Employers should specify ‘being conscientious’ as the top skill they are looking for

If you want to be successful at work, there is one trait that you need above all others. It isn't creativity, or emotional intelligence, or people skills, or experience, or judgment or even native wit. It is conscientiousness.


All the academic studies have been saying as much for decades, suggesting that whatever line of work you are in, this is what sorts out those who do well from those who don’t.
However, now it turns out that being conscientious yourself is only a starter. What you also need is a husband or wife who is conscientious too.

According to a study soon to be published in Psychological Science, the character traits of the person you marry have an effect on how well you do at work – a fair or foul wind from him or her can determine whether you get promoted or get a pay rise and whether you find your days in the office relatively tolerable – or not.

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have spent the past five years studying married couples – most of whom both work – and matching the success of each against five personality traits of their other halves: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. They found that the last one had a large positive effect: people with conscientious husbands and wives simply did better.

This makes sense for three reasons. First, a conscientious spouse is more likely to remember to take the rubbish out and to make sure there is something for supper. If you marry someone like this, you don’t have to get entirely bogged down in such things yourself. Second, they set a great example. If they are organised and punctual and diligent – all those unfashionable but utterly wonderful things that conscientious people always are – it helps you to be so too. And third, if you were smart enough to marry someone like this your home will be a well-oiled machine, which means that you are going to turn up at work considerably less stressed than colleagues who arrive from a hearth that is chaotic and where bills go unpaid and parents’ evenings are forgotten.

This report adds to the pile of studies that tell us that the world belongs to the conscientious. Variously they show that conscientious kids do best, that the conscientious are happier at work, and even that they live longer.

In a way it is not surprising, given that 90 per cent of success is showing up. Conscientious people get there on time, floss their teeth, do what they are meant to do, are reasonably motivated, good at planning and good at refusing to eat that marshmallow just now. This makes them precisely the sort of people who are well suited to the twin institutions of work and marriage.

Yet what is surprising, given the considerable charms of conscientiousness, is that we keep so quiet about it. It is not something anyone ever boasts about. It is not cool and it’s certainly not sexy.

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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d77f4d06-4fc0-11e4-908e-00144feab7de.html#axzz3GQY67c9v

BY Lucy Kellaway (For The Financial Times) 
Twitter: @lucykellaway 

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5 Benefits of Social Media Business Owners Need To Understand

 

 

It's more than just hype. Here are 5 stat-backed benefits of social media marketing

 

While the importance of social media marketing is generally accepted, the fact that people don't question its value is all the more reason to think about exactly what its value is. The goals of social media marketing can't be just to gain likes, fans, and retweets. These things are not ends, but means to an end. Social media marketing is far more than an online popularity contest, and the better business owners understand that, the better they can use it for their companies. Here are five benefits to social media that business owners need to understand.


1. Increase brand awareness
One of the main benefits of social media marketing is the easiest to recognize: Social media is an excellent way to introduce people to a brand. Despite the Field of Dreams notion some business owners have that "if you build it, they will come," if people are unaware of a business or a website's existence, they can't shop there (Kevin Costner was dealing with ghosts, who have a lot of free time to meander around cornfields). Because social networks are used by more than two-thirds of the country, and given the way content spreads virally to others, social media is the perfect channel to promote a brand to potential customers. Relevanza reported that 78 percent of small businesses attract new customers through social media.


Research shows just how valuable this brand awareness can be. According to Adroit Digital, 75 percent of online Americans said product information found on social media influences their shopping behavior and enhances brand loyalty. They also report that social media is the second most likely way U.S. Millennials will learn about a new product (26 percent of respondents), just 3 percentage points behind TV advertising (29 percent). In the future, social media may be even more important than TV ads for introducing new products to consumers. Similarly, research from eMarketer has shown that 33 percent of consumers cite social networks as the way they discover new brands, products, and services.


2. Legitimize a brand
Another way social media marketing helps with customer acquisition is by establishing a brand as legitimate. When Internet consumers discover a business or retailer they want to use but know little about, they often check their social media page to learn more about it. Many small businesses have static websites that change little, if at all, after being initially set up by the designer. Social media pages, on the other hand, should be constantly updated with new posts, comments, etc. A website establishes that a brand exists, but a social media page establishes that the brand is active. Similarly, the number of fans shows how popular a brand is and Facebook reviews can reassure buyers by showing them that other consumers like a business. Research from Ballihoo found that 63 percent of consumers who search for local businesses online are more likely to use businesses with information on social media sites.

It's worth noting that poor social media marketing can also delegitimize a brand. If a new customer goes to a business's social media page and finds that a post hasn't been made in a few months, that customer may assume the business is defunct. If customers are asking for help in the comments and they're being ignored, they may assume the company has poor customer service.



3. Increase sales
In the end, social media marketing needs to help increase sales and revenue. That's why it's called social media marketing and not simply social media public relations. To be fair, improving brand awareness and legitimizing a brand should, by themselves, help increase sales. But there are ways to use social media to directly steer consumers toward the sales funnel. For fans of the business, business owners can write posts that link to products, sales, etc. Marketers can also use promoted content and advertisements to sell products to target audiences who haven't become fans of a brand yet. The ability to target particular audiences is one of the greatest benefits of social media marketing. Social networks know a lot about consumer interests and demographics, so even though there are hundreds of millions of fans, marketers can accurately target the right people with the right message.

There are also a lot of ways that retailers can sell products directly from social networks. On Facebook, business owners can set up a Facebook store with apps like Ecwid or Beetailer. On Twitter, retailers with Amazon.com pages can allow Twitter users to add products to their Amazon checkout straight from their Twitter feed. There are also ways to sell products on Pinterest, YouTube, and other social networks.


4. Improve customer service
Another benefit of social media that's easy to overlook is customer service. Even if a business has a dedicated customer service department, telephone number, or email, it's important to handle issues via the method of communication the consumer prefers. The fact that people use social media to ask customer service questions is reason enough for businesses to ensure their ability to help customers through social media. This also goes back to establishing a brand. One of the key concerns of consumers when they shop online is the responsiveness of customer service. People want to be assured that if they have a problem, they can easily find help. By being receptive to customer needs, business owners can increase customer loyalty to a brand.


5. Distribute content
Social media should be a part of any content marketing distribution system. Social media accounts for a huge portion of referral traffic on the web. People are looking for content that interests them and they want to share it online. A joint study by AOL and Nielsen found that people spend more than 50 percent of their time online with content and an additional 30 percent of their time on social channels where content can be shared. Business owners who want to gain customers through content marketing need to use social media and promoted content to make that happen.


All of these points and data show that social media marketing is a huge benefit for business owners, and exactly what the benefits are. Besides increasing brand awareness and establishing the legitimacy of the brand, social media marketing can affect the bottom line of a business by increasing sales. Learning about the importance of social media for marketing should also underscore why these efforts need to be continuous and the harm it does when social media marketing isn't up to consumer expectations. Long story short, social media marketing is something that every business needs to do and needs to do well. For more statistics that show the benefits of social media,


BY Peter Roesler (@Webmarketing007) for Inc.Com

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http://www.inc.com/peter-roesler/5-benefits-of-social-media-business-owners-need-to-understand.html

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Why Public Relations And Media Relations Don't Mean The Same Thing Anymore

Don't get stuck in the past. PR folks need to keep up with the ever-evolving digital world to stay relevant.

Public relations is evolving faster than an out-of-control science fiction character. Yet many PR companies in my experience are stuck in the past.

They still think of public relations as straight media relations with maybe a dollop of social media added, along with a sprinkling of branded content.

Don’t get me wrong. Media relations remains a viable part of public relations. But it’s just part of what the profession can do. Unfortunately, companies that don’t recognize that are missing a major opportunity.

“Today PR often encompasses everything from social media to content marketing and even native advertising in some cases,” says Rebekah Iliff, chief strategy officer of AirPR, the PR marketplace and technology platform.

While once the stepchild to its more glamorous sibling advertising, PR today can in fact far surpass the performance of advertising thanks to its ability to turn more traffic into leads.
For example, AirPR's data show that PR generates conversion rates 10 to 50 times that of advertising conversions.

A recent Nielsen-inPowered study showed that earned media--which is just a fancy word for PR--is more effective than branded content at all stages of the purchase funnel.
This isn’t a prescription to overdose on PR. But PR, because of its third-party endorsements, adds built-in credibility. A mistake some companies make, however, is to think third-party validation means only the media and maybe a few celebrities.

“Many people just consider industry luminaries and the ‘rock stars’ when thinking about influencers,” Sarah Skerik, vice president of strategic communications and content at PR Newswire, told me.

Skerik says she’s had better results by getting something shared on LinkedIn than by having it retweeted by big names on Twitter.

Adjusting To Today’s Digital World

The challenge today for public relations is adjusting to the constant drum of news from social media and mobile. No longer are episodic, big budget launch campaigns the ticket to success. Instead, brands must widen the net and maintain an always-on presence. This means using a combination of third-party validation, along with branded content and social.

As Heidi Sullivan, senior vice president of digital content at PR software company Cision, told me, “There is no silver bullet today. Getting mentioned in a big daily newspaper doesn’t reach your entire audience.”

At the same time that the role of public relations has morphed into a bigger job, technology is helping to transform PR into something you can measure.
No longer do companies have to rely solely on media placements as the only evidence of PR success; today armed with the right tools, they can understand the impact of PR on leads and ultimately sales.
Yet many companies in my experience would as soon measure their employees’ bathroom habits as they would their PR effectiveness.

“This is the one thing I see missing the majority of the time,” Iliff told me. “A company says to a PR pro ‘we want to see our sales go up' but then gives them no access to how to actually make that happen."

By: Wendy Marx (For Fastcompany.com)

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http://www.fastcompany.com/3034498/the-future-of-work/why-public-relations-and-media-relations-dont-mean-the-same-thing-anymore

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Why women dominate PR

That women are so prevalent in the public relations business should be news to no one (especially frequent visitors to this site).

It’s a fact that women comprise 63 percent of PR specialist roles and 59 percent of PR management positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, many believe that females are underrepresented at the C-level in PR.

Why? Why are there so many more women working in PR than men?

The Atlantic gave reporter Olga Khazan 3,700-plus words to answer that question in a piece that was published last week. Khazan interviewed 10 women who work in public relations to help find the answer.

It’s worth your time to chew on the whole thing, but we’ll hit a few highlights for you below:

• The media paints a glamorous picture of what comprises a female PR professional’s life. According to Khazan, “nearly every worman I spoke with mentioned Samantha Jones,” the fictional character from Sex and the City.
• Journalism is low paying and unstable. Plus, being a cub reporter is decidedly more awful than your first couple years as a PR pro. Khazan reports, “While female news reporters make $43,326, on average, (to men’s $51,578), female PR “specialists,” the lower-level job in the BLS categorization, make $55,705, while their male counterparts make $71,449.”
• In college, Khazan points to research that shows women “tend to value ‘non pecuniary,’ or non-monetary aspects of their college majors slightly more than men do, while men value their potential future earnings slightly more."
• “Studies have shown that women tend to collaborate more and prefer to work on teams, whereas men usually do better in competitive environments and prefer to fly solo. That male approach works well for journalists, while having a bit of a 'people-pleaser' gene probably attracts and/or makes it easier for women to excel in the PR environment,” Jennifer Hellickson, director of marketing at SweatGuru in Portland, Oregon, told The Atlantic.

The upshot? Khazan writes, “If there’s any takeaway from all this, it’s that the women-in-PR trend started happening for a number of reasons, and it’s not inherently bad, so it never stopped.”

By Kevin Allen

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http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/17090.aspx


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5 Signs You’re Going To Make It Big One Day

We’ve all got dreams of making it ‘big’ one day, but how many of us actually follow through with those dreams? We make excuses for our lack of success, saying things like, “Life got in the way,” or “I can’t handle anymore rejection. ”But not you! You’re on the fast-track to fame and success. Or are you? Think you’ve got what it takes to make it big? Here are some signs you’re right:

1. You’ve Got A Dream (A Big One!)

What’s your vision? What do you want to accomplish? What are your hopes and dreams? Having a dream – even if it’s a little vague – is crucial for success. Before you can start your journey, you need to have a goal in mind!

In the words of Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it." (And before you can do it, you've got to dream it!)

2. You’ve Got A Road Map, But You're Prepared To Take Detours

They say success is where preparation and opportunity meet. So, when opportunity comes ‘a knockin,’ you’re going to want to have your plan already in place. Think of it as your road map to making it big!

What steps do you need to take to get where you want to be? Who do you need to know? What skills do you need to have?
But, let's be real here, nothing EVER goes exactly according to plan. You need to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at you. Think of those things as detours. They're not a huge deal as long as you figure out how to get back on the main road!

3. You’re Extremely Curious

You need to have an innate fascination with whatever it is you’re working toward. You've got to learn as much as you can about the industry, the people, the culture, and so on. You need to want to be consumed by it. You've got to understand the problems and be excited about finding solutions. You’ve got to be passionate, excited, and curious about all areas of the biz.

When Larry King made his debut in radio, he made a point to become consumed in the biz. In addition to doing his own show, he did the weather reports, the sports updates, and the news broadcasts. He even volunteered to fill in in for people who were out sick, and took on double shifts.
Why? He wanted to learn all there was to know about the biz. He wanted to practice. He wanted to be good at what he did. The only way to do that was to explore and go above and beyond what was asked of him. He called it "taking extra batting practice."

4. You’re A Little Cocky (Just A Little)

If you really want to make it, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Without confidence, you can so easily get crushed by negativity and criticism – things you will have to deal with once you hit the spotlight.

You have to be confident. You have to trust yourself. And you have to have a deep understanding that you’re going to make it. For actress Jennifer Lawrence, that understanding came at a young age.
“I always knew that I was going to be famous,” she told Vogue magazine. “I honest to God don't know how else to describe it. I used to lie in bed and wonder: ‘Am I going to be a local TV person? Am I going to be a motivational speaker?’ It wasn't a vision. But as it's kind of happening, you have this buried understanding: Of course.”

5. You Realize Failure Is A Minor Setback, Not A Game Changer

If you’re even thinking about making it big one day, the word “quit” can’t be in your vocabulary. In the end, you don’t succeed because you don’t fail; you succeed because you don’t give up. The second you quit, you’ve lost.

Take Michael Jordan, for example. He has a famous quote, "I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." The only reason he succeeded was because he didn't let those failures discourage him to the point of quitting. Why? Because he realized his failures were only minor setbacks - not game changers.

I guarantee you that everyone you look up to has failed at one point or another, but did that stop them from picking themselves back up and moving forward? No way, Jose. And that’s why they’re successful.

By. Ariella Coombs (http://www.careerealism.com)
Twitter: @AriellaCoombs
Click for Original Article

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140619132958-79588522-5-signs-you-re-going-to-make-it-big-one-day


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8 questions to ask before you design your website

When clients or friends tell me they plan to design a new website, I get curious and excited. What colors are they going to go with? What are their SEO goals? What layout are they using?

Creating a personal or business website requires serious thought and attention. There’s a lot more to it than deciding what font you plan to use. To help people who are starting a business and are looking to build a public face of a new organization or those looking to redesign be a bit less overwhelmed, here are some crucial questions they can ask themselves before, and while, creating the new website design.

1. What is the purpose of your website?

It seems obvious, but knowing the true purpose of your website will determine everything that it does and how it looks. Make sure you lay out clear objectives and goals for your website before you start on the design.

2. What will your domain name be?

Your website title should be easy to remember. Also make sure you know which domain will be appropriate (.net, .com, etc.).

3. What technology will you use for your website design?

Find a platform you’re familiar with and that is easy to use. (I recommend WordPress and/or HTML5.) If you understand how to do the basic coding, then you can make minor edits without the help of a website designer.

4. What will your content be?

A personal website will usually have content that is more about blogging and personal tastes and interests. A business website will feature content about the business itself: An “About Us” page, a blog, contact information, and pages devoted to products and/or services. It’s essential to feature content that is SEO focused, such as vivid images, creative videos, and keyword-friendly copy.

5. Who is your audience?

Every website design is a little different, and you can always tell those who know their audience well and those who don’t. Website designers who understand their audience use appropriate colors, targeted SEO (keywords, images and videos perfect for that audience), and a clean, uncluttered layout. Make sure it’s immediately clear whom you’re trying to reach when your website pops up.

6. Is your website viewable in all browsers?

Your website should not become distorted depending on the type of browser someone is using. Be sure to test your new website on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

7. What social media channels will you promote?

Linking to your social media accounts will not only boost website traffic, it will also give you major SEO points.

8. How will you track your website traffic?

You can’t increase SEO if you’re not clear about where you have to make changes. Try using Google Analytics to see where you can improve and where you’re doing well. These are just a handful of the many questions and decisions that go into building a website, whether it’s for personal or business purposes. What other questions do you think are important?

By Paige McDaniel (For PRDaily.com)

Click for Original Article

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16670.aspx


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You Need A Social Media Manager On Your Team

There is added value in having a strategist and a communicator representing your company's brand

There are two job titles floating around the business world: social media manager and community manager. While they bear similarities, a community manager is the public face of brands, interacting with a community and generating buzz for their companies. A social media manager is a strategist and communicator, with the ability to measure and analyze effectiveness. Large companies will have both an SM and CM, while startups and small businesses are lucky to be able to fulfill even one of those positions.

Many small business owners have adopted a “do-it-myself” mentality when it comes to social media. This just leads to greater burn out. The reality is that you need someone on your team –be it a social media manager, a community manager, or a combination of the two–who represents your company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc., and who is responsible for responding to comments/questions.

Below are just a few reasons why your business needs team member handling social media:

Act As Voice of the Brand. You want to have someone who is charged with managing your brand’s social media accounts in order to generate traffic and conversations. They’re the voice of the brand and act as the brand, not as their own persona. Also, this is the person who would work to create or add to the community, by generating leads and sales.

Create and Manage Accounts. This includes developing and posting content, such as Facebook updates, Twitter messages, and Instagram photos. Also, this is about following and interacting with other social media accounts, especially “influencers” and “thought leaders” in your field.

Share Video Content. If you have YouTube, a social media manager would post videos, respond to comments, and interact with other YouTube accounts, including commenting on their content and adding their videos to your company account’s playlists.

Increase SEO. In the social media training process, a strong manager will understand what it takes to boost SEO and improve your search rank. They will be able to create unique content and be able to navigate through search engines and other social media platforms that will help your company’s productivity.

Build Campaigns. This person also should be able to develop campaigns and strategies from the ground up and to see through the company’s social media endeavors. He or she should have the proper social media training to monitor campaigns in order to see what is working or what is not working and strive to improve the company’s online presence.

Focus On Automation. You want someone on board with social media training who is well-versed in different management tools and strategies (apps and content automation tools) to maintain a strong online presence for your company.

Monitor Trends. You also want someone who can stay ahead of the game by focusing on social media trends and researching best practices. This person should be able to implement new techniques for boosting your company’s online reputation and progress.

Manage Company Reputation. In the social media world, this means monitoring location listings like Google+ Local as well as tracking and responding to mentions of your company’s name and relevant keywords and reviews on sites like Yelp and Foursquare that get pushed to Twitter. A social media manger would respond to reviews as needed.


by Carolyn M. Brown  (For BlackEnterprise.com)

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http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/you-need-a-social-media-manager-on-your-team/


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5 Ways to Get People to Remember You (And Your Company)

After a recent lecture, a young consultant came up to me. “I have a problem,” he said. “People seem to forget me right away. I’ll remember meeting them, but they have no idea we connected before. I think I’m just not memorable enough. What can I do?”
Being memorable is essential for every entrepreneur -- after all, people won’t fund you or buy from you if they don’t even remember you exist.
Here are five ways to ensure you’re making a strong and lasting impression.

1. Identify a commonality. When I interviewed the eminent psychologist Robert Cialdini for my book Reinventing You, he told me the fastest way to get someone to like you is to find a commonality you share with them. People will trust you and relate to you if they feel you share a bond -- whether it’s that you’re from the same hometown, went to the same school or even just that you both like dogs or the color orange. And if they like you and trust you, they’ll remember you.

2. Pique their interest. Many of us kill conversations in the first 10 seconds. When someone asks the inevitable, “What do you do?,” you need a better answer than just a boring recitation: “I own a business” or “I’m a technology entrepreneur.” Find a way to pique their curiosity and make them want to know more. It’s a lot more interesting and memorable to say “I help companies become more famous” or “I’m launching a business that will enable you to connect with doctors without ever leaving your home.”

By Dorie Clark (for Entrepreneur.com)

For the next 3 and full article please click

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233768


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Facebook Is Putting The Focus Back On Direct Response And FBX-Powered Ads

Facebook has focused a lot of its paid ad products on branding — ads that tout a business and build positive feelings about the brand. Search, meanwhile, has always been the primary digital format for direct response ads — ads designed to get customers to take an immediate action based on what they've already shown interest in.

But now Facebook is going after the search space pretty aggressively, with a new presentation for ad partners emphasizing Facebook's strong role as a direct response ad format.

That means Facebook Exchange (FBX) is about to get a lot more attention. It's Facebook's proprietary real-time bidding exchange and it marries Facebook user data with data from third-party platforms that track user web browsing behavior. FBX then uses these two parameters to serve hypertargeted ads in the desktop News Feed and right-rail. 

Recently, BI Intelligence took an in-depth look at FBX to understand how the Exchange works, which players are partners, and how the ads it serves perform. We also put FBX in context in terms of its size and performance.

The real-time aspect of FBX is crucial. It's impossible to target a user who is interested in living room furniture with personalized ads when they open their Facebook page unless he or she can be identified and served a relevant ad in milliseconds.

Here are some of the key details from our report on FBX: 

FBX is becoming a huge player in the real-time bidding space: Millions of ads are sold and purchased on FBX every second with the help of demand-side platforms that plug advertisers into FBX, and billions of impressions are served every day. Facebook already accounts for about half of the retargeted ad clicks on the Web. The real-time aspect of FBX is crucial It's impossible to target a user who is interested in living room furniture with personalized ads when they open their Facebook page unless he or she can be identified and served a relevant ad in milliseconds.FBX fills a certain niche, a very specific marketing objective known as "demand fulfillment," nudging shoppers to complete a purchase they've already shown interest in.The platform was fast out of the gate: FBX produced stellar early results for advertisers, both in terms of cost and performance. Eventually, the price and performance bar will be set higher. That's already starting to happen for better-performing News Feed placements.Despite FBX's huge weight in the retargeting space, it still constitutes a small share of overall Facebook revenues.FBX is not yet available on mobile, though this may be coming soon. Additionally, Sponsored Story social-native ads, which are at the heart of Facebook's ad ecosystem, aren't accessible via FBX. As Facebook makes direct response more of a priority, however, this could begin to change.

By Cooper Smith (Business Insider)

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http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-is-putting-the-focus-back-on-direct-response-and-fbx-powered-ads-2014-5

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Goodwill goes a long way..

Goodwill goes a long way..

 

 

By "The Boss"

(Why attaching your company or brand to a cause or charity can increase your company's profits)

One of the main things we advise our clients to do is to pick a cause or charity (that they believe in) and then attach themselves to it. This strategy facilitates goodwill and positive press for a brand as well as gain new supporters and customers.Today's market place, thanks in part to the explosion of social media is extremely over-saturated. The market place is filled with individuals who are either selling something, offering a service, part of a network marketing company or most of all aspiring entertainers. If you are reading this you just may be one of the fore-mentioned "over saturated many". Therefore you have probably asked yourself how do I stand out?

One of the most tried and true methods is Goodwill Marketing or charitable marketing. Whether you are a musician, actor, comedian or you are a small business volunteering your time, effort and/or money is a great way to promote what you do.

Why does good will marketing work?

Today's society is very "Me" conscious and Ego driven. It is almost impossible to gain support or attention when a good number of your target market are “doing their own thing” at the same time you are. Goodwill Marketing separates you from the pack. (If done correctly of course and with the right publicity)

In addition to staying above the fray. Goodwill Marketing will compel "like-minded" individuals to become supporters and ultimately customers. A good example of this is Credo Mobile. Credo mobile is a telecommunications company that among other things offers cell phone and mobile data services. They are competing against the T-Mobile’s and Verizon’s of the world but is able to find a very loyal and profitable customer base.

How is a small start up Telecommunications Company able to compete against their established and entrenched competition?

The answer: Goodwill Marketing

 

Credo Mobile has attached itself to "The progressive" movement. Credo mobile gives a portion of their revenue to progressive causes and candidates. With super-packs and campaign donations basically playing the primary role in the United States electoral process, Credo Mobile saw a lane to drive down. Credo Mobile advertised on "progressive talk radio", gave donations for progressive candidates and causes. This lead to people who consider their politics progress or liberal to do business with Credo Mobile. Now this not a "plug" for Credo Mobile's politics but it is an example that if you choose a cause that is popular and attach your brand to that cause you will ultimately gain customers who share an affiliation to that cause.

I would like to offer a word of caution; SINCERITY. Do not choose a cause or charity you do not believe in and or know nothing about because this will backfire on you and your brand. The true activists can always spot a phony and its just not good karma.

 

Goodwill Marketing is an effective tool that you can pull out of the box. It generates awareness to your brand, will garner you positive media attention and a loyal and engaged customer base. Goodwill marketing is a key strategy that L&B Consultation employs regularly and when used in concert with other marketing and publicity principles it will increase the visibility of your brand and ultimately profits.

　

　

About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

5 Strategies for Communicating When You Don't Even Like to Talk

 

The stereotypical entrepreneur talks to everyone easily, but introverts need not be discouraged. Reticence does not doom you to failure.
Social science finds at least a third, and maybe half, the population is introverted. Successful entrepreneurs who are introverts make their personalities work for them. With less interest in the spotlight than accomplishing goals, introverts are inclined to let talented employees run with their ideas. Here are five strategies for making introversion an asset.
 1. Learn to work with your personality. Even if it makes your palms sweat, as an entrepreneur you need to communicate with people. That does not mean you need to do it in situations that are terminally uncomfortable. If speaking in front of a large crowd is too much, one-on-one meetings are often just enough. When you must talk to a group, prepare a script. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly. Successful introverted entrepreneurs own their introversion, know their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

2. Discover your strengths. People tend to underestimate the introvert but the introvert surprises those who listen. Research reveals introverts are more concrete when describing things, and concrete descriptions are known to make a better impression. In comparison to extroverts, who may skim the surface, introverts study the big picture. Research shows introverts have more neuronal activity in brain regions linked to vigilance control and motor control, and they process external stimuli faster than extroverts. Introvert entrepreneurs naturally talk less and strategize more.

3. Prepare for working outside your comfort zone. Introverted entrepreneurs enjoy spending time alone but no entrepreneur can build a business completely on their own. Cultivating good social skills to connect with others is essential to hiring a team, persuading investors and selling your ideas. You can be an introvert most of the time, but there are times when even an introvert needs to be sociable.

4. Be aware of your energy. Occasionally you will need an extroverted front to accomplish a task. Make reasonable adjustments. For instance, if you must make calls during your shift, do so when you’re ready and prepared. Do things that don’t drain your energy too fast and leave the extroverted activities for times when you’re more energized.

5. Technology is never shy. The information age offers introverts a safe haven at the click of a button. As an introverted entrepreneur, you can use this to your advantage. Since introverts are good with details, creating and managing systems is a great way to interact with people without actually interacting. Let your software talk for you. If approaching someone in person is daunting, use social media. Outsourcing can grow your business and reduce how often you need to talk face-to-face.
Ultimately, technology doesn’t solve all problems and personality is not destiny. Keep a level head and build a support system. Good advice for extroverts, too.


BY Murray Newlands (via entrepreneur.com)

Sourced link

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233663?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+entrepreneur%2Flatest+%28Entrepreneur%29#



About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

Why clients deserve grades, too

The most successful public relations campaigns result from collaborative agency/client relationships. It’s always a two-way street.

For the public relations firm to deliver results, the client must invest adequate time and resources, provide information about their business activities, attend to content reviews in a timely manner, be available for interviews on the journalist’s schedule, and son on.

Clients are continually—both consciously and unconsciously—grading their agency’s performance, so shouldn’t the PR firm likewise produce client report cards to gauge their performance as partners?

Let’s review how clients should behave in order to earn straight A’s.


By Len Stein (via PRDaily.com)

Read Full Article

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16565.aspx


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

WELCOME TO L&B CONSULTATION

 

 

 

 

L&B Consultation is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting company focusing on publicity, radio promotion, brand identification, brand management

Services:

 

 

- Brand Management
- Online Reputation Management
- Radio Promotion
- Press Releases
- Blogger Outreach
- Bios
- Website Design
- Web Hosting
- Social Media Optimization
- Marketing Strategies
- Press Kits
- Media Alerts
- Event Planning
- Media Relations

Projects/Clients (Past & Present)

Woman (Single) - Beenie Man

Nore Davis - Actor & Comedian credits include HBO Boardwalk Empire

Top Black & Faded (Single) - S-Shata/French Montana

Hype (Songwriter/Producer) - credits include Fabolous, Fat Joe, television scores
Revolt TV's "The Gate", Oxygen TV's "Bad Girls Club"

Malikah Amoh & Timmy's Heart Foundation - Socialite & Philanthropist

Free Distress LLC - Financial Services & Mortgage Restructuring Services

Nikki Chin - Fashion Designer

AK Couture Boutique & Beautry Bar Grand Opening

Wonder Mke & Master Gee of the Original Sugarhill Gang & More

Info@LBConsultation.com