Paul Greenwood

About Paul Greenwood

Posts by Paul Greenwood:

June 8 2020

It’s all about communication

If you have a website, joined a zoom call or attended a business networking event, it’s all about communication. If you write an email, create a newsletter or make a promotional video, it’s all about communication. If you have a professional brand identity created, post on social media or do a weekly podcast, you guessed it, it’s all about communication. Communication is key to everything you create or design.

When we communicate on a daily basis with friends and family, it’s simply an exchange of words that help us to understand one another. Where we are going, what we will be eating or what time we are going to be home. The thing about communication is that it’s not a one-way street. It’s an exchange from both sides.

When you create designs and media for your business or organisation, you are still looking to form a dialogue with the person consuming the information. The difference is that rather than the communication being conversational, it helps the user form an understanding. It’s an understanding of key information that helps them to move forward.

When you are lost you look for directions to help you get to where you wanted to go. When you’re in a restaurant you look for a menu to help you order something. And when you’re searching YouTube to learn how to solve a problem, you are looking for information as a solution. These are all forms of communication.

Are you communicating with your audience?

When you post on social media, are you communicating with the people you want to connect with? Do people know what to do when they’re on your website? Is what you are creating of use to others? If your answer is no, it poses the question to why you are doing it in the first place.

If you know the purpose of what you are creating and have an outcome you want to achieve, things become clearer and you are more likely to get results.

Purpose

What is the purpose of the design, post or marketing you are doing? Are you trying to help others achieve something? Do you want them to place an order? Do you have a new service you want to tell people about? What is the purpose?

The purpose of this article is to help you learn about communication and enable you to think differently about the effort you are going to with your marketing and design.

Starting with the end in mind

What are you wanting to achieve? What outcome do you want? What action do you want people to take? When you start with an end in mind, you have a target. When you don’t, people don’t know what to do next. It could be as simple as ‘book now’, ‘join our mailing list’ or ‘watch this video’. Without clear instruction, you will lose the interest of your audience and they will move on.

The action we want you to take is to join our mailing list or contact us about your next branding, design and marketing project. We believe we can help your business and improve your communication.

What to do

When you come to do your next blog, social media post or video, think about your communication. Don’t simply post content and expect the result if you haven’t thought about the action you want others to take. Set clear call to actions so your communication isn’t wasted and this will enable the user to get to where they want to go.

You have an opportunity every time you create something to make someone’s life easier by solving a meaningful problem. Think about what problems you are in a unique position to solve and build your content around that. Create something that communicates with your audience’s needs and let your design fulfil its true purpose.

Got a project in mind?

Kind people who improve the world hire us to take care of their design because it’s time to level up! If you have a project, want to create a buzz for your business and are serious about having professionally designed brand identity, learning how to grow your brand, or require a website and marketing literature to communicate with your audience, get in touch!

May 27 2020

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Using Video

Paul Greenwood

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Using Video

In the time of writing this article, video content makes up over 80% of all internet content. And with most people being able to access video over fast broadband or mobile data, it’s no wonder this media has grown in popularity.

With time being at a premium and your attention a new currency, the way we communicate and share information has changed. At a moment’s notice you can flick open an app on your device and share yourself with the world. You can learn how to do pretty much anything via YouTube and create an educational course using only a mobile device and a laptop.

If you’ve never considered trying video or you’re completely scared about getting on camera, our 5 reasons why you should start using video might just be the inspiration you need.

Here are 5 Reasons Why You Should Start Using Video

01 Like, know and trust factor

Having that know, like and trust factor is essential if you are a freelancer, solopreneur or small business. Therefore you need to be able to show people who you are, what you can do and what your brand stands for. Video has the power of showing people all of these things.
People get to know you without meeting you which helps them form an opinion about you and your business. If they like what you have to say and what you stand for, it builds trust. As a result, when people require services that you provide, they are more likely to use you or recommend you to others.

02 Easy to consume information

YouTube is the worlds second biggest search engine. This is because it’s full of easy to consume information. Creators from all over the world are making videos that solve a problem in every niche imaginable. Where reading takes time, video is quick and easy, repeatable and super shareable.

With everyone’s attention span getting shorter, people want information that is quick and easy to consume. This is why video has become the popular media that it is. It enables people to learn quickly and get what they require within minutes.
If you can make simple, easy to consume information for your audience and potential customers, this will you make more visible and more influential.

03 Build your influence

There are many ways to build your influence – speaking at events, having the right pitch and partnering with the right people for example. However, publishing video content consistently and solving meaningful problems doesn’t just build your influence, it creates assets for your business.
With video, you can create it, publish it on YouTube, and once shared with the world, it can continue to help people. You can be tucked up in bed and your videos can teach people anywhere in the world with no extra effort.

04 Global audience

You don’t have to get on a plane to cross the world. Publish a video on social media and it is instantly global. And, with subtitles, your videos are accessible in many languages.
Being able to operate globally takes you out of a limited, local mindset. It frees you up to think bigger than the place you live in. It allows you to work remotely, flexibly and from anywhere in the world.

More and more influencers are now being booked to speak all over the world because they’ve built a global audience. Those who use video are more likely to get known in this way. As a result, they charge a higher premium for their services. If only you had the right equipment to get started on this global journey!

05 You already have the equipment you need

It’s highly likely that you have a mobile phone with decent enough camera capabilities to make the simplest of videos. It’s also probable that you have filmed other people doing something on your mobile phone.

Your mobile is the perfect starting point for creating videos. If you’re somewhere quiet you don’t need a microphone. If you want good lighting, move closer to a window. It’s simple to get set up and you can do it pretty much any time.

Yes, to begin with, it will seem strange. You’re having a one-way conversation with your device. However, like more things in life, once you become confident with presenting information, it becomes easier.

You have what you need, just make a start! However, if you want to take your video to the next level, check out our Best Budget Video Equipment for Beginners.

To summerise

If you want to build influence, that like, know and trust factor, you should start using video. Everything you need to make a start, you already have. When you help others by creating easy to consume content, you have a higher chance of getting booked, recommended or a new customer. You can be anywhere in the world once you publish your videos online. You can build a global following, opening you up to more fans and followers.

There is no time to make a start that now, so go press record and give it a go!

Still struggling to make a start?

Check out our video: Start Filming & Get Over It – Top 5 Tips: Getting started making videos

Projects

If you’re ready to take the next step, please contact us today or check out our video projects featured below.

Bourbon Street Social

The VA Coach

Team Seas

Los Jefes

Got a project in mind?

May 11 2020

How to keep your website simple

Paul Greenwood

How to keep your website simple

With time at a premium and your attention the new currency, getting information across quickly and easily has never been more important. In this article, we’ll look at how to keep your website simple. This will enable you to concentrate on the essential building blocks you need for your small business website.

Functionality first

Think about the purpose of your website first and build the functionality around that. Does your website simply need to display your business details and services or do you have lots to say on a blog? What you’re wanting to achieve will influence the site’s functionality.

Single page vs multipage

If you don’t have much to say or have a small budget, use a single page. The simplest website you can create for your business needs only a few key items. Strip things back to the essentials and make it simple for your visitors to understand your offering.

Multipage websites are the most common and for good reason. The potential for SEO is enormous. Having a content-rich website will gain more results over time. Make a page plan for this functionality from the outset and drive traffic to them.

Have a clear call to action

What do you want the visitor to do once they’re on your website? Sign up to your newsletter? Enquire now? Make a purchase? These are all a ‘call to action’ to your website visitor. If you don’t tell the person what to do, how will they know? Set clear call to actions to instruct visitors.

Value proposition

A value proposition is what tells people what you do, who for and how it impacts them. This is usually encapsulated in a sentence in the main top section of your website. Using a value proposition will enable the visitor to identify if they’re in the right place quickly. Using a bulleted list to accompany your value proposition is also a good idea if you have a broad offering.

Outcomes

Rather than just listing processes of what you do, think of the outcomes you provide. For example, the outcome of hiring an SEO (search engine optimisation) specialist would be a higher ranking on Google. However, there are over 200 processes involved in SEO. Your website visitor is looking for the outcome, not the process. What outcomes do you provide to your customers? Make a list and work them organically into your copy.

User experience

The process of visitors getting in touch, buying something or navigating your website should be easy. Use friends and family to test your website, set them an objective and use their feedback to improve your website.

Website structure

Every story has a beginning, middle and end, your website is the same. The beginning is what the visitor sees first. This could be part of a larger marketing campaign or simply your home page. The middle is what content they digest. This could be your blog, shop, portfolio or services page. This is the main reason for their visit. The end is the outcome they’re looking for, information, a product or even deciding to hire you.

At each point of the visitor’s journey around your website, make it simple to navigate to find what they’re looking for next. A well-structured header menu, footer or contact section on your pages might be all you need. Is your website easy to get around or are things more hidden than you desire? Make small adjustments over time and test the user experience.

Design it yourself or hire a web designer?

With so many template-driven, off the shelf solutions out there for websites, it seems hardly worth hiring a designer. Designing your website yourself can save you money. But is it worth it?

If you’re running a small business, is your time best spent learning how to become a web designer, or is your time more valuable running the company? The answer will always depend on your situation, budget, time and technical ability.

If you’re just starting and have no money to launch your business, a template builder could be your only option. However, if you’re beyond startup and your business is making money, this is the ideal time to invest in web design. Having an expert handle your website will only help your business progress forward.

If you’re ready to take the next step, please contact us today or check out our website projects featured below.

The Life Edit Academy

Pharma Waste

The Village Kitchen

Restorative SCS

Got a project in mind?

March 18 2020

Tips for working at home

Paul Greenwood

Tips for working at home

Having run a business remotely for over 2 years and the current climate we thought it would be wise to share tips for working from home. Working from home can take it’s toll mentally and physically. Having a plan and recognising the signs when things are starting to get tough is essential.

We know what working in a closed environment feels like, working on projects that require full focus to deliver quality. Week in week out we deliver professional branding, graphics and media to those who want to attract customers, mainly done from a home office.

Working in isolation isn’t for everyone, it can be hard, limiting and for some enough to reduce health and wellbeing. With the right tools and practical advice from those who are accustomed can be valuable. More so is a group of friend, family and a business network who are going through a similar situation.

This is why now, more than ever we should share what we know and lift each other up. Therefore, we’ve put together our top 5 tips. If you know anyone who might find this helpful, please share it with them.

Tips for working at home:

Set your hours – It’s easy just to keep on working, not taking breaks, lunch and even working into the night. Of course, most of us are guilty of this but if done repeatedly, it can lead to stress and burnout. Plan to separate yourself from your work and draw the line.
Speak to other people – Social media is not as ‘social’ as the name suggests. Humans need interaction, preferably in person, but what if that’s not an option? Pick up the phone for a chat or even better a video call, this will boost your human interaction and not just help you but the other person too.
Change location – If you have to work at home, being cooped can send you stir-crazy. After too long this can affect your wellbeing. Try changing your work location throughout your house, the couch, kitchen worktop, dining table, you can work from your bed if you want, something you only joked about before at work!
Keep active – Being limited on space doesn’t mean limiting your ability to keep active. Your mental health will be vastly improved if you stay active at home. Find an online fitness or wellness training programme that you can do in your living room, the health benefits are huge!
It’s all temporary – Understand that working from home is not forever and the situation will change. Know that taking action will guide your way and keep you healthy. You are allowed to stop, put the kettle on, listen to music, read and relax.

Got a project in mind?

March 5 2020

Essential Books Vol.1: Business

Paul Greenwood

Essential Books Vol.1: Business

Starting a business, growing a brand, getting know and becoming influential are all essential elements for entrepreneurs and business owners. If you’re looking to make a start and want to be lazy by not wasting your time on things that don’t work and learn what does from the people who know, reading a book is the place to start.

Books never run out of power, you can share them, they’re quiet and highly transportable. You can get them for free from a library, there are books on every subject imaginable and is a healthy pastime that only gets better with time. What could be better!

To make things easy, we’ve put together a selection of favourite and most impactful books for you below.

Click this link to see our growing list of essential books.

Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley

Company of One by Paul Jarvis

Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

24 Assets by Daniel Priestley

This is Marketing by Seth Godin

Check out our growing list of essential books here

February 4 2020

How to create better content marketing

Paul Greenwood

How to create better content marketing

After having countless chats about design, branding and marketing with our clients, something has become apparent. A common thread that seems to curse so many, something that sucks up all your time and leaves you with little or no results. Starting too many things, trying to do content marketing in too many places, not being efficient with time or targetted with your message

In this article, we will look at how to create better content. How to stop spreading yourself thin when attracting your ideal customers and how to be efficient with your content marketing.

The curse of marketing your own business

We witness the same old story. People saying ’email marketing is my next big thing’, ‘I need to start a blog’, ‘I’m going to conquer Instagram’ or ‘I’m starting a YouTube channel’. They all have this excitement and drive to throw themselves into it, not thinking of the time constraints ‘the thing’ they’ve decided is the answer is going to take.

It happens time and time again. A website with posts that are years old with no relevance and little valuable content. YouTube channels with 4 videos, all poorly made, no tags or description with a title that isn’t searchable. An Instagram with a month of posts, pictures of lunch, a cat, a Friday afternoon selfie and followers which don’t extend the friends and family.

The list goes on and on and we have all seen it. Why is this happening? You had all that energy, where did it go? You tried so hard for them a few weeks but it didn’t bring any results, that’s right so you moved on to something else. Then something else. Then something else. Every time, you get the same results.

Why your content marketing isn’t working

It’s pretty simple to see when you take a step back. Thing is, people are terrible at stepping back and being honest about what can be achieved in the time they have got. And, because everyone has access to social media and apps like Canva, they think ‘this content marketing thing’s a doddle, you just make graphics and post them all the time, right?’.

Sorry guys, that’s not marketing. That’s just a load of noise. And maybe it is getting someone’s attention, is it having the desired effect? Probably not. So how can you be more effective?

How to be more effective with your time and marketing

Firstly you need to understand marketing isn’t just social media. Marketing takes many forms. There is cause marketing, word of mouth, geographic marketing, seasonal marketing and the list goes on. Rather than go through every type, we will keep things simple and look at what many of us consume daily – content marketing.

Now, take a deep breath, step back from your day-to-day grind and answer the following questions and be honest.

Question 01: Why did I start this business in the first place?

It could be that you are a fitness instructor and you want to help people with their fitness and mental health. You might be are a hypnotherapist and you have the skills to help those with anxiety or depression. You may be a yoga teacher and your sessions help others to escape, tone up or find spiritual enlightenment.

Your passion has guided you here and you choose to start a business rather than join the masses in getting a regular 9-to-5. Whatever the reason I am sure it is a good one. I’m also pretty sure it wasn’t to busy yourself with marketing or to become a busy fool.

Answering this question will help coordinate you with your true life calling, what you were put on earth to do. Within your brand, you should have a highly defined purpose. A mission. Maybe it is something in the world that you have the skills, methodology or technology to change. A north star that keeps you striving and coordinates your business.

It’s the ‘why’ behind what you do that will unlock the content you should be creating. Don’t just read this article, write your answer.

Struggling to find your brand purpose? Book a free brand consultation today.

Question 2: Who are your ideal customers?

Before you answer with the words ‘everyone’, it is very rarely the case and thinking that everyone is will always dilute your efforts when marketing. Part of finding your purpose (question 01) will identify what you do for others. A problem that you solve and a service that you are qualified to do.

You are sitting on a mountain of value with the knowledge you’ve attained this far in life. There are a set of people who need that value and expertise out there in which you solve a meaningful problem. These are your ideal customers.

Once you’ve identified those customers, you must find out where they hang out. Do they attend conferences or networking events? What sort of media do they consume? Is it Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube, do they read blogs or printed literature. Are they local, national or international? Do they have similar likes, age or gender?

Knowing these factors before you start marketing are going to help you speak to the person directly. The one who you can solve a meaningful problem. If you’re having trouble working out who your ideal customers are, please get in touch, we have a workshop that will help you.

Start to write out a ‘customer profile’. The more specific you can be the better. When you come to start creating your content, talk about a specific problem that you and in a unique position to solve.

For example, if you are a fitness instructor and your ideal customers are office workers, think of the common issues you see in fitness in office workers. Provide office workers with information that will help them. Tips of how to avoid a bad back or weak knees. Exercises to do at your desk.

Speak to them directly. Niche down. Get specific about the problems you solve. Build influence by creating meaningful content. This will help your focus and save hours in the long run.

Question 03: Am I being efficient with my time?

Again, take another step back and look at how you spend each day. For many of us, we move from task to task, working all hours, fitting in family time and working into the evening to get things done. You are not alone. Running a business, being a freelancer or entrepreneur is hard and borders on complete insanity.

Honestly, are you truly using time and technology to your advantage? Is there something that you could stop doing to free up your time to do something more meaningful?

Here are a few ideas worth implementing:

Spend less time scrolling through social media
Outsource the task you don’t like
Batch things like keeping your accounts up to date
Opt for video meetings rather than in person
Only email when truly necessary
Schedule your social media posts
Multi-purpose your content
Stop trying to be everywhere for everyone

If you feel like you have no time, sometimes it’s better to stop and reflect. Take stock and track your time. If you’re feeling burnt out from it all, take a break, do some exercise, get some air and have a walk. It’s not worth it, honestly.

To summerise

Define your purpose
Identify your ‘ideal customer’
Create content that engages your ideal customer (not everyone)
Solve a meaningful problem to help them move forward
Add value and share what you know selflessly
Publish your content where your customers are specifically
Track and use your time and technology to your advantage
If it’s too much to handle, outsource and make time for you

Let us know your results or just say hi and connect with us on our socials

Attribute: Megaphone Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash

Got a project in mind?

January 28 2020

Too many ideas, not enough time

Paul Greenwood

Too many ideas, not enough time

Do you feel like this? It is so easy to have far too many ideas and just feel totally overwhelmed.

So what do you end up doing? Nothing at all, not taking a step forward in a direction, paralysed. You look around and see everyone else seems they’ve got it right.

What’s the next right step? There are too many choices. AHHHHH!! Overwhelm can be a curse for business owners and entrepreneurs alike.

“This new idea is the one, it’s going to be the thing that makes me the money. If only I had that tool, that program, the scheduling software for my emails, that camera, a marketing strategy, an office and the list goes on, and on.”

“If only I had more time to implement these ideas. I have tons of them. I have one every day while I brush my teeth.”

STOP!

A great idea is one thing. Implementing it is another. Funding the idea into something profitable and giving it time is another. You need focus. Trying to manage several ideas at one time is going to send you spiralling. That’s not where you either want to be or need to be for your loved ones.

It’s time to step back. It’s time to simplify, find focus and define your true purpose. Here are a few questions to help get you started:

Why did you start doing what you do in the first place?
Are you making use of what have already to the best of your ability?
What can you stop doing rather than start doing?
Are you being efficient?
Is there a smarter way to work?
Does your business make you happy and align you with your true purpose?

Need help finding clarity and defining your true purpose? Need a little nudge in the right direction? Just some actionable steps to get you moving again?

Hive of Many are currently offering a ‘pay as you feel’ model for brand consultancy. We’re confident that we can add value to your business and start moving you in the right direction. Take the next right step by contacting us today.

Attribute: Clock photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Got a project in mind?

Paul Greenwood Hive of Many Business Man of the Year Award Nomination

January 17 2020

Business Man of the Year – Vote Now

Paul Greenwood

Business Man of the Year – Vote for Paul Greenwood

By some miraculous surprise, at the end of 2019, I was nominated for ‘Business Man of the Year’ at the Yorkshire Choice Awards. For the last month, I’ve sat with this news quietly contemplating, not quite knowing what I should do with it. No one expects to be nominated for such a thing, well, I certainly did not.

This article is simply to ask you to please vote for me.

For the last 2 years, I’ve simply tried to build a business to provide others with branding, graphic design and website design. Part of my mission has been to enable people to think bigger about their brand and share my knowledge of over 20 years of experience at every opportunity. Somewhere along the way, it appears that I have influenced others and provided a level of value that people have found useful and hopefully implemented into their businesses.

I’m sure like many of us, I find writing about one’s self pretty difficult. Trying to see your achievements and to second guess the impact one has others on a day to day, just by doing, sharing and trying to be helpful, is truly impossible to measure.

So, rather than writing about myself, I’ll leave it in the capable hands and words of those who nominated me for the award.

“Paul has worked in his business and for others without much recognition. As well as running Hive of Many, his own branding marketing business, he also DJs, teaches and speaks at local events. On top of that, along with his partner Lisa and business friend Lou, he was pivotal in setting up West Vale Works, a friendly and welcoming group that supports local businesses to grow through networking both in-person and online. This alone has been instrumental in helping my own business to grow, and Paul continues to invest his time and knowledge in the local business community.”

If you would like to vote for me as ‘Business Man of the Year’, please do so by clicking the button below. Voting closes on 1st February 2020.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW