Staying Creative in a Tough Business Market
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The best way to grow your business is to stay active and creative. Being able to take your brand and consistently apply it to multiple venues, demographics, and marketing strategies takes a lot of work, but is always worth it. So how can you find all these new ways to market your brand? That’s where the creativity becomes so important.
Everyone is creative, even if they don’t think they are. Just as an artist is creative with their choice of color and subject matter, a business person can be creative in their own field. Accountants get creative with finding new tax law to apply to your income, financial planners are creative in diversifying your assets.
There are so many outlets and new options for small business owners these days. A simple search of the web, will find you plenty of offers and articles, but what about some real help and brainstorming. What you need to do is filter through the noise to the really good stuff. Only read articles and tips on sites that are nationally recognized and reviewed. When looking for ideas from other business owners, search for blogs and forums where open discussion can take place. These sites can give you plenty of ideas and sound examples, but there is always more.
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Find ways to let your mind be creative and the possiblities for growth will be endless. Do you enjoy cooking or gardening? These activities can be very creative, in addition to being relaxing. Letting your brain practice creativity allows it to apply the same practices and strategies to your businesss. Find hobbies and activities that will expand your mind and reap the rewards.
It is this dedication to yourself and your business that will give you the advantage over your competitors. Many business owners find that changing direction and approaching their market from a new angle, not only brings in new customers, but also gives them a new energy and spirit for their business. Staying creative is a challenge, but even a little time each week can make a difference.
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Is there such a thing as too much social networking?
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So often we find ourselves spending way too much time on Facebook or Twitter. We check email 5 times a day or more. We’re texting and talking on the phone, throughout the day. So at what point is it too much? Well if you’ve become a drooling mess with bloodshot eyes, it may be time to step away from the computer.
With small businesses and independent business owners, it’s easy to want to maximize your usage of social media to increase business. However, its important to learn the difference between maximizing your usage and using social media to the max. Too often I see great social media accounts go too overboard in sharing information. They are eager to stay consistent and end up being more of an annoyance.
Many business owners set their accounts up with revolving messages that post 5 or more times a day. Then in order to “keep their posts fresh” they are also online talking with users and sharing new information about their products or services. What happens is that followers and fans are overwhelmed with multiple posts. After a few weeks they see the pattern repeating and like so many radio commercials, they just tune it out. Worse there are many who will unfollow an account that they feel over shares.
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The trick is to find a balance. It’s great to have revolving messages but don’t have more than 2 a day. This will keep it from becoming mundane. Also, change out the revolving posts every week to every month, depending on how many you have. Most importantly, while it is great to interact with users, don’t do so to the point that you’re having a long conversation with them. Better to send two quick posts and then get their email. The point of any Social Media campaign is to gain new customers and gather their information.
I like to follow a 10/2/5 routine. Spend 10 minutes every 2 hours checking your social media accounts, and don’t spend any longer than 5 minutes responding and interacting with people. This will keep you on task with focusing on your business and also keep you from overwhelming your loyal fans and followers with too much information.
So I challenge you to try this for just one day. I promise you’ll feel less drained at the end of the day and your fans will thank you.
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The single biggest mistake a small business can make
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As a new business owner I faced the daunting challenge of planning my own public relations (PR) and marketing campaign. Even though my company offers PR and marketing solutions in a guerilla warfare fashion, coming up with a strategy for myself was something I had to really work on. To be honest it is something I constantly revisit and work to reenergize and correct.
There are many pitfalls to starting a new company and it is easy to go down the wrong path with PR and marketing and waste time, money and energy. But the #1 mistake anyone can make is to not accurately research their market and demographics. While people may think they know their demographic and have looked up the statistics for their area, often these numbers are just an overview. For example a high end lingerie shop will appeal to females 25-40. While there may be a large number of these in the are that the store is planning to operate and sell to, these women may not make the income necessary to spend money on high end lingerie.
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As any business gets started the vultures of advertising sales will descend. Each will give you their own numbers and statistics. What a good business owner will do is seek outside research. While a radio station my say their audience is your ideal demographic, they may not be the top station in the area with the largest listener share. A local publication may be the ideal way to reach your ideal client, but the cost per ad will not be worth the resulting sales.
In most cities around the nation there are small business development centers that will not only help you with your business plan, they will also help you gather the necessary research. And best of all, unlike a marketing firm, these services are free.
In this economy with the change of income and job locations, knowing your market will make all the difference. Be sure that every six months you are looking back over the numbers. Keep an eye out for new research and new studies in your field. Stay informed and you’ll stay ahead of the game.
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I can do this… Really, I can!
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I’m back from a bad bout of walking pneumonia with a lingering cough! With that came the return of training. Starting at square one was not fun, but I made it. I’m now finishing week 4.
The big struggle now is all the little things that are popping up. Tight and sore calf muscles, a little problem with my sciatic nerve, and extreme hunger and thirst!
The calves and nerve issues I’m dealing with. Some good stretching and yoga on a daily basis, and regular visits with my massage therapist to correct the problem now before it’s too late.
The hunger and thirst deal, I’m having to work on. Weight Watchers continues to help with that and also hinder me. I long for high caloric food, but am beginning to really focus on their list of “filling foods”.
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I’ve set myself a steep goal, but I know I can make it. To make it easier I’m setting smaller goals and rewarding myself when I reach them. The first small goal is to workout every day for one week. So far I have missed at least a day every week. My run counts as a workout, but I want to either be weight lifting, taking a class, or just walking the beach.
This week’s bout with shin splints crippled me. I spent the first day with them applying heat and stretching. Since then, it’s been ice 3 times a day and lots of stretching. Since one of the reasons for shin splints is not stretching well, I’m really going to be focusing on that.
Another cause is uneven surfaces, now that I’ve started running downtown, that can’t be helped as much. The third most common cause is inadequate footwear. That I plan to remedy this week with a new pair of shoes. I’m not going to invest too much at this point in them. My plan is to get a true running shoe closer to the date of the race.
Also, as I continue to read more about Half Marathons and training for them, I may find myself the day of the race, doing a Walk/Run method. While my sister thinks I should just run the 5K I am determined to complete the full Half Marathon distance.
So this holiday weekend I’m reading up on training tips and more, getting some extra exercise by cleaning the house and purging more things (this involves several trips up and down the stairs to throw things out), and looking into some more low impact ways to workout in between training days.
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Fonts, oh how I love thee!
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Ok peeps! I love fonts! I don’t get to do as much design work as I would like, but when I do, I like to play with the shape of letters. Typography was my favorite course, after I got through it. Thank you Blair Ligon for the education!
So here it is my shameless plug of a friend’s site where she shares a bunch of great handwritten fonts! Check out Kelly Cain Smith at KCS Designs for this and other great ideas! I really love her refurbished furniture!
For some other amazing fonts that are just plain fun check out this site from Delicious.
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Losing it all… and the road back
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So as you can tell, I completely lost all momentum and never returned to walking. My lenten discipline went the way it so often does, the trash. Easter has come and gone, but I did pay up for all the days I missed. So what happened? Why did I not stick to the goal?
It’s easy! I hate running. I also just don’t really like getting up that early anymore. So now what? I’ve started Weight Watchers. I’m really enjoying watching the weight go away with so little effort. I also invested in the new Wii Fit Plus and I’m loving it! So great! A recent move to a home with stairs is also helping. So new goal is to get the guest room cleaned up so I can use it to work out in.
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An Afternoon of Public Radio
Yesterday afternoon I headed downtown to spend 2 hours answering phones as a volunteer at my local public radio station. These “pledge drives” make some groan as their favorite programming is interupted, while others scoff at the idea of paying a radio station.
I have often heard the call and wished I had money to spare, or thought I’ll donate later when I’m not driving down the road. This year as they began to mention the upcoming Spring Pledge Drive they asked for volunteers to come in and answer the phones. I called that very moment and signed up for a time. Here was a way I could help even though I couldn’t contribute.
As I headed in I was unsure what I would find. A large room of strangers and phones ringing off the hook came to mind, but I was ready to have fast fingers and a friendly hello for anyone who called. I was pleasantly surprised to find a group of employees and volunteers watching the end of a March Madness game, and snacking on tasty food from Firebelly Lounge.
As the game ended, introductions went around and a few more volunteers came in. The phones remained relatively quiet until our last half hour and I was able to meet and talk with some of the most wonderful people. All regular volunteers at the station, they work with nonprofits, listen to opera, and have great stories to share. I also answered the phone and talked with some enthusiastic individuals who were happy to share what they could with a station that gives them so much back.
So here is my challenge to you. Tune into your local station and find out how you can support a tradition of quality news and information programming. Maybe it’s as simple as answering a few phones, or you can simply opt to donate $5/month and have it auto drafted from your account. Whatever you choose, I know that you like me will come away knowing that you have helped.
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Day 4 and 5: the loss of momentum
So no posts this week on walking because I haven’t been doing it. The pain in my side is actually a Gall Bladder issue that got worse before it got better. $2 in the till for missing the walk. Hoping to try again next Tuesday. Word on the street is that warmer weather is heading to town. I’ll believe it when I see and feel it. Meanwhile I’m hooking up to the Wii Fit and doing some gentle yoga.
Post Note: The Wii Fit never manifested itself. Will add it to a long list of things to do this weekend!
