This video is called, APPICS: What Happened to APPICS? By Mike Pitt. If you want to subscribe to our YouTube channel, you can . Mike Pitt is the Founder of Marketing Fundamentals Ltd, a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London.

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In this video, Mike Pitt discusses, APPICS: What Happened to APPICS?

Blockchain Social Media

Back in April 2018, I wrote the following post entitled, The New Wave: 13 Social Media Platforms Powered by Blockchain. In the post, I discussed 13 different social media platforms that could one day compete with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Appics was one of those platforms that I mentioned in the article. As part of my research I attended a Blockchain Expo in London and met with Uma Hagenguth, one of the founders of Appics.

In this video, I pick up the story from April 2018 and take it right up to January 2020; I  examine what has happened and not happened for Appics since then.

This video will be of interest to business owners, B2B marketing managers, Content Marketing professionals, Social Media Managers and others who use Social Media and Apps to promote their businesses.

The APPICS App

The Appics app was scheduled for general rollout in Q3 2018 and although it is now January 2020 it still has not been released. The Beta testing phase that opened to investors during the ICO has continued for almost two years. Before making this video, I reached out the Appics team via Twitter and Telegram to give them the chance to update me on their progress personally. I am yet to receive any replies from them.

Blockchain Social Media is not ready yet

Have you heard of APPICs? Let me know in the comments section below. If this is the first time you have heard of it, let me know that in the comments section.

If you’ve liked this post you will also like the following posts:

Is Steemit Dead? 

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How to Increase LinkedIn Company Page Followers

Why I Stopped Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

How I Follow Up With LinkedIn Searchers

LinkedIn: How to Approach Leads the Right Way

LinkedIn Storytelling: How to Tell Stories on LinkedIn

My Most Viewed Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn: Company Page Followers No Longer Viewable

LinkedIn: Advice For B2B Businesses – Playlist

B2B Content Marketing Agency London

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms. We hope you find this information useful.

If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation give us a call on +44 (0) 845 2264 247. You can also email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com

On our YouTube channel you will find marketing advice, business advice & inspiration. Subscribe if you work in Marketing for Professional Services or are a business owner or solo-preneur trying to grow your business. New uploads on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Best regards,

Mike Pitt

Founder, Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

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Lessons for Entrepreneurs from Manchester City Football Club

1. Never give up
Business owners will face a number of challenges and failures along their journey and the easiest thing to do it to quit. That is what most people do when faced with uncomfortable situations. It requires more heart and courage to keep on giving your all when all is seemingly lost or at least the success you crave appears impossible. Most successful entrepreneurs have experienced a large number of failures but they did not quit.

2. Don’t worry about your competitors
Ultimately you cannot control what your competitors do. They are free to plan and execute their strategy to the best of their ability as you are too. Focus on your core strengths and you will perform at your best just as a successful team must do.

3. Give everyone on your team a chance to shine
You may think that you know who your company’s star performers are but will be surprised. Once your company is performing at its optimum level you will see the equivalent of your Edin Dzeko, Martín Demichelis and Fernando Luiz Roza (Fernandinho) rise to the occasion.

4. Focus on building a legacy
While the achievement of your next milestone should be celebrated it is not the end goal. You should be on a path towards creating an entity that can continue without your direct involvement. To do this you will need the right strategy and focus as well as the team to get you there.

5. Deliver Social Impact
There is justifiably a lot of discussion around the need to deliver good business or business that does good as well as creating a profit. There are over 70, 000 social enterprises in the UK. You should participate in initiatives where your company can create positive social impact within the community that you are located. Manchester City achieve this via their City in the Community scheme. The scheme delivers a wide range of programmes across 5 main themes: Skills and Enterprise, Health and Activity, Football and multi sports, Disability Sports and Community Cohesion. You can read more about it here http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Community/Manchester-programmes

We hope you have found this information useful.Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com if you’d like us to discuss Content Marketing and how best to use Social Media to promote your business or enterprise.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

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Vine vs Instagram

1. Longevity

Whilst this is admittedly a minor issue as far as Internet technology is concerned and is less important than user numbers, it does have some relevance to potential advertisers. Vine, launched on January 24th 2013 has the edge here. Although Instagram has been around since October 2010, it has only been possible to post videos on the platform since June 20th 2013. This means that Vine users are more familiar with the format and may therefore be more receptive to short creative marketing videos.

2. User numbers

Instagram is the clear winner in this category, with over 150 million active users although most of these users were acquired before video was introduced and owe more to its origins as a photo sharing platform. Vine has 40 million users.

3. Activity

Things begin to look a little worse for Vine in this category. Whilst you would naturally expect more active users to translate into more activity, it is not a linear function as far as tweets are concerned. Instagram has a 6 to 1 lead over Vine in terms of tweets, compared to a user number ratio of roughly 3.75. However, these figures do not tell the whole story as outlined in the next section.

4. Functionality

Vine videos are more visible in the Twitter community owing to the fact that they are previewed in the iPhone and Android Twitter apps. This means that all users need to do to view the content is to tap on the Vine video preview in Twitter. Whilst Instagram content can be tweeted, the lack of a visual preview means that it has less immediate impact.

5. Format

Vine videos are limited to 6 seconds whereas Instagram ones can be up to 15 seconds in length. There is no clear winner in this category but the different lengths mean that one platform may be more suitable than the other for different marketing techniques. If, for example, you wish to create a more conventional advertisement for distribution online, Instagram’s longer format will probably be the best choice. On the other hand, the 6-second format that Vine employs has encouraged advertisers to be more creative and there are many excellent examples of how it can be used to great effect.

6. Making a choice

Now you know a little more about what each platform has to offer, you should be in a better position to make an informed decision when planning new online video marketing campaigns. It is important to remember that whichever platform you choose, you need to have a team in place to answer the consumer enquiries that your promotional clip generates.

The following summary may be of some help if you need a quick reference when making a final decision.

Winners

• Longevity – Vine
• User numbers – Instagram
• Activity – Instagram
• Functionality – Vine
• Format – a draw

Whilst I have attempted to remain objective throughout this review, please bear in mind that personal preferences always influence one’s opinions and your experiences with these platforms are unlikely to be identical to mine. In closing, I firmly believe that both are useful weapons to keep in your marketing arsenal.

This guest post was written by Juliet Martin who is an Instagram user by preference. She also writes on behalf of Regus, a global provider of flexible office spaces and business solutions.

Do you want to incorporate Vine or Instagram into your Content Marketing strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. You may also like this, Is it time to Vine?  and Which Brands are Winning on Vine? – 5 Brands that ‘Do it For The Vine’

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post Vine versus Instagram Video – Which should you use and why? Guest post appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

This post may contain affiliate links please read our disclosure for more info.

If your objective is to grow your business or just to improve the way that your business functions, you should find yourself a mentor. Mentoring offers business owners the chance to learn from seasoned business owners or entrepreneurs on a regular basis. There is a popular misconception that mentors are only for young, inexperienced business people or startups. It is no coincidence that most top billionaires with high performing businesses have mentors. I have listed below 5 very successful people who currently have or have had mentors.

Top Billionaires with Mentors

1. Bill Gates

The co- founder and former CEO of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal computer software company has Warren Buffett as his mentor. Warren Buffet* is one of most successful stock market investors in history.

2. Oprah Winfrey

The former host of the Oprah Winfrey Show, CEO of Harpo Productions, CEO of the Oprah Winfrey Network, noted philanthropist and currently North America’s only black billionaire has a mentor. Her mentor is Maya Angelou, the author and poet.

3. Sir Richard Branson

The founder of the Virgin Group that has now grown to over 400 companies, one of the UK’s richest citizens, humanitarian and philanthropist had a mentor. His mentor was the late Sir Freddie Laker, CEO of Laker Airways.

4. Mark Zuckerberg

The co-founder of Facebook, the largest social networking website and current CEO was mentored by Steve Jobs* who advised him to build high-quality teams and maintain a sharp focus on Facebook’s products.

5. Sara Blakely

The founder of Spanx, a multi million dollar underwear garment company and currently the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire has a mentor. Her mentor is Sir Richard Branson. Bill Gates is also advising Sara on philanthropy after she joined the Giving Pledge.

There is a direct correlation between these billionaires having a mentor or having had a mentor in the cases of Sir Richard Branson & Mark Zuckerberg and then going onto achieve amazing levels of success. Even if you don’t aspire to be a billionaire it is very likely that you would benefit from having a mentor. If you don’t have one it is our recommendation that you look for one within your network. You could also try here.

If you like this post you will also like, Mentoring for Young Entrepreneurs : Do you Want a Mentor?

Also, you should read this post, 10 Golden Rules For Entrepreneurs  

B2B Content Marketing Agency London

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms. We hope you find this information useful.

If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation give us a call on +44 (0) 845 2264 247. You can also email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com

On our YouTube channel you will find marketing advice, business advice & inspiration. Subscribe if you work in Marketing for Professional Services or are a business owner or solo-preneur trying to grow your business. New uploads on Wednesdays.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

* Warren Buffett also had a mentor. His mentor was Ben Graham who was an economist.

* Steve Jobs himself had many mentors. More on that here. 

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” It’s absolutely worth it.” – #onsettingupabusiness

” Start small. Think big – but do get started.”

” There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Quoting #FranklynDelanoRoosevelt

On seeking funding…

” We applied to 20 banks and got turned down 20 times.” #onseekingfunding

Email subject line – ‘Does anyone know anyone rich?’ #onseekingfunding

“Maurice Pinto…he put in £250K and got out £30 million.” #talkingabouttheinvestorwhosaidyes

On a direct approach to distribution…

“We went to independent retailers over a bank holiday weekend and gave them 3 cases for free…45 out of 50 reordered.”

” We just got started…We were hungover and we needed something to make us feel better. ” – #innocentbeginnings

On working with a team…

” The three of us (founders) take credit when it’s the team of 300 that should take the credit. ” #teameffort

On role models…

“Richard Branson …I think in Britain he made entrepreneurs sexy…” #rolemodels

On being focused…

” Write down the dream. When you write it down – the dream becomes a goal.” #startingabusiness

On amusing Plump nuns copy on the ingredients label…

“You must either take off the reference to plump nuns or put them in your fruit juice.” #Letterfromadjudicationjudge

On business owners & entrepreneurs looking for investment…

“If you are looking for investment check out – http://jamjarinvestments.com/”

I hope this has given you a taste of the evening. You can follow @richardreedinno on Twitter. The next event will be announced fairly soon. Please also follow @es_bc for the latest updates.

If you’d like to discuss any aspect of your marketing requirements feel free to give us a call on +44 (0) 845 226247 or drop us an email via mail@marketingfundamentals.com – We look forward to hearing from you.

We hope you have found this information inspirational.

Best regards,

Mike Pitt – Founder & CEO of Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

The post What did entrepreneurs learn from Richard Reed at ESBC? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Business Relationships – 6 tips to create better business relationships

1. Face to Face meetings

Take time to meet new people face to face and extend your circle of contacts. Approach these intro meetings with an open mind and no agenda. Do not pitch during these meetings and listen more than you speak.

2. Deliver Value

Make a point to help help out your contacts whenever you can and to connect them with people that they should meet. Do so without point scoring or expecting anything in return.

3. Surprise and Delight Your Clients & Customers

Execute all contracted projects and tasks well but make one of your objectives to surprise and delight them by delivering beyond their expectations. If you are unsure how to do this your staff and customer feedback will give you some very strong indicators.

4. Be Authentic

One of the benefits of being a business owner or entrepreneur is that you can create your own company and remain true to your values and vision. Do not lose sight of this when you are starting business relationships even if there are monetary reasons to do so. If your gut tells you that a potential relationship will be problematic – go with your gut.

5. Establish Trust

For any relationship to work there needs to be trust on both sides. Major deals and agreements need to be written down and formalised but a good relationship should be the basis. Be worthy of trust, open and and trust in others.

6. Frequency and Feedback

Regularly communicate with your contacts – this applies equally to your staff as well as contacts external to your business. Encourage the giving of and be receptive to feedback and reviews.

Implement these points and you will establish better business relationships – relationships that will help you build better business. The last word goes to Dale Carnegie

“You can close more business in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

We hope you have found this information useful.

Need help creating better business relationships? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

Best regards,

Mike Pitt
Founder & CEO – Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

The post How do you Create Better Business Relationships? – 6 tips appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Local Sponsorship Opportunities

1. The Arts

There are few demographics that don’t agree that the arts are an integral component of a thriving community. And patrons of the arts tend to have the sort of free capital that buys them purchasing power. These patrons also tend to be interested in philanthropy and are more likely to spend their money at companies that champion humanitarian causes. Investing in the arts represents an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s investment in the betterment of the community.

• Make a significant donation to the arts organization of your choice. This will get your name on the donor list, and oftentimes includes complimentary ad placement in programs, brochures, or newsletters.

• Event sponsorship—hosting an annual concert series, for example—can put your business in the good graces of the community.

• Commission a work of art to be displayed in a prominent public space.

2. Benefit Races

There is no shortage of races that raise money for great causes by asking participants to secure sponsors who provide financial backing. As a rule, these events are well-publicized, well-received, and well-attended. Participating in one way or another associates your company with issues that matter.

• Sponsor a group of participants or build a team to run the race (assuming you’ve got personnel who are willing to sweat for the greater good).

• Sponsor the race itself. Charities will partner with your company to organize and promote the race.

• Set up booths on the day of the event where you can offer promotional items like t-shirts, water bottles, balloons, and custom pens to participants and spectators.

3. Environmental Restoration

Many people automatically equate corporations with ecological damage, even if the evidence to support that association is lacking. One way to dispel this type of misconception is to host an environmental restoration project. Like benefit races, they provide a way to forge relationships with community members while working together towards a common goal.

• Organize stream clean-ups or tree plantings.

• Sponsor a local conservation organization’s research or special projects.

We are a leading marketing agency in London.Want to incorporate local sponsorship into your marketing strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. This guest post was written by Alice Jenkins. Alice Jenkins is a graphic designer and hopeless perfectionist. She writes for PensXpress

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How do you use local sponsorship to enhance your reputation & drive leads? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

Local Sponsorship Opportunities

1. The Arts

There are few demographics that don’t agree that the arts are an integral component of a thriving community. And patrons of the arts tend to have the sort of free capital that buys them purchasing power. These patrons also tend to be interested in philanthropy and are more likely to spend their money at companies that champion humanitarian causes. Investing in the arts represents an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s investment in the betterment of the community.

• Make a significant donation to the arts organization of your choice. This will get your name on the donor list, and oftentimes includes complimentary ad placement in programs, brochures, or newsletters.

• Event sponsorship—hosting an annual concert series, for example—can put your business in the good graces of the community.

• Commission a work of art to be displayed in a prominent public space.

2. Benefit Races

There is no shortage of races that raise money for great causes by asking participants to secure sponsors who provide financial backing. As a rule, these events are well-publicized, well-received, and well-attended. Participating in one way or another associates your company with issues that matter.

• Sponsor a group of participants or build a team to run the race (assuming you’ve got personnel who are willing to sweat for the greater good).

• Sponsor the race itself. Charities will partner with your company to organize and promote the race.

• Set up booths on the day of the event where you can offer promotional items like t-shirts, water bottles, balloons, and custom pens to participants and spectators.

3. Environmental Restoration

Many people automatically equate corporations with ecological damage, even if the evidence to support that association is lacking. One way to dispel this type of misconception is to host an environmental restoration project. Like benefit races, they provide a way to forge relationships with community members while working together towards a common goal.

• Organize stream clean-ups or tree plantings.

• Sponsor a local conservation organization’s research or special projects.

We are a leading marketing agency in London.Want to incorporate local sponsorship into your marketing strategy? Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

We hope you have found this information useful. This guest post was written by Alice Jenkins. Alice Jenkins is a graphic designer and hopeless perfectionist. She writes for PensXpress

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How do you use local sponsorship to enhance your reputation & drive leads? appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

How can Marketing Fundamentals Ltd Help you?

1. Content Marketing consultancy – We create blog & Social Media Content and implement it for you leaving you to focus on your core business. There are a number of different packages available and we can create a bespoke package too.

2. Video Content – We create video Content to promote your business and for use on YouTube / Vimeo etc.

3. Social Media Consultancy – We devise a Social Media Strategy and implement it for you. Watch a testimonial here

4. Blog Post Writing – We create a number of posts for you and supply to you for you to upload to your site. Thirty posts is a popular number because when you have created thirty blog post traffic to your site increases by up to 30% Source: Social Media Examiner.

5. Blog Mentoring – Regular face to face sessions instructing business owners and entrepreneurs how to blog to promote their business and organisations. Booked as 12 weekly sessions and can be delivered via Skype if distance prevents face to face meetings. Note – There is homework in between each session.

6. Email Copywriting – You’ve built a mailing list but don’t really know what to say to maintain momentum? We can do this for you.

7. Company Workshops – Content Marketing & Social Media 1 day Workshops delivered at your company’s premises. Watch a testimonial here.

8. Online Blogging Course – Learn on Demand by registering for our our Udemy course How to TurboCharge Your Business with a Blog’

9. Book – Buy our ‘How to TurboCharge Your Business with a Blog’ paperback book from Amazon. There is also a Kindle version available.

10. App – Buy our SME Marketing App on App Store and Android platforms

11. Blog – Read our Marketing Fundamentals Ltd blog.

12. YouTube – Watch Marketing Fundamentals Ltd videos on our You Tube Channel.

13. Twitter   Twitter: TurboCharge Your Twitter Presence Course

We hope you have found this information useful and we look forward to hearing from you. Give us a call on +44 845 2264 247 or email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com to start the conversation.

Best regards,

Marketing Fundamentals Team

The post How can Marketing Fundamentals Ltd help you? – 13 ways appeared first on Marketing Fundamentals.

I was interviewed by the lovely Melinda Yeaman for the Outlier Podcast series. Click here to listen to the interview.

Click here to listen.

B2B Content Marketing Agency London

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms.

If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation give us a call on +44 (0) 845 2264 247. You can also email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com

On our YouTube channel you will find marketing advice, business advice & inspiration. Subscribe if you work in Marketing for Professional Services or are a business owner or solo-preneur trying to grow your business. New uploads on Wednesdays.

I hope you find this information useful.

Best wishes,

Mike Pitt

Founder & CEO

Marketing Fundamentals Ltd

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