CVS announced this week that it will will stop airbrushing photos it uses to sell beauty products. “We will not digitally alter or change a person’s shape, size, proportion, skin or eye color or enhance or alter lines, wrinkles or other individual characteristics,” CVS said in a press release. “We want our beauty aisle to be a place where our customers can always come to feel good, while representing and celebrating the authenticity and diversity of the communities we serve.” http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/15/news/companies/cvs-beauty-photoshop-images/index.html

That’s good news for for all of us, especially women and girls who are continually shown images of beauty as perfection versus the beauty of real life. Those airbrushed images create expectations that no one can live up to – not even the lovely models whose beauty is retouched and perfected before sharing with the public.

When I shared the CVS news on my LinkedIn feed, client Lisa Lurie, founder of http://www.cancerbeglammed.com/  added this important note:

KS Consulting & Capital Says…

Brands continue to report that more and more marketing spending will be focused on two areas in particular – video and influencers.

As video continues to dominate social media, research has found that live streaming encourages more engagement from the audience. A recent report by Social Media Today found that users will watch a live video for an average of three times the length that they would a similar prerecorded video. A recent Huff Po article noted that experts theorize that the thrill of interacting in real-time with a celebrity, brand, or friend is what drives the increased engagement rates that marketers see when they host live sessions.

An “explainer video” is a short form video that shows the audience how to make or do something. Explainer videos, particularly those in the food and recipe space, are immensely popular with social media users. In 2018, expect the concept of explainer videos to branch out, giving users run-downs on everything from how to install an appliance to how to apply make-up, creating broad opportunities for brands and consumer engagement.

Many brands still think that bigger is better, but in the still red-hot world of influencers, micro may be the new big. According to a recent HuffPo article on key marketing trends for 2018, micro-influencers are described as digital influencers with a total audience size of between 1,000 and 100,000 followers. While the number of followers may seem relatively low, their influence is high and there’s data to support it: Micro influencers are 4x more likely to get a comment on a post than are macro-influencers. Micro-influencers are more likely to post about specific niche topics and they have the loyal followings that share their passion.

With a whopping 90% of consumers trusting peer recommendations, that’s powerful potential. As more internet users enable ad blockers, it’s increasingly harder to reach users and micro influencers can bridge that gap moving into 2018.

January 5, 2018

 

Yesterday, a very cool thing happened. I launched my own business and it was covered in the national trade media by a story in PR Week Magazine. Immediately, my life felt different. There is a palpable excitement, a feeling of being in charge of my own destiny and the occasional twinge of fear. I received hundreds of messages, well wishes, calls votes of confidence. Someone said “why did it take you so long?” and a few others said “let’s talk, I may have an opportunity for you!” – all awesome reactions.

One, in particular, said that my move has already inspired some of my friends and colleagues to do the same, and that, is inspirational to me. So, I am creating a weekly edition of thoughts, tips, resources and people who inspire and influence me, aptly called InfluencHer Weekly.

Each weekly edition will be short and will capture the highlight of my experiences in case they can be helpful to you. So here we go…

InfluencHer Weekly, July 26

What has influenced me this week:

• After leaving my job in April, I was very tempted to jump right in to something else. A number of smart friends told me to take my time, which goes against my grain. I need to feel productive and want to be doing “something.” I was afraid of losing my identity. But it was one of the smartest things I did. You can’t figure out the next great thing when you are fully immersed in something else. Taking a few months has given me gifts of time, exploration, flexibility, family togetherness and the courage to create. Which leads me to…
• Many women feel like they need to jump right into the next thing because of financial pressures. I am no different. You need to pay the mortgage, tuition, utilities, food and on and on, especially with kids. Here’s the trick: invest money from the time you start working and do it on a regular basis so you can access some of that money for a career change. Financial feminist, Sallie Krawchek of Ellevest, talks about how investing gives you control, and its true. If you have a few months of financial freedom, you can change your world.

My son and his friends started a business, The Millennial Ad Network. They started from scratch, in a basement, based on what they dreamed of doing. Last week, my son and I presented at the Marketing to Gen Z Conference and he is now receiving inquiries from national clients. As women, we tend to want to have the full plan in place, complete with dates, times and actions. My son and his friends launched a business based on dreams, with the details to follow. I’ve been inspired by their approach and am seeing the opportunity in each day instead of trying to rigidly follow a master plan for success.

Who has influenced me in the past week:

• Jake Skoloda and his presentation at the Marketing to Gen Z Conference
• Dale Bornstein and how she is mentoring generations of business women
• Ron Culp for connecting with me and sharing words of inspiration
• Sallie Krawcheck and her passion for getting women to invest
• Adhithi Aji, Founder and CEO of Addrich, LLC, who is working smartly and tirelessly to secure funding for her business
• Nan McCann, president at PME Enterprsies, who staged the Marketing to Gen Z Conference and so graciously invited Jake and me to speak
• Catherine Merritt, founder of Merritt Group Consulting, whose entrepreneurial courage is inspriational
• Mat Silva, co-founder and CTO at RendrFX, where I am on the board. Mat is totally busting his butt to pivot his business model and create Video Gigs.

I hope these thoughts, resources and people may be of service to you. If so, let me know! And if you have some to share, let me know and I can post.

Until next week…

Originally published on May 4 on LinkedIn

America’s small businesses are the engines for job creation and Pittsburgh, my hometown, was just named the number one best city to start a business right now. According to Inc. Magazine, “There is unprecedented revitalization going on in the city driven by universities and a talented workforce, making Pittsburgh one of the greatest innovation hubs.” That is great news for not only for entrepreneurs but also for me.

My background is not entrepreneurial, but my marketing experience, especially the expert knowledge of marketing to and influencing female consumers, turns out to be a pretty sought-after capability. Marry that experience with a desire to grow my personal wealth while investing in entrepreneurial businesses, particularly those that are women-owned and women-led, in Pittsburgh, and you have the wind beneath angel investing wings.

Angel investors provide capital for business start-ups, usually in exchange for ownership equity. While venture funding and angel funding are on the rise, only seven percent of venture capital funding goes to women-owned businesses. On the angel funding side, about 26 percent of the angel investors are women, though there is rising interest in investing in women-owned businesses.

The Next Act Fund, of which I am a founding member, has formed to increase the wealth of its members while addressing those gaps. Here is how angel investing has given me wings:

1. The network is phenomenal. I mean phenomenal. Just the networking with investors and entrepreneurs is worth its weight in gold.
2. Unlike some business cultures where only millennials matter, both the entrepreneurs and the investor groups really need marketing help and welcome experienced opinions with open arms.
3. The learning curve is fast, steep and incredibly energizing. It’s like going to college all over again but in three-hour increments, with the smartest people in the class, all aimed at making money. I love capitalism.
4. The screening pitches are powerful. I worked on many pitches in the past where we’d balk at only having an hour to pitch. The pitches I’ve participated in this past week were between 10 and 20 minutes, plus Q & A. That’s it. It’s fast, compelling and it works.
5. The “beautiful baby syndrome” is when someone is so in love with the technology or business they are pitching that they focus too much on the attributes and not nearly enough on how they will make money. Lesson learned.
6. It’s not 9 to 5 and not for the feint of heart. There are meetings, not office hours. Decisions involve big sums of money and fast decisions. Sign me up.

In the case of Next Act, I get to increase my personal wealth, change the dynamics of women in angel funding and support female-led business growth. That’s a trifecta for me. Angel investing has given me wings and I look forward to taking flight on entrepreneurial adventures.