The Blog

Finding Your Story

Now, more than ever, people crave human connection. And what better way to do this than by using one of the oldest forms of communication, the story?

But when we talk about stories, we just don’t mean the original inspiration that sparked your venture, or the early years when you used to eat ramen noodles while working on the floor of you parents basement.

That’s important, and it offers your audience a human glimpse into your world.

But when we talk about stories, we are referring to much more. To us, a story is the root motivation that lies behind what you do. It’s the reason you do what you do, and it’s the unique way that you do it. The way people think about you, and the way you describe what you do to people, is your story.

And you will now learn to tell it.Continue Reading…

The Power of Why

We have identified four key components that will help you share your story with the world. The first one is Why.

The importance of Why

We have coached multiple business, startups, and non-profits to make them more engaging and human, and to reach a broader, interested audience.

During our initial meetings the first question we inevitably ask is “Why do you do what you do?”

We are often surprised at how difficult it is for most people to articulate the answer to that question. It’s not that they don’t have an answer, it’s that the answer is intuitive, and they have never felt the need to put it into words.

When creating a business or any new venture, the immediately obvious questions that are usually asked are What and How. What services will your business provide? How will you distinguish yourself from the competition.

Your Why, the motivation behind your entire project, is never directly addressed. And as your business grows and progresses, and the daily tasks and challenges pile up, it becomes very easy to let your Why get buried under a mountain of Whats and Hows.

Finding your Why

The paradox of Why, is that as much as it is easy to neglect, it is actually the most crucial aspect of your business.

Your why is what allows you to stand out, it’s the reason you get up in the morning, and it’s the way to connect with your audience. As human beings, we share many of the same drives and values – when you share your why, it can connect quickly and deeply with others who resonate with it.

When applying your why to your storytelling strategy, there are two simple steps to take. The first one is to find your why. Take a few minutes to write down the answers to the following questions:

  1. What drove you to start you venture?
  2. What needs or issues did you see in the world that inspired you to take action?
  3. What core values inspired your initiative? What ideals are you passionate about?

These questions are simple. But the answers can sometimes be difficult to find. Putting them on paper can be a valuable exercise for defining your mission and connecting to your core audience.

Repeat your Why to everyone you meet, whether it’s your first meeting with your potential client, or your daily catchup meeting with your staff. You can never overstate your mission.

From our experience, finding your Why is best way to stay motivated, to inspire your staff, to connect with your customers and engage with your followers. Through common ground and shared human experience, you can forge deep relationships that are far more powerful than those created by slick taglines or catchy slogans.

Take the time to find you Why. Your What and How will thank you.

Essential Facebook Pixels to Optimize Your Paid Ad Campaigns

Facebook offers several code snippets that you can install on your site which will greatly increase the effectiveness of your present and future ad campaigns.

Unfortunately, they are not very clear about finding these codes, and it takes a lot of snooping around to even find them. Furthermore, I wasn’t able to find an article online that aggregates all these resources into one place.

Below, I have outlined the main pixels you should consider installing in your site, as well as descriptions on where to find them. I recommend installing all of them at once, to fully optimize your site for Facebook ads.

  1. Custom audience “Remarketing” Pixel

Facebook allows you to keep track of people who visit your site, and then target them later on with ads that are custom designed for them. For example, you can directly refer to your website in the ad, in a way that you couldn’t if you were target the general population.

Continue Reading…

What Is Social Media Marketing?

Facebook has become such an integral part of modern society that it’s hard to remember that the company is little over a decade old. Its unexpected, swift takeover has transformed the way people interact and share information and lead to the creation of many other popular social networks including Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

When it comes to marketing, it helps to understand what the appeal of social media is, which makes the process of marketing very different than the more conventional methods.

It used to be that if you wanted to share your company’s message, you booked a spot on TV or radio and your audience sat and listened.

Today, your target market has the control. With the help of their thumbs, they will decide whether they like what you have to say, or whether they prefer to move on to the next post – that picture of a wedding dress, that #HilariousHashtag, or what your kitten ate for breakfast.

What people are ultimately looking for is to connect. They want to touch their screens and reach something bigger to hear and be heard.

The blessing and the curse:

Continue Reading…

7 Simple Steps to Promote Your Event Through Storytelling

Brought to you by two Israeli Startups: BOMAH & SwanScreen

If no one tweets about it – did it really happen?  Thanks to today’s technology-driven world, it’s crucial for any event, from a small gathering to a 5-day conference, to have social media presence plan included in your overall marketing strategy. With the limitless reach of our worldwide web, it’s even recommended to have a team dedicated to creating, executing and monitoring your social media strategy. We paired up with SwanScreen and headed to the ROI Summit to test our ideas for event promotion. Lucky for all of us it was a great success!

To achieve your goals, you should have an event marketing strategy for before, during, and after the event! Here are few tips to ensure your event experience is a social success – both online and off.

Before the event

Continue Reading…

Case Study: Jerusalem Ambassadors

Who?

Jerusalem Municipality, MASA, and Hebrew University created a one-of-a-kind international Study Abroad program in Jerusalem.

The Challenge

The trio of organizations wanted to encourage and enable potential students to connect with the real Jerusalem on a personal level in order to convey the advantages of study abroad, as opposed to what they might see in the media abroad.

The Mission

To create a personal way to share relevant news about Jerusalem which is inviting for students to join the study abroad program, ultimately re-branding the way students see the opportunity to study in Jerusalem, and the way the Diaspora perceives Jerusalem and Israel.

The BOMAH Way

We initiated a pilot program called Jerusalem Ambassadors, created a network with the younger community with a focus on rebranding the Study Abroad program in Jerusalem. We trained the student fellows on the BOMAH strategy, monitored and managed the program, and assisted with marketing & PR to ensure social media success.

The Results

Utilizing the student community was the perfect way to connect to future students on a personal level; and also offered current students effective knowledge on how to best use social media for storytelling.

  • 16 International Students
  • 30 Blog Posts (Covering University Life to Politics)
  • 60 Social Media Posts
  • 4 Major Media Mentions (The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, etc)
  • Bloggers quadrupled their page views after participating in the program.

The Feedback

Itzik and Bomah's team one of the top professionals I've worked with. He is up for any challenge, knowledgeable and always available with a smile. Itzik and his team don't only provide services they are involved in every part of the process. In the project we've done with Bomah they were a full partner, resourceful in every step of the way and had a creative way of solving any issue. I would recommend working with Bomah for any company/ project who are looking to work with the best.
Shirona Partem
The Jerusalem Development Authority

 

Case Study: Onward Israel

Who?

JAFI, Onward Israel // Onward Israel offers exciting opportunities – internships, service learning, academic study and fellowships – providing a global, cross-cultural experience in Israel and direct contact with Israeli peers.

The Challenge

Onward Israel wanted to engage and share stories with participant’s family, friends and communities. Resources were not available to provide to students, who had stories to share but required structure and encouragement.

The Mission

To implement a way for students to get involved and interested in sharing their stories, and to provide them with the tools to do so. BOMAH was hired to build a new strategy, teach students how to use social media tools, and share ways to manage and monitor results.

The BOMAH Way

We trained a participant from each Onward Israel Cohort who became a leader and was responsible for sharing their experiences and engaging their Onward Israel peers through the use of social media. BOMAH consulted, monitored, and analyzed the fellow’s projects and progress.

The Results

Fellows discovered a way to not only share but enhance their personal and professional connection with Israel. Onward Israel Social Media Fellows engaged their Onward Israel Peers through their social media projects by using photos, blog posts or videos of them or by them. All posts came together in one final project at the end of the summer.

The Feedback

Case Study: BreezoMeter

Breezometer - Social Media Strategy

Who?

BreezoMeter is a start up based in real time, location based air pollution levels, which offers personalized health recommendations on what you should do. Quoted from CNBC as one of the 20 of the world’s hottest start-ups of 2014 as changing the way people interact with the world.

The Challenge

BreezoMeter joined one the biggest startup event conferences, Web Summit in Europe, and wanted to create buzz to ensure they stood out as there were 500 attending startups.

The Mission

Build a 5 day event and social media strategy from start to finish – creating buzz, organic PR, and engaging users on social media in real time.

The BOMAH Way

We created a step by step guide in order to connect with relevant audience, engage with social media users, and create buzz at the conference.
In order to organize and maximize the strategy, we created a content calendar based on the web summit schedule. We kept in constant contact with the team and made sure to apply BreezoMeter’s mission throughout. All posted content had direct connection to BreezoMeter’s ultimate goal, which made the startup more tangible and less technical, therefore easily relatable to all.

The Results

Breezometer was able to gain relevant followers on twitter (investors, journalists, and fellow startups) which assisted in the enhancement of online presence in Europe, The United States and Israel. They went from 66 followers with very limited acknowledgement and engagement to 128 followers who actively favorite, retweet and reply to all posts in a 4 day span. We put out at least 10-15 tweets a day for 4 days plus engaged for an hour a day which resulted in 15 followers a day.

BOMAH is currently working to build Breezometer’s storytelling strategy as a result of the success of our 4 day conference campaign.

From the media: A breath of fresh air, with Ziv lautman, CMO

The Feedback

I had the privilege and the honor of working with Itzik Yarkoni and BOMAH on several projects. I was highly impressed with the company's professional standard and the new and impressive techniques in which Itzik was teaching our participants to tell their story on social media. I found that working with BOMAH and Itzik was extremely helpful. Together, we strategized on the best way to bring the message to our students and creating meaningful context for them. A side from the professional added value BOMAH was able to deliver to our students, I found Itzik to be a joy to work with!
Yonatan Barkan
Director of External Relations / Masa Israel Journey
No word could exactly express the fabulous experience I've got from "Jerusalem Ambassador" program with BOMAH. It's an initiative project that enables students from all corners of the world to join the team to propagandize Jerusalem. It also provides fancy opportunity for people to approach Jerusalem, touch real Jerusalem, experience there and love it. The social media tools are taught in a gorgeous way where we are passionate to express our particular emotions in Jerusalem. "Jerusalem Ambassador" opens my horizon, illumines my heart and sparks my enthusiasm to share my story with all of you and I feel proud to be part of the story of Jerusalem.
Yunjiao Liu
Student
Itzik Yarkoni is driven and motivated to the Jewish cause. Not only is he motivated himself but also has the potential to influence others to reach their utmost potential. He has a true gift to lead and inspire. As a Shaliach at the Hillel Foundation of Orange County, Itzik served as a role model both for myself and the greater organization. He is able to tackle tasks with a practical and realistic approach. I had the opportunity to work with Itzik on a number of projects from social media to event planning and managing. Even when the project appeared impossible, Itzik was able to steer the group in the right direction without imposing his own views on accomplishing the task. He is a problem-solver and will do what needs to get done no matter the circumstances.
Cathy Shutaya
Itzik is an incredible teacher. He knows a lot about social media, and while his methods are unconventional to Americans, they work! Even I -- who likes to think I know everything -- learned about new tactics, networks, and ideas. Simply put, no matter how much you know he will teach you more.
Jonathan Beer
Had the pleasure of listening to Itzik Yarkoni at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; an expert in the realms of social media outreach and message distribution strategies. One of the [many] insights that I took away was to take more time with our shared content.. So often I'm totally guilty of the habitual tendency to post a quick pic of where I am, who I'm with, and/or what I'm doing. This is also attached with a rushed, though calling a spade a spade - meaningless, caption that derived from a thought conceived in under :30. Note: Nothing wrong with this style and certainly doesn't undermine the importance of the moment. I think he was merely conveying that it's a slight disservice to the story. But to contribute to even just a crumb of societal change, or spark a genuine conversation, he suggested to begin sharing the "why" and relevance aligned with the post. To find a common ground with who we're targeting, making our experience more personal, and truly activating our audience(s). Great class.
Brandon E. Kamin
Filmmaker / Bear Bear Pro
It was a truly enthusiastic and informative presentation that helped all of us gain valuable insight into how to best promote Israel and spread our message. You clearly explained goals and methods that will allow us to better use social media and Facebook not just as social websites, but also as valuable tools. We now have a better grasp on navigating these kinds of websites to achieve our goals. Thank you!
Sonia Iosim
Student / Boston College
I have had some experience with marketing through social media through being on the JSU board for the past year and a half, and now becoming president, but it was so great to have you come and teach us even more. I knew a lot about the insights features on Facebook but it was great to hear more about how to make the posts count by making them personal. I just wanted to thank you and let you know we are already using many of your strategies. Thank you so much.
Michelle Pomerantz
Student / UMass
I heard that you (Itzik) were considered a "PR genius" and that I would learn and take a lot out of the hour that we had with you, but I was curious as to what I would be learning that I haven't already gotten out of my branding and Israeli advocacy on my campus at UMass. Turns out I learned a lot more than I thought I would, and also had many questions answered that I wasn't even sure I had. I loved that you reinforced the fact that when we as leaders put on events, brand, etc. we are doing it for the STUDENTS and our AUDIENCE, not for ourselves. Ever since I became a student leader on my campus that has been my motto. The self-satisfaction comes from satisfying those around you. Thank you so much again!
Hannah Cohen
Student / UMass
The workshop did a very good job of teaching us how to post positive and meaningful things on social media to attract our audience in ways I had never thought about before. It also did a very good job at showing how others do such a good job at promoting anti-Israel thought and that made me want to promote Israel even more positively.
Rachel Rettig
Student / UMass
We were reminded of the importance of spreading positive and personal messages to our audience. Itzik gave us great tips for what, when, where, why, and how to post on Facebook and Twitter, so that Huskies for Israel can start to really engage and expand our influence.
Max Klapholz
Student / Northeastern University
After these workshops I feel able and empowered to share my thoughts through social media mediums. Itzik's training is eye opening and easily to applied despite the ever-changing social media arena.
Maya Fried
Student / USC
I thought this was a FANTASTIC workshop. I learned so much about practical and easy things we can do to expand our presence in social media. It was really interesting to see what a difference it makes to have EVERYONE liking and sharing things together.
Tali Marcus
Student / Wellesley College
It was great to have Itzik at UCSB. We learned new and different ways to engage and attract students through social media. The workshop will make a big difference in our strategy in every way! I just wish we could have had more time!
Danielle Freedman
Student in Honors Program / UCSB
With Itzik there is always something new to learn. He engaged our students and they enjoyed the challenge of thinking outside the box about branding Israel. The message of the workshop hit home with students. We are now inspired to make changes, and with Itzik’s support as a mentor and friend, I’m confident we’ll rise to the challenge.
Sharon Shaoulian
Juris Doctor Candidate / UCS
I was much impressed by your presentation about using social media to improve the image of Israel. The students were highly engaged, you did not simply lecture but had them actively experiment, and you taught them techniques that can increase attendance at pro-Israeli events. I have heard other lecturers address the problem of Israel's image, and what you offered is new, important, and exciting.
Amihai Glazer
Professor / UC Irvine
Itzik came to UCI and gave us a social media training seminar. I didn't think there was too much to learn about social media but Itzik proved me very wrong. Itzik showed us how to wield the power of social media to an exponentially higher power in ways that I never would have thought of. At the same time, it was very enjoyable thanks to Itzik ' s great sense of humor and interactive teaching method. If you need help marketing yourself or your organization, I couldn't recommend Itzik more!
Ariel Barnoy
Student / UC Irvine

Interview with Founder of ‘Frank’ App – Zvi

Have you ever wondered what people really think about you? Especially those close to you – friends and family – do they really tell you the truth? Well now you can find out what they really think – with the jerusalem based latest app ‘Frank’!

Meet ziv, the founder of frank… he is 31 years old, almost a MBA graduate , born and raised in Jerusalem.

Two and a half years ago he met Yair and Natan at the University, together…they invented a website where people can write their most hidden secrets. However, a different app came to the world called ‘secret’, they did exactly what we did and conquered the market.

So they pivoted and changed how they saw things and are working on an app – a social mirror to see how other people see you.

What does an entrepreneur mean to Ziv?

Firstly, he says – live your idea, believe in what you do so much, eat it as cornflakes in your breakfast, dream about it when you go to sleep, its your life for this period of time.

Secondly, he says you need persistence – with a new idea many people think it’s a stupid thing. Have courage and persistence to go in a different way – can you see if fish in a river is alive? It swims against the flow.

Ziv says you need to believe in it so much but be realistic and logical, you need to hear the criticism, and listen to what people say to you, but keep in mind that the nature of a new idea takes time for people to digest.

Ziv came up with the app idea for Frank on date…

He said it seemed good. However, two days after he called her and she said listen its not you its me, as she was mumbling excuses on the phone he thought to himself what did he do wrong, did he speak too much?

To resolve the question as to who can tell him the truth about myself

Who knows him best? His answer – his family, his friends, they know him best but will they really tell us what they think about us? They don’t tell us what they really think about us.

So, we developed a system to enable people to be honest, to say what they think, to open communication and take it to new levels.

Ziv faced some challenges as part of creating Frank..

Firstly, dealing with the members of the team, he said you need to find people you can deal with and that you can see yourself working with all day and all night. People that are reliable and that you can trust and get to an agreement with, and that make you wake up with a smile when you see them.

Secondly, Financing – most business at first steps face a stage where there is financial challenges.

The ‘Frank’ app usese social media and storytelling.

Ziv uses social media all the time, the app itself is based on Facebook. People you rate are your Facebook friends.

He thinks storytelling is the most important thing in advertising and promoting the app. Every time someone meets him he approaches them with an interesting story, tell them what he does in a way they can relate – it needs to be interesting and exciting.

Some advice for fellow entrepreneurs wanting to succeed with their start-ups…

Ziv says you need to believe in yourself, even if no one else will. Be willing to work hard to have sleepless nights; don’t be afraid to share your ideas.

Get advice from other people and think big!

Do you guys want to know what people really think about you – find out now on Frank!

Follow ‘Frank’s’ adventures on their website: www.frankmobileapp.com

Twitter: @frankmobileapp

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank/1502754429998197

One Day Gym Pass

One Day Gym Pass is a new, soon to be released, application created for iPhones and Androids that allows users to buy passes to the gyms in their area. By downloading the app, users can conveniently search, buy and keep their passes all on their phone and have them readily available for the next time they go to the gym. The best part is that One Day Gym Pass provides options of buying passes for a variety of time periods, whether it’s one day, a week or a month- options that are not normally available when buying memberships through the gym itself.

When app creator Nate Hindman first approached BOMAH, the One Day Gym Pass Twitter account (@onedaygympass) had 6 followers and was following 18 accounts. In order to increase awareness of the developing app and get potential users in the New York City area excited and ready to download it, more social engagement, interaction and a dedicated following was needed. With plans to have the app ready to be downloaded by users by the end of February, creating a strategy for theOne Day Gym Pass Twitter account that could increase the app’s awareness rapidly was needed.

Enter BOMAH. BOMAH excels at creating social media strategies that center around personal stories and experiences. Although the One Day Gym Pass app had not yet been available to the public at the beginning of BOMAH’s work with One Day Gym Pass, the strategy created focused on engaging and interacting with potential app users. First, BOMAH focused on narrowing the target audience: men and women in the New York City area interested in living a healthy and active lifestyle, New York City gyms and fitness centers, and fitness, health and wellness writers. After following Twitter accounts within this target audience it was time to find content that would be relevant and of interest to this audience. After researching what other similar accounts were sharing, as well as what the target audience engaged with most and the hashtags they used, the content strategy centered around articles, facts, tips and advice on how to live a healthy and active lifestyle whether that be through different ways to be active, new diet trends or songs to listen to while exercising.

Within two weeks, the One Day Gym Pass Twitter account had gained 70 new followers and followed 287 accounts, which is increasing every day. By engaging with new followers, using similar hashtags and tagging various accounts when sharing their content, One Day Gym Pass was able to gain a dedicated following and increase the number of individuals who requested early access to the app. By sharing content that the audience is interested in while maintaining the mission and goals created by the app, followers are more likely to download the app once it’s available and continue to trust the One Day Gym Pass Twitter account for reliable content related to their fitness and healthy lifestyle needs.

“Bomah was absolutely crucial in helping us build a sizable user base pre-launch. Even before One Day Gym Pass hit the market, Bomah targeted and engaged prospective users on Twitter who were both passionate about fitness and our story and who became early advocates for our product. I highly recommend Bomah for any early-stage team who needs to build their brand on social and target early adopters, but who doesn’t have the time to spend all day on Twitter or Facebook.” –Nate Hindman

By Allison Rumsas