Marketing with Morals

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Cory Warren is the CEO of C4 Social, a digital marketing agency with an innovative take on eCommerce and digital strategy. Since founding his company in 2014, Cory has been committed to helping businesses of all sizes develop more effective marketing.

Should Your Brand Do A Memorial Day Sale? There are lots of things to consider when you are trying to decide whether or not your brand should consider participating in a Memorial Day sale. One of those first things you should consider is other people. In this episode, we will talk about a few questions you should ask yourself about what you stand for and who you want to reach before you answer this question for yourself. Enjoy!

How To Turn One Facebook Live Into Five Pieces Of ContentYou might have hard that Facebook Lives are THE thing that you have to do in order to trick the Facebook algorithm into getting more engagement and authority for your Facebook page. While some of that might be true, who really knows, right? I mean the thing that most folks don't think about is that the algorithm itself changes all the time. It's kinda like speaking about the weather with absolute certainty. Weathermen might tell us the % of chance that it's going to rain, but atmospheric shifts happen all the time that can cause a change. So if we continue on this weather analogy, it would make sense to be ready with some sunscreen for sunny days and an umbrella in your car or backpack for the rainy ones. What I am trying to say is...while Facebook Live content is important, it is just one piece of the puzzle. And while this piece of real estate is massively important to help your business' reach on Facebook, it is truly maximizing that one piece of content to create more content that you can use in ads, stories, videos, emails and lots of mediums to help reach your audience with fresh, new content every week. Now That We've Talked About The Importance Of Facebook Live, Let's Tell You How To Make Multiple Pieces Of Content From Just One Five-Minute VideoFor an example of what I am talking about, I am going to break down your Facebook live into five parts. Each of these parts is going to be one minute long. This would make the entire Facebook Live video five total minutes for this explanatory scenario. You might want to go longer or shorter depending on your brand and your content. Minute 1 - Big intro, welcome and say hello. Be yourself. Introduce your three sections. Minute 2 - Give tip #1, but pause before you do it so you can have a good cut for your editor. Minute 3 - Give tip #2 Minute 4 - Give tip #3Minute 5 - Engage with your comments, answer any questions. Be a real person. Now let's break each of these down. When Should You Speak Directly To Your Audience During A Facebook Live?When you first start your Facebook live, the tendency might be to wait a minute for followers to arrive. Don't do that. 80% of the folks that watch your video will be watching on the replay, so don't just cater to the potential 20% that are watching you live. Once you hit that “live” button, you're on, friend! The very first thing you should do is grab your viewers' attention with something physical. I have seen folks do jumping jacks, wave their hands in front of the camera, or even use some of the in-app filters to get attention. This is particularly important in the first three seconds of the video as it is the time to grab someone's attention who might be scrolling and see the first part of your video. After you grab the attention, welcome them in. Be a real person and connect with them for the first minute of your content. Here is what it might sound like: Hey guys, welcome to my show. I am so glad you're here. Today we are going to be talking about _____________. Before we get started though, I am here for you. Go ahead and let me know where you are watching by leaving a comment on the video. In addition, if you have any questions now or if you are watching on the replay, I do check all of my comments, so just send me a note and I will get right back to you. During your one-minute intro, you have: Grabbed your audience's attentionWelcomed them into the videoAsked them to engage with you by letting you know where they are watching fromTold them what you will be talking aboutWhat Type Of Content Is Best To Share During Your Facebook Live Video?Now you've welcomed your audience. What's next? You're ready to get started with some real value to help them. It's time for tip #1.During the first minute of your Facebook Live video, you let your audience know what you would be talking about. You have broken it up into three sections. Part 1, 2, and 3. For the sake of this example, we are going to call them “tips.”Before you start into tip #1, let your audience know you are about to get started. Ask them if they are ready. If they are, tell them to smash the like button. Maybe this will get you a few extra brownie points with the Facebook Gods. : )Take a noticeable pause before you start into tip #1. Then literally say the words: Ok guys, tip #1 to help you ___________ is…Then you can elaborate on the tip. Explain, show examples. Use props. Provide value. Now that you have shared your first juicy tip. Pause again, get ready for tip #2. Do it. Same with tip #3. How Should You End Your Facebook Live Video And What Is The Call To Action?You did it! Your video was awesome. You gave tons of value to your audience members. You feel really good about it. Now you have earned the right to ask your audience to do something for you. A call to action. This is completely up to you, but there is one thing that I recommend for everyone. It is very simple. Give more. More value. Here's how you do it: Tell them that if they enjoyed the content or the recipe or the tips that they can get more by clicking on the link in the comments and then you will send them a free guide. You will then earn their email and first name and have a really warm potential customer. Why are they really warm?They watched your content till the end. How do you know? Because you mention it at the end. (you can also mention it during the middle for a higher conversion rate if you wish). They segmented themselves by showing interest in what you were talking about. You have earned the right to retarget them with your Facebook ads based on video views. This is going to be truly valuable, especially with the ability to track pixel data virtually disappearing with the iOS14 updates from Apple. Going live can be a real benefit for your business, especially if you think it through and put some strategy behind it. Once you have your Facebook Live video complete and posted to your page, you can download it, edit it, give it to your team and post it all over your social media accounts. Each tip is one piece of content. Your Facebook Live video from start to finish is one piece of content and you can edit the entire piece into one 15-30 second video as well to make your fifth piece of content. Work smarter, not harder. Keep up the great work. You are a hero. 

How To Work With Social Media Influencers Ethically and Respectfully To Leverage Brand AwarenessAs a business owner, it is always important to look for different ways to reach your ideal audience. Whether it's paid advertising, organic social media, or word of mouth, getting the word out about your brand is important. But what if there was a way to get the word out through someone that is already talking to your ideal customer? What if your audience and theirs aligned so well that it would be foolish not to work together. Welcome to influencer marketing, with a twist. The One Thing You Need To Know About Influencers That No One Is Telling YouAs an influencer myself in the plant-based space, I can tell you first-hand how it feels to be one. It's super cool, but the one thing that no one is telling you is that these folks are people. Human beings that speak a love language. What is a love language? Well, in a book that I found called The Five Love Languages that my wife and I were reading, the author talks of five different ways that folks feel loved. These are the five main ways folks feel loved and the % of which is the most common top love language among all people: Words of affirmation: 23 percent of peopleQuality time: 20 percent of people Acts of service: 20 percent of peoplePhysical touch: 19 percent of peopleReceiving gifts: 18 percent of people  *source Huffpost.comMost people will fall into these categories. It is super important for me to understand with my wife, but I also find that it applies to a lot of things in my life...like working with influencers. Knowing that the winner by a few percentage points is “words of affirmation” tells us that doing your research before reaching out to an influencer is a big deal. So how do you first reach out to an influencer? What Should You Do Before You Reach Out To A Potential Influencer?Close your eyes. Imagine you are an influencer. You have spent years and years working hard to grow your brand organically. People have followed you, DM'd you, and praise you publicly on social media. Ok…now that you have had your five seconds of fame, I want you to imagine what it would feel like to get a form letter. You know the type....one that was copied and pasted, the name changed and sent as quickly as it could to as many people as possible. That is what influencers receive probably ten times a day. So how is yours going to stand out? One word. Care. You have to out-care your competition. Here's how you do it: Spend at least fifteen minutes exploring your potential influencer's world. Engage in their social media. Do they have a lead magnet you can sign up for? Give them your email address and see what their first email looks like. What does their engagement look like on social media? There are ways to calculate it, but just look with your eyes and see if they have a lot of likes and comments on their content. Observe if it is possible to send them a direct message on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, or maybe they have an email address publicly in their profile description. Now that you have researched them, engaged in their world, and still feel they are a good fit, it might be time to reach out. What Should You Say In Your First Contact To A Potential Influencer For Your Brand?Using words of affirmation, write your first message to the influencer. First, an example of an email: Hi _________, No doubt you get a million of these a day, so thanks for taking a moment to read a real note from a real admirer of your work. My name is ____________ and I am the ___________ at ____________. I am not going to copy and paste a form letter like the hundreds of other folks that message you each week. No no. Instead, I would like to say that I spent some time searching for folks that I feel authentically represent the _____________ space and I feel like you are killing it. Here's why: Reason 1 why you like their brand. Be specific. Don't just link to a blog post and say you like it. Reason 2 - more words of affirmation. Recognize how they respond to all comments or something that only someone who looked for a minute would know. Reason 3 - something that has to do with their personality. Mention that even though you don't know them, they seem like someone authentic and real. I would like to work with you. To that, I would like to tell you more about my brand, which is also in the __________ space. I would like to first get the product in your hands to make sure you like it. No strings attached. Feel free to respond with your business address for me to send it to you and in a week or two, I will reach out again and see what you think. If you are a fan, I would of course love to talk. We believe in paid partnerships and have an affiliate program as well, but first things first. Let's make sure you like the product, because if I have learned anything in this line of business...authenticity is everything. I look forward to connecting soon. Please respond to where to send the products and I hope we can connect soon. Warmest Regards,