Crealanta Magazine

The Color of 2023 The Head of the Table

Nov 19, 2023

The Think In Color 2023 has officially finished! We're happy and honored for the opportunity to be able to enjoy the amazing women and BIPOC makers and pioneers in the industry. We'd like to believe you'll be able to say that after your time, you'll be inspired by the journeys of our presenters and learned how to create an effective online community, expand your service offerings and grow your business, in the midst of other aspects.

While many subjects were discussed at the conference we've taken every chance to highlight some of the most popular topics for the consideration of. Learn more about what we took away from each speaker.

Skip ahead:

Creating Cozy & Collaborative Virtual Communities

Cicely Blain, an anti-racism expert and the founder of Bakau Consulting. Bakau Consulting

The presentation's title Remote working wasn't a brand new idea prior to when COVID-19's discovery as a catalyst to organizations to transition towards a digital environment. That meant that companies looking to build strong relationships with their clients formed groups of people who could benefit from one another. But, it's difficult to make it as tight-knit like an actual one.

In this presentation, Cicely Blain shares their knowledge of creating an online community dubbed Living Room. They discussed their strategy for making a welcoming and comfortable environment within the virtual world in order to create safe and warm communities and applying technology to satisfy the requirements of people.

     Primary takeaways    

HTML0 Find out the names of your clients and what they're trying for.

Before establishing Living Room, Cicely had identify the target audience that they wanted to develop this online platform. Because their efforts are rooted in the fight against oppression and racism, Cicely knew that this community would mostly cater to individuals like DEI specialists, consultants as well as HR professionals who do similar work.

Then, Cicely had to figure out what the people desired.

     "I considered, 'What is this group of people thinking about especially at these critical moments when everything is changing and being governed by a variety of names?    

     People are certainly seeking feelings of belonging and solidarity connection in times of feeling isolated. People are also seeking sources and eager to find out more."

     Make sure you are relevant to the audience you're looking for.    

The best way for members to convince them to join your community on the internet is to offer them something they'll be able to connect with. For Cicely the thing that resonated was their living room. They wanted to reproduce the same warm and comfortable sensation that their living room offered the couple.

     "I was thinking "What are the feelings I'd want people to experience when they step into this specific space? I then thought, I'd love the visitors to feel as they do when they step into the physical space. It should feel inviting, cozy and warm. I would like them to be relaxed and content and also to be accepted, listened to and encouraged."

Cicely is able to instill this spirit within the community via:

  • The very first thing to do in any virtual meeting is to start with a 10 minute duration for reflection. Facilitators ask one easy inquiry via screen, which encourages participants to engage in an internal reflection.
  • Music playlist that has soft and soothing sounds inspired by R&B to allow listeners to relax and be comfortable while on a phone call.
  • Engaging in every conversation like they're having a fun conversation with their most beloved family members. When they're filming videos for their online class, Cicely might be doing her make-up, or making her perfect cup of coffee in the kitchen.

     Give a wide range of possibilities so that users can pick among.    

While the individuals who compose the community of online users are most likely to be similar to one others, they'll differ on their requirements in terms of strengths, weaknesses and demands. When you run your business it is essential to find different ways in your approach to satisfy the demands of your clients, in spite of their different needs.

With Living Room, Cicely met the demands of the community by:

  • The company offers a variety of methods to interact (e.g. online chats, forums for discussion, classes online that are based on the internet and have extensive content, etc. );
  • The principles of the community are defined along with the general guidelines for the members of the community;
  • They should demonstrate that they are real;
  • Eliminate stress that is unnecessary by reducing unnecessary stress, like the time limit and agendas for meetings.
  • Considering accessibility needs (e.g. disability and neurodivergence) and many other.

Funds in the Funnel - how to maximize sales with an efficient funnel

Ellie Diop, Content as well as Coaching Coach to Funding the Ellievated Academy

The description of the session for the session is: To grow your business into a profitable one, you must have customers to buy or participate in your service. But, most enterprises make the mistake of creating products they believe the most desired customer would want and not what they want or need. In this presentation, Ellie explains how you will grow your company and boost sales by creating the right funnel that attracts the perfect customer and responds to their desires and requirements.

     Primary Takeaways    

HTML0 Every element of the contents is important.

A funnel focused at the client will assist you build relationships with your customers. The most effective way to achieve this is by creating information that is useful helpful, interesting, and beneficial to their needs. The creation of a funnel that is focused on the customer is comprised of five steps:

  • Awareness
  • Discovery
  • There is also the issue of
  • Conversion
  • Retention + Relations

In regards to the necessity of writing material, Ellie declares, "Every piece of content you write is an integral element of your sales team. The content you composed just three months ago, does the work of getting clients to purchase through this funnel... Your consistent appearance using similar styles sets a consistent tone for clients to understand and assist to navigate this process."

Your brand's definition

If you're not sure the people your services or products are aimed at, then customer will be able to purchase from you or employ your services. When designing an online funnel, it's important to clarify the purpose and the goals of your business starting with your ideal clients. Consider:

  • Who do I serve?
  • How can I assist my client with resolving their problem?
  • What can I do?

The answers to these questions form the foundation of every business decision. Ellie offers a straightforward approach to this. You could help your customers to fulfill the goals you have set with your service or product

Based on her experiences with expanding her business Ellie states, "For me, it may be "I help women create profitable businesses by providing their business owners with strategy and financial strategies. '... over a long period of time I kept the information on a sticky notepad in my office. Every time I went to make an audio recording I was able to tell who I was speaking to. "

Create your social media presence

Social media is one of the most effective digital platforms for creating brand awareness and also for leading leads to your company. The results are so good that the majority of users will check out your company's Instagram profile (or one of your social media accounts) before visiting your site.

Thus, you must invest your time (and possibly funds) to the content on social media so that it becomes more noticeable. A way to accomplish this is by:

  • Informative, engaging and easily shareable content (especially video)
  • Pai-per-click advertisements are being aired
  • Collaboration with influencers that are in similar market segments to you.

     Utilize lead magnets to increase the number of emails you receive    

As you create content, it is important to include most users on social networks to your database of email recipients. Once people are added to your email list you'll have the opportunity to interact directly with the people on your list. This is better than hoping you'll randomly stumble across your blog posts or content as they browse on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Lead magnets are an area where you can find them.

In the best scenario, using lead magnets, you're transferring value in exchange for the contact information of those you are interested in (usually their email address and name addresses). But, it is possible to request more information from your prospects, as well. In the beginning, when she started her business, Ellie offered free 1-on-1 instruction to customers as a reward for their reviews. Ellie used the testimonials she received to find her first clients with a payment.

     "You've to think about the question "What's an area that you could offer a fantastic unpaid service that will get person thrilled? Make that your primary incentive. My company changed my strategy recently. Instead of forcing customers directly into a product, we rather let them take advantage of the offer for free that is a free masterclass. Then, it is sold on the backend. Our success has been amazing."

     The process of keeping customers already in the system is less difficult than acquiring new ones    

When you are presented with each new lead, you must follow the process of moving them through the sales funnel -- that is a lot more challenging than convincing a customer who has previously purchased from you to keep coming back. So, it is important to concentrate on keeping your customers in the same way or more so than you are focusing on customer acquisition.

To ensure that you keep clients on your side, there are specific steps to follow

  • Offer high-quality customer support
  • Survey customers and conduct surveys for information and to get provide feedback
  • Get testimonials from happy customers (offer incentives programs, as it is)
  • Develop a secondary product to fill a gap in the market

The second offer, Ellie shares, "I have created my very first business credit class for 15 dollars. Following that, I began hearing feedback from clients about the things my customers would want to see in the future. Then, I came to the idea of Business Credit, which is Business Credit revamped. Then I came up with Business Credit, the Business Credit masterclass and finally, the complete collection. The result was that the majority of those who purchased the initial version also bought the 2nd version in order to fill in the missing elements. Later, they purchased the third version after they had improved their capabilities, wanting to improve their knowledge."

The growth of both B2C as well as B2B Businesses to create a variety of revenue streams

Jessica Chen, Global Chief Executive Officer, and Communication Expert from Soulcast Media

Description of session: Businesses typically have three major elements of sales and revenue that they can consider: their offerings and services and the material they create to explain their offerings and services, as well as the channels by which they communicate their content. In this talk, Jessica discusses the power of LinkedIn to assist businesses in communicating to their customers (B2C) as well as different companies (B2B) as well as the methods you can make sure that your content is useful to both kinds of clients and also how to increase your offerings to customers. are able to offer both groups.

     LinkedIn is an extremely powerful platform to distribute content and boosting your profile    

A lot of business and professional owners maintain profiles on LinkedIn but they do not consider LinkedIn an avenue through which you can increase the visibility of your profile or publish posts. Instead, they think of LinkedIn as an instrument to update resumes, search for job opportunities, and sharing information with acquaintances.

In the real world, LinkedIn is a social media platform that is similar to Instagram along with X (formerly Twitter), and should be considered as similar platforms. The only difference is that is the kind of content you publish.

Regarding the increasing popularity on LinkedIn, Jessica says, "The benefit of LinkedIn is the fact that it has the ability to reach some part of the population who lives in a mental space that is focused on the development of their careers and desire to improve their skills. "

Jessica will also discuss her story of her work as a reporter in 2018 before becoming certified Top Voice and a LinkedIn instructor after five years. Her reason for this is to post regularly through the site and to connect with a wide range of people who can benefit from her services by helping other people learn efficient ways to communicate.

Make sure your message is tailored to both B2C as as B2B audiences

Most business owners think that they are only not noticed if their products are targeted towards individuals who do not even exist. This isn't necessarily the case.

The advantage of LinkedIn is that it can let you reframe the message to reach B2C and B2B audiences. Content you provide does not need to change, but altering the way you define your business can increase the visibility of your business as well as draw in business and private clients.

"I recognize that when I try to relay my messages to B2C customers, I will use phrases like "you," "your," and have you thought about this? ...?'" Says Jessica. "My declarations are unambiguous. It means that anyone who read the text feels like that they read something intimate.

     "[With the target audience being B2Binstead instead of using the words 'you", "you' I'm now presenting my message using phrases like "the team" as well as "the company". It's more positive and more personal."

     Create yourself as a thought-leader in order to connect with B2B clients.    

Contrary to the individual customer who desire a top-quality product, B2B buyers must to make sure that they're getting the top. To get the attention of B2B buyers, it is essential to present your self as an expert or thought-leader in your field, regardless of whether your products are targeted at a B2C audience.

If, for instance, you're a photographer you may offer workshops and classes on photography to your B2C customers. To draw B2B clients, you could produce content with a thought-provoking theme that speaks to an artistic career or about establishing a successful business by being an artist. If you're capable of offering one-on-one classes instructing people on how to improve their productivity and efficiency and productivity, you can draw in B2B customers through publishing articles on how to increase productivity in your workplace.

Thus, you'll have the opportunity to take part in the offering of B2C items like online courses and private classes as well as workshops and presentations.

Making a personal brand that is Visible by using video

and XayLi Barclay specialist and visual content coach for Beginning Shoot Extend

The purpose of the event for a business manager. Doesn't it seem easy to not be seen, especially if you're working in a highly competitive business or. You can however get over this issue by creating your own personal brand using videos. It could be shorter TikTok clips, Instagram Reels, or longer-form YouTube videos. In this presentation, XayLi explains how you are able to use video content to advertise your course online, increase sales and establish your reputation with the buyers who purchase from you.

It's not that difficult in order to begin.

If you're making your first livestream, or maybe launching your very initial livestream, there's no requirement that everything be flawless. Begin with the footage that you already have. At first, the viewers are likely to be satisfied with the low quality video and poor editing abilities as they understand that with time the quality will improve.

XayLi herself began with her laptop, an unassuming white backdrop as well as a ring light she found at a scrap yard.

"This is the place which I began my journey and was even approached by one of their experts," she declares. "I was not waiting until I could establish the newsroom and begin instructing others. I tapped into my resources once I realized that the knowledge I wanted to share wasn't just about how amazing the space would look.

Nowadays, I'm in an entire studio set up at the house, however, it is the place which I first began many years ago. "

Additional resources are accessible as you gain more

If you're able to achieve greater visibility with your videos and start earning money, you should increase the number of videos you have and improve your video equipment. For instance it is possible to purchase the most effective camera/webcam, as well as tripod stands (worth around $500-$1,000) and a green screen and an E-CammLive, a teleprompter app along with an Adobe Premiere subscription for editing.

In an explanation of upgrade possibilities for equipment and set XayLi discusses the possibility of upgrades for equipment and set, "[At this stage] There's a wide range of angles for cameras and it's growing. It's the right moment to start investing in these things as you're earning money. There is a common belief that we must be attractive before we can earn money. No. It's imperative to be out in the market first, and the cash will come in."

When you've earned enough cash, you are ready to outsource the recording of your videos along with the editing and distribution of your videos to freelancers as and an internal team.

You should concentrate on only one thing in the present

There's a tendency to believe you're doing everything you can in order to increase the reach of your organization: you publish across every platform, jump into any trend, and even talk on a variety of subjects. But, that's not necessarily the reality. It is better to focus on one thing in a row as you develop your own branding. This not only keeps your from overworking yourself and spending time on unnecessary tasks, but it lets your viewers know what to expect when you upload videos.

According to XayLi's "Rule of Five Fives" In accordance with the "Rule of 5 Fives," here are five elements to take into consideration in deciding your digital strategy:

  • A single item or service
  • One possible market
  • One lead conversion tool
  • An important source of traffic
  • A business's goal is to be successful.

Members of the Membership The Good, The Bad The Ugly, and The Ugly

Teri Ijeoma, designer of Trade & Travel

The description of the session: When implemented correctly, memberships are an excellent way for companies to build better relations with their clients and generate more revenues. Teri Ijeoma is the creator of the system for membership she created to aid in Trade & Travel and she is now able to enroll more than 35,000 people to her classes, and more than 185,000 on her mailing list. In this lecture, Teri shares the benefits in establishing a system which relies on the concept of membership. She also explaining how companies are able to set up and manage your members in a manner that is efficient.

Learn when it is the right time to change from an organization that is free, to a group that has fees

If you're not a well-known company, you'll need to begin your membership plan by providing these benefits at free. Teri launched her membership program using a group of Facebook which was completely absolutely cost-free. If you decide to expand your membership, you'll want to be aware of when the right time is to switch from a platform with no cost to a subscription model.

These are the signs you should be aware of prior taking a turn:

  • The company you work for is growing in size, but members are required to be paid annually in order to avail the services they receive, not being charged for other benefits your organization offers, e.g. year-long customer support, etc.
  • Group members start out by forming their own group, or gather and it becomes difficult for the group to manage its management chores.
  • You're hiring group moderators or coaches to coach members of your group; however, they aren't earning any additional income from members.

HTML0 Your Membership program is an offering by the company that owns it

Certain companies that offer online courses also have subscription plans which are an added benefit to the courses. Although membership plans are an effective way of making your course more popular, you must consider it as a full product, it's not an extra.

In a discussion about the advantages of her Trade & Travel membership, Teri states "In my early days, I thought the membership was an extension of my training. It's not the case -- it's an entire product its own. It's got its own team of marketing, promotional, marketing schedule... Better to think of the product as an individual item."

Be sure to be informed of the amount you'll be charged.

If you are transitioning from an organization that is free into one that operates on a member-based model take into consideration your goals to generate revenue. Price your product according to the goal. It's possible to lower your price less expensive to attract more customers. If you're sure that your membership program is full of worth, you shouldn't hesitate to demand a higher price for it.

As an example, if your objective is to earn an equivalent amount of $10,000 each month, it's much better to have 500 clients spend $200 per month instead of 1,000 people who are willing to be willing to pay $100 a month. If the costs are more expensive then the fewer people are likely to enroll. That means you'll be able to reach your income goals earlier as well as find it simpler to regulate your program.

Discussion on the Head of Table panel

Diandra Marizet (Host) Co-founder and Executive Director of Intersectional Environmentalist

Description of the discussion Panel discussion: The panel will feature participants Cicely, Ellie, Jessica Cicely Jessica XayLi Cicely, Jessica XayLi, as well as Jessica Cicely giving their opinions on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the world of business and the challenges that women and BIPOC business owners confront when they seek to establish themselves as creators in the marketplace and how they can determine the appropriate price for their product ethically in the system of capitalism.

These are the most heartbreaking questions as well as the responses to this conversation:

     Women of diverse backgrounds that have turned into entrepreneurs are now financially stable for the first time. What are the obstacles and what possibilities and challenges this mean for women?

Ellie Diop: Just like there's a trauma of poverty, there's financial trauma as well. If you're the only one within your family who owns an 8 or 7-figure business, there's not numerous ways to model your own. There's still a stigma attached to the topic of money, specifically people of different races earning more than what many think about over a life time.

When I made my millionth dollar, I was anxious to move out of my mom's house. I wasn't certain if would like to invest in a new car because I wasn't sure what would I do when it went away. It was also nerve-wracking to tell my beloved people about my decision as I was concerned they'd be affected by my personal style.

I'd love to be able to find more is groups that collaborate, like this one. They will remove the image of shame and inform "Hey What's happening? If you're worried about earning funds and how you will use the money you earn, don't be afraid to speak about your concerns". The stigma that persists is the main reason why people earn a lot of money only to go back to where that they left.

     In workplaces, at times it is easy to be pressured to follow codeswitch and remain silent, or leave the part you are not comfortable with. Sometimes, it is difficult to believe that we belong to the concept of professionalism. Did that experience influence the way you interact with the community you live in and how do you integrate that into your job as a liberating as DEI professional? DEI professional?

Cicely Blain: In the platforms that we were raised on, there is exactly the same kind of individual that appears on TV or in media as well as social media. When certain creators of websites are noticed and others get thrown into in the shadows, it's simple to think that you have to have a specific style of speech and behavior.

When you find a space in which you're seen as your character by the people around you as well as your leadership (even when they may not be experiencing the same things as you) It's a huge relief. Even though there's a growing diversity of viewpoints and possibilities to be seen but there remain two standards for what an individual should do. We are at times forced to adhere to these two rules (even when they might not be the case) that can be detrimental to us.

For example, on TikTok there are a lot of people who aren't dressed in a professional manner all the time. Although it's wonderful I'm of the opinion that the potential for this is only available to only a handful of people, as well as a greater expectation of other users, and also in the way they show their profiles.

You've come to the fact that your current course of action isn't in line with where your capacity can go and where your passion is, and you make the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship?

Jessica Chen: All of us reach a stage when it is clear that the thing we were trying to accomplish is now complete and we're eager to tackle new and challenging issues. My experience was that I had an amazing career which I loved, but after ten years of being in the business, I was a bit dissatisfied that I didn't have something better to offer. My personality has always creates my own way. After that, I started to think of ways to impart my knowledge and techniques to my fellow students.

My first job was the journalistic field. You might consider it as an "proper" job, but it does not allow you to share your ideas, and don't have a personal voice as you are simply reporting on other people's experiences. It was an extremely difficult change to create my own voice, as well as to express my own personality. It was certainly a process that I had to learn steeple.

     What is the best way to price your offerings or services so that you can attract customers that share your ideals, are ready to gain knowledge from you and appreciate the worth of your product or service provide?

XayLi Barclay says: Many often, we make prices that are low in order to impose a burden on investors, which can be a terrible situation for a person. You may think that you'll be able to attract lots of customers if you maintain costs low. However, chances are your business is attracting investors overwhelmed by the fact that they do not have the confidence to take a decision.

I engaged a business coach to determine how much I could make. The coach then came up with my price based on the volumes. We see a lot of creators that offer their courses at $7, and then create six figures on this item but lack the volume. If you're not a seasoned creator, it's essential that you know your goal in the business world so that you're able to set the right price for your product.

If I can offer five classes online for $1000 each course, then I'll make five thousand dollars as opposed to selling 500 courses at 10 dollars for each course. Consider it this way. It's what I needed to go through.

Session viewing from the Think In Color 2023 on-demand

That's it. The most significant takeaways of the program that lasted 3 hours. The goal was to help the entrepreneurs of all ages, both novices and veterans operating in the market. We encourage you to dig deeper into the topics that piqued your attention.

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