I remember sitting down in 2014, and writing the first edition of my book; Think #Digital First, hoping that it would be a success. I could never have imagined that I would be writing this blog, talking about writing a second edition.
Data has now become a key part of being an entrepreneur. Because of this, I have spent the last three years analysing the core areas of my business including delivering a service, selling a product, and winning new business online and offline.
Through the keynotes I get booked to present, the online courses I deliver, the amazing businesses I meet at events and through having daily conversations with my audience on Social Media, I have realised that things have changed. My presence as a digital strategist has grown globally but most importantly; the online world had evolved so fast over the last three years, even more than the last 10 years of me being online.
I knew that there was so much more I wanted to share with you but before I do, here is WHY I decided to write a second edition of Think #Digital First.
My Journey Has Evolved
I wrote the first edition as a single man, living in North London working with a government initiative scheme. I am now married, with a baby girl and live in Kent. I am a multi-award winning entrepreneur, and top 100 digital global influencer.
In October 2015 I decided to do a minimum viable product (MVP) and test to see if people were actually interest in learning what I had to offer. I launched my very first online video course, which was a live 6-week Social Media bootcamp and in just four weeks of marketing, I had generated 1,000s of leads and over 100 happy customers.
Thinkdigitalfirst.com officially launched in November 2016 offering a range of online video products to help businesses be more effective with Social Media and Digital Marketing. The launch was a great success, and at this point I had six very successful courses with hundreds of my audience giving me their time to help them grow their business through Digital Marketing.
I wanted to share all of this with you in the new edition.
The Online World Has Evolved
When I sat down and went through the first edition, knowing I was about to write a second edition, I looked at what needed to be changed. As you can imagine, this was an overwhelming process.
Information I had previously shared around the social networks had changed. The tools I had shared were either no longer in business, or had been outperformed by competitors. I knew that because the online world had evolved, that I also wanted to completely re-write the book, and bring it as up-to-date as possible.
YOU Have Evolved
I have analysed exactly what my audience wants from me, and I have taken what was a readable book, and turned it into a workbook. The way you learn has evolved, and I knew that I needed to do something different and unique. The second edition of Think #Digital First is a unique combination of how-to’s and real-time worksheet implementation.
So, that’s why I decided to write a second edition of Think #Digital First. I’ve shared with you the “why” but now I want to share with you exactly “what” I’ve done differently. Here is a breakdown of what you can expect from the new, and improved chapters in the second edition of my book Think #Digital First.
Chapter One: Being The Most Successful You
As I’ve matured, my priorities have shifted. In my 20s I was passionate about life, and work; making mistakes along the way. In my 30s I tried to settle down, keeping my work and home life very separate. Now I’m in my 40s. I have the same passion for my work, but am married, with a beautiful baby girl, and merging work and family to give me the” lifestyle” I want.
The second edition chapter one is all about understanding what makes a successful entrepreneur, and the importance of doing what you love. I share with you how doing what I love has bettered me as a business owner, and we give you an in-book worksheet so you can become the most successful you.
Chapter Two: Your Framework For Success
What is the end goal for your business? Where do you and your business want to be in three years? Perhaps more importantly right now; where do you see your role in your business in the next 12 months? I asked myself that exact question when I wrote the first edition of this book, and everything I visualised and put on my vision board has come true, and actually turned out better than I could have imagined.
The revised second chapter focuses on building a business plan, defining your business and truly understanding what your target audience wants from you as a business. Chapter two is a workbook that will help you define your marketing plan, brand style guide, strengths and weaknesses as a business owner and the type of entrepreneur you are.
Chapter Three: Protecting Your Time To Focus On Sales
One thing I’ve learnt in last three years since first writing this book, and using this chapter as a mantra for everything I do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, is the impact it’s had on my life.
Making the decision to have a ‘lifestyle’ where my work and family are one and not a work/life balance, has meant that I’ve not only had to value my time (not to every 30 minutes but every 10 minutes) but also my organisation (me and my team) as well as my personal commitments. Something I’ve taken away from this is the knowledge of how my energy shifts throughout the day.The way I was working three years ago is very different to today.
This chapter will share with you exactly how to manage your time effectively, so that you can focus on sales.
Chapter Four: Building Your Business For Fast Growth
When I first looked at writing a second edition, I knew that this chapter would need the most work.
One thing which I say to every business owner that is sat in front of me as a client, or as an audience member at one of my talks is social media will not fix a broken business. If you don’t have the framework in place, to allow social media to become a piece to your business puzzle, it won’t make the perfect picture.
Whilst the focus of this chapter is still the same, the content is completely different. I will share with you the latest features inside of the main social networks and how you can use Google and SEO to your advantage. I also go into great detail about the importance of digital marketing and how you can use email marketing, blogging, content marketing to promote your business online.
I won’t give away too much about chapter four, but I will say that if you did purchase a copy of the first edition, you will be surprised to know that this chapter has more than doubled in size.
Chapter Five: Technology For Business Success
Since launching my online training platform; ThinkDigitalFirst.com, I’ve been testing out a number of new tools which have helped me and my team not only to work collaboratively, but to stay focused on the tasks at hand. The tools that I mention in this book are here to help you grow a business, whether that’s locally, nationally or internationally. Some of the tools mentioned in the original copy of Think #Digital First are no longer around, or have been outperformed by alternative tools taking the market by storm.
Chapter Six: Your Strategy And Implementation Plan
This chapter, for me, is about bringing everything together to convert visitors into prospects and prospects into happy customers who become 24/7 brand advocates.
Having sold 1000’s of copies of the first edition of this book, I decided to reach out to the readers and gather feedback, to really help me design a strategy based on where you are in your business right now, and how social media and digital marketing can truly work for you.
So based on the feedback I received, I’ve decided to break this chapter into three Sections; preparation, getting started and growth.
Chapter Seven: Improving Your Customer Loyalty
Throughout this chapter, I talk about the best ways to increase customer retention, and why I feel that building your personal brand is an important part of building a successful business.
Over the last three years my personal focus has been on building my personal brand. When I wrote the final chapter of this book for the first edition, I focused on the importance of technology and using this to achieve your customer retention outcome. Now, rewriting this book and especially this chapter, I reached out to my peers and customers within the industry and got feedback from them on the one thing that made them keep on wanting to work with me.
Unanimously, they said it’s because of how I’ve grown my personal brand online, and how I utilise customer loyalty and brand advocates who will happily go and talk about my business to their community.
Book Launch
To celebrate months of hard work, I have decided to have a book launch on the 12th September at Waterstones in Piccadilly, London. The night will include food, drink and of course; the second edition of Think #Digital First.
Tickets are available for this, and I would love it if you could join me. For more information on my book launch, please see below.