Archive for January, 2009
Here is the lineup of noteworthy blogs for this week:
- Well-Read Life- Written by Steve Leveen, this blog is all about reading. Leveen reviews books, talks about ways to improve and encourage reading among others as well as how to improve interaction with other book lovers. A great site worth checking out.
- Roo Reynolds- Written by Roo Reynolds, this site deals with how to use social media and other web-based applications. According to his bio, Reynolds was recently made the Portfolio Executive for Social Media at BBC Vision, which means he spends a lot of time thinking about the intersection between television and social media. Definitely check out his site sometime. Roo is also on Twitter. You can find him here.
- Virtual Economics-Written by Seamus McCauley, Virtual Economics is all about promoting conversations about digital media and strategy. It’s really well-written and worth checking out.
- Unexpected Media-Founded by Frank Boyd and Judith Glynne in 2000, Unexpected Media deals mostly in the digital media sector supporting innovation and facilitating creative research.
- Steal This Brand Too- Written by Tim Kitchin, a co-founder of Glasshouse Partnership, Steal This Brand Too is a blog aimed at keeping track of a chain of thinking about constructing and managing modern institutional relationships.
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 29 2009 | Marketing and Who Said That? | No Comments »
In this day and age, landing the job of your dreams may have to take a backseat to landing a job at all. However, if you are among the lucky few who have landed yourself in a career path you enjoy, be wise not to waste this opportunity! Your employer hired you for a reason. Now, it’s time to make yourself a financial asset to your company rather than a drain.
Keeping Focused
Too often, too many of us fall into the ill-fated trap of complacency. You’ve landed a pretty sweet job; you’re making decent money; your bills are getting paid, and you’re no longer subsisting off of Ramen Noodles while you wait for your next paycheck to clear. Life is good. While you should enjoy what you’re doing and like who you are working for; the danger of becoming too comfortable is that you can sometimes start to lose some of that “edge” which made you marketable to begin with. So, what to do?
Value Your Self-Worth & Learn to Project
Most people break down how and why they are paid their incomes based on hour increments or an annual salary range when in fact, what they fail to realize is that they are being paid for the value that they bring to that hour. According to Dan Clark, a certified speaking professional and member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame in Salt Lake City:
When the value you bring to an hour at work exceeds your pay for that hour, you become a more valuable employee. As a result, your job may be more secure, you may have more potential to advance in your career, and you’ll have happier, more fulfilling workdays.
It doesn’t take long before complacency turns into boredom turns into laziness. Rather than letting that happen, take it upon yourself to further your career. Not only will it make you a more well-rounded, knowledgeable person, it will also help you to advance your career status. That being said, here are some tips for making yourself more valuable to your employer:
Making Yourself a More Valuable Employee
- Keep Up With the New- Some of us don’t like change, but it’s a part of life. Keeping up with the latest happenings in your niche will help you to stay one cut above the rest.
- Think Outside of the Box- What are some new and innovative things that you can think of that would help the success of your company?
- Be Punctual- No one likes to wait around- especially employers. Always make sure that you are at work a little earlier than you need to be. Even if it’s only by a few seconds, remember that every second counts!
- Be Positive- This is crucial for success, especially if you are working in a small office environment. Having the right attitude speaks volumes about the kind of person you are and can help lift up the morale of others around you. Remember, happier employees perform better!
- Learn From Others- Wondering what Jan over in Accounting does? Ask her! It never hurts to know a little about what others around you do. You might pick up a few skills that you didn’t have before, thus making you more of an asset.
- Be Proactive- In this job climate, you don’t want to be reactionary. Why wait for something negative to happen. Instead, try to procure ideas that will benefit your company. Remember, prevention is better than cure!
- Be Noticed- Make it a point to be friendly to everyone you come into contact with. If and when you get the chance, try to have at least one face-to-face interaction with your supervisor. It let’s them know you are there and that you’re a dedicated employee.
- Dress For Success- Even if you work in a casual office environment, it doesn’t hurt to choose casually appropriate clothing. Sure, you may love that pair of jeans with the holes in the knees and that graphic t-shirt you wore to the concert when you were 17, but try to think more like an adult when you dress yourself.
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 28 2009 | Business Networking and General Business Issues and Marketing and Motivation | 2 Comments »
Have you ever had a vision in your head of something that you want, told it to someone else who was going to help you make it a reality and then been disappointed with the final result because it wasn’t what you had originally envisioned?
Whether you’re designing a website for a new client or doing something like interior decorating for a prospect, shouldn’t you want to get it right the first time? What seems to be the disconnect between the project manager and the client? Why are we always miscommunicating?
Understanding Your Customers
Despite what anyone may tell you, the best way to understand your customers is by spending some personal time with them. If you can meet them face-to-face, that’s ideal; but if you can’t meet them in person, you can certainly get a feel for what it is they’re looking for based on what they are spending the most time and money on. If you’re selling a product online, leave yourself open to criticism from clients/customers. Provide users with a feedback section. Start a blog and encourage people to comment on it. The more feedback you get (both positive and negative), the easier it will be for you to determine what you’re doing right versus what you need to improve upon.
Other Items to Keep in Mind
Check out Your Competition: It never hurts to find out what other people in your market are doing. Feel free to search the most successful companies and try to determine on your own what it is that they are doing right. Can you determine strengths in their campaign? Weaknesses?
Reach Out to Your Clients: It never hurts to contact those who have worked with you and used your services. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions such as, “What is one thing you really liked about working with us? What are some things that you didn’t like?”
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
Some Other Useful Sites
January 26 2009 | Work Related | No Comments »
Here is the list of notable blogs for this week!
- Emerging Ideas- This is a great blog for those who lean more towards the programming side of things. It offers advice in the way of IT, sales and marketing, human resources and other web-related research.
- Escapable Logic- This blog deals more with politics and economics, but is a great read. It also touches on some social media and marketing issues.
- Sociability-Written by Andy Gibson, this is a great site that deals with social media, social networking, viral marketing, people, websites, technology and blogging. Check it out!
- Nuts About Southwest- Who would’ve thunk it?! Finally, an airline has its own blog. Kudos to Southwest for coming out with this awesome blog. It’s really catchy- especially the clip of the flight attendant song!
- Status-Q-Written by Quentin Stafford-Fraser, this blog deals with technology and IT stuff as well as market research, general marketing and some other web-related things. It’s a great read!
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 22 2009 | Who Said That? | No Comments »
[continued from Monday]
As I previously mentioned, Twitter is an awesome social networking tool as well as resource. It has grown over the years and serves many different functions for a large, growing number of people. That being said, let’s continue with the last five things that you can do to brighten your Twitter experience.
5 Helpful Twitter Hints to Sweeten Your Experience
- Be Yourself! Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to anything you do in life, and on Twitter, this is especially true. People want to feel like they can relate to you- that they have something in common. An easy example of how to apply this logic to Twitter is to use an actual picture of yourself. In your profile, say something interesting about yourself and/or link back to your personal blog/website. Not only does it let others know that you are a real person (and not a spammer), but it lends you some credibility.
Share Interests! On Twitter, you can actually track certain keywords, which makes it easier to find out who is talking about things you are interested in. For instance, I am an athlete and love to run, so I was able to search for the keyword “run” and “cross country” to find other folks who shared the same interest. Tracking keywords is also a great tactic when discussing issues related to marketing and blogging.- Reach Other Bloggers! Twitter is great for marketing. If you start to focus on writing about things that are more relevant than the last movie you saw and how cold it was outside, you can actually start to form meaningful relationships. Remember, Twitter is all about networking, which is a great thing when it comes to business and marketing.
- Ask Questions! Sometimes the best way to get a conversation started with other people is to start off by asking a question. Pay attention to the people who actually respond to you. If you really do your homework, you can figure out how effective your twittering actually is based on the number of people who are following you, the kinds of people who are following you (i.e. business people versus your next-door-neighbor’s 16 year-old son), as well as the types of replies and retweets you are receiving. It all counts!
- Say it Well! You’ve only got 140 characters or less to say what you’ve to to say, so make it good! Tell people why they should listen to what you have to say. Think about how you feel when you read what other people have tweeted about. This will give you a better idea of just what kind of a Twitterer you’ll be!
Other Twitter Sites/Blogs You Might Find Interesting
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 21 2009 | Business Building and Business Networking and Marketing and Social Networking | No Comments »
Ah, the sweet sound of “chirps” emanating from the speakers on my laptop are a gentle reminder that there are thousands of ideas to be exchanged, blogs to be discovered, laughs to be had and friends to be made. The “chirps” I’m referring to here come from a program called TweetDeck, which is a desktop application used in conjunction with Twitter. Since its inception, Twitter has grown by leaps and bounds; and while there are many people who tweet each day, do they really know what they’re doing when it comes to using Twitter effectively?
5 Helpful Twitter Hints to Sweeten Your Experience
- Link it Up! This is one of the mainstays of Twitter; the ability to tweet about new links you’ve discovered to awesome sites. And while it’s ok to occasionally self-link, it’s often best to avoid over-doing it. People don’t just want to hear about how awesome you think you are, and you’ll find this out quick once your friend count goes down, you’ve been blocked by several people and your account is on lockdown for “suspicious activity”. Instead, link to things that are exciting, fun or simply have to do with your niche market.
- Sign in! You’ll find that the more often you’re on Twitter, the more people will respond to you. It sucks to send someone a direct message (DM) or retweet info that they put out only to realize that the last time they signed in was 9 months ago. You’ll not only lose valuable Twitter friends, you’ll lose credibility as well.
- Follow Me! If you receive a message that someone is following you on Twitter, check them out and then follow back if you so choose. Always make sure that you do a quick scan of their profile to make sure that they’re legit and not some spammy spammer who’s trying to spam you. Additionally, do not set up your Twitter profile to send other people an automatic DM thanking them for following you…it’s super annoying and may wind up getting your account frozen or dismantled if enough people report you as the “S-word”.
- Personalize it! As you become more acclimated to Twitter, you’ll notice that some people tweet really well, talking about a variety of topics, while others tweet about useless, mundane events in their lives. While it’s ok to discuss your personal life, no one really wants to know that you just “took a shower” are about to “feed the cat” and will later “clip your toenails”. Exercise some discretion, people!
- Don’t be too Angry! With the passing of the recent presidential election, it was quite interesting to see the varying opinions on Twitter- some of which became quite hostile. While it is ok (and natural) to disagree with your counterparts, know when and how to exercise discretion. It’s ok to go back and forth in an argument, but try to avoid resorting to name-calling or cursing-it’s not very professional.
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
Check back in on Wednesday for Part 2 of this Blog post!
January 19 2009 | Business Networking and Communication and Marketing | No Comments »
Here is the lineup of noteworthy blogs for this week:
- Lorelle on WordPress: Written by Lorelle VanFossen, her blog deals with everything from blogging to WordPress issues and social media stuff. Considered to be somewhat of a blog evangelist, Lorelle has garnered quite the following, so check her out sometime!
- Gurteen Knowledge Weblog: Written by David Gurteen, his blog deals with a variety of social networking issues which point back to sharing knowledge and learning from each other. Check it out!
- George’s Employment Blawg: Written by George Lenard, this blog was created back in 2003 as the result of George’s online reading in the field of employment law. Whether you’re a freelance writer or working someplace else, this is a blog definitely worth checking out!
- PureCaffeine.com: Written by 25 year-old web designer Nathanael Boehm, this blog has a little something for everyone. From blogging to social media and programming, this Australian blogger definitely brings something to the table!
- Eisenblog: Written by Marc Eisenstadt, this blog deals with programming issues, blogging, academics and social media.
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 15 2009 | Marketing and Who Said That? | 1 Comment »
[continued from Monday's Post]
Color is just as meaningful in marketing as it is in our everyday lives. For example, to some of us, the color blue isn’t just a color- it’s a feeling. But for others, it represents tranquility. Every year, marketing experts for various companies spend a great deal of time and energy trying to figure out what colors will attract buyers to their businesses. To the unassuming consumer, the hard work put in by marketers goes largely unnoticed. However, deep in our subconscious, we are drawn to certain colors for reasons that some of us even have trouble explaining.
According to an article by June Campbell entitled Color Psychology in Marketing, the effects of color differ from person to person, culture to culture. Therefore, it is important that we remember to keep the attitudes and preferences of our target audience in mind when picking out a color scheme and/or planning any sort of promotional design. Campbell continues to list the following color associations for North American culture:
- Red: excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger
- Blue: *listed as most popular color–trust, reliability, belonging, coolness
- Yellow: warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness
- Orange: playfulness, warmth, vibrant
- Green: nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance
- Purple: royal, spirituality, dignity
- Pink: soft, sweet, nurture, security
- White: pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild
- Black: sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery
- Gold: prestige, expensive
- Silver: prestige, cold, scientific
Finally, Campbell states:
Market researchers have also determined that color affects shopping habits. Impulse shoppers respond best to red-orange, black and royal blue. Shoppers who plan and stick to budgets respond best to pink, teal, light blue and navy. Traditionalists respond to pastels – pink, rose, sky blue.
Why Color Matters in Marketing
According to a site called Color Matters, the importance of color and marketing is laid out quite neatly in the following three points:
- Research conducted by the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo 2004 documented the following relationships between color and marketing: 92.6 percent said that they put most importance on visual factors when purchasing products. Only 5.6 percent said that the physical feel via the sense of touch was most important. Hearing and smell each drew 0.9 percent. When asked to approximate the importance of color when buying products, 84.7 percent of the total respondents think that color accounts for more than half among the various factors important for choosing products. Source
- Research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. Source: CCICOLOR – Institute for Color Research
- Research by the Henley Centre suggests 73% of purchasing decisions are now made in-store. Consequently, catching the shopper’s eye and conveying information effectively are critical to successful sales.
Are Marketing Experts Being Sneaky?
Some might argue that marketing experts aren’t only being sneaky; they’re manipulating people into buying things that they really don’t want and/or need. I leave it up to you to decide as to whether or not this is true. The fact remains, however, that when I recently went to the clothing store and saw that burnt-orange sweater, I wanted it- not because I needed a burnt-orange sweater, but because something about the color appealed to me. Congratulations, Roxy- you just earned yourself another customer.
Other Sites You Might Like
If you enjoyed this post, here are some other sites you may find interesting:
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 14 2009 | Business Building and Internet Marketing and Marketing | 1 Comment »
Have you ever wondered why walking into a brightly colored room will give you a headache after a short period of time? How about when you’re trying to relax? Is it no surprise that many people paint their bedrooms in colors that help them to relax such as shades of brown or green? When it comes to altering our psyche, colors definitely play a significant role. Therefore, it should be no surprise to find out that many business people are beginning to pay attention to how different colors affect us, and are thus implementing color psychology into their marketing designs.
According to Kendra Van Wagner from About.com:
While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.
Color versus Marketing
It may seem absurd to think that the colors we like or dislike might affect whether or not we would want to do business with someone or purchase a product; but as crazy as it may seem, it’s true! What is your favorite color? How do certain colors make you feel? If you are walking through a mall, are you going to go into the store with the festive colors on the walls and the bright lights, or are you going to opt for the store that has the subdued lighting and neutral tones?
Marketing experts have been hard at work trying to figure out which colors have which effect on people. For example, the Color Marketing Group (CMG) is known for its research and information on the effects of color and marketing, which they then dispense to professionals. According to CMG, “Color Sells, and the ‘Right’ Colors Sell Better”. CMG goes on to share the following facts:
- Color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent.
- Color improves readership as much as 40 percent.
- Color accelerates learning from 55 to 78 percent
- Color increases comprehension by 73 percent.
- Color ads are read up to 42 percent more than similar ads in black and white.
- Color can be up to 85 percent of the reason people decide to buy.
Check back in on Wednesday for Part 2 of this post! In the meantime, here are some other sites you may find interesting:
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 12 2009 | Business Building and Internet Marketing and Marketing | No Comments »
Here is the list of noteworthy blogs for this week:
- Presentation Zen- Written by Garr Reynolds, Presentation Zen is about design and professional presentation- two things which are essential to any decent blog or web site.
- Johnnie Moore- Moore’s site deals with business and marketing. Moore prides himself on being able to combine business logic with the ability that we have to communicate with each other in order to help organizations with their marketing. Check it out sometime!
- The Social Atom- Written by Mark Buchanan, this blog discusses issues related to human interaction, specifically human behaviour. Buchanan is also a writer, having published a book called The Social Atom. The blog is worth taking a look at and may offer some valuable insight into how you can improve your marketing skills by simply understanding people better.
- Phil’s Blogservations-Written by Phil Gomes, this blog discusses issues related to public relations, media and everyday observations. Interesting read!
- POP! PR Jots-is the personal blog of Jeremy Pepper and deals with issues related to public relations, marketing and communication.
For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!
January 08 2009 | Marketing and Who Said That? | No Comments »
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Here is the lineup of noteworthy blogs for this week:
