Business
One of my biggest problems that I wrestle with is managing my time better. I'm have more than enough to do, but some days, no matter how "busy" I am, it seems I don't get much done. Anyone else have that problem?
OK, so this month I'm implementing a schedule for myself. From this time to this time I will work on such-and-such; from here to here I work on this other thing. I have set times to work on Facebook posts and blog writing, too. While it doesn't take long to do those 2 things, they can get pushed to the back burner, so if I have a set day and time to do them maybe I will.
I know it's only a matter of discipline and I need to be more disciplined. I found some tips for managing time that I plan on using:
Understand how you use each day
Honestly review your day and understand how you are wasting time, then commit to becoming more efficient with your time. It's important to be honest and objective about how you really spend each day.
Set Priorities
Even with a well organized schedule and good work habits, there is still often not enough time in each day for workers, particularly small business owners and managers. So it is essential that we prioritize tasks and categorize them into Urgent, Very Important, Important and Wasting Time categories. Spend the majority of our time on tasks that are important and either delegate low priority jobs or move on to them only after completing the more urgent tasks.
Plan Your Time
By having a clear and precise plan for each day you have a target to aim at which eliminates many of the hours wasted in-between tasks or thinking about what to do next. Along with a daily plan, there should also be longer term goals to work towards. Setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals can dramatically increase your focus and productivity.
Review Your Progress
Many work habits have been formed over a lifetime, so we will often slip back into them if we fail to continually review our progress. Some habits will be harder to overcome than others, but the effort we put into overcoming them will be rewarded with added productivity, profitability and a more focused workplace.
Take Time Out
We're only human, so we should also plan for times when we can wind down and do less important tasks. Browse the web, call a friend or have a longer lunch sometimes. It's only when we make a habit of doing these time wasting tasks that they become a problem.
I'll keep you posted on how I do. Wish me luck!
Urban Influence is a branding studio in Seattle that really "gets" branding, and helps others "get" it, too. Brand is product, service and experience. This little video is worth you 3 and a half minutes.
What is Brand Anyways? from Urban Influence on Vimeo.
I came across this ad made in the UK. It's about wearing your seatbelt and getting home safely, a message we've all heard before, but this one really connected with me. Consequently, I will remember this ad for a while to come.
Keeping it simple, yet pushing the right buttons may be a challenge, but it's very effective.
I've include another that has stuck with me for years: The crying Indian of the '70s "Keep America Beautiful" campaign. I've never forgotten that ad and I don't litter. Is that because of the commercial? Maybe not, but I still think of it when I see how the neighbors in my apartment complex constantly throw their fast-food cups and trash on the street rather than carry it into their units and throw it away.
Magnify the positive benefits to the consumer. Touch them where it will get to them and, well, you'll get to them.
Last night I sat on my deck with a friend watching the storm go by to the north. It was putting on quite a light show, so I grabbed my camera and began to shoot. I managed to get some good shots, but it was only dumb luck. You see, no matter where I pointed the camera the good strike would be elsewhere in the sky.
Then it struck (a thought, not lightning); that's how ideas are, at least with me. An idea can come from anywhere at any time, but often I miss it. I'm busy looking somewhere else in the sky through a tube. You know, you get it in your head that the solution to whatever the challenge will be within certain parameters, so we confine our "search" to a specific area. But, if we take the tube away and allow our peripheral vision to work we stand a much better chance of "catching" an idea.
I wasn't thinking about a topic for a blog entry last night when this notion hit me, but I was receptive to ideas. I try to stay that way, in the now, noticing what's happening around me, open to a new thought or a new spin on an old one. Marketing ideas are no different. I think the most successful campaigns probably started with an obscure thought out of the now, just there in the corner of a person's eye, then developed into reality. Too Zen? Maybe, but I hope you get my drift. (Get my drift? What am I, in the 80s?)
Be receptive today. Take off any blinders you may be wearing and relax and enjoy the show that happens everyday all around you. The ideas will come when you least expect them. Oh, yeah, you may want to write them down. I carry a couple 3x5 cards with me all the time.
"The Joneses," with the tagline “They’re not just living the American dream, they’re selling it,” is an interesting concept for a movie scheduled for release in April. The storyline is that the “perfect family” move into an upscale gated community and become the envy of their neighbors. The twist in the plot is that they are not a family, but employees of a stealth marketing company who through a combination of try-vertising, branded content and viral marketing get others to buy what they have.
OK, so it's Hollywood and the premise is exaggerated, but it does point out that anyone in business needs to think outside convention to get people's attention. I'm looking forward to this one -- of course, having Demi in it doesn't hurt. The trailer is below.
Since starting my web development business 6 years ago I have faced many challenges in establishing myself in the market. The thing about being in a smaller market, as I am, is that many people want to compete based on price. That business model doesn't work, because there will always be someone willing to do the job cheaper. It's like everyone with a computer and a copy of Frontpage is a "web designer" pumping out cookie cutter sites that are ugly and have little function, but muddying the waters for the rest of us.
I have chosen to offer service after the sale with free support and providing information on how to get a better ROI on the clients' web investment. My business has grown and my clients are loyal, all because I give a reason to buy from me other that just price. All business should strive to answer the 2 questions that Seth Godin asks in this article from his blog. I hope you find it helpful.
That's really the only questions between you and a sale.
If someone is going to buy from you, is it because you're the cheapest? That's a hard thing to maintain. There better be a more sustainable reason than that.
If they're going to by from you today, is it because you're in proximity, the closest, the one source that can satisfy the itch they happen to have? It's a little like being a peanut vendor at the ball game. You need a big crowd and you have to give up a big share of your income in exchange for being in the right place at the right time.
The goal is to create an offering that can answer these two questions. Why from you and why right now...
Most businesses that struggle are unable to answer these two questions in a compelling fashion. They act as though they deserve that sale, or that they need to aggressively close so you'll buy today, instead of working to build in these very elements to the product itself.
Software can be one of the largest of our business expenses, but it doesn't have to be. There are many free alternatives available that are nearly as powerful as their paid counterparts.
Open Source software has been around since the beginning, but many people don't know about them. Today we'll take a look at some photo manipulation and illustration software that rivals Adobe's PhotoShop and Illustrator. Their links are below the video. Enjoy!
One that I forgot to mention in the video is Paint.net. This is a great photo manipulation software that falls in between the simple Picasa and heavier Gimp software. The illustration software, Inkscape, can be found here.
Your email signature is more than just a virtual business card. If utilized effectively, it can also be a great and inexpensive tool for marketing and branding your business, growing your database, and even generating leads. Here are a few tips to help maximize the full power of this simple, but often overlooked, marketing marvel:
Create Consistency – According to marketing experts, your email signature should be short and sweet, which means between 5 and 7 lines of text. Just be sure to include at minimum the following information: name, title, company name, phone number, and website address. Some companies include an email address in their email signature, but others see it as redundant since the email is coming from you. Either way, it is essential that everyone in your organization is consistent about it, and follows the exact same format.
In other words, your email signature should look like a uniform company stamp of which only the names and titles change from person to person within the organization. That's the first step in branding your name and image. And it's the easiest part of creating a consistent experience.
Forget the Bells and Whistles – Avoid unusual fonts, colors, and symbols in your email signature. Not only can these come off as unprofessional, some email software programs simply do not support these high-end graphic features.
Acceptable options to your signature, according to the experts, are:
- a line separating your signature;
- a short inspirational quotes or marketing taglines;
- a brief announcement of a new product or service; or
- small banner invitations to an event, seminar, workshop, or subscription to a newsletter, e-zine, or other publication.
These should all link directly to your website, driving traffic and strengthening your brand with every email that's sent out by you or anyone in your organization – something even the best business card can never accomplish. Here's an example of an ideal email signature:
Mr. Jeff Barkacs
President, Dominion Marketing LLC
2406 Albert Lee
Sedalia MO 65301
660.221.8503
DominionMarketingLLC.com
"Taking Your Domain to the World!"
Pay it Forward – Finally, while using an email signature is a great way to advertise your products and services for free, spare your co-workers and close colleagues from your signature appearing over and over again on reply and forwarded messages. Set your signature to appear on "new messages only" or simply delete everything except your name before sending your message.