Category: MARKETING

Why Content Creation Process For Your Brand Needs To Be Continuous Activity
Before you venture into content creation for your brand, it is important to keep in mind that there is no stopping once you start. If you are working on a budget, decide on the content you will want to focus on based on the cost.

Now the cost for this will vary. If you are a content creator by profession, then it will only cost you your time to create the content you want. On the contrary, if you are planning to hire someone to help you to create the content, then you need to have a plan. Planning is important for any long term investment that has a recurring expense at the beginning before it reaps returns.

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But the big question here is, why should the process be continuous? It’s simple. Content is for marketing a business and marketing is a continuous process.

Its like a shop owner who opens his/her shop everyday. If they fail to do so, do you think customers will trust their business? The answer is absolutely NO.

That is the same with creating marketing content. You have to constantly come up with content in order to build trust with your customers.

Before I continue, here are some common useful content that you can think about creating for your brand or business.
1. Blog posts.
2. YouTube Videos.
3. Social media shorts for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Tiktok.
4. Graphics designs.
5. Guest posts.
6. Photos.
7. Answering to Frequently Asked Questions.
8. Technical Articles (Support Articles).
With this said, lets now dive in and talk about some of the reasons you need to regularly create content for your brand.

Sharing Content Regularly is Like Opening A Shop on a Daily Basis

Online space is a completely different market aside the physical location your business is operating from. Your customers therefore need to know that you are always there for them. Having a website is the first step to getting your brand ready to venture into the new marketplace. But is that all?

No, its not.

According to Siteefy, every minute, 175 websites are created. You are competing with many other businesses like yours. Currently, there are 1.14 billion websites in the world.

The only way to stand out from others is through content. Of course there is advertising which is expensive if you don’t have the money.

Photo by Rio Kuncoro on Pexels.com

Contents Are Lead Magnets

One way of directing people to your business is advertising. If it’s a physical business, then available forms of advertising is on signboards or billboards. That’s the same as a well branded website. That’s not all, there are many free ways to achieve the results you desire online via content. Content is the best means to direct customers to a business.

If you create content and people like them and find them helpful, they will be curious to find out about the source. And when they arrive at your website, they will get to know about your product. If you have an opt-in form, the will not mind sharing with your their e-mail address for updates.

It doesn’t matter where they find the content, be it social media or SEO, the customer will be on your site because of the content they found about you online.

Marketing Using Content is The Future

The future of marketing a brand, company or business is in the content they share. How connected is the content you share to your business?

Individuals should always think about this during the creation process. The only way to create and leave a lasting impressions on people is through the content you share on public.

Content is duplicable and compoundable. Once you share your content online it remains there. The more you create the same content around a given theme, the more you gain momentum.

In no time, there will be several keywords around business on the internet. This in turn will direct more people to your business. When more people visits your business, you grow.

Content Can Be Used To Retain Customers

Going by the fact that there are many businesses same as yours being set up online everyday does not mean that your customers will leave you for them.

But think about this;

If your customers are aware of your latest services, products, plans or see you announce changes you are making on your business online, will they have a different view of your brand or business? Of course they will and a positive one for that matter.

Even if a customer may leave you for the competitors services or products, they will have a good memory of your business and will be back if something bad happens to them there.

So when planning to create content, think about it as a means of retaining customers.

Conclusion

Whatever type of content you choose to start with, have a budget for it. Also look at the content creation process in a long term perspective. What expectations do you have from the content you create and share?

Also, imagine how much content your customers will access talking about your business if you regularly and consistently create and share.

More than enough right?

What will that mean to your business?

It will mean many things. First, you will have happy and satisfied customers.

Secondly, the trust that your customers will have on your brand or business will be unmatched.

Lastly, the same customers will recommend more people to your business.

There is a lot that one gains from content in a long term.

Do you think content creation process has to be a continuous?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you need help to produce professional video tutorials for your tech product, you can request a quote here.

On the other hand, if you need help to kickstart the video creation process for your brand or business you can contact me here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
November 16, 2022

5 Freelance Platforms That Are Safe And Secure To Work On in 2023

Freelancing online has been on a steady rise in the past decade and it’s showing no signs of stopping. According to industry studies, the worldwide freelance marketplace is estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion in 2022. In US alone, there is 70.4 million freelancers and is forecasted to grow up to 90.1 million by 2028.

An average freelance hourly rate worldwide is $28/hour according Payoneer Global freelancing income report.

5 Freelance Platforms That Are Safe And Secure To Work On in 2023

On this blogpost, I will share with you 5 freelancing platforms that you should consider if you want to become a successful online freelancer and an entrepreneur.

Freelancing Platforms at a Glance

Summary	Upwork	Fiverr	Freelancer	PeoplePerhour	Guru
Location	California, United States	Tel Aviv, Israel	Australia	United Kingdom	Pennsylvania, United States
Years of Business Operations	9 years. Founded in 2013.	12 years. Founded in 2010.	13 years. Founded in 2009.	15 years. Founded in 2007.	24 years. Founded in 1998.
Annual Revenue	$503 million	$298 Million	$43.1 Million	$15.7 Million	$374 million
Payment Methods	Payoneer, Paypal, Bank , Mpesa and more.	Payoneer, Paypal, Bank , and more.	Payoneer, Paypal, Bank, Skrill and more.	Payoneer, Paypal, Bank , Skrill and more.	Payoneer, Paypal, Bank , and more.
Payment Processing time	From 1 Mins (on Payoneer) to 7 days depending on the mode of payment you use.	From 5 Mins to 5 days depending on the mode of payment you use.	From 5 Mins to 5 days depending on the mode of payment you use.	From Few hours to 5 days depending on the mode of payment you use.	Within 24 hours to 5 days depending on the mode of payment you use.
Escrow Services	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Payment Security Period before Withdrawal	5 days from the day payment is released.	7-14 days from the day payment is released.	15 days from the day payment is released for first payment. 1day for subsequent withdrawals.	24 hours to 14 days from the day payment is released for first payment.	No security hold.
Client and Freelancer Accounts	Can use one account as a Freelancer, Client or Agency/Company.	Can use one account as a Freelancer and Client.	Can use one account as a Freelancer and Client.	Can use one account as a Freelancer and Client.	Can use one account as a Freelancer and Client.
Mode of Job Acquisition	– Bidding on projects posted by clients. – Project Catalogues. – Consultation Offers. – Upwork Enterprise Invitations to bid. – Client invitations and direct hires.	– Create service Catalogue and wait for clients to purchase. – Occasionally apply to job requests by clients on the platform.	– Bidding on projects posted by clients. – Service Catalogues – Contests – Invitations and direct hires	– Bidding on projects posted by clients. – Create hourly service Catalogue – Project invitations and direct hires	– Bidding on projects posted by clients – Invitations and direct hires
Potential Average Annual Earnings per Freelancer	$42,000 to $120,000	From $12,000	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

A Glance at Top Online Freelancing Platforms

Upwork

Upwork is a freelance company based in the US and has been there for more than a decade. Upwork is among the pioneers of online freelance services. Originally it was called Odesk before it merged with another premium freelancing platform called Elance to form Upwork in 2013. Elance used to have more high paying projects than Odesk before the merge. Also, Elance was the first freelancing platform to offer Escrow services on fixed contracts.

Since the merge, Upwork has grown to accommodate all kinds of jobs. Also, their security has been heightened to protect freelancers and clients from fraud. It is reported that Upwork has more than 12 Million registered freelancers.

Upwork offers 5 ways to find work based on the freelancers experience using their platform. The first one is through bidding. This is a situation where a client posts a job; and freelancers on the platform bid on it. The client chooses the proposal that addresses their needs and meets their requirements. They then award the contract to the winning bidder.

The second way is though Creating project offers. The freelancer can create a project offer catalogue around the skills that he/she possesses and posts it on the platform. This will be displayed to the prospective clients. If a clients likes a certain catalogue, they will purchase it.

The last one is through Freelancer Enterprise client invitations and Direct hires. This is where a freelancer is interviewed and hired through Upwork Enterprise. Only freelancers with Top Rating and Top Rating Plus qualify for this offer.

Among the most competitive skills that are highly paying on the platform include Technical skills, customer service skills, digital marketing skills, creative and design skills, copywriting and more.

You can withdraw earned income to your Paypal, Local Bank , Payoneer, Mpesa digital wallet and more.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a Freelance platform founded in the year 2010 with it’s headquarters is in Tel Aviv Israel. Fiverr is popular for offering every service for $5 bucks. Freelancers can post their $5 service offers in many different categories.

Today, the company has grown and now hosts an estimated 3 million people comprising of buyers and sellers/freelancers.

Also, their $5 service offer approach has evolved over time. Sellers can scale up their offers from $5 to $1000+ per offer depending on the service they are offering through packages/pricing table.

Unlike Upwork, Freelancers can only post what they offer on Fiverr in a catalogue format and wait for buyers to find it through search. This means that if one spends enough time optimizing their offer, buyers will find it and they will in turn get many orders.

With Fiverr, you can sell any service as long as it can be sold digitally.

You can withdraw earned income to your Paypal, Bank , Skrill, Payoneer digital wallet and more.

Freelancer

Freelancer is an Australian freelance marketplace that was founded in the year 2009. It connects freelancers with clients across the world. Freelancer has more than 900 job categories to choose from. As of June 2022, it had over 59 million users.

Like Upwork, clients posts jobs for freelancers to bid on. They also offer escrow services on all contracts. On the other hand, they have a special offer called freelancer design contests. Here, the client posts design contests with a set price and any freelancer can submit their mock designs. The design that the client picks is the winner. The winner is made public and is rewarded with the set prize.

This is an ideal place to start if you are not sure of the category you will want to work in. Also, it is here that you can identify different skills that are hot in the market then learn how to do them and then look for freelance jobs on the platform.

Freelancer offer a wide range of withdrawal methods including Paypal, bank and Skrill.

Peopleperhour

Peopleperhour is a UK based freelance platform. It connects freelancers and clients across different categories of skills. One can sign up as a freelancer or a client. Once your profile is approved, you can proceed to search and apply for jobs that matches your skills.

Freelancers here also have an option to create a project catalogue telling prospective clients what they can do in a hour for a given price.

Most clients on Peopleperhour are genuine since they are required to confirm their preferred payment methods before they are allowed to hire. They are also required to fund escrow before a freelancer can start to work on their projects. At the end, freelancers are required to proof that they completed the discussed job by coordinating their communications strictly on the platform.

You can withdraw earned income to your Paypal, Bank , Skrill and Payoneer digital wallet.

Guru

Guru is the pioneer freelance marketplace with it’s headquarters in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania US. It was founded in the year 1998 and has had less hype since it’s inception. They still approach freelancing using the traditional methods of posting jobs and letting freelancers to apply them.

Despite that, they have many long time clients across the world. At the time that I freelanced on Guru, one could easily be scammed by a new client. That has changed today.

However, one needs to be vigilant and ensure that the client has funded escrow before they start work. All in all, freelancing on Guru offers individuals a room to get more clients. Competition by bidders on Guru on jobs posted is not that fierce.

While competition is not that high, the number of projects to bid on here is very small. Generally, they have more tech related jobs than any other category. This is a freelancing site to bundle up with others until you find a bearing.

Big Downside of These Freelance Platforms

They don’t accept cryptocurrency as a payment method. This is despite the growing number of people using crypto as a digital currency. Cryptocurrency is here to stay. It is therefore something that all freelancing platforms should consider.

Conclusion

There are hundreds of freelancing platforms online today that you can find work on and get paid. Some platforms, specialize in providing certain services like writing, transcription, video production, design, coding e.t.c. If you want to take freelancing fulltime, consider signing up on some of them that you find suitable and begin bidding on jobs posted there.

You never know where your luck lies. You need to keep trying until you succeed.

Freelancing is a sustainable career that can make you up to $1000/month part time working from home.

You only need to commit some of your time daily to achieve the desired results. I have personally made up to $5000 a month on one freelancing platform.

And these are the 5 Freelancing Platforms That Are Safe And Secure To Work On Today.

Which is your favorite freelancing platform and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you need help to create professional content to market your business, get in touch with us here. On the other hand, if you need professional video production services, you can request a quote here or start consultation here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

November 10, 2022

Digital Lenders Under Scrutiny By Central Bank of Kenya and Office of The Data Protection Commission Over Malpractices
A lot has been going on lately around digital lending apps or loan apps as many call it in Kenya. In a move to regulate this sector, Central Bank of Kenya(CBK) have listed requirements they need digital lenders to provide in order to be licensed.

Players in the digital lending business had until September 2022 to submit these requirements for approval.

By mid September 2022, Central bank of Kenya had approved only 10 digital lenders out of 288 applications they received. They said the process is ongoing and will update the public once more lenders are approved.

List of Approved Digital Lenders in Kenya
1. Ceres Tech Limited
2. Getcash Capital Limited
3. Giando Africa Limited (Trading as Flash Credit Africa)
4. Jijenge Credit Limited
5. Kweli Smart Solutions Limited
6. Mwanzo Credit Limited
7. MyWagepay Limited
8. Rewot Ciro Limited
9. Sevi Innovation Limited
10. Sokohela Limited
You can find full details of these digital lenders including their contacts and location here.

While the process of regulation by Central Bank is ongoing, the Office of the Data Protection Commission (ODPC) in a notice dated 5th October 2022 said they are auditing 40 digital lenders whose practices regarding the processing of personal data has been raised to the data commission as complaints by various members of the public.

Public Notice from the ODP

It’s important to note here that Data Protection (Complaints Handling and Enforcement Procedures) regulations 2021 took effect on February 2022.

With new regulations in progress, digital lenders still have a long way to go.

On the other hand, opportunities in the digital lending space is still huge.

Overview of Digital Lending Services in Kenya

So, will the regulation by Central Bank of Kenya and ODPC help protect customers from Exploitation? Yes, definitely.

To be honest, there is a lot of unethical business practices by mobile app lenders. This going by the ratings and reviews left by customers on the google play store on each of the listed apps.

The most popular unethical practice by loan apps is them calling customers several times a day and sending them many threatening messages even before the loan deadline is due.

This takes me to the big question which is, why did it take CBK so long for them to move and regulate the digital lenders?

Were they speculating first on how they operate then proceed to regulate them in order to protect the public from exploitation?

Well, this might be true. But let’s wait and see actions that will be taken against unscrupulous operators in this market space.

What Central Bank Want Digital Lenders To Do

While announcing their move to regulate digital lenders serving customers in the Kenyan Market, Central Bank of Kenya listed a number of key things they need digital lenders to adhere to when issuing credit/loan. This was gazetted in a special issue of Kenya Gazette supplementary No.45. Among these key things are;
1. Provision of credit – A digital credit provider may set borrower limits in its credit policy and the limits shall comply with any requirements prescribed by the Central Bank.
2. Credit Collection -A digital credit provider, it’s officers, employees or agents shall not in the course of debt collection engage in any of the following conduct against the customer or any other person:—
  - Use of threat, or violence or other criminal means to physically harm the person, or his reputation or property;
  - Use of obscene or profane language;
  - Make unauthorized or unsolicited calls or messages to a customer’s contacts;
  - Improper or unconscionable debt collection tactic, method or conduct.
  - Any other conduct whose consequence is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt.
Take time to real all the regulations here.

Do you think regulations by central bank will help protect Kenyans from preying digital lenders? Let me know in the comments section below.

And if you need professional video production services, you can request a free quote here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
October 18, 2022
5 Self Development Books For Entrepreneurs And Freelancers

Self development has today become part and parcel of every entrepreneurs and freelancers life. If you an entrepreneur and you are not investing your time on self development, then you are missing out on one of the most important ingredient to growth.

As an entrepreneur or a freelancer, you need to always stay positive as you build your business lest you fail. Among the many tools of self development is books. How much do you invest in self development knowledge today?

Video – 5 Self Development Books For Entrepreneurs And Freelancers

It’s important to mention here that not every self development book ticks with everyone. In my journey as a freelancer and entrepreneur, I have drawn many lessons from books, audio books and videos.

Here are are 5 self development books that I recommend for entrepreneurs.

#1 The Richest Man in Babylon -By George Samuel Clason

This is one of the best classics when it comes to finances and building wealth. The book was published in the year 1926. The author uses parables set 4,000 years ago to pass his message on financial management.

The Richest Man in Babylon

The parables are told by a fictional Babylonian character called Arkad; a poor scribe who became the richest man in Babylon.

My take away from the book

Before your spend your earnings from business or salary, put aside part of it. It should be not be less than a tenth no matter how little you earn. It can be as much more as you can afford. The point is, pay yourself first. The author goes on to emphasize this point under 5 Laws of Gold and I quote;

Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
The Richest Man in Babylon.

#2 The 80/20 Principle – By Richard Koch

The 80/20 principle is one of the great secrets of highly effective people and organizations.

80/20 Principle

80/20 principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs or effort usually lead to a minority of the results, outputs, or rewards. Taken literally, this means, 80 percent of what your achieve in your job comes from 20 percent of the time spent.

The 80/20 principle can and should be used by every intelligent person in their daily live by every organization and by every social grouping and form of society.

This book is very helpful if you are fond of multitasking or overworking. After reading this book, you will be able to narrow down to only those things that brings you value.

#3 Winning Through Intimidation -By Robert Ringer

Winning Through Intimidation is one of the best books ever written By Robert Ringer on being intimidated while doing business by prospective clients. At the end, you learn how to handle intimidation and finally come out as a winner.

Winning through Intimidation

My biggest take away from the book on being intimidated ;

The theory of NEXT states: The key to maintaining a positive mental attitude is to recognize that no one deal is important. The person with a true positive mental attitude possesses the power to say ‘NEXT!’ and quickly move on to the next deal when things don’t work out.
Robert Ringer

The author writes; The reason its okay if a deal falls through is because day-to-day ‘failure’ is an integral part of a long-term success. So part and parcel of to a true positive mental attitude is to quickly move to the next deal when the deal you’ve been working on blows up.

#4 Cashflow Quadrant – By Robert Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter

Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant is the second book in the Rich Dad Series and reveals how some people work less, earn more, pay less in taxes, and learn to become financially free.

CashFlow Quadrant By Robert Kiyosaki

No matter what you do in life, its very important to know where you fall in the cashflow quadrant. It represents four different methods in which income or money is generated.

These are Employee, self-employed, business owner and investor. For example, an employee earns money by holding onto a job.

The concept behind cashflow quadrant is, different methods of income generation require different frames of mind, different technical skills, different educational paths, and different types of people. Different people are attracted to different quadrants.

#5 The Game of Life and How to Play -By Florence Scovel Shinn

First published in 1925, this book has inspired thousands of people around the world to find a sense of purpose and belonging. It asserts that life is not a battle but a game of giving and receiving, and that whatever we send out into the world will eventually be returned to us.

The Game of Life and How to Play It

Most people consider life a battle, but its not a battle, it is a game.

It is a game however which cannot be played successfully without the knowledge of the spiritual law, and Old and New Testaments in the Bible gives the rules of the game with wonderful clearness. Jesus thought that it was a great game of giving and receiving.

And that is it from me.

Is there a book you have read that inspired you and you will like to share here?

Let me know in the comments section below.

If you need help to create and produce professional scripted video content, let me know here. You will get a response within 24 hours.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

September 28, 2022
6 Types of Content To Market A Business Online Today
Search engines like Google and Bing rank business online based on several factors. Biggest among them is content. If you are able to share your message in different content formats, then you rank higher.

So, what type of content do you need in order to achieve high ranking?

Well, it depends on the ‘keyword density‘ in the content you share as that is what search engines use to rank business websites.

On this blogpost, I will share with you, 6 types of content that you need to consider when planning to market your business online for a long term.

#1 Themed Blogposts

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

Themed blogposts is among the biggest contributor to high rankings on search through keywords. To get started, buy a domain name and start a blog. The best platform to run a blog is WordPress owing to its popularity. Your journey will begin once you publish your first blogpost. With your own blog, you have the freedom to write articles in a style that you want.

What I have learnt from experience blogging is; writing consistently and sticking to one theme will compound in time in terms of “keywords‘ and give you the best results you are looking for. Repeatedly writing content using the keywords around your business will contribute to high keyword density hence high ranking on the search engines.

Note: You don’t have to setup a separate blog aside your business website. You can have a blog page on your business website where you share informative content with your audience around your business.

Photos

Photos play a big role in content ecosystem. It can be used in graphic designs for flyers, digital cards or on your blogposts as featured image. Also, if you are sharing your content on social media, you can use photos to make it trustworthy.

Videos

Not everyone is a good reader. Some people prefer to watch videos. That is why its important to consider creating videos to complement your blogposts and post them on YouTube or any other social media platform. It is not a must that you write blogposts, but I recommend you do if you are serious about growing your business.

Videos will generate results if your story is well grafted. You build trust with customers through videos as they will be able to see your face and know the owner of the business they are interested in.

Graphics Designs

Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels.com

You will need different graphics designs for marketing your business on social media. The graphic designs can be in form of posters or images with text in it. You only come up with different designs that suit your current needs.

Among the common graphics you will need in this process include;
- Blog featured image
- Social media poster
- Digital flyers
- YouTube video thumbnail and more.
Podcast Content

Having podcasts as part of your marketing content will help popularize your business. Though it is not common, it contributes largely in boosting your search online.

For instance if you are hosting a video interview with someone online for sharing as video content, you can repurpose the same to podcast. The only thing you will need to change is the intro to suite podcasts standards.

If you have time and budget, consider creating podcasts around your business.

Sales letters

People use sales letters subconsciously every day. Lets start with your business website landing page. It’s a sales copy. Every e-mail that you send to prospects has the power to either build and bring down your business. That qualifies it to be called a sales letter. Before you write one, ask yourself, what story/narrative style will turn a prospect to a customer?

A well grafted e-mail copy with a call to action at the end should be your aim. Use case studies, stories, testimonials e.t.c. Take your time to write and have the customer in mind.

When writing a sales letter leverage on other business content like a blogpost on a case study, a video, audio, graphics e.t.c. to drive the message home.

And these are the 6 type of content you need to start considering to market your business online.

Conclusion

There is no right time to start marketing your business online. The right time is now. Start where you are and build your resilience from there. Before sharing anything, brainstorm first. If you like writing, you can start sharing your content by signing up for WordPress free blog or any other blogging platform that has the free offer for starters.

If video blogging is the easy way for you, you can start by recording it on your phone and sharing it on social media.

You are the only best marketer of your business. No one does it better than you.

If you need help to develop content for your business from blogging, photography, video creation, graphics designs, podcasts and sales letters, do not hesitate to reach out to me here. I can help you.

And for those people looking for help to produce video specific content, do not hesitate to request a quote on www.techtubestudio.com.

And until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
August 31, 2022