How to Build a Brand in 11 Steps

Your brand is one of the most important assets you can have for your business. That is why initiating the branding process early on is pivotal. Your brand is how your target audience perceives you. This is how you communicate who you are and what you stand for to your audience. Your brand identity is a cultivation of multiple factors including your logo, mission statement, unique value proposition, and much more. Before we jump into the 11 steps of building a brand, let’s consider what a brand is and why it is important.

What is a Brand and Why is it Important?

A brand is a product or business that has a unique identity in the consumer’s mind. A brand is created through various elements and acts to differentiate the business from its competitors. A strategic brand will allow a business to connect with its consumers and draw more attention. A business can leverage its brand in many ways including launching new products, influencing purchase behaviour, boosting marketing and advertising, and much more. Thus, it is crucial you take the following 11 steps to ensure a successful brand.

1) Research the Competition

Before you start the process of establishing your brand, it’s important to know the competition. Conduct research and perform a SWOT analysis if you have time. Observe the strategies employed by others in the industry, noting their successes and failures. Explore their presence on social media, website layout, advertising tactics, brand positioning, mission, values, and more. All of this research will serve as a guide in crafting your brand and deciding on various elements associated with it.

2) Identify and Research Your Target Audience

Your target audience should be specific rather than broad. A broad target audience encompassing everyone will prevent you from having targeted branding. Once you identify your target audience, you can research their preferences, habits, and perspectives which will guide your company in determining the branding which will best entice this segment.

It’s important to start by researching your target audience by talking to those in your audience. Identify the brands they shop at within the industry. Try to find out what these brands are doing that these individuals like and don’t like. You can also check what social media platforms these individuals are on. This will help you when deciding where to communicate your brand. It’s also important to investigate trends within the industry particularly for your target audience to identify what you can leverage within your branding. Once you have started this process, it is important to continuously research your target audience to determine how they feel about your brand and what adjustments you should make.

Also, if you’re a business owner/leader and want to start your own B2B podcast to meet key people in your industry to grow your company, while at the same time gaining an audience in your niche, you can work with a podcasting partner. They can handle the entire process, all you would need to do is have one conversation weekly or bi-weekly, fully remote.

3) Establish a Visual Style Guide

You must create some sort of a “guide” for the style and visual aspects of your brand. This includes the colour palette, typography, graphics, illustrations, etc.

Your colour palette is the selection of colours associated with your brand. This will be used in your logo, website, social media, etc. As colour psychology is a prominent field of study, it is important to consider it and see what colours are associated with your industry and elicit certain moods. You must think about what you want customers to feel when they see your brand colours. Consider how red might be associated with love, passion, and anger.

The typography refers to the font used in your logo, website, any text, etc. You should select only a couple of fonts which you will use consistently so they can become a part of your brand. You may consider serif fonts or sans-serif fonts. You might want to do some research as there have been studies done regarding various fonts and the influence they have on a reader. Ensure the font is simple and easy to read.

Whether it’s photography, icons, graphics or illustrations you should set some standards as to how they should look. You might want to have specific guidelines for colours, moods, filters, etc. This will ensure consistency in all branding related to visual aspects. It will also help to further convey your brand identity through the use of these visual elements.

4) Brand Positioning

A brand’s position refers to the place you occupy in a consumer’s mind. It is generally the unique position you hold relative to competitors. A brand positioning statement is typically four to six sentences that set your brand apart and communicate who you are.

A strong brand positioning can help you differentiate your business in a competitive market. It is important that this statement accurately communicates who you are and what you will deliver as this must be realistic and achievable.

5) Brand personality

Your brand personality is the adjectives you would use to describe your brand as if it were a person. This will allow consumers to create associations with your brand to certain terms. It will humanize the brand and make it easier for customers to connect. Is your brand fun? Trendy? Smart? All of these factors have the potential to shape a consumer's perception of your brand and impact their decision to make a purchase. Establishing your brand personality early on will also help in crafting other elements such as your brand voice, name, logo, etc.

6) Brand Voice

Your brand voice is not only what you say but how you say it. It is your communication style. It’s important to maintain consistency in your brand voice as it will become associated with your brand. Your brand voice will extend to your online communication, social media, advertisements, and in-person interactions.

Ensure you take the time to outline key aspects of your brand voice including certain wording, tone, and elements that will help to convey this. Your brand voice must consider what your brand and business comprises. If you have a brand that sells products for children, you might consider a more casual and fun voice. If you are selling a software product to large corporations, you might consider a more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and professional voice.

7) Create a Name, Logo, and Slogan

The name, logo, and slogan for your business are not your brand but rather elements of your brand identity. They help to communicate and convey what your brand stands for.

Your brand name should be short, sweet, and easy to remember. It must connect back to other brand elements such as your brand personality, story, etc. Ensure that the brand name isn't overly specific, as you'll want it to remain relevant even if you expand or pivot your business in the future. Your brand name serves as a means to readily identify your brand across various channels such as stores, advertisements, and conversations. Make sure to do the proper research to ensure the name has not been used already. The name must be available for social media handles to prevent confusion with any other brand. In generating a name, you can use applications such as the Wix Business Name Generator or Shopify’s Business Name Generator to aid in the process.

Your brand logo is a very important element of your brand. Your logo is how consumers will identify your brand in various situations. You must take the time to develop the logo as it will be hard to change once created and associated with your brand name. The logo should be unique, easily identifiable, and scalable to fit various platforms. The logo must encapsulate your brand story and values. Ensuring the correct colour palette and typography will aid in consistent brand messaging while communicating your brand story. If designing the logo yourself, you can use applications like Canva to do so. Some might consider outsourcing this task to individuals who are experts in logo design.

Although not necessary for every business, it can serve as a strong brand asset if crafted properly. A brand slogan should be short, catchy, and to the point. It will be another identifier of your brand that is ingrained in consumers’ minds and boosts brand awareness.

8) Brand story

A brand story tells customers about a company’s history, mission, purpose, and values. It can be conveyed in a narrative form and even touch on the story of the founder. This is a way to humanize the brand and allow customers to connect to the brand through its storytelling. This is where you can utilize an emotional appeal to create meaningful connections with your target audience. Your brand story can be featured in the About section of your website and be shared on various platforms. This will encompass the various factors we have already mentioned and tie them into one compelling narrative.

9) Create a Website

Your website is a crucial element in your branding since customers will go here to learn what you do, who you are, etc. Your website is a central hub where you can feature all your branding elements. It will showcase your logo, brand name, brand story, messaging, colours, typography, and much more. A website is not the single most important part of a brand, but the lack of one could be a reason why a customer is deterred. The lack of a website will prevent a customer from easily learning more about your brand. This is a great way to expose customers to multiple branding elements all on one platform making it a crucial element.

10) Implement, Track, and Adjust

Once you go through all these steps and establish the various elements of your brand, it is time to implement it. Once you implement it, you must give it time to take effect. It is important to consistently monitor the performance of your branding through metrics such as search traffic, website visitors, sales, interest, etc to determine the effectiveness of your branding. If you are seeing signs of minimal changes you might consider making adjustments to your branding.

11) Ensure Consistency

Once you have established the various aspects of your brand, you want these to become associated with your brand. You want people to see your logo and automatically associate it with your brand name, to hear a slogan and know it is your brand, or to hear the brand story and know who it is about.

To do so, you must consistently apply your branding in everything you do. It must show up in stores, social media, your website, your communications, etc. Without this consistency, you will fail to create a strong brand for your business.

Conclusion

Now that we have talked about these 11 steps, it’s important to remember that branding is not a one-time process. It is a continuous journey over the life of the brand. You must consistently enforce these elements as your brand continues to evolve. As the business evolves and customer perceptions change, a rebrand may be necessary. If you do have to rebrand, remember that it should still be recognizable to consumers. Now it’s time for you to consider, what type of brand do you want to create?

Written By Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.

21 Tips to Promote Your Audiobook

It’s no secret that audiobooks are the fastest-growing format for enjoying a book. In 2021, nearly half of all Canadians, accounting for 45%, have listened to audiobooks. For an author, producing an audiobook is essential to gaining popularity and achieving success.

Writing a book poses challenges, as does producing an audiobook. Merely writing a good-quality book and audiobook is not enough. You have to ensure your audiobook is effectively promoted to gain exposure. A well-executed promotional strategy not only boosts the visibility of the audiobook but also augments the reach of the printed copy, attracting new readers who normally prefer auditory experiences.

The first step is to create the audiobook. You might consider using an audiobook production service that helps you with everything from the beginning to the final product. Using an audiobook service will not only allow you to save time but also expand your audience, grow your brand, and benefit from external expertise. Once the audiobook is created, you can focus on promotion. In the following blog, we will look at 21 invaluable tips to help you promote your audiobook.

1) Create a Landing page

A landing page is a central hub for all the marketing related to your audiobook. You should have a landing page for each book you have written and recorded.

The landing page should include links to anything related to your book. It can feature links to websites and retailers where readers can purchase your book, both physical and audiobook. It can also display links to other places where you may interact with your audience such as your email, social media, GoodReads page, blog, and much more.

Through this page, readers will have access to everything related to your book and can learn more if they wish. Make sure to include some reviews to encourage readers to take the next step in buying your audiobook.

2) Gather Reviews

Since your landing page should feature reviews, the next tip we have is to gather reviews for your audiobook. Reviews are important for any book whether it’s an audiobook or printed copy.

You need to leverage any opportunity you can to gather reviews as a vital step in a reader's decision-making process is checking reviews before purchase.

You can gather reviews by sharing free copies of your audiobook to select readers in exchange for them leaving an honest review. You can also reach out to professional book reviewers and ask them to review your book. Audiobook review sites are also useful such as AudioBookReviewer.

Once you have your reviews, use this in your audiobook promotions. Make sure to publicize this everywhere. It should be on your website, landing page, social media, etc.

3) Pick an Audiobook Narrator

The voice of an audiobook narrator sets the tone for the book and cultivates a unique reading experience. If you are an established audiobook author, consider narrating the book yourself. Listeners are already familiar with your voice and associate it with your work.

If you are a first-time audiobook author, consider hiring a narrator with previous experience. This might be an individual who is already well-known within the audiobook realm and is appreciated by listeners for their engaging delivery. Selecting the appropriate narrator can significantly impact the experience your book provides, serving as a unique selling proposition.

4) Announce Your Audiobook is Available for Pre-Order

Making your audiobook available for pre-order is a great way to generate buzz around your book. You likely have a social media presence that you can leverage for this announcement. If not, you should start creating one as it’s essential to marketing your book.

You can also generate an email list from your website. Suppose you are a new author and have not generated an email list. In that case, you can generate one through emails you have collected from your network including friends, family, business colleagues, fellow authors, etc. Once you have collected an email list, send out an email announcing the availability of pre-orders for your audiobook. Make sure to put this out on your social media and website to encourage sales even before the initial launch.

5) Utilize Email Marketing

On the topic of email lists, email marketing is a great tool to use to promote your audiobook. You can gather an email list through your website, social media, at events, etc. If you are having trouble gathering an email list, consider reader magnets such as giveaways, a free audiobook, discounts, etc. You must give readers a reason to sign up for your newsletter.

Once you have generated an email list, use this for email marketing. This serves as an excellent way to sustain engagement with your audience and uphold interest. Through email marketing, you can unveil book launches, extend discounts and promotions, distribute exclusive content, and more. This helps to foster a connection between readers and the author, increasing the likelihood of purchase.

6) Announce Your Audiobook Launch Date

The first week of your book launch is the most important. Sufficient marketing needs to be done before the launch date to ensure a successful first week.

Utilize the email marketing we previously discussed to announce your launch date. This will make readers aware of when the audiobook will be available for purchase. You should also promote your launch on social media and your author page. Make sure to share this everywhere!

You can’t expect one post or email to be enough. You have to maintain consistent messaging leading up to the launch. After making a big announcement for the launch date, make sure to follow up a couple of days after in case anyone forgets. Include the book reviews you have gathered to show the positive comments that others have about your book. You can also consider offering an exclusive discount to those who purchase in the first week. This will help to amp up sales for the launch of your audiobook.

7) Use Social Media

As we previously mentioned, social media plays a pivotal role in promotion. You will use it to announce your launch date, establish your following, author brand, and more. This is why establishing a social media presence and utilizing it well in advance of your launch is so important.

You must start early to build a following and establish your author brand. This is especially important for new authors who don’t have a following yet. Social media is an outlet where you can share everything with your followers. You can post snippets of your audiobook so readers can experience the quality and voice of the narrator. You can also share quotes from your book, reviews, exclusive content, audiobook covers, announcements, etc. All of this contributes to generating engagement and interest in your brand and audiobook.

8) Share Audio Snippets

A vital part of an audiobook is the voice of the narrator. When you listen to the book, you can hear the emotions and detect verbal cues that curate a unique experience. It’s important to leverage this uniqueness in your marketing.

Using your email newsletter, website, and social media page, you can share snippets of your audiobook also known as audiograms. This will allow readers to get excited about your book before launch. This can also be used as a reader magnet to get more sign-ups for your newsletter.

9) Produce an Audiobook Trailer

Similar to how we watch a trailer before a movie, an audiobook trailer can also serve as a great tool to intrigue readers into reading your audiobook.

Your audiobook trailer should be short and sweet. It should give readers a taste of the narration style, and storyline and highlight the best elements of your book. This trailer can be used across all your marketing platforms including your landing page, website, social media, etc.

10) Paid Advertising

It can be a lot of work to produce an audiobook and promote it. That’s why using paid advertising can be very effective. There are a multitude of avenues for paid advertising including Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Chirp, etc. You will have to do some experimenting to find the right one for you.

There are a few things you need to consider before using paid advertising. You need to define your target audience to create more targeted ads. You likely have already established one while writing your book, and making your website and social media. Once you have done that, you will pick the platforms you want to use for advertising. You also want to set a budget that is reasonable as paid advertising can be expensive. Many steps will follow in the paid advertising process but these are some of the first steps to take.

11) Audiobook Promotion Services

Sometimes, it’s not enough to do it on your own. You might want to consider the help of audiobook promotion services. A good example is Chirp which is a special form of paid advertising. They use extensive email lists to promote your audiobook. To use Chirp’s service, your books must be discounted as they usually favour discounted authors. Discounts can be used as a promotional tactic so this can actually provide more benefits than just qualifying you to use Chirp.

12) Influencer Partnerships

Prior to the launch of your book, make sure to reach out to influencers in the audiobook space to promote your book. You can also reach out to those who are not in the audiobook space but are well-known to your target audience. For instance, if you are writing a book about the cosmetics industry, you should ask a beauty influencer to promote your book. You can ask influencers on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, bloggers, and much more.

These influencers can share your audiobook with their audience and talk about their review of your book. This will help to increase the reach of your audiobook by leveraging the credibility of a well-known influencer in the space.

13) Online Audiobook Communities

Many online communities exist for audiobooks, authors, and literature. This is a great way to make connections with other authors or readers in the community. Ensuring you stay active on these platforms will get your name out there and help you to establish genuine connections.

When the time comes around, you can use these communities to share your audiobook and reach out to readers, or other authors to help promote your book. Make sure you offer your help to others in the community so that when you ask for help, they are willing to lend a hand.

14) Link it Everywhere

Since you have a landing page, you need to make it known. Link it everywhere. This can be in your social media bio, blog, email signature, etc. You can also utilize QR codes and feature these on your business card, at in-person events, and much more. This makes it easier for individuals to stumble across your site and discover more information about your books. If you don’t promote your pages, people might not know where to find more information which can deter them from buying your audiobook.

15) Audible Author Page

With Audible being a top player in the audiobook space, you will likely release your audiobook on this platform. While you are at it, an Audible author page will act to be an important marketing tool.

Your Audible author page is a reader’s one-stop-shop for learning more about you. It will feature your author image, bio, and all your works. It’s important to establish this page early on so readers who use Audible know where to find you. Make sure your author branding is consistent between your image, bio, and all your other marketing platforms.

16) Go On Podcasts

Podcasts and audiobooks go hand-in-hand. They both allow people to listen to something on the go. That is why it makes so much sense to promote your audiobook on a podcast.

Take the time to do your research and find a podcast that is suited to your brand. If your book talks about being a first-time mom, go on a podcast hosted by moms who talk about their life experiences. Through this, you can reach a similar target audience that isn’t identical to yours allowing you to broaden your reach. The episode can feature your audio snippet, you can talk about your book, and the process, and provide exclusive content. You can also use this as an opportunity to share your audiobook with the podcast host and gather another review.

Also, if you’re a company owner/leader and want to start your own B2B podcast to meet top decision-makers in your industry to grow your business, while at the same time gaining an audience in your niche for your audiobook, you can work with a podcasting partner. They can handle the entire process, all you would need to do is have one conversation weekly or bi-weekly, fully remote.

17) Giveaways

Some audiobook distributors will provide a set number of promo codes to authors. This allows for authors to get free copies of their audiobook to their listeners. Although it might seem small, this is important to leverage.

You can promote this on your social media as a giveaway. In exchange for engagement such as a like or follow, followers will be entered into a draw for a promo code. Not only will this improve your social media presence allowing for more effective social media marketing, but it will also generate buzz for your book and increase interest from potential readers.

18) Reach out to Libraries

Libraries love to work with local authors. Go in person to a couple of libraries near you and leave a copy of your business card that links to your landing page. This will give them the chance to learn more about you and your work.

If they are interested, they can promote your audiobook at the library and on their website where customers can find a link to purchase your audiobook. You can also arrange an in-person event to promote your audiobook and meet some readers.

19) Discount Your Audiobook as an Upsell

Customers who opt for your audiobook may still desire an ebook or hard copy. For such readers, providing a discount on the audiobook when they purchase the ebook or hard copy can boost overall sales and further promote your audiobook, particularly to those who initially preferred the ebook or hard copy.

For audiobook and ebook promotion, Amazon has an option built-in through Whispersync. It allows users to switch between the ebook and audiobook without losing their place.

20) Bundle Your Audiobooks

Once you are no longer a first-time audiobook author, you might consider bundling your works. By this time, you've probably cultivated a devoted fan base keen on exploring all your creations. You can bundle multiple works into one discounted set. This might attract readers who initially planned to purchase just one book but are now enticed by the bundled discount. This tactic not only boosts sales but also enhances exposure for your other audiobooks, potentially reaching readers who might not have considered them individually.

21) Upload a Sample Chapter

While your audiobook trailer provides an overview of your book, uploading a sample chapter can further your promotion by hooking readers into the storyline. This gives readers a taste of what the narration and book are like. Usually, a sample of the first chapter will be the most effective as it starts the story and will draw readers in without revealing too much.

Conclusion

You’ve made it this far in creating your audiobook, now it’s time to take the first step in promotion. Make sure to start early and carefully craft your plan. A well-thought-out promotional strategy can truly make a significant impact. It's time for you to take the first steps toward a successful audiobook launch.

Written by Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.

17 Tips for Building a Successful Virtual Team

Virtual teams and work-from-home arrangements have grown in popularity in recent years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant shift in how people approach their work. As of 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees were working remotely with 16% of companies being fully remote in operations.

With the rise of remote work and hybrid working environments, it has become increasingly important for management to learn how to manage these teams effectively. Although virtual teams can provide many benefits, they also present challenges, including decreased productivity and heightened distractions within the home workspace.

A successful virtual team is effective and delivers high-quality results. They know how to balance regular check-ins while maintaining autonomy, and self-discipline. Effective communication, inclusivity, and trust are all fundamental elements. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack are essential to a successful virtual team.

In the following sections, we will dive deeper into 17 tips for a successful virtual team.

1) Adaptability

Given that the world of virtual work is a relatively recent concept, not everyone has fully acclimated to it. Thus, having employees who are willing to adapt, learn, overcome challenges, and obstacles is important to the success of a virtual team. It’s crucial to encourage your team as you navigate this virtual environment together.

2) Technology

In an office setting, collaboration often involves face-to-face interactions such as meetings in conference rooms and informal chats at other’s desks. However, online work arrangements, don’t allow for this to happen. Thus, having appropriate technology to help facilitate some of these interactions is important. This technology enables communication channels and enhances the efficiency of remote work. Later sections will delve into various types of platforms that serve this purpose.

3) Communication

Effective communication has always been a key to success for any team but it's even more important for virtual teams. With everyone working independently, you can’t just pop by a co-worker's desk to discuss a project. Communication looks very different virtually. With virtual teams, you send emails, and instant messages, schedule video calls, etc. Setting clear communication standards becomes paramount, given the heightened autonomy in remote work, which can lead to communication gaps. Using online programs such as Trello, Miro, Figma, etc. can help to increase the coordination, communication, and efficiency of a virtual team.

4) Motivation and Self-Discipline

Many of us have likely experienced working from home, where we encounter tempting distractions like napping, checking our phones, or watching TV. Successfully navigating these distractions and maintaining focus on work requires significant self-discipline.

The absence of direct supervision results in employees feeling less guilty for succumbing to distractions and being unproductive. Thus, employees must have internal motivation and self-discipline to hold themselves accountable. This isn’t always an easy task so it’s important management asks questions during the interview process to try and identify individuals who have a strong sense of motivation. You must also set standards and promote a culture of self-discipline.

5) Team Culture

Although the team is virtual, setting a team culture is still important. In the office, it’s easy to build stronger connections with your team through talking in the mornings, taking coffee breaks, and much more. A team’s culture can play a big role in motivation, as it increases an employee’s engagement and makes them feel a part of something bigger.

Establishing a team culture online can be hard compared to in person. You might consider hosting online events to build the culture and relationships of the team. You can also host in-person events occasionally to facilitate face-to-face interactions.

6) Online Team Building Activities

As previously discussed, establishing a team culture involves team activities. Here, we will dive deeper into what these team-building activities entail. We often forget the importance of relationships. Employees seek friendships with the people they work with and when they can do so, they care more about the place they work. This contributes to their satisfaction, reduced employee turnover, productivity, etc.

There are a variety of online games that can be done but some popular options involve virtual escape rooms, murder mysteries, trivia, charades, etc.

Sometimes motivation to join these events online is reduced, so leadership needs to set an example and attend these events.

7) Setting Goals

When working in virtual teams, check-ins happen less frequently as you can’t easily drop by your boss’s desk to stay updated on the work and the team.

This is why setting clear goals and effectively communicating them to the team is so important. Clear goals serve as a roadmap for all team members, providing clarity on what they should be working toward. Without such clarity in goal-setting and communication, employees may find themselves uncertain about their objectives. This can also lead to different employees working towards different end goals.

8) Sense of Purpose

An integral aspect of a successful work team is having employees who are dedicated to their tasks and committed to the team's success. To be dedicated to your work, you need to feel a sense of purpose in your work. This can be hard when working virtually as you feel very disconnected from the team.

It’s important for management to not just delegate but explain what the individual’s contributions do for the company as a whole. Providing recognition also plays a pivotal role, as it reinforces the significance and impact of employees' efforts. If an employee doesn’t see the value of their work, they won’t feel that they play an important role on the team, leading to reduced motivation toward the team’s success.

9) Delegation

Everyone plays a role in a team and it's important you know what your role is. Managers need to delegate tasks and make this clear to everyone. There can be miscommunication when employees take the initiative on their own to do things without a clear direction of what is expected. This might result in certain tasks not being done or multiple people doing the same task. This doesn’t mean initiative isn’t important but that delegation is a crucial first step to take. It makes it clear to employees what they need to do especially when they work independently.

10) Set Clear Expectations

As we know, virtual teams require independent work. There is a lack of oversight by management as you can’t see what your team is doing. Although you can never guarantee that your team is performing to your expectations, setting clear expectations can help to guide employees. Throughout onboarding and even during the time of employment, it is critical to emphasize expectations in terms of working hours, work quality, turnaround time, policies, procedures, etc. This helps employees to know what is expected of them and how to do their job properly.

11) Regular Check-ins and Be Available

Remote work does require a lot of self-direction but management should still oversee the work of the team. Thus, regular check-ins either weekly or bi-weekly will help to keep the team on track and allow everyone to share updates on their work. This allows for more effective communication and helps the team feel like they are a part of something bigger. When working at home, it’s easy to forget what you are contributing to and that you are part of a bigger team.

Not only are check-ins important but being available for your team. Employees may have questions that arise when doing their work and since they can’t pop by your desk, they need to be able to reach you online. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on your work or that you should answer the second that they message you, but make sure you are keeping an eye on your messages. You could even consider setting aside a period during the week when you are open for questions and chats.

12) Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is crucial for any organization’s success. Maintaining engagement can be harder in a virtual setting when interaction is reduced. Employee engagement drives productivity, commitment, and a positive culture. Cultivating strong employee engagement is not always easy. As previously highlighted, virtual work environments often pose challenges such as distractions and reduced motivation, making employee engagement crucial in mitigating these issues. As this is not an easy task, you might consider discovering ways to improve employee engagement.

13) Recognition

A part of employee engagement, satisfaction in the workplace, and commitment to your work comes from positive reinforcement. Providing recognition and feedback allows employees to feel appreciated for the work they do.

Even in traditional in-person settings, recognition can sometimes be insufficient, despite the presence of non-verbal cues that offer reassurance in ways that words cannot. it's important to proactively announce and recognize team contributions during regular meetings or through rewards. By demonstrating that you acknowledge and value their efforts, even within a virtual team, you motivate employees to invest more effort in their roles and strengthen their commitment.

14) Flexible Working Hours

Flexible working hours are important for any team. With virtual teams, there can sometimes be more burnout as the individual’s personal life and work life overlap as it all happens in their home. As employees get burnt out in the office and become less productive, the same happens for virtual teams although it seems like a more “relaxed” work arrangement.

Allowing for flexible working hours will allow the employee to take breaks when needed without feeling guilty. It will help to refresh their productivity and provide them the opportunity to work when their motivation is higher.

You might also consider why your team is working virtually. It might be because they physically cannot be in office due to children that need to be taken care of, elderly, etc. This can be exhausting, balancing working and taking care of someone at the same time. Thus, offering flexible working hours will allow employees to work when it is best for them while increasing employee satisfaction and engagement.

15) Project Management Tools

As previously mentioned, project management tools help to ensure communication. It also helps with shared goals and staying informed. Using such tools will keep track of everything that everyone is working on and keep it all on one platform. This allows the team to track the progress towards deadlines and will notify others when a team member completes their tasks. This will ensure instant updates on the progress of a project, allowing for collaboration and organization through continual co-creation.

Teams can consider platforms such as:

• Trello: track tasks, deadlines, and comments with colour tags in a calendar layout. Co-create projects in real-time.

• SmartDraw: helps teams that work primarily with images and visual presentations with free templates in a shareable format.

16) Virtual Team Training

Without an in-person setting, establishing a rigorous and clear training program will improve the team's success. Even in the office, programs do not always provide sufficient training for the employees. With online teams, it’s even more important as you don’t have someone to turn to right away if you need help.

It’s important to also consider informal training for your employees via creative media resources. Consider creating a B2B podcast for your company, where you can learn from key clients, CEO/leaders, and network with influential figures in your industry. This can help employees learn more about your culture, improve personally, and move your business forward.

Most companies don’t have the time to figure out the format, production, and marketing that goes into a B2B podcast, so you can leverage a B2B podcasting partner to handle the entire process.

Technological training is key. The use of technology is so important in a virtual environment as you are using online communication platforms alongside other project management collaboration tools. Some employees might be unfamiliar with these platforms and will require training to ensure they can be productive rather than trying to figure out the technology.

As previously mentioned, communication is more important than ever. However, not everyone is great at communication. Thus, effective communication training is important. This entails both verbal and written communication. Having training for written communication is key as it can be hard to properly express what you mean in writing. Written communication lacks vocal inflection and body language which can lead to miscommunication. So, training regarding how to write an email or send a Teams message can play an important role in ensuring a successful virtual team.

17) Reviews

As most of us know, you normally want feedback when you do your work. You want to hear what you are doing good and what you need to improve on. Doing regular reviews is important so that employees can know how they are performing. During these reviews, you can outline feedback and set goals moving forward. Not only does this allow the employee to correct unproductive performance but also provides direction for the future.

Conclusion

As we navigate this new landscape of virtual teams, we learn something new every day. Every day we work online, we become more effective and successful in our teams. If you are considering starting a virtual team or having problems with your current virtual team, it’s important to ask how and why. It’s time to consider some of these steps and make your way to a successful virtual team.

Written by Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.