact list, your emails might still be blocked by spam filters. The unintended consequence is that 22% of permissioned email fails to reach subscriber inboxes.

Furthermore, like a determined salmon swimming upstream, reaching subscriber inboxes is only Step One in your marketing email’s journey. Step Two for email marketers is to prepare for how the email will be received and noticed by subscribers. Research indicates that as of 2025, 55% of email is opened on mobile devices, that is, smart phone or tablet. Responsive design is therefore required for your marketing emails. Furthermore, mobile devices allow only a limited view of the email subject line. Just first 40 characters of a subject line are visible on the iPhone email app.

Those 40 characters have a big responsibility. Marketers are advised to be very selective about what those 40 characters communicate to potential readers. Then again, shorter subject lines consistently outperform longer ones. The email marketing experts at Constant Contact point out that that all aspects of your email content—format, text and images—must be considered and optimal email design for different mobile devices may not be uniform.

An intriguing discovery is that including an emoji in the subject line can increase open rate by 56%. Still, a subject line that is considered relevant will likely be the more persuasive strategy for intended readers. Finally, there is the most important ingredient in this recipe and that is email content. The open and click through rates depend on the content delivered in the email. The subscriber has to feel that the subject you’ll cover—whether it’s a special offer, an announcement of some sort, or a hot industry topic—must be relevant and timely.

Email segmentation is the new normal

Email segmentation, along with email marketing automation, has been one of the biggest digital marketing trends over the last few years. Email segmentation has moved from what was considered an “advanced feature” to a capability that basically all email service provider platforms offer because basically all email marketers want to use segmentation in their email marketing campaigns to enhance the ROI.

Recent studies have found that 33% of companies segment their audiences for marketing campaigns and 20% send customer-specific emails. In fact, researchers at VerifiedEmail report a pronounced shift from email volume to email relevance that’s revealed the highest-performing campaigns send fewer emails to more precisely segmented (targeted) audiences and achieve 30% higher open rates and 50% higher click-through rates. These findings suggest that email marketers create customer personae and use data from those profiles to segment audiences and more effectively target the campaign content they will receive. Hyper -personalized marketing content has been shown to produce as much as a six-fold increase in transaction rate. In addition to producing increased sales revenue, the data further suggests that segmentation can boost recipient engagement as well. An industry study by MailChimp found that segmented campaigns lead to an average of 14% greater open rates and 100% greater clickthrough rates. Keep in mind that this happens when fewer, hyper-personalized emails are sent—I’m sure you’ll agree that limiting your marketing emails increases the value of those you do send and works to limit your unsubscribe rate.

Listen up—email marketing experts know that CTR matters more than the email open rate. VerifiedEmail spills the tea and points out that in our privacy-restricted era, CTR represents the most reliable engagement signal—it requires deliberate action rather than passive preview. Top-quartile email campaigns achieve 6%–10% CTR with diligent segmentation and AI- augmented personalization.

Get started by choosing the right email marketing eervice

Many marketers face the same challenge—they want to send marketing emails, grow their customer list and audience, plus automate and segment email campaigns without spending hours on design or technical setup. Furthermore, you may get stuck with the grunt work of performing manual data transfers risk to add list names and profile info if the software you use doesn’t integrate with the software used by your customer relations management service. You might also be limited in the number of marketing emails you can send. Or maybe you’ll eventually become dissatisfied with the generic designs that do not enhance your brand.

In other words, it will be worth your time to investigate and compare ESP software plans to identify the right platform for your needs. The right platform will save time and aggravation. It will simplify your workflow, encourage customer engagement, increase your campaign conversion rate and make your brand memorable in the best ways.

The price range of ESP plans varies significantly, depending on the level of service you’d like to have. There are even free plans that most likely will limit your number of email campaigns per day or month, a low-cost plan that could cost perhaps $5 to $10 per month, with limited campaign sends and size of the contact list, could be a good way for a Freelance professional to get started and access the benefits of email marketing. The average cost of email marketing platforms for up to 500 contacts is around $20 per month. Choosing the best platform won’t be complicated if you focus on the features that matter most. A list of typical services that marketers use is below. Next, you can start your ESP research here with this credible list of recommended email platforms Forbes Magazine in January 2026: 

1. Send volume. Pick a platform with send limits and pricing that match your current and future email marketing plans. Don’t overpay for features you won’t use or hit limits too soon.

2. Easy platform migration. Make sure it’s easy to migrate your customer data from your old system. The less time you spend moving contacts, the sooner you can get back to marketing.

3. Seamless integrations. Look for software that works with your CRM, online store, and even social media. This makes it easier to retarget leads and keep your marketing efforts connected.

4. User-friendly design tools. Choose a platform with drag-and-drop editors and customizable templates. You shouldn’t need a designer or coder to build beautiful emails.

5. Automation & AI. Advanced platforms let you automate email workflows, like sending follow-ups based on opens or clicks. AI can help predict the best times to send emails, write subject lines, or even suggest content.

6. Customization & branding. Free or cheap plans often include the platform’s logo on your emails. Invest in a plan that lets you add your branding, so your business looks professional.

7. Analytics. Basic reports should track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. A/B testing tools can show you what’s working and where to improve.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Getty Images. Burning Blue Email

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Motivation to Climb Your Customer Loyalty Ladder

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You know that customer loyalty is a powerful resource, one that directly impacts business growth by reducing customer acquisition costs and customer churn by generating referrals and increasing your company’s average customer lifetime value (CLV) to grow your customer list and company revenue. Jeffrey Gitomer, a recognized authority on sales and customer loyalty and author of 15 books, has a blunt observation to share with Freelancers and business owners. In his book Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless (1998), Gitomer shares an outrageous truth—if you disappoint a customer even once, s/he will tell 10 people about your faults. On the other hand, when you (merely) satisfy customer needs and expectations, it’s likely that your customer will tell no one—you did your job and so what.

The good news is, when you show some enthusiasm and exceed the customer’s expectations, s/he will usually tell others how wonderful you are. Here’s the lesson—Freelance professionals and other business owners cannot expect to maximize the potential of their business venture by simply showing up to do the job; that won’t move the needle and make a positive impact on reputation (brand) or revenue. You’ve gotta hit the ball out of the park every time, because acting like an order taker, making sure the fries and everything else are in the bag, is not enough.

In his book, Gitomer identifies critical moments in the buyer’s journey that influence whether customers will become your devoted brand advocates, make a one-off purchase and disappear, or remain indifferent and ignore you. By using what Gitomer describes as the customer loyalty ladder, you’ll refine the timing of the marketing and sales messages that you create to persuade prospects to become customers and eventually become repeat customers.The customer loyalty ladder takes it further and shows how to cultivate loyal customers and even brand advocates who become cheerleaders and make referrals, give testimonials in your favor and play a decisive role in the vitality of your customer list. It’s powerful stuff.

Each rung in the ladder represents a different stage in customer loyalty to your brand. It’s no secret that customer loyalty can make or break your company’s long-term success. You may be aware of customer retention statistics that indicate the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, while the probability of selling to a new customer is only 5-20%. Gitomer labels the process of moving up the ladder as the customer acquisition journey  Identifying where each customer stands on your customer loyalty ladder enables you to deliver a marketing message tailored to move that customer toward the top.

As you probably guessed, the customer loyalty ladder starts at the bottom with those the author calls suspects; they are not yet, and may never become, an actual prospect. Suspects barely know that you and your enterprise exist. The top rung of the ladder is where your most loyal and valuable customers reside: they’re the highly coveted brand advocates. Gitomer also cautions that in the nebulous middle are those with whom you’ve done business but unfortunately feel that you (or your team) did only what was necessary—nothing more, nothing less—causing this cohort to feel no attachment to your product, service, or organization. These folks may or may not do business with you again.

Stage 1: Suspects

These people know your brand exists and might have some level of awareness as to what you offer, but they’re not ready to make a purchase. They might have seen an ad, visited your website, or checked out your social media—but they have hesitations still. Suspects may potentially have use for your service product, but it’s not a front-burner issue. They are the largest group and they are ruled by inertia or indifference.

Stage 2: Prospects

Members of this cohort have demonstrate interest in your service or product and may have asked for more information. They know your brand exists, they have some awareness of your service or product, but they’re not ready, or able, to make a purchase yet. They’ve most likely have seen an ad, visited your website, or engaged with your social media but they hesitate to proceed. Prospects are weighing their options, and your organization is just one of perhaps several choices in our increasingly competitive B2B marketplace. You may be able to motivate prospects by tempting them with discounts for first-time buyers, free trials, or free access to gated content that they covet. Whatever the case, your goal here is conversion – turning prospects into first-time customers. Look at website traffic, ad engagement and email sign-ups to gauge brand awareness.

Stage 3: First-Time Customers

Needless to say, a customer has done business with you, made at least one purchase. You finally got the customer to take a chance on your brand and it is a relief and validation. But you can’t exhale yet—to be truly successful you’ll need repeat business—that is, customers who return to do more business with you. Over the years, make it a point to calculate the customer lifetime value vs customer acquisition cost of those on your customer list. 

There are a lot of one-off purchases made in the world. Every business owner is delighted to receive that first purchase a welcome a new customer, but there can be no misunderstanding that a viable customer list is not created through a series of one-offs. The first purchase is a critical juncture, when you would be wise to take steps to turn a one-time buyer into one who becomes a loyal advocate over the long term. Your job is to start the process with immediate post- purchase contact. A follow-up email thanking the user, providing value with how-tos while the customer anticipates delivery, or a quick survey to ask the customer to evaluate customer service are all a good first step. 

Examine conversion rates and purchase behavior – how many return for a second order? Make it a permanent part of your post-sale follow-up to touch base with them to see if you missed the mark in any way or if there’s anything you can do to help them make the most of their product. 96% of consumers say customer service influences brand loyalty.

You can also start sending personalized follow-ups with complementary product suggestions, or even go as far as offering incentives for the next purchase (discounts, loyalty program enrollment, etc.).The key takeaway is that a positive first experience can make or break your customer retention efforts. If you fail to act, or if your approach is wrong, you’ll have a much lower chance of encouraging repeat business.

Stage 3: Repeat Customers

A repeat customer is anyone who has done business with your company more than once. These customer see value in your service or product, but it will nevertheless be helpful to remind these customers why they should continue to do business with your organization. This is where you can implement a well-structured loyalty program. Tiered loyalty programs allow customers to earn points or exclusive perks over time.

You can also use data to send personalized recommendations that align with their purchase history. Whatever you do, keep up the attentive customer service. It’s been reported that 61% of customers will jump ship and defect to a competitor after a single poor customer service experience.

Stage 4: Loyal Customers

Loyal customers are deeply connected to your brand and choose you because of you and not just because of the products and services you sell. They have an emotional attachment that guides their purchase habits and they are among your most valuable customers. Don’t just take my word for it—one study found that loyal customers can drive up to 65% of a brand’s revenue, even though they typically make up only a small percentage of total customers.

Without question, it is in your interest to go above and beyond when considering how to reward and thank these customers with ultra-exclusive benefits. Your rewards should free shipping or discounts, for example. Instead, think early access to new services or products that you introduce, behind-the-scenes content, invitation to a launch event and unexpected surprises like handwritten notes all go a long way. Use customer lifetime value (LTV) and engagement metrics to see who keeps coming back. You can even poll them and let them tell you why they come back again and again. Give these customers opportunities to interact with your brand beyond purchases with events or opportunities to offer feedback on new product releases. The priority is to make them feel as if they’re not just another customer, but very special people who are part of the movement.

Stage 5: Brand Advocates

Eventually, your most loyal customers may become motivated to become brand advocates. This top rung in the customer loyalty ladder represents your most powerful customers, those who serve as an organic marketing channel for your brand. These customers actively promote your brand to their friends, family, colleagues, even random people they come across on a daily basis. They leave glowing reviews and share your products on social media, too.

Brand advocates are your most valuable customers not only because their testimonials and cheerleading bring interest, excitement and trust to your service or product that results in customer referrals and maybe some PR too. the enthusiasm of brand advocates also lowers your cost of customer acquisition and drive customer growth naturally.

So, how do you move people up the ladder of customer loyalty into this stage? Continue taking other steps to make customers, especially repeat and loyal customers, feel like VIP insiders. Seek their insights from your brand advocates when making decisions about your service or product; involve them in beta testing new features or entry into a new market, invite them to exclusive VIP-only events. A customer who feels involved and part of your business, while also receiving consistent value, can be an influential promoter of your brand, giving referrals and singing your praises.

Assess your customer list

First, examine your customer list to figure out where you’re struggling the most. Maybe you have a hard time getting customers to take a chance on your brand but once they do, they stick around. You have an acquisition problem. Or, perhaps you get customers to buy once but they never come back to make another purchase. You have a customer retention problem and problem with customer churn. Gitomer recommends that you focus on the following questions:

Analyze your customer retention KPIs and figure out where you have the need to level up your performance. You now know what to look for at each rung of the very useful customer loyalty ladder and understand how the customer acquisition journey along with the customer loyalty ladder can improve your ability to improve the CLV in your customer list. To get you started, Gitomer recommends that you focus on the following questions:

  • How can you convert one-time buyers into repeat customers?
  • What’s the best way to incentivize loyal customers to become brand advocates?
  • Where do you see prospects abandoning the customer acquisition journey and how might you correct, or limit, the problem? fix them?

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Depositphotos free image

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Give Your Personal Brand A January Jumpstart

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FACT: You have a personal brand—whether or not you realize it or choose to manage it. You may prefer to let it be and let your business acumen and client list represent you, and they are undeniably important factors. Nevertheless, be advised that your personal brand is your reputation. It sums you up, in a brief sentence or two, in the minds of peers, competitors, prospective clients and perhaps even power brokers whom you’ve yet to meet but could still, some day, be in a position to evaluate you, however quickly, and advance or limit your preferred business trajectory.

Especially for Freelance consulting experts and other business owners, the personal brand has impact. Rather than leave public perceptions of who you are and what you stand for to chance, it is far less risky to develop and present your personal brand narrative yourself—perhaps with the assistance of a public relations expert or a business coach whose background is not in behavioral therapy or counseling, nor exclusively in traditional employment, even at C-Suite level, but rather in boots-on-the-ground independent business ownership, Freelance or otherwise, and preferably a coach who has had public relations/ marketing responsibility.

Defining your Personal Brand

I’m no fan of Jeff Bezos, but nevertheless, I feel his definition of personal brand is spot-on: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” You can also assert a level of control over your personal brand, because it really is about you being yourself—on purpose. It’s both authentic (being yourself) and strategic (on purpose). You have actually have a responsibility to shape and define how you’re perceived, to the extent that it’s possible. Your personal brand exists to amplify your strengths, does it not?

Use storytelling to build, engage and connect with your community

Heads up—branding, personal or business, is not about your company colors and logo design. Those elements represent the company visually, but they cannot build your brand. Your story does the brand building. Branding expert Chris Do, founder and CEO of The Futur, has spent 22 years building design businesses and also teaching marketing creatives and others in search of client work how to succeed. Do quotes Michael Margolis, founder and CEO of Storied, a strategic messaging company: “A product, service, or organization without a story is a commodity.” Do emphasizes that when prospective customers and clients make a choice between a better product or a better brand, they choose the better brand nearly every time because they can relate to it.

Emotion matters. “Facts tell, stories sell,” Do explains. He encourages those with a brand to build and manage, like you, to share your journey. Tell it like it is—be real about your failures; make people feel what you felt. Author and actress Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Always remember that your stories can never be copied by competitors. They describe and define you and they are authentic. Use your stories to stand out in an oversaturated market.

As Do sees it, your background isn’t baggage, it’s your superpower. “The origin story of you is the easiest one to tell because you’ve lived it,” he says. Your home town, what your dad (and/or mom) did for a living, the cultural references that were the foundation of the values that guided your parents as they raised you, the stories that they, and your aunts and uncles, shared with you at home and at family gatherings all shaped your worldview. Like Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a New York City native who grew up in Brooklyn, do not be afraid to keep your accent, your cultural references and your unique expressions. Your story creates cultural currency that connects you with your audience and brings them into your community. Don’t be self-conscious and hide the unique characteristics that define you. Do recognizes those quirks of personality and expression as shortcuts to understanding and trust with people who share similar experiences or just find your background fascinating—and authentic.

Take your personal brand public

Building and sustaining your preferred personal brand requires public exposure and your currency as a Thought leadership is often one of the first thing people think of when they think of a personal brand. You might publish an e-book, but there are other brand-building tools—such as publishing a blog or newsletter, appearing on webinars and podcasts and becoming an active and visible member of a local business group or national professional organization. It’s a great idea to Google yourself to see which links and images appear first and decide what you want others to see when they search your name and your company’s. What impression do your LinkedIn and other social media profiles present to the public? near the top of the search results? Update your headshot, reassess and align your headlines, perhaps revisit your unique selling proposition and align the description across all platforms. 

Finally, evaluate your network connections and go about building a community that is mutually beneficial. Your network is about quality, not quantity. Seek out professional connections across industries, functions, and even geographies. Furthermore, say yes to attending networking events, especially when they’re in-person. So what if you’re doing Dry January—order a sparkling water with a slice of lime and call it your mocktail!

When you meet new people, focus on generosity. Offer helpful introductions, send links to relevant articles, share timely insights. Always follow up. To all who’ve given you a business card, send a quick message to say something like “Great to meet you! If I can be of assistance, please reach out.” You want to do what’s possible to politely encourage beneficial relationships that reinforce your brand.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,

Kim

Image: © George Marks (photographer) circa 1950s “Man in the Mirror”

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2025 Year-End Business Report Card

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Reflecting on the waning year is the best way to give yourself an honest and very helpful big picture understanding of what occurred in your business. You will come face2face with planned initiatives, unexpected opportunities and risks that paid off, or at least broke even, and those that, unfortunately, failed to fulfill your hopes. , and what you might adjust to reach your 2026 goals. A year-end review suggests which strategies will likely build on successes, gives insight into what you should eliminate, as least for now, and what might come through for you in the new year, perhaps with some adjustment. A year-end review encourages productivity that brings good results by helping you move forward and build momentum—and ensuring that you avoid reinventing the wheel or repeatedly start from ground zero, which is sure to slow your progress. 

Review the year in business

When reviewing the past 12 months of your business, there are a few questions and metrics that will give you a good baseline of what you would be wise to pursue, adjust, or eliminate during the upcoming year.  After answering these questions, you can more effectively map out your goals for next year. Set attainable, data-driven targets that challenge, but are also within reach. This is also a great time to identify if you might want to outsource certain functions in the next year to help you reach your 2026 goals.

  • How many projects did I work on?
  • What was my total sales revenue?
  • What were the sources for these deals? (e.g., referrals, networking, social media, website marketing funnel)
  • On a scale of 1-10, how would I rate my new client prospecting efforts?
  • How consistent was I with marketing—blogs, newsletters, webinar appearances, social media? Did I create and follow outreach strategies or was it intermittent?
  • What could I have done better in terms of marketing?
  • What did I do exceptionally well that contributed to my success?
  • What area did I struggle with the most? (Hint: this may be an area to either get help with or improve in 2025).

Evaluate performance of lead generation strategies

  • Inbound marketing continues to be an absolute requirement for B2B growth. Creating a consistent stream of leads is very important if you want to build a business that is sustainable and that you can scale and grow. The goal is to invite a steady flow of leads from different sources. Inbound marketing is considered the most practical and method for keeping your pipeline filled with prospects who are curious about your services or products. Inbound marketing is also efficient, with numerous marketing studies confirming that inbound marketing campaigns and activities generate about 54% more leads than outbound marketing. Furthermore, inbound marketing costs up to 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing. In 2026, inbound marketing appeals are predicted to remain the primary source of how B2B buyers themselves expect to discover, evaluate and shortlist vendors, as 80 % of all B2B sales interactions will take place across a spectrum of digital channels, from company websites to social media platforms. Think of inbound marketing content and activities as a magnet that pulls in already-curious prospective buyers. The purpose of inbound marketing is to educate, build trust and generate qualified leads by providing valuable, problem-solving, content. Be advised that most of the buyer’s journey unfolds long before a prospect reaches out to a select group of potential vendors to obtain deal-sealing (or deal breaking) information. Those on a serious buyer’s journey already have a list of key questions to ask, to discuss and learn about the particulars of a service, or would like to see a product demonstration. Note that inbound marketing leadgen results in the prospect initiating contact with companies that look promising as they define it. The content you create (or fail to create)—stories, education, testimonials, case studies, conversations—determine whether you’ll be chosen to make the prospective buyer’s vendor shortlist. Review and assess your inbound marketing activity and confirm which campaigns were the most successful and which may benefit from a reworking. Your inbound marketing activity most likely includes some of the following activities.
    • Thought leadership (producing relevant and valuable information—e-book, case study, webinar or podcast appearance, blog, newsletter)
    • Sales/marketing funnel (company website)
    • Social media posts (text or audio/visual formats)
    • Referrals
    • SEO search (company website)

  • Outbound marketing content and activities enable you to broadcast your pitch to everyone in your chosen target demographics. The style is push: you/your brand initiates the contact with prospects whether or not they’re hyper-local in-market as you disseminate your message (“This is who we are and why you want to know us”). Outbound marketing methods are typically promotional—attention-grabbers, such as cold emails and direct mailings (recipients are often taken from membership or other lists), conference or event sponsorships, paid display advertisements/ paid social media ads.
    • Public speaking (guest speaking, teaching, panel/moderator) 
    • Face2face networking events (business groups or social gatherings)
    • Email updates
    • Participating in community charity events 
    • Paid online leadgen (pay-per-click)

Create a content calendar and map out marketing campaigns

Planning and scheduling your content is one of the best things you can do for your business—and your time and creativity. There are a few ways you can look at the year and decide the message of your content. Readers who have been with me for a couple of years or more will, for example, recognize that in late June – early July, I publish an annual Summer Reading List, which consists of 10 business and leadership-themed books that should appeal to those who are independently employed, whether as Freelance consultants or small business owners. Certain books might also appeal to traditionally employed executives in either the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors. In late November, I publish a December holiday client gift suggestions list.

Which events that occur in your industry might serve as focal points for your content? Could it be “back to school,” which could prompt you to present related content in August, or the arrival of a season—wintertime skiing and ice skating, an early spring marathon, an annual national conference that is regularly attended by members of your core target market, or Small Business Saturday in November?

When you develop a plan now, you can expect to emerge with a draft that you can finalize as you get closer to scheduled target dates for your content. Your content calendar draft will support and encourage you to publish relevant marketing content that’s timed to maximize its impact. Planning is so much better than flying by the seat of your pants!

Budgeting

In sum, the year-end review of your business entity can be a catalyst for growth and success. It encourages continuous learning and improvement and inspires you to think and act proactively. Your year-end review is among the most effective processes you have to evaluate the overall performance of your venture and by so doing, give yourself an opportunity to learn from successes and failures, make informed decisions and set challenging, yet realistic, strategic goals for the new year. In your review, you can analyze your 2025 actual spend against your budgeted expenses. You’ll be able to identify spending variances and learn why budget targets were exceeded. Insights from your 2025 budget review will assist in building realistic budget forecasts for 2026.

Keep in mind that forecasting is about anticipating the funding you’ll need to implement marketing campaigns, as well as paying for business operating expenses, from bookkeeping expenses to business association member dues to purchasing customer relations software to enhance your marketing functions. One hand washes the other when your leadgen marketing funnel brings in the revenue that enables you to operate at peak performance (as you define it)!

So—how did your budget and business expenses line up in 2025? Consult your financial statements— Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss (Income) Statement and Cash Flow Statement and conduct a financial health assessment of your entity. These documents provide a snapshot of your company’s assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses and profits throughout the year. It would be a great idea to discuss company financials with your business accountant, to get his/her perspective on how to enhance your company’s sustainability and financial possibilities. Why not send an email now and get a meeting on your January calendar?

Happy New Year and thanks for reading! I look forward to greeting you in 2026.

Kim

Image: © Freepik

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Storytelling Is the New Advertising

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Not long ago, advertisements you saw in newspapers and magazines were made to capture attention with style and flare. Whether those advertisements were from back in the day, or 21st century pop-ups that invade the screen on your device as you scroll through websites, ad copy displayed flawless visuals and meticulously phrased text, both carefully crafted to dazzle and persuade a broad swath of the ad’s target market viewers. But that was then and this is now.

In the here and now, tightly scripted advertisements appear to be losing their hold on audiences. The viewing public, some of whom are within your target market, are apparently tiring of what can easily be interpreted as ad agency engineered, focus-group tested and totally corporate. Your future clients, and maybe you, too, value what feels genuine, relatable, believable—authentic. Your future clients are hungering for comfort food served in a favorite neighborhood place, not a four- course banquet served in a grand, Michelin starred restaurant.

What future clients are increasing drawn to is storytelling—personal testimony that comes across as unscripted and communicates a set of values and guiding principles that inform how you conduct your business and and even personal life. The influence and impact of storytelling continues to expand and it seems to already have become the future of adverting in B2B and B2C markets.

Advertising experts call the emerging storytelling phenomenon the trust economy and it is winning loyalty (and wallets) with its apparently unrehearsed, believable, real first-person accounts that are overtaking the glossy ads of days past. For example, brands that feature storytelling by the company founder—maybe showing a clip that illustrates what’s happening behind the scenes or revealing that a percentage of company profit is devoted to a certain philanthropy and also explaining how the recipients benefit— are winning customers, growing their follower and customer communities and surpassing the usual results of traditional advertising. In today’s marketplace, authenticity—which is a defining ingredient of trust— has become real currency. Authentic storytelling is how you can earn it.

Maybe the rise of storytelling is a reaction to all those banner ads and pop-ups that clutter screens and have come to annoy digital audiences? Ad-blocker usage is high, especially among Generation Z (born 1997-2012) and Generation Alpha (born 2010-2025) cohorts, whose members show skepticism toward traditional advertisements. According to marketing researchers and thought leaders, authenticity is now a leading B2B purchasing driver, with prospective buyers more likely to buy from brands they perceive as transparent and real. This generational demand for “truth” means over-engineered marketing campaigns and content may no longer resonate with your target audience. But the apparently candid testimonials that typify storytelling are perceived as believable, authentic and trustworthy.

Powerful stories

On every continent and throughout human history, people with a gift for telling a story have held power in their community. We like hearing a good story that is told well. Stories told by company founders and even employees have a persuasive resonance in today’s marketplace. For example, entrepreneurs who share factors that motivated them to launch their business entity and tell the company origin story—and perhaps bravely admitting their struggles, pivots, or failures — create intimacy and relatability with their audience that neither impossibly glamorous models or bland-looking actors who were once the faces of hundreds of companies, smiling and spouting the official brand messages—cannot match.

Furthermore, traditional ads—TV, radio, print, or digital— are more expensive than ever and their returns are diminishing. By contrast, trust and authenticity-driven advertising (marketing) campaigns often require smaller budgets and deliver outsized impact in viewer engagement and word-of-mouth.

Storytelling, which is an outbound marketing strategy and therefore defined as a push promotional marketing tactic, is fundamentally different from the typical message broadcasting that defines outbound marketing, from television, radio, or print ads to sponsoring the holiday tree lighting in your neighborhood.

Expert storytelling invites the audience into a journey. Stories are a shared experience, personal and intimate and capable of making what is a transactional relationship—selling and buying— into communities of shared values and beliefs and whose participants can develop loyalty. Harvard Business Review notes that brands that present authentic narratives in their advertising and other content marketing activities see measurable improvements in consumer trust and loyalty. As well, Nielsen’s Trust in Advertising Report highlights that recommendations from “people like me” remain the most trusted source of brand information and vastly outperforms paid ads.

Build trust into marketing strategies

The core of storytelling is about developing a narrative that is believable and therefore resonates on an emotional level with audience members. The goal is to create a connection with your audience that inspires trust in and loyalty to your brand. A marketing strategy whose message prioritizes truth and has authenticity as its core delivers story narratives that your current and future clients will believe in. Your brand story, when effectively told, can connect with your current and future clients on a deeper level, providing feelings of belonging and loyalty. This emotional connection is crucial in building a lasting relationship between the brand and its consumers. When developing your storytelling strategy and choosing key elements to incorporate in the narrative, you might include:

  • showcasing not only the company founders, but also employees as storytellers
  • Sharing behind-the-scenes happenings with humility, honesty and maybe a touch of humor as well
  • Participating in social media as well as selected in-person community events or platforms to create opportunities that invite two-way communication with your clients, prospects and other followers
  • To evaluate the impact and outcomes of your storytelling marketing campaigns, measure not just impressions but also viewer sentiment, advocacy and engagement metrics

Develop your brand story

Storytellers may sound unscripted and in the strictest sense of the word, that may be true. However, effective storytellers, whether they are entertainers or entrepreneurs, know their talking points. They know the theme and purpose of the narrative. They know how to present the story to the audience and make it capture attention and flow. In other words, creating an effective brand story requires careful consideration. Here are key elements to keep in mind:

  • Know your audience: Understanding your target audience is always essential in public speaking. Make a list of what you feel represent your values, guiding principles, priorities and purpose and consider how they impact the company. You may also want to include challenges and pain points and a reach-for-the-stars goal or two. Tailor your story narrative to resonate with your audience.
  • Clear message and purpose: You don’t want to rant, you don’t want to humble brag. You must have a purpose, an objective, that can lead you to devise a compelling story. Your story should have a clear and concise message. Avoid overcomplicating the narrative; focus on the core message you want to convey, keeping it simple. You should have a Call to Action—what do you want your audience to do—maybe make a purchase, so that they can feel philanthropic by knowing that a portion of each sale will be used to fund a worthy cause, e.g., a healthcare or educational organization?
  • Authenticity: Authenticity is crucial to storytelling. Your clients can easily detect inauthentic narratives, which can damage a brand’s reputation. Ensure that your story aligns with your brand values, company vision and mission.
  • Emotional appeal: Incorporate elements that evoke emotions. Whether it’s joy, sadness, inspiration or nostalgia, an emotional connection can significantly enhance the impact of your story.
  • Organize the narrative: Your story must have a beginning, middle and end. It must have an intro that intrigues viewers and a conclusion that inspires them. A Call-to-Action will tell them how to direct the emotions your story has built up; it creates a common purpose among audience members and is a bonding and community-building experience.
  • Visual and verbal aspects: Combine visual and verbal elements to create a cohesive and immersive experience. Use imagery, videos and written content to bring your story to life.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Alejandra Brun/ Agence France-Presse for Getty Images. Charles Robinson, member of the Choctaw tribe (AL, LA, MS, OK), dances during his storytelling presentation in Lima, Peru, August 2003

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First-Person Data: Collect and Protect

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Compliance takes a leading role in marketing strategy

The accelerating use of Generative AI that’s occurring in business entities large and small has sparked privacy concerns in data management and IT security teams, marketing C-Suites and the offices of corporate governance/compliance attorneys. Whether the leadership at your organization calls itself progressive or conservative, it’s absolutely necessary to develop data implementation and risk management protocols, and create a crisis management public relations strategy while you’re at it, when integrating artificial intelligence backed software tools into your business operations.

Protecting client relationships and brand reputation has persuaded many organizations to bake compliance regulations into their marketing strategies, in particular those supported by GenAI. International Data Corporation (IDC), a global market intelligence and data provider for the IT, telecommunications and consumer technology markets headquartered near Boston, MA, cautions that stringent data compliance protocols are no longer merely optional, but are necessary, to avoid financial and reputational harm.

We’re all personally impacted by the increasingly pervasive use of AI and you are well aware that data privacy is high-priority to your client (and you). Regular reports of cyberattacks and data breaches intensify concern. While the the expansion of AI-powered software systems result in a more efficient, responsive and personalized experience that clients value and now expect, it’s usage simultaneously makes clients wonder about the security of their data. Research by Publishers Clearing House found that 86% of Americans are more concerned about their privacy and data security than the state of the US economy. However, 62% either don’t know or are misinformed about how their data is being used.

Sigh. There is an upside, however. Advanced risk monitoring tools, automated reporting and responsible AI frameworks can act as gatekeepers and companies achieve regulatory requirements. Businesses that integrate transparency and ethical AI practices into their governance policies and procedures can reduce the possibility of data breaches and other AI-related risks and simultaneously enhance client trust and strengthen the company’s brand reputation.

There is also legislation designed to reassure consumers that protecting their personal data is serious business and is, in some municipalities, the law. Protective measures meant to safeguard the processing of personal data is demonstrated by the change of privacy features at Google, the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), whose purpose is to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals in the European Union and European Common Market and the adoption of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

What is first-party data?

First-party data is information your company has collected directly from clients and prospects, site visitors, or social media followers. First-party data comes directly to you and the more touchpoints you provide, the more opportunities you will have to collect this information. It is an extremely valuable type of data for businesses. In comparison, second-party data is shared by a trusted source, while third-party data is data aggregated from other sources, which can include social media platforms and public records.

Marketers recognize that personalization is the cornerstone of a pleasing and potentially memorable customer experience and that collecting, implementing and storing client data —first-party data—is integral to personalization. Marketers enter first-party data into customer relations management (CRM) systems to enhance personalization, use CRM predictive analytics to get insight into client behaviors and preferences, recognize client segments and then target marketing campaigns accordingly. Sources of first-party data include:

  • Client demographic info
  • Client buying history
  • Leadgen campaigns
  • Client or prospect interactions with your website or app
  • Surveys and other online feedback that clients may participate in
  • Client, prospect or other visitors user-generated content or social media conversation transcripts
  • Blog, email and newsletter subscribers
  • Program registration lists, e.g. webinar, workshop, or meeting sign-ups

Why do you want first-party data?

First-party data helps you to paint a picture of your client and develop a reliable buyer persona. It is enormously useful because it delivers accurate client and prospect information—user info from all the touchpoints—that enables you to target the right buyers for your services or products. You’ll also be able to make better informed decisions when figuring out what personalization looks like to your clients.

First-party data enables marketers to build a customer experience that reflects user purchase history, if applicable, or other known preferences and behaviors that enrich and enhance the customer experience. Personalization is like the bartender who knows your drink or the waiter who shows you to your favorite table. Now you’ll have an accurate blueprint to follow when figuring out how to nurture a brand community of long-term clients who are happy to buy your products or services, make personal referrals and generate good word-of-mouth on social media.

Transcribe first-party data into your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform to create a database of everyone who’s visited your website and social media platforms. But before you start using your first-party data, think about what you want to achieve, to ensure that you’ll maximize its many benefits. You may want to do one or more of the following:

  • Building brand awareness 
  • Expanding leadgen activities
  • Encouraging repeat business and discouraging client churn 
  • Re-engaging lapsed clients and non-converting prospects
  • Growing your thought leadership content audience—blog, newsletter, podcast, webinars, speaking engagements

When you get enough first-person data to have confidence in the size of your sample, begin to implement your strategy—segment your audience and use your first-party data insights to maximize conversions on your website by optimizing user experience, targeted marketing messages, the buyer personas to understand your customers and create customized emails or (email) newsletters that will be relevant to the primary sectors (e.g., hospitals, schools, for-profit, not-for-profit, small business, global enterprise).

As well, Freelance consulting specialists and other B2B entities can follow the highly aligned and targeted account-based marketing format to produce relevant and personalized content to your market segments across the digital channels you occupy— posting tailored content in a various formats (e.g. blogs, videos, e-books, case studies) that resonate with those audience segments.

The ability to personalize marketing outreach activities cannot be overestimated—96% of shoppers say they’re “likely to purchase when brands send personalized messages.” Meanwhile, a 2025 consumer trends report generated by Businesswire found that “three out of four surveyed shoppers have already abandoned brands they once loved in favor of those offering more personalized experiences, while 81% say they routinely ignore marketing messages that don’t feel relevant”. When you throw in the harsh realities that client acquisition costs are increasing, client lifetime value is decreasing and the competitive landscape is intensifying, making the most of first-party client data becomes imperative. But the catch-22 is that possession of client personal data, which often includes contact info and credit card numbers, is a risky proposition.

Collect data, protect data

The widespread restrictions on third-party cookies by leading web browsers presents real challenges to the collection of first-party data, even when enabled by data collection by sites you control (e.g., your website). With Google putting the brakes on third-party cookies, plus Edge, Firefox and Safari shutting off cookies, first-party data is more valuable than ever.

How can businesses safely collect this essential marketing/ sales resource and simultaneously navigate obstacles around data security and client privacy expectations? The implementation of advanced security measures to protect against fraud and data breaches is a must-do. Ensuring compliance throughout the transition is also crucial, especially with evolving data privacy regulations.

In addition to conducting regular security audits to ensure data is secure, businesses should go beyond standard encryption practices and adopt advanced security measures such as tokenization for sensitive data fields, which minimizes the risk of exposing real data should a breach occur. It is recommended that companies should leverage automated tools for continuous security monitoring and compliance checks that can provide real-time alerts on suspicious activities that help to preempt potential security incidents. 

Maintain client trust

In Freelance consulting, trust and expertise are foundational. Clients entrust their sensitive data, strategic plans and proprietary work flow processes to you and expect their information to be kept private and secure. That is an ingredient in your recipe to win confidence, build strong, lasting relationships and establish and maintain your image as a reliable partner. You, Freelance friend, must institute all reasonable measures to protect client sensitive information, but as you know, the growing cybersecurity security threats can make that task feel like an ongoing battle. Here are effective defensive, low or no-cost, tactics you can take:

  • Read up on cybersecurity best practices that have SMBs and Freelance consultants in mind on the Small Business Association SCORE website.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication adds a layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity with both a password and a confirmation phone call or email.
  • Secure file permissions ensure that only authorized individuals can create, edit, or share sensitive documents. Encrypt sensitive documents and store them in the cloud to add another layer of security by instituting more stringently controlled access.
  • Hard-copy documents that contain sensitive information should be stored securely in a locked cabinet or safe when not in use.  
  • When possible, conduct meetings during which confidential topics will be discussed in person rather than on videoconference calls.
  • Devise an incident response/crisis communication PR strategy that provides explicit instructions, defines responsibilities and details your data recovery strategy in the event of a security incident. Your organization must respond quickly and in a calm and professional manner that demonstrates your control over matters and ability to resolve the incident and inform and reassure clients as you do.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: AI-generated image courtesy of StockCake