Lunch & Learn |
Deon Gordon is passionate about Birmingham and its growth. He’s spent the last two years as Director of Business Development at REV and now he’s transitioning to TechBirmingham as the executive director. If you haven’t already heard of REV Birmingham, they are an economic development agency dedicated to revitalization and small business development in our city. With REV, he helped launch the Reveal Kitchen in the Pizitz Food Hall- an incubator for Birmingham chefs who are starting new restaurants.
Yesterday, Deon emphasized that we have to start telling Birmingham’s story in a better light. He said “we don’t often talk about Birmingham’s story through the lens of victory.” We have built a great foundation in Birmingham with an emerging tech scene and we all have high expectations for the future. Let’s tell those stories that inspire others to join us in building a better Birmingham.
“One of my biggest takeaways was that Birmingham is working hard to get on the cutting edge of the tech scene, especially when it comes to working with small businesses. The city has a lot of momentum right now and that is being fueled by multiple small business who have participated in Co.Starters, The Big Pitch, and other local programs that promote entrepreneurship.”
Russell Hooks, Forge Member
With several Costarters and The Big Pitch finalists in the crowd, Deon spoke about the mission of those organizations. “We’re not responsible for the success of those who come through our pipeline. But we give them the platform to be successful.” At REV, they do whatever they can to support The Big Pitch finalists and the Birmingham community certainly supports them as well.
Deon says Birmingham still has a long way to go. We’re still at pre-recession job numbers. And unfortunately we aren’t seeing the same growth in the suburbs and traditionally marginalized neighborhoods as we are in downtown Birmingham.
So what is missing that could help Birmingham really turn the corner?
Deon says the education system could definitely use improvement. We’re beginning to implement more computer science and coding in the classroom and this is immensely valuable to our students’ futures. As technology continues to grow in the marketplace of Birmingham, our city will continue to rise to the level of other major cities.
“Deon’s excitement for Birmingham is always evident and always contagious. Noting the many key organizations and talented people that are working towards the future of the Magic City, Deon brought it back to the boots on the ground: the entrepreneurs who put heart and talent into creating their vision, and we all benefit.”
Russell Douglas, Forge Member
Deon believes the opening of Railroad Park in 2010 spurred the change that downtown Birmingham really needed. It began the transformation of our city and the creation of the park was tangible evidence for the much needed change in Birmingham. Deon says we’re at a rare point where our city is seeing a series of wins. Let’s encourage one another to continue this growth!
Social Media |
Josh Rhodes and the whole team at Big Lead Gen Inc. know what it takes to generate leads for real estate agents. They’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Facebook advertising! With their university training program, customers learn their advertising recipes and strategies. They taught us about why Facebook advertising works and we wanted to share this valuable info with our readers!
Based on this data, a Facebook Page with around 20,000 fans could expect fewer than 1,200 people to see its posts, and a page with 2 million fans would, on average, reach only 40,000 fans.
On average, there are 1,500 stories that could appear in a person’s News Feed each time they log onto Facebook. For people with lots of friends and Page likes, as many as 15,000 potential stories could appear any time they log on.
Advances in smartphone technology means we can now create and share this content with just a few swipes of the finger or taps on a screen. More and more of our friends and favorite brands are also active on the platform, meaning competition for attention is higher.
The second reason for the decline in organic reach on Facebook is how the News Feed works. Facebook’s number one priority is to keep its 1.5 billion users happy, and the best way to do that is by showing only the most relevant content in their News Feeds.
Of the 1,500+ stories a person might see whenever they log onto Facebook, News Feed displays approximately 300.
To choose which stories to show, News Feed ranks each possible story (from more to less important) by looking at thousands of factors relative to each person. To a realtor, this may feel like a negative, but it’s actually a good thing, because what we’re left with now is a far more powerful marketing tool than we had when reach was free.
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Instagram Marketing, Social Media |
This October marks one year since Ashley Chesnut launched Down in the Ham’s website, Facebook, and Instagram account. Although she didn’t have a product until eight months after the online launch, she knew it would take time to cultivate a following leading up to the release of her children’s book about Birmingham. Ashley shared with us what she has learned about Instagram marketing in her first year of business.
However, I was not a marketing or business major in school, and while I had a personal Instagram account, I only posted on it a handful of times a year. Needless to say, I’ve had a lot to learn – and am still learning, especially since trends and social media platforms (and their algorithms) quickly change.
Here’s ten things I have learned in year one:
- Know your purpose. Why are you getting on Instagram? What will you post about? Put this in your profile bio, so people know what you’re about. @happeninsintheham does this well. They’re “curators of fun, cheap, and FREE events in Birmingham,” and the content they post matches their purpose.
- Identify your look. Solidifying a look helps you create a brand that is recognizable to your followers. Knowing your purpose will inform your look, but there’s more to consider here. Will your Insta have a color scheme? For example, check out how @laurenmary.co plays off the bright colors of her blankets or how @fullpantry uses white or neutral backgrounds in most of her pics. Another example would be @objectivetyrach whose use of editing and color is so distinguishable that one can recognize her pics on sight. For Down in the Ham, this means that I play off the colors in our book, prefer bright and warm pictures, and, if I use a filter, it’s probably going to be one of a handful that I’ve preselected as my go-to’s.
- Story what doesn’t match your look. If there’s something relevant to my followers but doesn’t match my look, I add it to my Instagram story. Instagram stories give followers behind the scenes glimpses of real life for you and/or your business. So the day my first shipment of books came in the mail, I got on Instagram story to document the moment and my excitement about it before I even unlocked my front door. If you tend to do more video than pictures in Instagram stories, consider paying for an app called Storeo for Instagram that films you in one sitting but cuts your video into seamless Insta story clips.
- Search for ideas. Save what you like. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pinned ideas on Pinterest or saved Instagram posts. During those times when I’m needing content, I go back to those ideas, study what I liked about them and work off of them to create new content.
- Pay attention to what your followers like. For Down in the Ham, the posts with the most likes and comments are the ones where Abby (Down in the Ham’s illustrator) and I are in the picture because our followers prefer personal over impersonal pictures. To be honest, this is harder for me because I’d rather be behind the camera instead of in front of it, but I can’t ignore that pics with people get more responses from our followers than anything else we post.
- Work on your photography skills. Since I am not a professional photographer, I have searched on Google and Pinterest everything from basic photography tips to how to do a flat lay. My motto – If I don’t know how to do it, I can Google, YouTube, or Pinterest it to learn. I also suggest carving out time for a photo shoot a couple of times a year, even if it’s just a mini photo shoot. For example, I took about 1 ½ hour this month to snap photos of our books with pumpkins, cotton, and leaves that I could use during the fall. Here’s one example of those pics:
- Post your hashtags in the comments section. Unless it just adds to your caption, put your hashtags in the comments, so your followers don’t feel #spammed. Also, it looks more pleasing aesthetically to have a clean and clear caption.
- Utilize Instagram’s Insights. Insights allows me to see the days of the week my followers are most active and the average times they are on Instagram in a typical day. This is how I have identified my target days/times for posting. So take advantage of this data they’re collecting on your followers and plan accordingly.
- Sponsor posts. Know your purpose for sponsoring a post. Is it to increase your reach? Is it to let people know about a product or event? If so, determine your budget, and go for it (and if you have questions about how to sponsor a post, you can Google that too).
- Be a learner. Read up on the trends and changes because things will constantly be changing. Even this month, I had questions about the new polling option on Instagram Stories, so I quickly read up on it then gave it a whirl.
Essentially, how are you using Instagram to serve your followers?
Pay attention to how they receive and respond to your content. Keep in mind that, while photos capture people’s attention, what are you using the photo to do? How are you using them to engage your audience and communicate your purpose?
Ashley Chesnut serves as the Associate Singles 20s/30s Minister at The Church at Brook Hills and has a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School. Ashley also loves her city and has authored a child’s guide to Birmingham called Down in the Ham, which was released in 2017. When she’s not mentoring younger girls or doing homework (she’s back in school working on a counseling certification), you can probably find her at the farmer’s market or trying some new local restaurant.
Instagram Marketing, Social Media |
With over 26,000 followers, IN Birmingham faithfully shares what’s happening around our beloved city. The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau uses its Instagram account to post about anything from new restaurants, cityscape photos, Birmingham events, historical photos and much more. Their main function is to show tourists, visitors and convention attendees what a great city Birmingham is! Jim Windsor, Director of Web Marketing, shared his Instagram advice and tips with us!
Picking the best time of day to post.
Afternoon/evening is the best time of day for us to post unless our post is time sensitive or if we’re running a contest to give away tickets or that type of thing. The ticket giveaway posts usually go on for several days and consist of tagging a friend for a chance to win the tickets so the time of day of the original post really doesn’t matter. For other less specific posts, we usually set these from 12noon until 9pm.
How often is too often to post on Instagram?
We set up a schedule of selected posts at the first of each month and the frequency is one-two posts a day almost every day. Sometimes we may skip a day or two but we feel our presence is important. We have fill in, unscheduled posts if we’re at a live event or location and shoot the perfect image, it’s getting posted. We feel anything else would be too much but, if it’s newsworthy or photo worthy, we’ll post it!
Do you partner with other Instagram accounts to cross promote?
We occasionally partner with community leaders in the Instagram world that we feel represent the city in a positive way. Our friends at happeninsintheham, styleblueprintbham and steelcityurbex come to mind. We may share content, offer free ticket giveaways, or even post as guest for an organization that is bringing a convention into the city or do an post that represents Birmingham for one of these organizations. For example, Six in the City BBQ event in Washington, DC at the end of this month. We’re partnering with Jim N’ Nicks BBQ and taking the show on the road to DC area meeting planners to show them how real southern BBQ is cooked! We’ve posted as #sixinthecity announcing Birmingham’s participation over the summer to boost attendance for this event.
What’s one of your most popular posts and why do you think it was so successful?
We’ve had some really good ones fortunately! Historical images of old Birmingham do really well as it shows the city well before the current boom. I think these images do well because, since Instagram is a younger demographic, the images may have never been seen before by our followers and they have a real appreciation for how we have progressed, in my opinion. Images posted from a live event, restaurant or cool new lounge do well, as does posts announcing new events and things to do for the month. The posts mention that the link is on our profile page and usually links to a blog post on our website. We prefer driving traffic to our website, www.inbirmingham.com, so the visitor can get the full array of information we offer as well as links to our other social media platforms.
Here are our takeaways:
1. Don’t post more than twice a day.
2. Focus on positive content for your account.
3. Partner with community leaders.
4. Always link to your website and continually drive traffic there!
Thank you IN Birmingham for sharing your Instagram wisdom with us! SaveSave
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Member Spotlight |
Katherine Kobey, a long time corporate executive, decided to change directions and pursue her dream of writing short stories, poems and novels. A Heart of Steel was her first novel published in 2016 and as her readers say “thank goodness it’s a trilogy” so there will be more to read! Set in the South, it’s the story of one woman’s life. Katherine finds inspiration by traveling often and her heart-felt friendships with women over the years.
Katherine on the opening day of Forge!
Who are your biggest influences?
I would say my biggest influences came from family and friends, sharing stories from the heart. We all have a story to tell and we share them with each other every day.
I love to take those memoirs, create the characters and have them come alive on paper.
Who inspired you to do what you’re doing now?
A very special friend; His name was Kenny, who loved being a part of my writing. I would read him what I was working on and he would always put his two cents in; saying no I don’t like that re-write it… we would laugh together. He always told me never stop writing. That special friend still inspires me to write today even though he is no longer with us.
Also, Egla Nora Richey, my BFF. She will often join in creating the characters personality. We’ve had a blast brainstorming on the characters’ next move.
What is your biggest challenge with continuing to write each day?
I would say my biggest challenge with continuing to write each day is the day-to-day obligations. You see, while we spend a lot of time in our imaginary world, writers do have a life, just like the average person who rises every morning and punches a clock. Only we work unusual hours and it’s when the voices of our characters start talking, we start writing. Regardless of the time of day or night and many times it’s for hours at a time.
What surprising lessons have you learned along the way?
The biggest lesson I learned was I needed a course in Basic English again. A fellow author told me to buy “English for Dummies,” which of course I did. Then I thought about it and said ‘heck that’s my editor’s job!’ So I don’t anguish over it anymore. I have a wonderful editor, Marley H. Gibson who teaches me bits and pieces along the way.
Where and how do you work best?
I travel for inspiration and often will stay for several weeks, away from home while writing. I find working from home is not as productive for me unless the voices start talking late in the afternoon or evening. I just recently partnered with Forge and now have an office to report to every day. I’ve been thrilled with the progress I’ve made on finishing my newest Novelette, “A Playful Journey.” Which will release in early December. I’m also continuing the work on my next novel. “Hoping you’re someone I use to know,” with a release date summer of 2018.
“Forge has made it possible to have a place where I can focus on my writing in a quiet and fun environment.”
Inspiration flowing from Katherine’s desk at Forge!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
‘Your intuitive soul is never wrong, so quiet the noise in your mind and listen patiently to your heart.’
Facebook: Katherine Kobey
Twitter: @katherinekobey
Instagram: katherinekobey
Website: katherinekobey.com
“A Heart of Steel.” Trilogy – available on all platforms; Print and Ebook: Amazon, Apple iBooks, Scribd, Kobo, Yuzu, Inktera, Baker & Taylor Blio. Online Retailers: Barnes & Noble, Books a million.
