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3 Keys to Better Brand Marketing Starting Now

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Would you say you are doing a good job of marketing your brand to consumers?

Some companies are spot-on when it comes to marketing their brands. For others, they have some work to do.

With this in mind, how are you going about marketing your brand to capture as much sales and revenue as possible?

Alert Consumers to Why They Should Buy Your Brand

In marketing your brand to be a winner, remember these keys moving forward:

  1. You define the message and not the competition – One of the keys to a successful brand is to get your message out. Even when you do get that message out, it is important you define it and not your competition. So, make sure the message going out is the one you want. If you let your competition define you, it can have negative repercussions now and down the road. For example, if you are an automaker or dealer, you want consumers to know why your brand stands out. Before buying their next auto, folks want many details about what their next auto can offer. Be sure you deliver that message.
  2. Use all available delivery – When trying to get your brand front and center, use many tools. For example, do you use social networking sites? Some brands are asleep at the wheel when it comes to using social media to their advantage. As a result, their competitors can get a leg up on them. There are a myriad of social media sites you can use to your advantage. Best of all, social media is in essence free for you to use. As an example, are you on Instagram? This site is a great one to use when you want to convey images of your brand to consumers. Twitter is a good one to run not only info on your brand but links to relevant articles and more on your industry. No matter the social site or sites you choose to go with, be socially active.
  3. Your customers are valuable – While you view your customers as valuable to you, do not only think they are a sale. Some of your customers can prove to be great for you when it comes to promoting your brand. If you have some customers willing to do testimonials for you, by all means let them go for it. Such testimonials can have more impact with consumers than ads you do on your own. This is because some consumers tend to be more swayed when they see a fellow consumer talking up a brand. You can offer those customers willing to do testimonials some incentives. These can include discounts on other purchases they make and so on. The key is having as many customers as possible deliver the good news to other consumers. Whether time to go car shopping or buy other items, first-hand experiences from others can mean a lot.

When you need to do a better job of brand marketing, where will you begin?

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about marketing topics on the web.

 

Is It Time Your Business Had an App?

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Have you been tossing around the idea of an adding an app to your business? If you said yes, you are by no means alone.

That said it is important that you take some time and do research on how to get the right app for your brand. Getting it wrong can lead to wasted time and lost money.

So, if you’re thinking now is the time for a business app, where best to turn?

Where Will You Get Started?

In looking at how to launch an app, you want to find an app provider that has solid experience. You also want one to provide you with great service.

With that in mind, do some online research to see what app providers are out there in the market. You do not need nor should you necessarily go with the first provider you come across. Yes, they may end up being the best one for your brand’s needs. That said comparing several app providers side-by-side tends to be in your interests.

One thing to look at is how long the app provider has been in business.

Although there are some great new app providers out there, experience is never a bad thing to fall back on.

Second, what are you looking to do with your app?

Keep in mind you need to have a sound strategy to get traction with your app. Simply having an app because immediate competitors have one is not going to do you much good.

Speaking of competitors, do you know what their apps look like? If not, now would be a good time before you land your own to take a look. By seeing what you are up against, you can better determine what it is you expect to get out of your app.

Third, your app is going to have to stand out from those you are competing with.

Your app should be easy to maneuver.

This means you have landing pages that drives results.

Make sure those pages are of interest to your viewers who’ve taken the time to download your app on their phones. With a call to action, you want to go from one with an interest to one completing a sale and providing you with revenue. The goal at the end of the day of course is converting visitors into customers.

It should also offer relevant marketing copy. Links to your social media platforms is always good too. Last, have relevant and easy to find company contact info on your app. One thing many consumers hate is to have to go on a safari. That is to try and find contact details for a business they are interested in.

Where Will You Finish?

Once you have your business app up and running, it is crucial that you do all you can to market it.

Along with your website helping to spread the word, be sure social media platforms you are on does too.

It is also wise to get satisfied customers to put in a good word for you too.

As you build up a larger customer base, these customers can help market your app to their family and friends.

If the time has come for your business to move forward with an app, what are you waiting on?

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

How Safe Are Your Employees On the Job?

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No matter how many employees you have, one responsibility in you have is making sure they’re safe.

With that thought in mind, how safe are your workers when on the job?

Although you can’t watch them when not on the clock nor should you, you do want to know how they are doing when working.

From the office to driving to meet with clients, attend conferences and more, do all you can to ensure safety.

Employee Safety Should Be One of Your Priorities

In looking at how safe your workers are when on the job, focus on these key areas:

  1. In the office – Whether you have an office or work out of a warehouse, how safe are your employees when doing work for you? You can and should set various safety protocols in place. Doing this increases the chances your workers will go home safe at the end of their shifts. For example, review your work environment to see how safe it is. Do you have any items that could injure employees? Are there any issues when it comes to potential slips-and-falls in your office? How safe is your parking area for when employees are coming and going? By reviewing these things on a regular basis, you lessen the odds of accidents taking place.
  2. Out on the roads – When one has employees driving for the company, it is important the former are as safe as can be. Unfortunately, safety is an issue out on the roads for some employees. As a result, you need to be sure your workers know how important safety on the roads is for both you and them. That said are you giving them the safest employee vehicles to drive around in? When considering buying vehicles for your fleet, be educated on the automobile market. Shop for not only economical autos, but also ones that come with high safety ratings. In the event your folks use their own vehicles for work-related purposes, check to see what they drive. Remember, if the time is now to go car shopping for you or them, safety should have a major emphasis.
  3. Online activities – Safety does not only come in the form of one’s physical well-being. That said make sure your workers are as safe as possible when doing work for you online. As an example, your employees should never give out sensitive info when on the Internet. Doing so can lead to hacking. If your company is hacked online, it can mean financial issues and more for you and your customers. If you have contract employees working for you from their homes, the same is true. If they have access to your online efforts, it needs protection. At the end of the day, online security should always be a focus for you and your team.

In keeping  your team safe, remember, their safety translates to your ability to be in business.

So, could your company safety see improvement?

If the answer is yes, get working on it today.

Photo credit: Pixiebay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

Infographic: Benefits and Perks of Co-Working

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By Kim Burmester

This infographic details the benefits and perks of co-working as opposed to traditional office work.

It explores all of the various aspects of each, focusing on quality of life benefits, financial value, company cost reductions, productivity, culture and lifestyle, and more.

It also compares these aspects with those of working a typical 8-5 office job, describing how limited the view of a cubicle is for an office worker, not only creating literal barriers but also metaphorical barriers to productivity and success!

The shared office is the way to work. Being constantly surrounded by other driven business starters and influential people will always keep you and your company focused on success. Rather than being distracted by the other co-working companies, you will instead be inspired to work just as hard or even harder.

The shared office is truly the way of the future, as most co-working spaces also have a more modern, futuristic design than the traditional office.

Co-working is how you make lasting connections outside of your own company that will only serve to benefit you in the long run, as knowing the right people truly is more than half the battle in business. When you are consistently enveloped by the productive environment of a co-working space, you will instantly be hooked on the endless drive and passion that the people in that space have for the work they do.

There are endless reasons why a shared office will only benefit your business, but it will also benefit you personally. The environment, the connections, the success that will surround you is unbeatable in any other office environment. From the dull grays and browns of the standard cubicle-filled office to the beautiful blues, comfortable couches, and wonderful workspace of a shared office, there’s no going back once you’ve made the change. All in all, a co-working space is more than worth trying out, whether you’re looking for an office space or not, because what you find may just change your life.

Don’t waste another second reading about why shared offices are amazing and come find out exactly why co-working is the way of the future!

Author Bio: Kim Burmester is VP at ATLAS Workbase, a coworking space in Seattle that combines a powerful ability to work, network and collaborate in a flexible space that fits your individual needs.

perks of co-working

Changing channels – should you switch media platforms?

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Now is a good time to shake up your content strategy and your mix of platforms. Audiences are everywhere, from Facebook Live to print magazines to in-person events. People are moving from one screen to another, from one format to another, and no longer tied down to one mode of consumption.

When is the last time you re-evaluated your media platforms? Are you stuck inside your WordPress blog like a mime in an invisible box?

I’ve seen the following platform jumps in the last year:

  • The blogger Pioneer Woman has a TV show and a print magazine
  • Gary Vaynerchuk is on the new Apple show, “Planet of the Apps”
  • Tim Ferris is on a cable network with his own tv show, “Fear{less}”
  • Lots of Vine stars had already moved to Instagram when Vine shut down
  • TV and movie stars are doing podcasts (have you heard “Anna Faris is Unqualified” or Alec Baldwin’s “Here’s the Thing” yet?)

Why do you think these stars are shifting gears and finding new outlets? It’s because they want to reach new audiences and keep up with the shifting media landscape.

Here are some tips to help you decide if you need to change the channel:

  1. Maintain flexibility, don’t get locked into one format forever. If you’ve been on the same platform since you started writing, it is time to check out other options. Talk to your peers and get some inspiration, or test drive some other spaces. If you’ve always blogged on WordPress, venture over to Medium and see how it feels.
  2. Keep an eye on where your key audience lives. It may not be the same answer as when you started. People who wouldn’t have considered Instagram a couple of years ago may now be super-users.
  3. Never forget about “old media.” Print articles, TV or radio guest spots, or even mailed newsletters might feel fresh and new now. Don’t shut off a channel just because it isn’t a shiny new object.
  4. Has your viewership/readership stagnated? Perhaps adding a new punch of content from another source would bring in fresh visitors.
  5. Use your five senses as a jump-off for your creative thinking. Every channel targets different senses…visual, auditory, touch…what senses are you currently employing, and which ones could you explore?

Hopefully this sparked some ideas for you; what do you think about changing channels?

 

Featured Image:
Anton Ponomarev

Technology, the Future, and You

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by Amy Blankson

For those of us born before 2005, I’m sure you can think back to a time in your life that was not lived side by side with technology. When you had to go down to the library to look something up instead of searching for it on Google. When you had to make plans with your friends in advance of showing up somewhere. When you had no idea how many steps you had taken that day or how many times you asked a girl named Alexa a question.

The younger generation, on the other hand, spends an average of six-plus hours per day on their phones, literally changing a quarter of their life experiences from what we have known in the past.

With technology living in tandem with human beings, supporting nearly every function of our busy lives, the question now being asked is, are we happier? Would we be better without technology? Where are we heading?

These are some of the questions I ask in my new book, The Future of Happiness (April 2017, BenBella Books), which outlines several strategies for balancing productivity and well-being in the Digital Era. When people ask me these questions, I respond with some of these ideas:

Is technology making us happier?

Knowing that technology is here to stay, we need to learn how to live with the complexity of technology, not escape from it, but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our well-being. That is not the price we pay for having access to information.

That being said, in order to live in harmony with technology, we must make a conscious effort to focus on what’s most important in our lives and to not get distracted.

Consider this: when you’re flipping through Facebook, posting pictures on Instagram or using any of the apps on your phone, stop and ask yourself, ‘is this making me happy?’ If you don’t know the answer to that question, create a trial period for the app that you’re using. If you feel happier or more productive after a month of using the app, make a mental note of your progress and continue to use the app.

If the opposite is true, you know what to do. Toss it out like yesterday’s newspaper. Life is too short to be wasted on apps that are not contributing to our overall well-being.

When it comes right down to it, technology is merely a tool to help us, not the answer to all of our problems. It is up to us whether or not we will allow technology to control our lives and our happiness. We all have the innate power to control technology so we can continue to live positively and productively.

What can we do to maintain a well-balanced technology diet?

In order to maintain a satisfying level of happiness and well-being in the Digital Era, it is important to consciously curate the amount and quality of technology consumed every day.

There are several strategies you can implement to find the right level of technology consumption that does not affect relationships or productivity in other areas of your life.

Establish tech-free brain breaks throughout your day to help your brain recharge, whether it’s right before bed, taking a phoneless walk on your lunch break, or playing with your kids. When interacting with others, close your laptop, and take your earbuds out to say hello when someone walks into the room.

Establish hard-and-fast rules for your use of technology and model digital citizenship in a way that makes sense for you. Not only will your life become more productive, but as you start to form good tech habits, it will create a ripple effect for those around you, especially your kids.

Beyond these ideas, one of the most important things to keep in mind is that you have the ability to change your mindset. Just like Dorothy had the power inside of her all along to go back home to Kansas, you have the innate power to shape the future of technology and your happiness. You are welcome to let technology run your life, but just as simply, you are allowed to take control of your technology. Our devices can have a positive effect in our lives, but only if we allow it. As Shakespeare once said, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

To learn more about strategies that can help you be more productive and happier with technology, click here to order The Future of Happiness.

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Amy Blankson is a happiness expert on the forefront of testing new technologies to foster well-being.  Amy’s upcoming book, The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era, (BenBella, April, 2017), brings her years of experience in happiness research and consulting to deliver a roadmap for those feeling overwhelmed by the wave of technology. She has a BA from Harvard and a MBA from Yale School of Management. She has been called upon by the likes of Google, NASA, the US Army, and the Xprize Foundation to consult on positive psychology strategies.