Brian E. Boyd Sr.'s Blog

By: Kirstin Venn, Account Manager

Facebook

Overview: If you’re looking to build a community around your brand and start conversations, Facebook is the platform for you. If you add value to your follower’s lives, they’ll, in turn, promote your brand.

Strategy: Posting 1 post per day is recommended to keep your page active and engaged. Text, image, and video content all work well on this platform and publishing too many product or website-related posts and links is not recommended.

Content: When creating content for Facebook, first ask yourself what kind of posts you react to on social media and then check out what your favorite business pages and competitors are doing. Facebook users want content they can relate to and engage with — that’s why posts that add value to their lives or spark a reaction will produce the best results. Facebook advertising is recommended for most business pages and can be particularly effective if managed correctly.

Engagement: While “likes” are great, the interaction you’re really aiming for is a “comment” or even better, a “share,” as this will help with organic growth. Interacting with fans and followers daily is encouraged.

Twitter

Overview: Twitter is largely used as a tool to share thoughts, follow celebrities, keep up with news and connect with influencers. With Twitter’s short character cap, an insightful thought or inspirational quip does well.

Strategy: The mistake many brands make is sharing the same post at the same time across all platforms. Content should be tailored to each platform, and even if the message of the post is the same, you can shorten tweets and add a punchy hashtag to gain visibility and join trending conversations that relate to your brand. Posting 1-3 times daily is recommended for this platform.

Content: Sharing news and links to an article/blog is also acceptable on this platform. We recommend tweeting daily, adding one to two carefully thought out hashtags to your tweets and trying to incorporate images and video into your content.

Engagement: Engaging with your audience is a must for all platforms. Responding to followers is important and liking and retweeting content in line with your brand daily is essential.

Instagram

Overview: Instagram is an interesting platform because all your content needs to be visually pleasing. Posting only pictures and videos of products won’t gain you lots of followers. This is one platform where you can really get creative and form an identity for your brand.

Strategy: We suggest posting on Instagram 1-2 times per day. Instagram affords content creators the ability to showcase a different side of their business/products and showcase their creative side, even if the company is a corporate. Making use of hashtags and stories will increase visibility for your page.

Content: The sky is the limit with Instagram content. Take people behind the scenes, or show your audience the assembly of your product, as long as it’s done in an interesting way. It’s also a great way to get your team involved by sharing fun work photos and events. Inspirational posts on creative backgrounds, food posts, interesting angles, and live videos do well on this platform. We recommend sticking to a specific look and feel with your content and adding 7–15 carefully chosen hashtags to your content.

Engagement: Make sure to engage with your audience and make use of Instagram Stories on a daily basis. You should also be liking and commenting on posts that relate to your brand and sharing like-minded content through your stories. Don’t forget to create highlights so that your stories can be viewed by your audience after they expire.

LinkedIn

Overview: You may view LinkedIn as the platform that individuals only use when they’re looking for a new job, and companies only use when hiring, but that doesn’t mean there’s no value in the platform.

Strategy: LinkedIn is imperative for companies as it allows you to connect with other business leaders and owners in your area of expertise, as well as showcase your achievements, milestones and company events. Posting 3–5 times per week is acceptable (preferably Monday-Friday).

Content: Where you might shy away from posting company updates and industry news on other social media platforms, LinkedIn is the perfect place for this content type. We suggest tailoring your LinkedIn page to showcase your brand as thought-leaders in your space, and we suggest sharing blog posts, milestones, company position changes, leadership quotes, original research, statistics, and quick tips and lists – preferably with an eye-catching image or video to get the most out of this platform.

Engagement: Make sure to monitor your LinkedIn profile for comments like you would with any other platforms and connect with clients and businesses in your field of expertise. You never know when a collaboration might occur and if your LinkedIn profile showcases your company as a whole, potential employees will see first-hand what kind of company culture you exhibit.

 

Social media is all about having a solid strategy and curating content that really resonates with your followers. Beacon exists to shine a light on your brand by developing relationships with our clients and their audiences online. If you’d like a social media audit and strategy, let’s chat!

The post Beacon’s Social Media Strategy Guide appeared first on Beacon.

Written by: Ginger Marks, Social Media Manager

We are right there with you. We are all right in the middle of the revenue, business and employee loss, due to COVID-19. Whether you are a small business, large business, or a nonprofit organization, you have taken a hit. But there are options.

Today, we want to focus on nonprofits specifically. Here at Beacon, A BrandStar Company, we are experts in what your nonprofit needs. More donors to raise funds, more volunteers to share your mission, and more campaigns to raise awareness of your cause. Ultimately, we would like to help you with all three of those; and with the help of Google, we can. Despite what COVID-19 may have forced you to do with your funds, there is money available to you that we can help you get and it’s called a Google Grant.

During crisis, nonprofits are often on the minds of people who wish to do their part to combat the issues in the world. So, whether you are directly working with those on the frontlines of this disease or are working to save children who need fostering in your community, audiences cannot help but give back to a need close to their hearts. While you are dealing with some internal downturn, and increased workload, allow us to come in and work to get you up to $10,000 free advertising money from Google to help gain your momentum back during these tough times. Beacon offers two plans, the basic plan as low as $1,500 that provides account set up, campaign management, and reporting of your Google Grant campaign. It is set it and forget it with this plan with the goal to keep your account maintained to continue receiving the extra $10,000 a month. The second plan, or full plan for $2,000 includes the same three steps mentioned in the basic, but includes a more strategic approach with your keywords and campaigns to ensure they are working the hardest for you the money you are receiving.

As long as you are a certified 501 ©(3), this Grant is available to you. All we need from you is your:

EIN
501(c)(3) tax exemption from
Login to Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager

Take the next step with Beacon and contact us today to get started. A grant process has never been easier! With our analytics and data, we will be able to increase your donor list and gain more awareness for your cause in no time. With Beacon at the helm of your campaign, you won’t be steered wrong.

The post There’s Money Available for NonProfits and Beacon Wants You to Have It! appeared first on Beacon.

Coming Back Stronger, and Better Than Before

Written By: Forrest Haag, Managing Director – Marketing

The central theme of resurrection has been on my mind recently, obviously because it’s Easter, but also because of the unique situation we happen to be in right now. So, I asked a handful of people what resurrection means to them to see what kind of answers I got. The answers varied of course. As today is Good Friday, the natural answer was an answer of faith and centered around Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. Given we’re living in a pandemic, I also got a unique set of answers I probably normally wouldn’t have otherwise received. There were of course, also a handful of comedians in the group who wanted to resurrect anything that involved being out of quarantine. For others, I witnessed what wasn’t just a shift in perspective, but a shift in consciousness and awareness, and that was inspiring to see.

“Being reborn from death like a phoenix from the ashes.”

It was clear that all forms of resurrection are very big, there’s no small version. Go big or go home, right? Even the smallest forms of resurrection were still illustrated in grandiose examples. Whether it was in reference to a person, a business or a fly, the idea of resurrection seemed the same, it was always a matter of black or white, life or death, activity or not. What was being resurrected though, held different meaning to everyone in my little focus group. Resurrection was about beginning again, with things like relationships, and behaviors, beliefs, routines, emotions and more.

A simple google search on the word resurrection quickly brings up images, websites and the concept of Jesus Christ. But whether you’re a believer or not, there is an opportunity here to experience your own resurrection and rise from your own ashes and simply begin again. Covid’s got us practicing awareness, locked in our homes and lost in our thoughts, so what are you now aware of that you can you begin again with?

From the basic levels of awareness:

Wash your hands! Who knew? After this, awareness level just went from 0 to extreme.

To the mindfully many:

Give up what you can’t control and be aware of the situation, surroundings and how to act.

And into our growth zone:

Look for ways to adapt new changes and further develop while holding an emotionally happy state.

This Easter Sunday as we #stayhome with those few nearest and dearest to us (and video chat with others), I urge you to think, what are you now aware of and how can you begin again coming out of quarantine? Is it a new workout routine? A new belief system? An old belief system? This is prime opportunity to take an inside look at who we are as people, as co-workers as husbands and wives, and level up our game. Level up in our jobs, in our relationships, with our families, as friends and in our faith.

 

The world is shifting, now is the time to shift too.

Be well.

 

The post Coming Back Stronger, and Better Than Before appeared first on Beacon.

 

“Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is.”

— Jessica Harrelson

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! You know the one – where flowers are blooming again, the air has finally warmed up, and the sun shines just a little bit longer. Unpopular opinion? Either way, let’s get down to some facts. If you’re as calendar obsessed as we are here at Beacon, you may have noticed something strange about this year’s spring equinox, aka the first day of spring. If you felt like it was earlier than usual, you were right. In fact, it is the earliest spring we have seen in our lives so far! For reference, the last time a spring arrived this early was 124 years ago, in 1896!

 

If you’re wondering what “equinox” means, exactly, you’re not alone. Interestingly enough, the word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”–aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal across all parts of the world. The best part? We get to enjoy an increase in sunlight hours, with earlier dawns and later sunsets! This is what is popularly known as “daylight savings” and is commonly looked forward to around this time of year.

 

Understanding what happens on the March equinox is complicated, but not impossible. On the March equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north. Equinoxes are the only two times a year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth! After the spring equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, which is why we begin getting longer, sunnier days. (Thank God.)

 

Spring is a chance to look at the bright side of things. (Literally!) We encourage you to utilize the time in this season to observe all of the renewal around you! Here at Beacon, we fill the hours of our days building relationships, developing strategies, and growing businesses from the ground up. We’re honored to work with so many amazing clients, and we’re thankful for extra hours of sunlight to spend doing what we love most. Look around! You’re in the sunshine with us, too.

The post Take a Walk on the Bright Side appeared first on Beacon.

Let’s be real, no matter how much we love our jobs, things can get stressful sometimes. Statistics show that 83% of U.S. employees suffer from work related stress and about half of them need help managing it. This can end up effecting our mental health and overall attitude if we let it get out of control. Since stress at work is so common, it can be nearly impossible for most people to find a low-stress job, therefore, a more realistic choice would be to adopt more effective ways to reduce stress at work. Here are some tips on how to manage stress during the work week!

Stay Organized

Staying organized and prioritizing your work will help get to the root of the problem and help reduce stress.

Do your best to keep your workspace clean! This will help keep your mind clear and focused on the job at hand. A messy desk can be distracting and unmotivating.
Make a list and organize it based on the importance of each task. There’s something so satisfying about looking at your checklist at the end of the day and seeing that everything has been checked off!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If your workload starts getting too overwhelming, ask someone on your team if they have time to help! That’s what they’re there for.

Listen to Music

It’s no secret that music can have a huge effect on a person’s mood. So, start your day with your favorite playlist or radio station! You can get this started as soon as you wake up in the morning while you’re getting ready, on your drive, and even as background sound during the day. Put on your headphones and play your favorite music. Not too loud though, because you’ve still got to focus!

Get Outside

Many people are feeling the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle and sitting in an office all day long can get a little bland. Take time out of your day or during your lunch break to go outside. You can take short walks throughout the day or have your lunch outside. The fresh air and sun will help enhance your mood and your health!

Workout

Getting your sweat on releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy! Now, you probably won’t be doing this at the office, but getting a workout in before work can help put you in the right mindset for a productive day. If you’re more of a night owl, get some exercise in right after work to work out the stress that accumulated during the day!

The post How to Manage Your Stress At Work appeared first on Beacon.

Are you just posting to post? STOP. You’ll never see growth if you aren’t tracking your metrics… your HARD-EARNED metrics. Monitoring your brand’s performance on Instagram doesn’t have to be daunting. It’s actually simple to track your data and analytics. We’re sharing 6 steps to measure and track your account’s Instagram growth. Follow these simple steps for just one month and you’ll soon understand what motivates your audience, sales, and how to improve your content strategy!

Take out your Notes app and type this:


Followers
Interactions (likes, comments)
Impressions
Reach


Open Instagram (Business account) and tap on Insights > Activity:

a) Write down the totals of each item in your notes.

Tap on Insights > Audience:

a) Write down your total number of followers.

b) Instagram provides these stats for your account weekly—so make sure you set a reminder to check back 7 days from now!

Write down your 3 top-performing posts for over the last two weeks.
Do you see similarities or trends happening? Was it a video or image? Did you have a short or long caption? Did you use emojis or hashtags? Record these!
Repeat these steps next week and compare your results to the previous week. Use your findings to create your strategy for the next month! Focus on where you see your audience more engaged and active with your content.

By: Bob Aycock, Account Manager & Purveyor of Christmas Cheer

One of my favorite Christmas songs is called “The Secret of Christmas.” It was first performed by Bing Crosby in the late 50s, but there is a version by Ella Fitzgerald that I am especially fond of. There’s a line at the end of the song that states,

So, may I suggest, the secret of Christmas

Is not the things you do

At Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do

All year through

The holiday season is typically a time of year that companies show appreciation towards their clients and take time to reflect on their own accomplishments. It’s a nice way to wrap up the year and display recognition. However, you don’t have to wait until December to do this. So, may I suggest, these 5 ideas to show your gratitude all year through?

Select a “client of the month.” Client spotlights are a great way to highlight customers who have decided to partner with your organization. It’s an easy way to show your client a little extra love—and share what your company has done for them. You can highlight them on social media, your company blog, or your website.
Celebrate milestones. If a client has been with you six months, pick up the phone and give them a call to celebrate. Wish them a “happy anniversary” when it’s been one year—or three! As you build long-term relationships with your customers, let them know they’re still an important partner.
Send a “thank you” note—just because. You can go old-school and send a handwritten card thanking your customers for choosing your company to work with or an email simply to check in and say thanks. And if you haven’t sent a holiday card to your clients yet, send out an e-card ASAP.
Ask for feedback. Taking time to listen to your clients is another easy and effective way to show appreciation. Create a simple form online and email it to your customers. Then, let them know how you’re using their feedback. If they take the time to fill out a questionnaire, your company should follow up.
Give a gift. The holidays are the ideal time of year to send a small token of appreciation to your clients—but what about Valentine’s Day or the middle of summer? Mailing your customer a “just because” gift lets them know you’re thinking about them and spending a little money to show them you care.

There are many ways to show customers you care, and we hope these ideas spark more for you. We all like to feel appreciated, and when we show others that they are important, they will think of us as important people in their lives. The handwritten card you mail today may result in another yearlong contract with that big client you have.

From all of us at Beacon, we wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas! Let’s keep the spirit of the season alive by doing Christmas things all year through.

The post The Secret of Christmas appeared first on Beacon.

In 2017, Beacon (Media Connect Partners) set out to bring OTT (over-the-top) delivery of internet-based video content to ministries by creating a platform for good quality, affordable streaming. After months of research and testing, GospelTruth.TV was launched—our 24/7 online “TV” stream created for Andrew Wommack Ministries, with their very own website, advertising space, and over 25 programmers airing weekly.

How is this unique and what makes it special? Video streaming usually involves a multiple-system operator to distribute online content which can be an expensive and time-consuming process, which has now been streamlined by going “over-the-top” and cutting out the middle man. Ministries send us their video content which we use to create an airing schedule. We then encode and upload the video content to a streaming platform and create the schedule playlist with interstitials and bumpers between shows to bring that “old-school” TV experience to viewers. The system has built-in livestream capabilities which is effective for ministries with conferences and Sunday services.

Beacon offers web development and each website is unique and tailored to our client’s specific needs. The video-world is rapidly evolving, and OTT is becoming more common and accessible to all. We’re staying on top of the video-industry by bringing this service to our clients in a simple and affordable way. In addition to a constant stream, we offer on demand video services and app-creation such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and many more. We also offer social media packages and advertising to promote the network and garner the right kind of audience, and our in-depth reports help us track growth in all the areas that are important to our clients.

In GospelTruth.TV’s first calendar year, 168,142 new users were reported, producing over 564,000 sessions. GospelTruth.TV is impacting lives world-wide and plan to double their viewership this 2019 with expanded advertising and social media efforts. We at Beacon pride ourselves on offering effective and affordable streaming and social media packages to our faith-based clients who make a difference in the world, and we’re proud to be a part of the GospelTruth.TV initiative.

If you’re looking to set up your own stream, we might be the partner for you. You can call us on 1.844.200.2525 or visit our contact page for more information.

The post OTT – The Future of Video Content appeared first on Beacon.

In January 2017, we started our new journey when we merged with South Florida Company, BrandStar Inc. It’s not always easy to tell your team you’re merging with another company, and that it’s going to be great. The word “merger” doesn’t necessarily give off happy vibes. BUT, not only did this enable us the ability to provide new services, but it gave us a fresh start. Ever since that day, this team has wanted to become a new name. Establish a full mission and vision. Begin again.

And so we did.

Media Connect Partners, LLC is now Beacon – A BrandStar Company. The process started on January 31, 2019, with what we call a “BrandStorming Session.” We set out to find out what our personality is, who our customers are, and who we really want to be. All the ideas came from this team. We shared our thoughts, ideas, and feelings together in one room to help create our new branding.

From there, we isolated our main goals and put our mission and vision on paper (or since we’re digital, on PowerPoint). With the help of our stellar creative team, we came up with logo options. The research was completed by this team. The name ideas were created by this team. The mission and vision statements were put together by this team. The options were then presented to the entire BrandStar company at our quarterly all-hands meeting in July. Our final logo was voted on TOGETHER.

January 2017 may have been scary at first, but almost three years later, we realize that being a part of BrandStar gives us great connections to people who care about our brand, our success and our team. Plus, we officially have access to the already busy ecosystem of content creation and content delivery that BrandStar offers in its services.

This team has been through a lot. But through it all, we relied on God and each other. This team is the team that never left. And there’s still room for us to grow.

Why don’t you come along with us?

This team can’t wait to work alongside you and your brand!

The post Introducing Beacon – A BrandStar Company appeared first on Beacon.

By: Ginger Marks –  Social Media Manager

 

 

 

 

 

Before we delve into the valuable lessons taken from the Fyre Festival fiasco, let’s state the obvious caveats—basically, don’t be a criminal:

Don’t lie to your investors.
Don’t embezzle millions of dollars from your customers.
Don’t lie to your employees and vendors.
Don’t withhold pay from your employees and vendors.

Easy enough.

 

After watching Netflix’s documentary, “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” not only was I entangled in the trending articles and memes that came from this disaster, but I realized it wasn’t all bad. There are actual ways you can say “yes” to the social media marketing efforts that came from it.

 

Stick with me here.

1.Use influencers

Unless you have $250,000, you may not be able to afford Haylie Baldwin, Kendall Jenner, or Bella Hadid, but you certainly want to find micro-influencers for your brand. Forbes calls it the marketing force of the future! And we agree. Have a new product? Want to get your website out into the world? Take the time to research hashtags, Instagram handles, and bloggers to find the influencer that’s perfect for you. Many of them take product as payment or will accept a reasonable payment. Budget, research, and outline a contract that shows EXACTLY what you are looking for and hiring an influencer will be one of the best decisions you made.

 2.  Create viral campaigns

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm! A lot of agencies do not take enough time to sit together as a team and share ideas on what their next and best thing is going to be. One of the first campaigns the Fyre team put together is encouraging everyone to share a single orange tile on their Instagram account with the hashtag #FyreFestival. All it takes is one simple idea to cause everyone to look twice.

Image: Instagram/bellahadid
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/fyre-f...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Get authentic footage:

“Let’s just film around the clock,” – Billy McFarland. This may be the only quote we can trust from this guy. Video content is KING on social media platforms today, and if you aren’t spending time recording your team, your brand, your events, you’re missing out on huge engagement opportunities. “80% of marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing. Video alone at 63%, has also surpassed blogging (60%) in usage as a social media marketing asset.” (hubspot.com) In the documentary, one of the Fyre team’s videographers, Brett Kincaid tells us, “I’ve said this multiple times, the real Fyre festival happened twice and it was the shoots. It just happened to happen for 60 people versus 6,000.” If you can authentically capture what you want in your video content, whether it’s a commercial, a digital short, or an Instagram story, you can capture your audience. Just don’t be like Fyre Festival and actually give your consumer what they see.

4. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is

TRUST YOUR GUT. If you are dealing with an overzealous sales guy, take heed. Basically, the festival was a disaster from the start. They “bought” an island without even considering if it would accommodate their festival attendees—and their sanitary needs. It was all about creating an image of luxury and desire. Don’t be fooled by sales tactics that oversell and underdeliver. Several of the employees interviewed in the documentary were simply fooled by the enthusiastic and energetic McFarland. Take your time, do your research, and ask yourself, “Does this make sense for my company to pursue?” Here at BrandStar, our focus is always on you and your brand. We have lots of services, but if it doesn’t make sense to your goals, we simply won’t offer it to you.

5. EVERY brand can use a trending topic

Where was your brand when #FyreFestival first happened? When it all came crashing down, did you join the conversation? You may think that a small business like yourself has no business talking about something that didn’t happen to you or your core demographic. However, I present to you Exhibit A. This is GENIUS social media! It’s clever, it’s on-brand, and it’s turning a trending topic on its head and making it about your brand. If Sherwin Williams did it, you should too! Join us on our BrandStar Facebook page and hear more about trending topics from my talk at our recent Dominate Your Industry live event.

Exhibit A:

Image: Instagram.com/SherwinWilliams

6. Allow the good to come from the bad

Even after all the lies, disaster, disorganization and misinformation, people came together for the Bahamians. A GoFundMe was created for Maryann Rolle, the caterer who got stiffed, along with her employees who worked day and night to feed the ill-fated festival’s organizers and attendees and were never compensated. The page’s goal has been supremely surpassed.

 

Now that’s a happy ending we can all get behind.

If you haven’t watched the documentary yet, I highly recommend it. Join the conversation and learn a few lessons along the way. You never know what may come from it.

 

The post 6 Lessons I Learned After Watching FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened appeared first on Beacon.