Simpleology Blog

With her bakeshop still in the works, Gia Magarelli decided to get hold of the 7-Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit so she would "hit the ground running," so to speak.

Gia paid special attention to one key area of improvement: referrals. Though she was certain that the quality of her pastries would speak for themselves and the customer reviews would certainly bring in traffic to the bakeshop, she wanted to be more proactive about marketing her baked treats. Thus, she has taken steps to enable her to generate incentivized referrals.

Guided by the principles of the 7-Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit, Gia did the following:

1. Present one look. Gia's bake shop had to have a unified look--from its interiors to the packaging, menus, flyers, and calling cards. "I've learned that total packaging is an important part of establishing the brand image," she shares.

2. Cross-promote. You must expand your word-of-mouth marketing network to like-minded businesses. As such, Gia got in touch with party organizers and wedding planners who would most likely be in need of her services for their clients.

3. Throw a party. When you open for business, you must do so with a bang. This doesn't mean you have to shell out a lot of money for a party, you can just have a simple get-together with your family, friends, neighbors, suppliers, and other contacts. In Gia's case, she is planning to hold a taste-test party, where the guests could sample her pastries. This way, she'll already get the word out about her baked treats.

"I could not have thought of these marketing ideas if it weren't for the7-Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit," says Gia. "I'm confident about my products--but I want to cover all my bases. The more customers, the better."

Come up with brilliant promotional strategies of your own with the 7-Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit.

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Looks Matter. If you want to be taken seriously, don't use nutty-looking avatars like this one. It's crucial that you present an unforgettable image in the virtual world. Just make sure that it's memorable in the right way.

Does your avatar draw in people or does it drive them away?

This is probably one of the questions you have to answer before you take the big social media plunge.

The Social Media Marketing Action Cashmap emphasizes the importance of brand identity. While avatars may be a minor component of this, they are, nevertheless, part of the package.

Arguably, the avatars used by people who are affiliated with certain companies should look presentable. For instance, I can't just use an avatar that has me doing a funny face because it would be detrimental to the company's image.

In this light, I've compiled some of useful tips for choosing the right avatars:

1. Look professional. In her article, "6 Tips for Better Branding Using Avatars," Aliza Sherman stipulates: "Once you've established clear brand attributes, you need to go through the images you have or are considering using for your avatar and pick those that most clearly represent those attributes. Without question, using a photograph of yourself will always establish more trust than using any other image, particularly any non-human image. A cartoon image of yourself can be a good second choice if the nature of the illustration is in keeping with your brand attributes."

2. Personalize it. Don't make the mistake of using an image from avatar-generating sites. You certainly don't want your avatar to look like anyone else's. Also, your target audience may be put off by the fact that you haven't made an effort to stand out with an avatar that's specially designed for you. In short, it makes you and your company look cheap.

3. Keep it clean and simple. Hivelogic author Dan Benjamin, in his article "Why Your Avatar Matters," cautions against distracting avatars that are either hard to make out or are too flashy. He writes, "Don't use those Flash-generated Japanimation style avatars." He goes on to state that the quality of the image should also be optimal. A blurry photo or illustration simply won't do.

Bottom line: Always remember that in a setting where people have never seen you before, your avatar could make or break you and the company you represent.

Learn all there is to know about managing brand identity in Social Media Marketing Action Cashmap.

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My friend Zara made a big confession to me recently. "I have emails dating back to eight years ago," she revealed. "I can't seem to bring myself to delete them. These are emails announcing job openings and party invitations. There are also some alerts from mailing lists that I haven't had the chance to open. There's also some chain emails that I might use. I've even kept some angry emails from a person I had a misunderstanding with years ago."

When I asked her why she can't let go of the skeletons in her inbox, Zara replied, "I use them to remember what happened that year. I'm sure I'll get around to reading all of them."

At that, I was rendered speechless.

Now, I don't know if anybody else out there keeps ancient emails for posterity or future reading, but, upon consulting the Email Survival Strategy Cashmap, I've come up with rules that will help email hoarders deep-six their inbox junk:

1. If you haven't read it in a week's time, then you probably don't need to read it at all. Don't kid yourself. You are never going to get around to reading the unopened emails from years ago. Any unread email that's over a week old and isn't from someone you know personally should be trashed. Unless you've just come back from a long vacation, there's no reason why old emails should still be crowding your inbox.

2. Chain emails should go ASAP--no questions asked. We've all gotten chain emails. There are creepy ones threatening doom if we don't forward the message to 10 people. There are those containing jokes. There are some featuring videos or pictures. We don't need these emails. Keeping them won't boost productivity. If you want to laugh, got to humor sites or search for funny videos on YouTube.

3. If you can't understand it, then don't open it. If there are emails whose subject headings seem Greek to you, then don't open them. Trash them right away. Chances are, these are scam emails. Even if the sender appears to be somebody you know or an organization that you've been in contact with, don't click on it if the subject heading strikes you as strange. That's often a red flag for a scam. Besides, if it's really that important, the person or the organization will give you a call.

Sure, there are emails you can keep for posterity. But, it's rather curious if the emails you consider worthy of keeping include outdated announcements that you haven't opened yet. Why hold on to spam? Speaking of which, I'm wondering about the state of Zara's work email. I sure hope that particular inbox isn't full of skeletons, too. She has enough to deal with as it is.

Get a grip on the junk in your inbox with the Email Survival Strategy Cashmap.

Posted by Grace Cook at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Margie Langshur, a mother of two who champions eco-friendly solutions, was pleasantly surprised that the Recession-Proof Your Home Action Cashmap also tackled making money from household clutter. "I'm not really into making money off my white elephants," she clarifies. "I'm more concerned about disposing of them without doing harm to the environment. But, of course, I am delighted by the fact that this Cashmap teaches me how to convert them into cash."

In keeping with her green efforts and the systematic de-cluttering guide from the Recession-Proof Your Home Action Cashmap, Margie shares green ways to get rid of your clutter:

1. Great Giveaway. In addition to donating the stuff you don't need to thrift shops run by charity groups or non-profit organizations, you can also pass them on to people who want them. You can log on to Freecycle.org, where people around the world sign up for locally based mailing lists indexed on the site. Plus, you can also request for things you need like, say, a lava lamp. Who knows? Somebody out there may be itching to part with one.

2. Repurpose Rave. It makes no sense for you to buy new furnishings when you can just give them a makeover or transform them into something else. You can spruce up an old sofa with a cute fabric or you can turn a mug into a pen holder.

3. Retro Cellphone Donation. Has your old cellphone become obsolete for you? Many groups collect old cellphone models, which they refurbish and redistribute to people who need them. Visit the Wireless Recycling website to find out where you can drop off your old cellphones.

"For me, being able to ditch my white elephants without doing harm to the environment, is already a benefit that the Recession-Proof Your Home Action Cashmap helped me attain. If I get tax deductions or any sort of monetary reward from doing good, then that's really priceless," says Margie.

Use the Recession-Proof Your Home Action Cashmap to locate the hidden moneymakers in your home and do your part in saving the planet.

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Twitter Exposed! The whole world has gotten on the Twitter network, but does everyone know how to make their tweets count?

In her article, "It's Official: Twitter's Popularity Soars," Chloe Albanesius reports: "If the constant coverage of Twitter hasn't convinced you, Twitter is popular [then the statistics will]. Visits to Twitter have increased 1,382 percent since last year--from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to seven million in February 2009, according to Nielsen."

Citing Nielsen, Albanesius adds, "[Twitter's] growth signals that the micro-blogging site is no longer just a platform for friends to stay connected in real-time. It is now an important component of brand marketing."

But even as adults between the ages of 35 and 49 comprise almost 42 percent of the site's audience, most Twitter users haven't really figured out how to make full use of the micro-blogging platform.

Navigating Twitterville with the Twitter Marketing Action Cashmap, Kyle Munro shares some must-know factoids that will help everyone tweet smarter and build better networks:

1. The standard Twitter question "What are you doing?" should not be taken literally. The people who accuse Twitter of being pointless have it wrong. It's not--as long as you don't just use it for blow-by-blow accounts of your day. Surely, you don't need to tell the world that you just cut your toenails! Of course, many people choose to just use Twitter for this purpose. Though there's nothing wrong with doing so, it does seem like such a waste. You have to think of each tweet you make as an opportunity to express yourself, as well as advertise your skills. Making smart observations and sharing reliable information will benefit more people, as well as boost your credibility.

2. Followers can be deceiving. Think you're so popular because you've amassed 1,000 followers in record time? Don't make any chest-thumping declarations just yet. First, you have to make sure that all those 1,000 followers are indeed real people who want to hear your thoughts. There's a good chance that a number of your followers are spammer and unsavory bots.

3. Sources must be cited property. It's part of proper Twitter etiquette to cite your sources. Though it's hard to pull off with a 140-character limit, there are URL shorteners that will help you do this. They are particularly useful when it comes to sharing lengthy links.

In conclusion, Kyle points out, "If you have a Twitter marketing strategy in place, you can break new ground with the connections you make on Twitter. It's not just useful for those who own businesses, it's for everyone who's ready to learn what they can and explore more opportunities for professional growth."

Learn to expand your knowledge and your network with the Twitter Marketing Action Cashmap.

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One of the most common reasons for people's low energy levels is sleep deprivation. In 2008, a National Sleep Foundation survey revealed that about 58 percent of adults have suffered from the lack of sleep. Simpleology 103: The Simple Science of Personal Energy identifies it as one of the major causes of distress.

As we all probably know, sleep deprivation leads to increased intensity of stress, accidents caused by impaired coordination, bad moods, and other health issues.

Though there are especially formulated sleeping aids out in the market, most experts still recommend natural sleep inducers. In fact, they have come up with exercises that will help you have a regular bedtime. Here are three of them:

1. Snooze Word Focus. Lie down and close your eyes. Choose a focus word or short phrase that you'd never associate with stressful things. (For me, it's "lemon drops" or "stars.") Breathe in deeply and deliberately, inhaling through your nose and saying the focus word as you exhale. Imagine letting go of one worry or concern as you exhale.

2. Weightless Stretch. Lie down on the bed. Close your eyes and take deep breaths for five minutes. Then, close your eyes. Stretch your left arm and maintain the position for as long as you can. When you bring your arm down, imagine that some weight has been lifted from your body. Repeat the same action with your other arm and each of your legs. When you're done lie still and clear your mind.

3. Muscle Soothing. Settle on a comfortable position on the bed. Take a few deep breaths. Focus on the muscles on your face by tensing them and holding them for three seconds as you inhale. Then slowly relax as you exhale, feeling all the tension subside. Move on to the muscles on your neck and shoulders, then work your way down to your feet.

When done at least 10 to 15 minutes before your targeted bedtime, these exercises are said to improve the quality of your sleep. I've proven the first exercise to be most effective for me. Perhaps, you, too, will get better sleep with one of these sleep-inducing exercises. If your sleeping problem persists, though, it's important that you consult your doctor about it.

Aside from getting enough sleep, find out how you can boost your energy naturally from Simpleology 103: The Simple Science of Personal Energy.

Posted by Grace Cook at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Magic Moments. The most exciting ideas that will re-energize your business could come from the most unlikely places.

You have to push yourself to learn something new everyday--or else you'll be stuck in a time warp. You don't want to be pushing products that are outdated, do you?

The task of keeping up with what's hot and what's not in the market can be overwhelming. You often suffer from information overload as various experts come up with advice on how you can continue to be competitive in the long run.

Geoffrey Hammett, who takes part in marketing operations for a convenience store chain, figured out how to re-energize his company's promotional activities. "I realized that most of us had gotten stuck with concepts that had been used over and over again," he observes. "So, I thought perhaps we should go back to the basics and learn to see what we were doing with fresh eyes."

With his mind set on out-of-the-box solutions, Geoffrey got hold of the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap and let it spark some exciting ideas for the company. He relates: "The Cashmap made it possible for me to present alternative ways of generating ideas for our promotions."

Geoffrey lists the following ways to crank up novel concepts for re-energizing his company:

1. Hook up with devil's advocates. It's not enough for you to decide to do something because it's nice or because you think it's good. You have to focus on something that's really important to you. You have to get into the mindset of being in it for the long haul. To test your commitment, arrange a meeting with three of your friends or colleagues. The sole objective of that meeting would be for them to put you on the hot seat and detail all the things that could go wrong with the business you plan to put up.

2. Compete with yourself. While it's been said that you're only as good as the people you compete with, being caught up in cutthroat face-offs with your competitors will just screw up your business. You don't want to taint your company with this kind of vibe. If you do so, you won't be able to feel stable--and neither will your clients. You'll spend so much time looking over your shoulder that you'll soon forget to prioritize product development or improving your service. In order to reap the rewards, you must go out of your way to exceed your expectations in every aspect of running your business.

3. Play hooky from time to time. Just as it's a bad idea for you to remain locked in your ivory tower, you should also not rely on strict brainstorming sessions for ideas. You have to understand that being focused doesn't mean you have to stick to structured thinking. Take a walk around your neighborhood, watch TV shows you don't normally pay attention to, and, perhaps, you may even ask your Magic 8-Ball for guidance. Once you let yourself loosen up, you'll generate more ideas than ever.

"If you want your business to be at the forefront of the industry," states Geoffrey, "you must have a steady influx of fresh ideas. Big companies often over-analyze this undertaking and make it needlessly complicated. This was why I had to use the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap to get back to the basics and come up with potential promotional schemes that are direct to the point. So, whether you're just starting out or even if you're already a corporate giant, you can learn a thing or two from Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap. Who knows? The idea that it spawns may very well be the next big thing.

Dreaming of making a big splash in the business world? Check out the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap.

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