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Showing posts from March, 2019

Small Business Twitter Tips for 2019

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If you're a small business owner, you know time is limited. Usually, your task list far outweighs your capacity for meeting your goals. When identifying social media objectives, you have to be clear on the what, why, and where you will engage. How Can Twitter be a Valuable Resource for You? Stats show that Twitter is still an effective way to connect with a broad range of customers. Forty-seven percent of people who follow a brand on Twitter are more likely to visit that company's website, and 75% of companies with an online presence are now using Twitter for marketing. Twitter's own study found that Twitter users, compared to the general online population, were more likely to discover or try new things and were more receptive of change. Twitter can help you reach broader audiences and engage with a generation that values interaction and experience. As you evaluate your Twitter marketing in 2019, be clear about your goals. Do you want to increase br

Four Design Keys Every Novice Can Master

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Ever feel stuck in a rut when it comes to your print or graphics capabilities? "It's impossible," you say. "I just don't have an eye for design." There's hope for even you! In today's generation, incredible graphics, fonts, and digital capabilities are literally at our fingertips. And while design may not come naturally to you, everyone can make their projects look better. Whether you're creating newsletters, small advertisements, or presentations, here are four concepts that are fundamental to every well-designed print project. 1) Proximity The main purpose of proximity is to organize. When you begin your layout, remember that items relating to each other should be grouped close together. This reduces clutter and gives your reader a clear sense of structure. When you're thinking about proximity, organize your elements as groupings that form one visual unit rather than scattering around several separate pieces. Physi

How to Survive the Off-Season Sales Slow-Down

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Vancouver's Whistler resort, owned by Vail Resorts, is currently the most-visited ski venue in North America. But as one of Vail's 19 prestigious resorts, Whistler still deals with the reality of seasonal slumps. Part of Whistler's off-season strategy includes summer activities like carnival games, ziplining, and bear-viewing. Vail has recently taken a more aggressive ticketing strategy as CEO Rob Katz made the $899 "Epic Ski Pass" the centerpiece of its pricing structure. This upscale pass provides visitors unlimited skiing at Vail's 19 resorts and partial access to dozens of resorts worldwide. The effect has been substantial, with 2018 revenues rising 41.5% in just one quarter! With the Epic Ski Pass, Vail also removed discounts for skiers paying in advance on one- and three-day passes, instead limiting these discounts to early-season purchasing. While this has drawn criticism, county councilman Steve Anderson praised Katz's bold move in

Four Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Content

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Andi Bell, the World Memory Champion of 2002, appears to have memory superpowers. He can memorize the order of several decks of cards and recall them on the spot. How does he do it? Bell uses a location-based memory strategy , like this: Bell picks a route through London and walks it repeatedly until it is fixed in his mind. As he walks, he associates cards of the deck with a character (like a bear or a pineapple), then connects each character and card with a site along his route: the bear becomes the House of Parliament, the pineapple becomes Buckingham Palace, etc. In this way, the deck transforms from a string of facts to a story to share. Each deck has roles that come to life mentally as Bell "walks the plot" of his route in London. Make Your Words More Memorable While you may not have memory superpowers, we all recognize the power of retention and its impact on marketing. When you share memorable content, it shapes people's perceptions and posi

Use Powerful Visualizations to Make Your Message Clear

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Communication is the key to human connection. But adequately sharing information can be more difficult than you may think. George Bernard Shaw said the single biggest challenge in communication is the illusion that it has taken place! Experts estimate that 65 percent of people are visual learners, so one of the easiest ways to communicate with people is with pictures. A well-structured chart, graph, or data visualization can do wonders for sharing your insights with customers, team members, or your superiors. And with easily accessible tools you can use illustrations to: Get your message across quickly Make complex data accessible to many Make your report or presentation more visually appealing Create a more memorable, lasting impression Whether you're reporting the household budget or spicing up slides for a presentation, stretch yourself to try one of these options this month. Vertical Bar Charts This is a simple option for comparing data group

Grow Creativity with the Brainstorming Strategies of Walt Disney

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From Tarzan's treehouse to the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Disney's creative team has spent decades constructing fantasy lands depicted in Disney movies. Bringing dreams to life is Disney's business, and its empire spans 11 theme parks, a town, four cruise ships, dozens of hotels, and many waterparks and restaurants that help guests experience the happiest place on Earth. The dreamers, or "Imagineers" at Disney are the brains behind the vision. Peter Rummell, who served as chairman of the Imagineers for 12 years, said creativity doesn't just happen . It has to be engineered: "It is a process and if you don't understand that and if you sit around and wait for the lightning bolt, you're not going to be very productive." Walt Disney himself was a master of creative thinking and brainstorming. Not only was he talented in discovering ideas, he knew how to convert possibilities into reality. One associate said this about Disney:

Go Off the Grid with Transparent or Overlay Design Options

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Want to stretch your designs or look your very best in print? Consider the bold, creative flair overprinting or transparent layering can bring. Typically, when you generate multi-layer designs your design software will cause one element to cover the artwork below it. Graphics obscure backgrounds, fonts cover image details, or text wraps around focal points as you format it to your preference. This layering process organizes your piece and prevents the muddy look that can occur when colors bleed together. Overprinting allows you to use one color on top of another in a way that blends two colors to make a third. This is especially useful if you're working with a limited selection of Pantone colors or to create a unique, funky feel when two pieces of artwork overlap. Overprinting is an element that can be turned on and previewed in the attributes panel with your design software, and flattened (or exported) in the print settings. Want to try it? Here are some ba

Use Game-Based Learning to Train Your Employees

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Ethel Merman thought people should lighten up to really live, crooning these lyrics in 1931: "Life is just a bowl of cherries: don't take it serious , it's too mysterious . . . Life is just a bowl of cherries, so live and laugh at it all!" Is life all fun and games? Definitely not. But leadership experts are finding that one of the best ways to train people is by helping them laugh and compete as they learn through play. United States... Gaming? Recently, the US Army employed " serious gaming " to address challenges in their leadership training. While soldiers were very capable in weapons and war strategies, the Army found its forces need to grow in their soft skills by increasing familiarity with the values, norms, and cultures where they were deployed. First Person Cultural Trainer, a gaming simulation, was developed specifically to help junior leaders understand the consequences of their speech, body language, temperaments,

The Best Form of Marketing is YOU

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If you could harness the most accessible, inexpensive form of marketing for your business, would you want it? Everyone has it, but it's easy to overlook. The most authentic sales tool is one that's always with you: yourself. You are the face of your business. Marketing doesn't sell, people sell! You are the vessel that carries your business brand to every prospect you meet. Are you making the most of own potential? Being cheerful, confident, and courteous can go a long way toward making a stellar first impression. Be Cheerful People want to do business with people they enjoy, and a cheerful attitude can give you a winning edge in many situations. Whether you are outgoing or more reserved, seek to be: Positive: be optimistic and look on the bright side of life. Be a "green light" thinker and keep an open mind to new ideas. Polite: whether you're running errands or talking on the phone: be polite. You never know who's li