Re-Branding After Divorce

It’s a whole new life with a new start ….

I use to sit at work and dream about working from home and being my own boss.  I use to dream about being happy and living life on my own terms.  The universe has ways of making things happen, sometimes it’s not exactly how you envisioned it ….  

Way back in 2009 I had been watching a reality TV show and one of the celebrities had a Personal Shopper and a Virtual Assistant while she was traveling round the world.  This fascinated me to no end and I thought it was a great idea.  I decided to start a business but shelved it when I got offered a job.  It was only when my life fell apart in 2012, during a bad divorce that I had no choice but to go back to my Virtual Assistant idea.

The best advice I ever got from my mother was, “find your strength, pick yourself up, and move forward with your head held up high”. 

For eight years, I had just been someone’s wife and I lost my identity completely because everything went into his name.  There was no trace of me, I had got lost in my marriage.  After the divorce it was time to re-brand myself, find who I was and build up my own life with my own business.  I decided to put all my skills together, get a name for my business, got my logo designed, my business cards and set up all my social media, I was ready to take on the world.  I started marketing myself online which lead to getting clients. 

I had a lot to learn, because up to this point, I had never been so completely in charge of running my own life and making sure that I had enough money at the end of the month to keep a roof over my head and all my bills paid.  Working from home and being your own boss is great, but it comes with it’s own set of challenges.  You have to be very disciplined to get up in the morning, hit the gym, eat properly, stay focused, get out and socialize with people, else it can become pretty lonely.

Today I am very grateful for living in my own little place I called home with my furkids.  I don’t have human kids so my cats and my little dog are my companions.  Roscoe, my little French Bulldog is definitely my best friend.  Before Roscoe came along I mostly just worked.  Having this little guy in my life gets me out the house, weekends we go to the park, the beach and find other things to do, he has changed my life in so many ways and taken away a lot of the loneliness I was feeling.  Through Roscoe I’ve met so many people and made new friends.  I now have a whole new life, my own brand, my own identity and my own dog.  I am no longer someone’s wife, I am just ME!

It’s important after a divorce to take time to yourself, re-brand your life and start over with your head held high!  Never stay in a situation that no longer serves your highest good. 

www.tonibaptista.com

  

Lets Talk Linkdin Profiles & Networking

I see so many people take the power of Linkdin for granted when your target market is right here. CEO’s, Business owner, Consultants, Speakers, Recruitment specialists, Politicians and the list goes on.

When someone connects with me on Linkdin, I will usually go onto their profile and have a look at what they’re all about before connecting with them. I also google them and check out their other social media platforms to see if they are legit or possibly a fake account, one can never be too careful these days. I want to know who I’m connecting with and why you feel we should connect. After all this a professional network platform where professionals connect to do business … or do I have this whole thing wrong? Is your only reason for connecting with me is to increase you Linkdin numbers and you have zero interest in getting to know what my business is all about and if our connection can be mutually beneficial? How does connecting with you benefit me or my network?


If I go onto your profile and it has no picture or an unclear picture or you have a picture with your sunglasses or your profile is only a company with no human, I generally wont connect with someone like that because it raises the question of what you are hiding .....

An incomplete profile tells me that you don’t take pride in your work, you do things half heartedly and couldn’t be bothered with what you are presenting on a professional business network platform. Taking all this into account, why should I connect with you? Why should I do business with you?

Now, say I do accept your connection request, what’s more annoying is that YOU have connected to me, I have accepted your connection and now I have to send you a message to find out more about what you do (because although some profiles are complete, they are not up to date with what you are currently doing). You have shown zero interest in my business, my service or even just dropping me a line to say why you're connecting with me. Most people don’t even bother replying to my message which is when I decide to delete you off my network.

People not only neglect their Linkdin profiles but their overall personal brand, they are still under the misconception that it’s only for celebrities …. This is where you are wrong, these days the internet is a powerful tool and having a strong professional online presence could be the difference between getting your next big client or even that job you applied for. Whether you like it or not you are a brand and your online presence does matter.

When you don’t respond to the message I’ve sent you, it tells me that you are completely rude and self absorbed or just clueless about how to successfully network online and build relationships.

All these things contribute to your personal brand, your professionalism and the type of person you are. People do business with people they like, people do business with other professional people, it just makes things so much simpler and pleasant.

The internet gives us the opportunity to grow our business, our networks and to connect with people globally, so why do a half-hearted job with your Linkdin account and your personal brand. All you doing is giving off a very bad first impression.

Your personal brand matters, so take the time to clean up your online presence. Google yourself, complete your Linkdin profile, create a company profile on Linkdin, get a clear headshot and background picture! Take pride in yourself, your online reputation and put a little effort into getting to know people in your network and perhaps make a difference in some’s life …. at the end of the day it all goes a long way.

 

I am a Personal Brand Consultant and run a Virtual Business Support Service to help entrepreneurs and companies save time, create a strong professional online presence that is consistent with a clear message that is inline with their brand. I help you grow your business and accelerate your success !!! If you'd like me to help you with your Linkdin profile, your personal brand and your business, schedule a call with me lets discuss a way forward.

Email me at tabvpa@gmail.com

LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE & AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

Meet Ron Joubert aka The Stray Dog. For Ron age is just a number and he is upping his game at the age of 70. A role model for the elderly and for the younger generations. Ron is not your average 70 year old, by day he is the Estate Manager for Clifton Hill Estate, in Hillcrest, South Africa and on his spare time he is an accomplished adventure cyclist who has done a lot for various charities. 

In 2006, Ron decided to go on his first adventure across South Africa in aid of the Kloof & Highway SPCA. He cycled from Durban to Cape Town and covered a distance of 3000km’s in 30 days. Sleeping in a tent next to the road. He rode along the Garden Route to Cape Town and returned via the Karoo. This was all in aid of raising funds and creating awareness for animals in need.

In 2008, Ron went on another road trip, this time to Australia, from Perth to Adelaide, 3000km’s in 30 days. 

In 2016, Ron headed off to the United Kingdom. This was his most challenging trip due to the weather conditions being bitterly cold and wet. He travelled the full length of the UK, from John O’ Groats in Scotland down to Land’s End in southern UK.

In May 2018, Ron officially retires as the Estate Manager at Clifton Hill where he has been an integral part of the successful and development of this beautiful estate. He will be sorely missed for his dedication and commitment to the well being of all the individuals living on this Estate. But this is where his new 3 year adventure starts …..  

He will be travelling to the USA to start his 3 year trip, starting in LA and will be traveling over 11 states and 4 times zones. His trip will cover Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and end in New York. 

His mission is to create awareness and raise much needed funds for Khanya Hospice in Umkomaas, which is down the South Coast in KwaZulu Natal.  "Khanya" means ‘light’ in Zulu and is an appropriate name as they are the light in dark times for terminally ill patients and their families. Khanya Hospice is a non-profit organisation, NPO no: 002-412 and does not get any government funding.  They rely on businesses and individual people to financially support the work they do, which is offer free palliative nursing care to people with life threatening diseases. They are currently building a 60 bed hospital which will cost in the region of R6 million, http://khanyahospice.org.za/

 

 

Ron is appealing to the public and any companies that would like to go on this adventure with him. Any sponsorships and financial support will be very welcome. Over the next three years Ron will have extensive media coverage in the US, a possible documentary, his trip will be recorded on his website and social media, Ron will also appear in various travel magazines. This is a great opportunity for people who want to increase their company brand awareness while also supporting a worthy cause.  

One of the things Ron will need is a new adventure bike when he gets to the USA, so if anyone is willing to sponsor that it would be a great start. 

Please visit Ron’s website  http://thestraydog.co.za/ for further details. Should you decided to become a sponsor your logo will be put onto his website and clothing. You will get extensive media coverage over the next three years and be part of this epic adventure.

Road tripping on a bike, sleeping in a tent, seeing the world and raising funds for charity at the age of 70, how many people do you know that would do that?  This energetic, young at heart elderly man who is still fit and healthy deserves our support and encouragement.  Please support Ron and his plight to helping others in need of help.  If you would like to contribute towards this worthy cause, please contract Ron directly.

 

 

 

Ron Joubert

Cell:  +27 82 883 4327

Email: ron@thestraydog.co.za

 

 

 

 

Time Poverty

ARE YOU ….

·        Feeling overworked and overwhelmed?  Constantly running around like a headless chicken and not achieving much?

·        Tired of spending so much time searching for content to post on your social media channels?

·        Stuck on how to leverage yourself and your talents to grow your business?

 

The SOLUTION …. TAB Virtual Business Support

Take a non-traditional approach to running and growing your business.  Imagine shifting your focus to the more critical details of your business.  Let me help you regain your time to focus on the income generating and business growth activities.  Let’s work together to find the best solution for your business needs while also building your personal brand.

While you might be professional, charming, impressive and influential in person your online presence could be saying the opposite.  Most entrepreneurs neglect to focus on their personal brand and only focus on building a company brand. 

Personal branding is a methodology of packaging all that in a way that works online via your website and social media presence.  I focus on articulating what makes YOU, your brand and your company brand exceptional.   I will develop an authentic online presence for your brand, one that is true to who you are.  Having a strong and consistent online presence among other media is essential in growing any brand.

 

I offer the following services:

·        Virtual Admin Support

·        Social Media Management

·        Marketing

·        Personal Brand Consulting

·        Public Relations

 

 

Don't get overwhelmed outsource!  Visit my website for further details on how I can help you www.tabvirtualbusiness.com

Personal Branding

A personal brand is something that all of us who has at least one social media account have to worry about. Your digital and social footprint is more important than you would imagine.

A company that wants to hire you or do business with you, will most certainly Google you before taking a final call, a research team will check out your online profile prior to granting you a fellowship, even your potential date will say yes to you only after running a quick search on you.

Your personal brand tells people who you are and what you care about when you are not there to tell them in person.

Your LinkedIn profile is a big part of your personal brand. If you don't have one, you should get started as that's part of your personal brand, too.  It is your online resume.

People who know you have ideas about you that formed during their interactions with you over a short period of time or over decades.  Your clothes are part of your brand, and so is your car, scooter, bicycle and even your address.  Your tastes in food, music, films, your jokes, your habits and your mannerisms are all part of your brand. Everything you do a reflection of your personal brand.

Branding yourself takes time and reflection. You have to ask a few questions of yourself, like:

What are my goals?
What am I working toward?
How do I want people to see me?
What is your niche?
What differentiates you from the rest?

 

 

www.tonibaptista.com

 

TAB Virtual Business Support Service

 

Outsourcing has become increasingly popular amongst entrepreneurs. Businesses have changed the way they run their operations and most small businesses now run from their home offices which cuts down costs dramatically. With the internet freely available communication with the rest of the world has become increasingly easier.

Virtual Staff are usually qualified, highly-skilled professional who works remotely, therefore eliminating the need for office space and IT equipment, along with all the mandatory permanent or temp staff benefits, thereby effectively reducing your overheads and optimizing your spend.

 

 

TAB Virtual Business Support Service was founded in 2009 but it was only in late 2012 that I started providing a full range of services to clients all over the world. I specialize in Social Media Marketing, Virtual Assistance, PR, Marketing and Branding. I provide a practical and flexible service, tailored to suit the individual business needs. I work with clients to help them focus on developing and expanding their business and work more efficiently towards achieving their business goals.

Services offered

Social Media Management: 

• Identify, evaluate and monitor relevant social media channels
• Follow the social media trends
• Writing the social media strategy
• Implement strategies for using social media channels for marketing purposes
• Setting up and customizing profiles on Linkdin, FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ & Instagram
• Establish relationships with online communities by identifying key influences
• Attracting the right followers and growing your online presence
• Creating content (status updates, graphics, photo’s, video & links)
• Scheduling posting & promoting content
• Blog Updates
• Creating, implementing & managing campaigns (ad spend for campaigns is an additional cost)
• Reporting once a month.

 

 

 

Virtual Administration Support:

•  General Administration → Correspondence, Document drafting, etc.
• Transcriptions
• Newsletters via Mail Chimp
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Excel spreadsheets
• Invoicing & Expenses
• Online Research
• Email Management
• Mailing List Management
• Travel Arrangements, Hotel bookings & Itineraries
• Database Set up, Data entry & Management
• Diary & Appointment Management, including reminders

Biography Writing:

Simply send me your order as well as the data that you want me to work on. I’ll review your information then contact you to discuss your biography needs before proceeding. You’ll receive a draft of your paper before the deadline so you can check if there is anything that you need to change. Once you’re satisfied with the outcome, I’ll put the finishing touches to your biography before sending you the final result.

Public Relations:

• Providing a PR service to high end & marketable clients, by building their Personal Brand through the media
• Liaising with various media, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio & TV
• Raise the client’s social media presence & managing their pages
• Each client has a media tracking list to record all their interviews

Branding & Marketing:

Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world.”  Well truth be told it also has the power to change your business. More and more companies are using athletes and fans to help market their products on digital channels.  Smart brands are learning how to engage these people in creative ways.

• 83% of fans are checking their social media while watching sports on TV    
• 63% of fans are using social media while at the stadium.

Together with Prosport International, who are the largest sports management agents in Southern Africa, we connect businesses to professional athletes in order to market their products, create brand awareness and increase your sales. We analyse your business and work out the best strategy linking you up with key players to represent your product to a large targeted audience. We work around your budget to create a suitable strategy.

Ready to take your business to new levels?  Mail me for further details tonibaptista@icloud.com



 

 

SPORTS MARKETING

Building your brand through sports

 

 

 

Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world.”  Well truth be told it also has the power to change your business. 

 

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was estimated to be the most widely viewed sports event in history, surpassing the 2010 World Cup’s 3.2 billion viewers and generating about $4 billion in sales for FIFA.  With an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide, there is arguably no social phenomenon with the same power to inspire, unite and connect as soccer. As a global language, soccer can provide an incredibly effective and cost-efficient way to engage with consumers.

Sports marketing focuses both on the promotion of sports events and teams as well as the promotion of other products and services through sporting events and sports teams. It is a service in which the element promoted can be a physical product or a brand name. The goal is to provide the client with strategies to promote the sport or to promote something other than sport through sports. Sport marketing is also designed to meet the needs and wants of the consumer through exchange processes.
Sport marketing is an element of sports promotion which involves a wide variety of sectors of the sport industry including broadcasting, advertising, social media, digital platforms and community relations.

This process allows corporate brands to leverage athletes as brand ambassadors to reinforce brand positioning, build brand awareness, increase sales and create differentiation in the marketplace.
Famous athletes also sign contracts to work as celebrity endorsers and lend their images to marketers.  An great example of this is Herbalife who sponsor Cristiano Ronaldo.

Closer to home we look at a young company that has come a long way and who has had a phenomenal growth in the South African market, FUTURELIFE® has become one of the fastest growing and most credible health brands in South Africa.  Securing Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs striker, Bernard Parker as one of their brand ambassador has helped the growth of the company into a larger target market.

  

The biggest advantage of sports marketing is that it allows marketers to piggyback on the popularity and devotion many fans feel towards their favorite teams and athletes.  Social media has become the go-to resource for many fans seeking fan photos, news, information and behind-the-scenes peeks to their favorite teams.  Through social media, fans not only connect with sport teams and leagues, but the athletes themselves have accounts which allow potentially millions of fans to connect personally to the athletes and their teams. This direct connection has allowed fans to now be a part of the sport organization’s story.  Live-tweeting, fan giveaways, posting highlight reels, there are many unique strategies that sports teams have successfully used to create an active community following of their social media platforms.
More and more companies are using athletes and fans to help market their products on digital channels.

• 83% of fans are checking their social media while watching sports on TV    
• 63% of fans are using social media while at the stadium.

So smart brands are learning how to engage these people in creative ways.

We offers a full brand-matching platform to align the needs of the corporate brand with the public personality of an athlete. We also facilitate all aspects of the athlete endorsement spectrum, from long-term brand endorsements and product co-creation to speaking engagements and events.  We understand the requirements of corporate clients, and use its unique experience and global reach to maximise returns from athlete sponsorships, in line with brand strategy.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about how we can assist you please feel free to mail me at info@tonibaptista.com