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Showing posts from August, 2018

Make a Big Impact with Foldable Printed Mailers

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Creating a printed mailer is one of the best ways to get your message across to a wide variety of individuals, but how can you be sure that your message isn't lost among the raft of bills and magazines that tend to litter every mailbox in America? Creating a unique design is great for a traditional message or a sale. Foldable printed mailers are a fun way to get your creative message out into the marketplace by designing something unexpected that will surprise and delight your audience. Here are a few ways that you can create wonder and excitement with your next printed promotional mailing.  3D Folded Materials Are you sending an open house announcement to a select few individuals and including the media? Influencers such as bloggers and media personalities are a great way to get free promotion for your brand, but these people are also inundated with others who are also trying to recruit them. An interactive 3D folded mailer can catch the eye of the most jaded recipient

5 Ways to Skillfully Handle Criticism With a Smile Instead of a Frown

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"This work is sloppy and does not meet the needs of the company. You'll have to completely rework it." "Is this all you've gotten done for today? You're going to have to step up your pace." "Why didn't you follow the instructions I gave you? This is terrible work." "I liked your old hairstyle better." Criticism, no matter how delicately someone gives it to you, hurts. Being criticized makes us feel worthless, painfully vulnerable to our own negative thoughts and unsure of our abilities. Some inexperienced managers think criticizing their employees will incentivize them to work faster and harder but, of course, we know this tactic is the absolutely wrong way to motivate employees. Scientists speculate there is something instinctual, or innate, about our adverse reaction to even mild criticism. Just like the human body is hard-wired to instantly move into a "fight or flight" state when confronted by danger, our

How to Chart Your New Future (Part 2)

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Looking to grow personally or professionally, but not sure where to start? Last week we examined the incredible benefits of lifelong learning. Increased cognitive function increases the health of the entire body, and continued education sparks social engagement (as we learn from and WITH others) that brings confidence and delight. Research suggests that people with strong social connections tend to be happier and live longer. Whether you feel supported by your employer or not, here are four simple avenues that will enrich your life and help you grow: 1. Stretch Yourself. The first step in continued growth is to assess your buy-in. Check out last week’s article for more detail on jump-starting your own motivation. 2. Ask Others to Stretch You . Baseball legend Yogi Berra commented, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” Perhaps one of our greatest obstacles is our lack of perspective. In the daily grind, it can be hard to identify or ad

How to Chart Your New Future (Part 1)

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Irene Obera is an 84-year-old southern California native who loves bowling, tennis, and educating others. She also happens to be the fastest woman on earth for her age. Irene has been breaking records in Masters athletics for forty years, and her aging philosophies are captured in her own words : “If you don’t move it, you lose it.” And: “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits – and I want to be a winner.” Irene is one of many “superagers,” a term for people in their 70s and 80s who have the mental or physical capability of their decades-younger counterparts. Irene serves as an inspiration, not only for the power of dedication but the promise of possibility when we harness our full potential. Living well is a goal we all desire and living fully alive is the essence of life. No matter what our strengths or sphere of influence, each of us has the potential for success and impact. This potential is a treasure that should be uncovered, protected, and stewarded! Shake Of

5 Reasons Why Print Marketing Still Pops

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With all the buzz around social media marketing, leveraging influencers, and digital retargeting ads, has print marketing lost its luster? Smart marketers know that just as there are millions of individuals in the U.S., there are hundreds of ways to reach them. As more people flock to the internet to shop, do their taxes, and connect with friends and relatives, you may be surprised to know that the digital proliferation of messages has brought consumers' attention back to a tried-and-true favorite: print marketing. Here are five reasons why print marketing still pops for your next promotion. 1. Print is Surprising Think about it. You may receive dozens or even hundreds of emails each day. How much time do you devote to considering each one? An unexpected advertisement may receive a brief glance, or it may go directly to your spam folder if it is poorly written. Contrast that with the number of pieces of printed mail that you receive on a daily basis. If you're like mo

These Two Things are the Keys to a Successful Business

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The physical and emotional abuse began when she was five years old. By the time she was 13, she was homeless and relying on the kindness of strangers to feed and house her. At 14, she gave birth to a son who died in infancy. Shortly afterward, she was sent to live with an uncle in whom she later referred to as her "father." Even though this teenager had suffered years of poverty and abuse, something fierce and fiery within her would not give up. She attended a Milwaukee high school and earned grades good enough to get her into the Upward Bound program, a federally funded program to help gifted students achieve academic success. This determined, courageous young woman was later transferred to a suburban high school where she was picked on by her more affluent peers. After being caught stealing money to keep up with the lifestyle of her peers, she was once again sent to live with another relative in Nashville, TN. Here, she became an honors student and joined a speech/debat

Print Made Digital: How Business Cards Are Still the Best Way to Connect

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Digital communication and marketing tactics may be the hottest topics on everyone's tongues, but there are still some serious limitations to connecting your physical and digital worlds. There are ways that allow you to quickly trade contact information, but they can require both parties to download the same app and are difficult to coordinate in quick hallway conversations. Business professionals will tell you that you never know when you're going to meet someone who can tie together the pieces of a particular project, so it pays to be prepared to capture contact information regardless of your physical location. That's where business cards come in as one of the best ways to connect with people in person.  Boost Your Brand Recognition Keeping your branding on point can be an ongoing challenge, especially as your business grows. Marketers must be diligent to ensure that all marketing materials are consistent and cohesive with colors, fonts, styles images, and even the

Wrangling Your Week: Time Management Success Techniques That Will Give You Hope

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It's painfully true that there are never enough hours in the day. If "normal humans" are having this kind of trouble, how are CEOs and leaders of major businesses able to run the massive scale of their days? As long as you consider that they haven't discovered time travel, there's got to be some tips and tricks that can be learned from their exceptional talents. These time management success stories will give you hope that you can wrangle your week more effectively. You might be surprised to learn that many of these individuals found adequate time for sleep and budgeting part of their day for meditation or downtime.  Leave Time for Relaxation Most famous for his theory of evolution in his book The Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin spent a great deal of his day in solitary study. His schedule also included walking his fox terrier pup and reading. Most interesting was the two hours each day that he devoted to lying awake in bed solving problems before

Why Your Brand is The Most Important Asset in Your Business

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Your brand may not be as recognizable as Coke, Pepsi or Walmart, but it speaks volumes about your business. Your brand is much more than a simple logo or tagline; it is the sum of all the different interactions that your prospects and customers have with your organization. This could include printed correspondence, your website, phone conversations with your sales reps, and more. It's an intangible asset that is captured on your balance sheet in case you are selling your business, and it should be treated as your most valuable asset. Creating a cohesive brand experience for your customer begins with expressing your brand consistently across your various channels of communication. Digital Presence Your website is your digital front door, and when your brand isn't well represented on your website, then you can cause significant confusion among your core audience. When you work closely with a designer to translate your brand from printed pieces to the web, you're ensur

Getting Creative at Work May Be the Best Use of Your Time Today

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Better. Faster. Cheaper. Those are the siren calls of managers today -- always on the lookout for ways to make their workers more productive. What if you discovered that your teams would actually gain productivity by taking the time out of their day to be creative? While carving out time for creativity may feel like a waste of time upfront, you may be surprised to find that the results of making this space will be far-reaching. The daily grind and immediate needs of others don't leave a lot of time for thinking outside the box, but you'll see that scheduling time for creativity is a critical ingredient for high-performing individuals and teams.  Small Investment, Big Rewards Getting creative doesn't mean you need to pull out the fingerpaints and scissors in your common room. It just means that you should offer your team members a variety of ways to choose their own path when it comes to specific tasks, brainstorm new ideas (and implement them!) or look for ways to