Sohrab Vazir
Consultant | Founder | Global Citizen | Writer
Tag Archives: Digital Marketing
How to get more TikTok views
Getting more TikTok views can be tricky, but it’s certainly doable. I started my TikTok channel in late 2023. For the first few months, I didn’t post often and my videos had between 500-1000 views with minimal engagement. However, between July and September 2024, I got almost 500,000 TikTok views for my videos. Getting more TikTok views is any creator or business’s goal who has a presence on TikTok. Yet, many struggle to achieve this. I will share some of the steps that I implemented that led to more TikTok views on my channel. Be authentic The most important principle is authenticity. There is too much generic and inauthentic content these days, and people loathe it. Authenticity is a rare trait in today’s world, and it is certainly valued by others. Be relatable People engage with content that they can relate to. Make sure that you prioritise relatability in your content creation strategy. Understand your audience. In doing so, as the following: What makes them happy? What makes them sad or angry? Embrace the trolls Once you get some traction, you will have trolls on your page. It simply doesn’t matter what your post is about. Sadly, there are people in the world with too much free time on their hands who take pleasure in bringing others down. Do not let them discourage you, humorously engage with them. Trolls hate seeing their tactics failing and this will keep them coming back to your page, which helps your content in the algorithm. Have a good content strategy Having the right content strategy is vital. Make sure you have a good roadmap of the content that you want to create. Your content strategy should consider all implications in terms of engagement, compliance with applicable laws as well as your resources. Want help in getting more TikTok views? Contact me today to discuss how I may be able to help. About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international graduate, I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business. Currently, I help aspiring founders, content creators and companies with their digital presence.
Why you should prioritise inbound SEO?
Inbound SEO is a vast topic, and that also reflects how imperative it is to your online growth. Many marketers make the mistake of neglecting inbound marketing as a whole, and this is also the case with inbound SEO. Personally, when I launched my start-up, StudyFlats, I didn’t have much of a budget to spend on paid SEO, primarily Google Ads and Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising. However, one skill that I did have was writing. Initially, I mainly focused on academic writing, but with StudyFlats mainly catering to the student market, I had to adjust my writing. StudyFlats was also highly reliant on SEO. We linked international students to private accommodation providers/student halls through our online platform. Therefore, I had to use my writing skills to somehow promote the company’s online presence / SERPs. In the meantime, a competitor also raised over £70m in funding, whilst in the first year I launched and ran the company from Newcastle University’s co-working space and coffee shops with £500 in my bank account (3 years later, we were a team of 5 and operating across 30+ UK cities). It was during this time that I began to realise the magic of inbound SEO. The SEO keywords that we sought to rank for, for instance, “student accommodation” were beyond competitive. Thus, I began brainstorming about other relevant topics for our audience, international students, which may not necessarily be relevant to student accommodation. In other words, I prioritised inbound SEO. This was a key factor in getting traction for the business and helped us not only attract more students but also establish trust in the industry as a whole. These are some of the key reasons why you should prioritise inbound SEO: Suitable for lower marketing budgets Before handling six-figure budgets for StudyFlats, I started it with less than £500 in my bank account, and also as a solo founder. Inbound SEO, as I explained above, was instrumental in getting our foot in the industry and attracting organic website visitors. Thought leadership & industry recognition I made a TikTok video recently about improving your sales skills, especially as a founder. My key point in the video was that trust is a vital factor in sales/business development and success in the aforementioned. Sadly, this is neglected by a lot of founders and companies as they overfocus on meeting sales quotas or their product/service offerings. Inbound SEO enables you, whether as an individual or an organization, to establish thought leadership and trust within your stakeholders and the wider industry. Qualified leads Do you know what I hate? Cold calling, cold emails, basically anything “cold” within a professional context. Yes, I understand that cold sales are a necessary part of business for many/most companies. However, sales lead generation and conversion do come at a cost for founders and companies. This also becomes problematic where there are resource limitations. Inbound SEO helps you accelerate and skip the entire lead generation, as well as parts of the conversion processes. Qualified leads mean that the people visiting your website as a result of your inbound SEO campaigns, are already interested in either what you offer or your sector. About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats. I grew my business to over 30 UK cities, and a team of four prior to 2020. Currently, I help founders and businesses increase their online presence through strategy inbound marketing campaigns.
6 useful AI tools for founders & businesses
AI tools are revolutionising the world of work for founders and businesses. From customer service to content creation, AI-powered tools have simplified many of the old processes. In this article, I will highlight 6 AI tools that are super useful for founders and businesses. As a founder or a business, you must use your time and resources efficiently. AI-powered tools help you do so. The world of AI has advanced rapidly, and new ways of using it evolve every day. Now let’s talk about some of those awesome AI tools that will help founders and businesses maximise their offer. Canva Canva has added various AI functionalities to enhance its content creation features. For those who don’t know Canva: it is one of the entrepreneurship world’s biggest gifts to humanity. Canva is useful for both founders and other members of businesses for content creation. Recently it has added several useful AI functionalities, making it even more awesome. The YouTube video below highlights some of these really well, so make sure to check it out! Grammarly In this day and age, grammar and spelling mistakes are becoming a thing of the past. We may partially thank the education system for that. However, a big chunk of this progress is thanks to the power of technology. Grammarly is a reflection of this. It is powered by AI and improves your text and writing. Personally, I’m the type to write typos all the time, personally because I have 50 tabs open on my browser, so Grammarly has been a real treat for me! Tidio Chatbots have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Moreover, many chatbots are powered by AI, including Tidio. Tidio offers a range of benefits, including: -Easy-to-use & simple interface -Integration with various platforms such as WordPress, Shopify & Wix -Customizable AI-powered chatbots & lead generators Personally, as a founder and business owner, I am a big fan of Tidio as an AI-powered tool, and it also comes with a free version. ChatGPT I was not sure if I should mention ChatGPT, given all the hype surrounding it and its parent company, OpenAI. However, a list of AI tools for founders and businesses would be incomplete without ChatGPT. There are so many things that founders and businesses can do with ChatGPT, including (but not limited to): -Content creation -Editing written content -Provision of information -Code: generation, debugging and more Synthesia Another one of my favourite AI tools for founders and businesses is Synthesia. Synthesia is a video creation and media generation platform powered by AI. It helps you create professional videos and use AI-based characters as narrators, who look (too) similar to real humans! Notion AI Using your time and resources efficiently is crucial as a founder and/or a business. Therefore, the last few years have witnessed the emergence of many task management and teamwork tools such as Notion or Trello. Notion reserves a unique spot, as it has gone a step further by harnessing the power of AI. This functionality helps founders and businesses to use Notion AI for tasks such as: -Information management and categorisation -Translation -Content generation -Simplification of information -and much more…….. These are 6 useful AI tools for founders and businesses. As a founder, it’s important to keep yourself updated with the latest tech innovations and leverage them to your benefit. About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size across several domains. For my credentials, please see here.
Why SEO is more than just a marketing strategy?
The consensus around SEO is viewing it as another marketing tool and strategy. However, this view is thoroughly incorrect; SEO’s function and impact go far beyond mere marketing. Okay so before I explain the vast functions of SEO, let’s go over what is and entails. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process and practices that aim to increase a specific webpage and/or website’s presence and exposure within internet search engines. As you may be aware, the most popular search engine in the world is Google. Therefore a considerable number of services and literature around SEO revolve specifically around Google. SEO as a marketing strategy In the modern age, our first source of information online is Google/search engines. Hence, it is not a surprise that plenty of marketing campaigns are based on search marketing. First of all, It is important to distinguish between SEO and SMO (social media optimization). Secondly, for the sake of clarity, this article will primarily focus on SEO and the role of search engines. SEO enables businesses to gain exposure to local and international audiences, using a range of metrics in doing so. SEO | brand identity and reputational factor What others say about a business is important, unless you are dealing with an organized smear campaign. Note that in the heading I used the word “identity”. SEO is closely aligned with the “identity” factor both in an individual and corporate context. As I stated before, the main method through which we obtain information about a person or company is by Google/search engines. What appears about you and your business online is the first “picture” that portrays your individual and/or corporate identity. SEO demonstrates competence In line with the previous point about brand identity, SEO reveals more than elementary information about an entity. For instance, say you are looking for a specific service and/or product. Most individuals do not look beyond page 1 of Google’s search results. Why? You can partly blame it on laziness. However, I argue that it’s the principle of ‘trust” involved in this scenario. When an individual or company has a strong SEO presence, it (correctly) creates an indirect reflection of its competence. SEO is integral to inbound marketing I recently wrote an article highlighting the importance of inbound marketing. To keep it brief, I argued that today’s world is hyper-competitive, and therefore you require innovative approaches to marketing. As such, inbound marketing and specifically industry/subject knowledge is an efficient activity within the inbound marketing domain. SEO is the bridge between thought leadership and prospects becoming aware of the thought leader. If you need help with SEO, content writing, or online reputation management, get in touch with me today. About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats. As a solo founder, I grew my business to 30+ UK cities, with a global client base across 100+ countries. Following the Pandemic killing my precious work/business, I now transfer my knowledge to other entrepreneurs.
The amazing power of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing is extremely underrated, especially when it comes to larger organizations. The reasoning behind this is clear: we live in an impatient business world, and inbound marketing is a long-term strategy. In this article, I wish to briefly highlight what inbound marketing is. I will then proceed to explain why it is not optional but essential to implement an appropriate inbound marketing strategy. What is inbound marketing? So, to provide a full overview, I will define inbound marketing in two ways: Definition 1 | Formal & academic Inbound marketing refers to strategies and practices that discuss, evaluate and correlate with the audience needs, wants and psychological profile (yes, I came up with this myself and did not steal it from somewhere else). Definition 2 | Informal Inbound marketing is about creating content for your audience and reaching out to them without talking about what you sell. The key factor is content creation. This can be in various forms such as SEO, email marketing, video creation, guest posts, research, webinars and so on. The purpose of content creation within an inbound marketing strategy is to resonate with your audience’s wants and needs. The business world, sadly, is guilty of a key marketing flaw. Inbound marketing is often compromised for outbound marketing and direct sales Arguably, the majority of companies often focus on direct marketing methods and generating full life-cycle leads themselves. This article is not to devalue outbound marketing and direct contact methods. However, one goal of this piece is highlighting the current dynamics of the business/marketing world. In doing so, I wish to reflect on how inbound marketing can be leveraged as a primary strategy for each business. We live in a hyper-competitive world Have a new business idea? Somebody has already come up with it. Have a cool new brand name in mind? Somebody else has thought of it already. Launched a new business? There’s a good chance there is a comparative competitor. Already scaling? So is your competitor…… The above serves as a brief verbal demonstration of the global environment in which business is conducted. We are living in the age of “innovation”. From a small business perspective. Everyone has access to the enhanced commercial technologies today, such as Shopify. Therefore, everyone is now somehow self-legitimised to be known as a “businessperson” or a “CEO”. And sometimes, there’s no issue with that, everybody has to start somewhere. The point of this is to show that it’s now somehow about “what” you sell, but “how” you sell it. Likewise, larger corporations also ought to be innovative in their marketing agendas. The issue with outbound marketing is that it is easily replicable and overly used by all stakeholders, from companies to other marketing stakeholders such as agencies. Innovation cannot be applied to “cold calling” per se. Unless you wish to sing people a song on the phone, which I would strongly advise against. Inbound marketing is innovative In contrast, inbound marketing leaves a great amount of room for creativity. One basic, and advanced, example is a website’s blog / SEO. You can use your blog for so much. However, you would be impressed to see how far subject knowledge combined with SEO proficiency can get you. Plus, this approach to marketing allows you to target your specific audience by using subject awareness and thought leadership. Generate loyal prospects Building on the last point and the early definition provided, inbound resonates with a consumer’s needs and mindset. In the context of written content/SEO in an inbound campaign, it is the consumer who is seeking content on a particular subject. This particular subject also somehow pertains to the work of the company. Let’s consider an example: my work as a business consultant working with skilled migrants. I write blogs on issues such as business visa policies. I’m not an immigration lawyer, nor a government representative. However, these are subjects that my prospects / future clients are interested in, and frankly so am I in my own case. This practice has not only attained clients, but also warm qualified leads, as well as prospects on social media such as LinkedIn followers. Cost-efficient (but not time-efficient) Outbound marketing has the advantage of generating results in the short-term. However, those results come at a cost, such as time, staff, planning and more. Outsourcing is accordingly a costly option too. However, inbound marketing, mainly requires “subject knowledge”. Therefore, there is this added element of “skill” within this strategy. However, it can generally be done at a more cost-efficient arrangement. And this principle applies to a range of stakeholders, from solo founders to large organizations. Nonetheless, developing successful inbound marketing campaigns and achieving results take time. It is important that entrepreneurs and companies adopt inbound marketing strategies with a thorough awareness of its long-term nature. Inbound marketing can be a game changer for your business. Need an expert’s opinion? Get in touch with me to discuss your inbound marketing plans! About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats. As a solo founder, I grew my business to 30+ UK cities, with a global client base across 100+ countries. Following the Pandemic killing my precious work/business, I now transfer my knowledge to other entrepreneurs.
Why you should work with a freelance SEO writer
If you have considered or are considering working with a freelance SEO writer, this article is for you. As a tech startup founder, and now a digital marketing consultant, I have dealt with SEO for over 7 years! As an SEO copywriter myself (see more details here), I thought it would be helpful to share why working with SEO writers can be valuable. When I started my first company, StudyFlats, I needed to learn about SEO. It all just seemed so complicated and tech-based. This combined with having to juggle around all other areas of the business made me reliant on external third parties. Initially, I worked with a marketing agency, which proved useless. The high costs associated with digital marketing agencies further prompted me to seek freelancers, mainly freelance SEO writers. Bear in mind that I had £400 in my bank account as a marketing budget in the first year (oh those really were the days). Anyway, I soon discovered that working with a freelance SEO writer can be hugely beneficial, so long as the following are clear: 2 years later, I hired a marketing team of four at StudyFlats and oversaw SEO content creation as a team leader/CEO. Hence, I also possess first-hand experience with SEO writers as employees. So let’s look at why you should work with a freelance SEO copywriter: Cost-efficient Perhaps the key differentiating factor in favour of freelancers against digital marketing agencies is the pricing. Working with a freelance SEO writer helps you generate far more content at a fraction of an agency’s cost. Tailored SEO service Working with an individual freelancer, in contrast to an agency, allows for a more tailored service. Many individual freelancers are (more) dependent on positive client feedback and retention. Less liability Working with digital marketing agencies and/or freelance SEO writers bears less legal liability than hiring employees. Unless your venture is at the stage in which it needs more permanent employees, then perhaps you may consider the recruitment option. However, EVEN if you do decide to hire employees, working with freelance SEO writers can still be cost-efficient. Plus, it’s beneficial as it creates a new frame set for your existing content. These are some of the reasons why working with a freelance SEO writer can benefit your business. If you are looking to hire a freelance SEO writer, then get in touch with me today! About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.
Pros and Cons of WordPress
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) used by millions of people around the world. It’s a great platform for building websites and blogs, but it’s not without its drawbacks. In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of WordPress. We’ll discuss everything from its ease of use to its security vulnerabilities. By the end, you should have a good understanding of whether or not WordPress is right for you. As mentioned WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS); a CMS is a software application that helps you create and manage digital content. that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch, or to improve an existing site. WordPress is free and open source software released under the GPL. There are many advantages to using WordPress as a CMS. WordPress is easy to use, has a large community of users and developers, and is very flexible. You can find a theme or plugin for almost anything you want to do with your website. However, there are also some disadvantages to using WordPress. Because it is so popular, it is often a target for hackers. WordPress websites can also be slow. This is due to the large number of plugins and themes. There are two ways to use WordPress: via the hosted version at WordPress.com, or by installing it on your own web server. Pros: While WordPress is a great platform for many users, it may not be the best fit for everyone. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of WordPress to help you decide if it’s the right CMS for your needs. Cons: About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.
4 Free SEO Keyword Research Tools
Free SEO keyword research tools can be very helpful for new founders or small businesses with limited budgets. Keyword research enables you to understand what your customers are searching for online. Therefore, it’s a tool to also understand what search terms people use to discover products, services or information. In this article, I want to highlight 3 free SEO keyword research tools which you can use to get started. If you want to read more about keyword research, this article by Hubspot provides plenty of information. So, let’s get started with our free SEO keyword research tools: 1. Ahrefs Ahrefs has a comprehensive set of SEO tools, including a free SEO keyword research tool. This tool allows you to discover search phrases across custom countries as well as categorise the keywords via metrics such as monthly search volume. 2. Quora That’s correct, I placed Quora on this list. And no, it’s not by mistake either…. For those who are unfamiliar, Quora is a social question-and-answer platform. In my personal experience as a founder, it has been instrumental in understanding my target market. The benefit of Quora is that it allows you to discover “actual” real-world questions that people have. Hence, you can use this to your advantage. Let’s demonstrate this in an example: Example: You want to discover what people are searching for in relation to resume writing/career advice. By searching for a resume, as you can see in the image, you will see a whole list of different questions around that topic. By being strategic and using this information to your advantage, you can discover plenty of SEO keywords for free. 3. Reddit Similar to Quora, this is another odd one in the group of free keyword research tools. Reddit is also a social platform that works on the basis of questions and answers. The principle is to target social platforms that have a “community” function with questions/answers. These can be beyond helpful in SEO keyword research and planning. 4. Google Trends Google Trends is one of the most helpful free keyword research tools. This tool enables you to analyse and evaluate the popularity of custom search phrases and keywords across different locations. These are some of the most helpful free SEO keyword research tools. If you’re interested in this topic, check out my other article on 5 free awesome SEO tools. Need help with your SEO & Digital Marketing? I have over 6 years of experience in this area and offer tailored services to founders and businesses of all sizes. About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.
Free Courses For New Founders
In this day and age, free courses for new founders can be super helpful. Starting a new business comes with many challenges and budget is usually the biggest. Therefore, in this article I will share a list of free courses for new founders as a starting point for your entrepreneurship journey. Of course, it must be noted that these courses are primarily centred around digital tools. Therefore, this article may not be applicable to founders seeking a non-digital free course. Introduction to Generative AI | Free Course by Google Great introductory course for founders and other individuals to understand the basics of Generative AI. Introduction to Large Language Models (LLM) | Free Course by Google This is a useful course for founders who wish to develop their own GenAI applications. Google Analytics | Free Course by Google Google Analytics is the fundamental tool that allows you to track your online presence as a founder. Therefore, it’s really important to prioritise learning about Google Analytics as you start your own business. Google Search Console | YouTube Series by Google Search Central Next up is Google Search Console. I mentioned how awesome Google Search Console is in another article about 5 Free Awesome SEO Tools. Google Search Console is the tool that will enable you to track the keywords that your website is ranking for. Of course, the features are far more detailed, but that’s the essential function of Google Search Console Google Digital Garage | Free Course by Google Google Digital Garage offers courses within a number of areas, most notably digital marketing. “The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” course is free and also comes with a certificate which you can add to your resume or LinkedIn profile too. Digital Marketing Course | Free Course by HubSpot Academy One of the really useful free courses for new founders is the Digital Marketing Course offered by HubSpot academy. It covers the key elements of digital marketing which is very useful for every new business owner. Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace | Course on Udemy Right, so with this last one I wanted to highlight a different angle. So much of the current trends and directions are towards acquiring technical and commercial skills. Over the years there has been increasing attention towards “soft skills”, especially those applicable to the workplace such as emotional intelligence. Therefore, it was worth mentioning a free course for new founders that targets their interpersonal competencies. Introduction to Microsoft Excel | Course on Coursera Being proficient with Excel can go a long way, and therefore this course hosted on Coursera can be very useful to new founders Build a free website with WordPress | Course on Coursera This course is very useful if you wish to build a website for your founders, especially for smaller and more basic projects. These are some of the best free courses for new founders… For more insights check out my blog + discover more about my advisory learning programs for new founders below. About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content. For more info, please visit here.
5 Awesome Free SEO Tools
If your company relies on SEO in any shape or form, it’s good to be aware of the best and latest free SEO tools available. In this article I will look at 5 cool and effective SEO tools that are out there: Yoast SEO Yoast is a comprehensive SEO plugin. Personally, I listed it as the first one on the list due to my own personal experience with this tool. The key benefit of Yoast is that it helps you learn the foundations of both copywriting and keyword optimization in the context of SEO. Below is an example of how the Yoast SEO tool looks like (and yes, it’s my own dashboard). The only downside of Yoast is that it only works with WordPress, and is not supported by platforms such as Shopify. Yoast also offers both free and premium/paid versions so it’s suitable for all types of users. Even if you’re not planning on using WordPress, Yoast is still quite useful. Check out their free SEO lessons, which is ideal for beginners. Ahrefs Ahrefs is another comprehensive SEO tool. The first benefit is that it is not limited to a specific platform. Additionally, Ahrefs provides various features such as keyword research, and competitor analysis tools. The downside of Ahrefs is that it may be slightly expensive for small businesses or for freelancers. Nevertheless, it does offer some free features so it’s definitely worth keeping in mind among the SEO tools available. Google Search Console Google Search Console is a free and essential SEO tool, rather than a complimentary “add-on” solution. The key importance of Google Search Console is that it shows you exactly what people are searching for on Google. Primarily, it enables you to determine where and what your content is ranking for. Subsequently, you are able to use this data to optimise your content. Google Trends Google Trends is one of the tools that is very useful especially when it comes to SEO planning. It enables you to discover the popularity of specific search queries and/or subjects over a specific period of time. Seobility SEO is an extensive field consisting of both technical and non-technical aspects. Therefore, you should consistently monitor both. Seobility is one of the prominent SEO tools for auditing your website. Check it out here…….It’s completely free! About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting, and content. For more info, please visit here.