Earlier this year the American Psychological Association reported that 80% of Americans feel stressed by the economy, 60% feel angry about it and 52% are having trouble sleeping.
So, what are you going to do about it?
If you sell bedding, stress balls, meditation, therapy, spa services, video games, financial management, career coaching, fitness training, nutritional supplements, or want to recruit more church members or collect more food donations, this study provides a hook.
The numbers grab attention, and the research findings lend your message timeliness and relevance.
Numbers persuade! And they do not have to be figures your organization gathered. Your ad or news release can focus on the implications of a recent survey, relating it to the problem your product or service solves.
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. It’s discomfort that creates the leverage that makes leadership worthwhile and valuable.
In other words, if everyone could do it, they would, and it wouldn’t be worth much.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed.
If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.
Shaun at YourAdTeam is a great resource to have as a friend and an advertising professional. If you are a small business, he is a great asset to have as your in-house marketing department.
He has performed all of my work for the last 8 years. YourAdTeam is our secret weapon. I highly recommend them.”
Did you know that what other people say about you and your business is 8 to 11 times more powerful (and believable) than whay YOU say?
That’s right. TESTIMONIALS are believable and credible, and you should be using them in every area of your marketing. It’s virtually impossible to have too many testimonials from your customers and clients.
If you’re not using testimonials, you could be missing a lot of new business. So start acquiring, developing, and utilizing testimonials… today!
Take action: Call three of your best or your favorite customers, and ask them why they use you and your business.
Wikipedia defines personal branding as “the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands”. Furthermore, the personal branding concept suggests that success comes from self-packaging, leading to an “indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable”.
The good news — and it is largely good news — is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.
People know what to expect when they see a personal brand, and oftentimes, the brand is a promise of the value they’ll receive. Therefore, it is critical that you take the time to understand the importance of branding for your business.
Interested in uncovering more benefits of personal branding?
When it comes to the perfect pitch, sometimes less is more. Let’s face it, most of the purchases we make happen because we like the company we’re dealing with (i.e., we know the owner, trust the brand, identify with the company’s values or innovative products, etc.), rather than because we feel sorry for them during a recession. People buy out of their own self-interest or because they respect the brand’s past successes.
Well, the same is true for your clients, too. So, why do you spend countless attempts at bombarding them with desperation marketing? Instead, try taking a few weeks to craft the perfect pitch and use constructive feedback from friends to make it shorter and more powerful.
(This information adapted from David Seaman’s article “Ditch Your Desperation Marketing” on www.entrepreneur.com.)
Sampling is a marketing technique that, when done correctly, can benefit your company. One reason for this is that sampling overcomes fear of the unknown.
In fact, entrepreneur.com recently summed up the value of product sampling by stating that
“when people are uncertain about what something will cost, what the customer-business relationship will be like, or what they’ll get in return for their time and money, they do nothing, or they revert to a familiar solution even if it’s less than ideal”.
They also point out that
“samples lead people past their hesitation. It’s why department stores have dressing rooms, auto dealers offer test drives, software companies give limited-service free access, media outlets offer complementary subscriptions, and museums host free-admission days. ‘Try it’, they’re basically saying, ‘you’ll like it’.”
The onset of great ideas can often be described as an “aha moment”! And, it is oftentimes this moment, along with the creative and witty forces behind it, that sparks the launch of a new business endeavor. However, it is critical to remember that it takes much more than this initial “ah-ha moment” to fan into flame a successful, growing business.
When we consider the unheralded companies of old who broke out of mediocrity to achieve dramatic, remarkable, good-to-great corporate transformations, we clearly see that there was no miracle moment. Instead, a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process — a framework — that kept each company, its leaders, and its people on track for the long haul.
In addition to this framework, a well-designed, clearly-thought-out marketing strategy to brand each of the companies and to communicate their value to consumers was an essential component to their long-term success.
Just a few profound quotes to get you thinking about your productivity…..
How will you choose to spend your life?
“Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes.
A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just
as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over.” -Paul J. Meyer
How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
~ Annie Dillard
It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about? ~ Henry David Thoreau
Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time,
you will not do anything with it. ~ M. Scott Peck
In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking. ~Sir John Lubbock
One way to make the most of your time is by outsourcing your company’s advertising needs.
