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Showing posts from August, 2022

5 Ways to Recover From Burnout

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It happens to the best of us—burnout. We dedicate ourselves to our jobs, work long hours and take on extra responsibilities, and sometimes we do too much. As a result, we can get down in the dumps and find it hard to keep going. Burnout is not an interchangeable word with everyday stress, and it’s not exclusively exhaustion or overload. It’s all three of the above components together. Of course, it’s best to prevent burnout, but sometimes it’s impossible. So, what are some ways to recover from it? 5 Ways to Recover From Burnout 1. Evaluate Your Feelings How stressed have you been? Have you been enjoying work? Do you have the resources you need to get the job done? These will help you determine what you need going forward. Burnout is more likely to happen when you have too many job demands and few resources. 2. Delegate Take a look at what you are doing. Are there things you can delegate to others? Do you need to be the one to do them? This can help lighten the load by

5 Do's and 3 Don'ts of Print Marketing

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We all know how much the internet is used today, but some people forget that print marketing still works wonders. The Do’s of Print Marketing 1. Do update your logo. Make sure your logo is updated and reflects your image appropriately. You want to ensure the logo looks up-to-date, attractive, and professional. Unless you employ a graphic artist, it’s best to hire one to help with this part of your image since it will be used on everything, from online to print. 2. Do communicate your identity. Have a corporate identity in all you do. This broad term encompasses your brand’s values, purpose, and design elements. Set your business apart from the competition with a consistent corporate identity in your letterhead, business cards, envelopes, brochures, rack cards, and more. 3. Do use both online and offline marketing together. This is a tried-and-true strategy. However, when you isolate your marketing to only using one of these, people won’t respond as positively, and you

Customer Service Excellence for Team Members

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Excellent customer service is an essential aspect of your most valuable asset: your customers. Customer service is so vital that it can be a powerful competitive advantage. 70% of Americans have spent more money on better service, according to Forbes.  Excellent customer service is not solely for the customer service representatives. Instead, everyone on the team should practice exceptional customer service because every job ultimately affects the customer.  Below is a list of concrete ways your team members can exceed your customer’s expectations.  Customer Service Excellence: Hire Smart Certain personalities and strengths are better suited for customer service jobs. Hiring the right people will set the company and employees up for success.  When hiring, look for people who excel in the following traits.   Problem-solving. Give the interviewee a scenario and ask how they would proceed. Communication. Ask the interviewee to explain a complex topic. Listening. Tell

How to Keep Up With Direct Mail Trends

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As we march through 2022, many businesses are left wondering if direct mail marketing is still a trend, if it is worth it, and if their business is missing out by not implementing this form of marketing. Despite the many new marketing avenues available, direct marketing remains a multi-million-dollar industry, with companies spending $38.5 million of total advertising revenue in the United States on direct mail campaigns.  With an average response rate of 4.9 percent, direct marketing is still alive and is a beneficial marketing tool all businesses should take advantage of. Continue reading to learn more ways to help you and your business keep up to date with current direct mail trends:  Watch What Is Coming in the Mail One way to see what other businesses are doing is to keep an eye on what is coming through your mailbox. Whether a letter, postcard, magazine, etc., there is much to learn about increasing brand awareness by watching and taking note of which advertisers are

Word-of-Mouth Marketing: What is it, and How Does it Benefit Your Business?

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Since the introduction of social media, word-of-mouth marketing has dramatically increased. Before the internet, someone would tell a friend or two if they had a good experience. Today, if they have a good experience, they tell thousands with a short post. Word-of-mouth marketing allows your business’s brand to potentially get noticed by thousands of consumers, which, if done correctly, can spread like wildfire. Understanding how word-of-mouth marketing works and how it can benefit your business helps increase your chances of attracting new customers.   Why Word-of-Mouth Marketing Is Important According to the American Marketing Associated and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, 64 percent of marketing executives believe that word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective form of advertising. However, only about 6 percent claim to have mastered this marketing technique. With a majority believing in word-of-mouth marketing and so few learning the skill, understanding

Augmented Reality and the Evolution of Print

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In a world full of new technology, augmented reality is used frequently. As a result, it’s now a great way to market your business. Augmented Reality Explained Augmented Reality (AR) is the layering of digital content like video, 3D, or 3D animation over real-world environments to create an engaging and interactive consumer experience . It makes your print more interactive by encouraging people to download apps, use QR codes, and more. As a result, print has grown and is used in a new way. Bringing People Closer to Products WebAR, which they call AR and print, is now being used to bring people closer to their products and allow them to interact with them. It will enable people to access the best of both worlds: Engaging and immersive experiences that are easy to access . WebAR is popular now and is an excellent accompaniment to tried-and-true print. Both are needed in today’s market. Traditional print is tactile and is a great way to interact with customers because they a

Becoming a Mindful Leader

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Everyone is different, which is why various leadership styles exist. Some of the most common ones include democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire, strategic, transformational, transactional, coach-style, and bureaucratic leadership. However, one often overlooked and quite effective leadership style is the mindful leader.  Mindfulness is one’s ability to be fully present and observant while also being in control and not overreacting.  Mindful leaders possess specific beneficial characteristics, making them stand out and be successful.  Mindful leaders have emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to notice and manage one’s feelings while seeing and responding adequately to the emotions of others.  Psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of The New York Times bestseller book Emotional Intelligence has created a model that divides emotional intelligence into 4 quadrants.  Self-awareness is the ability to be aware of one’s mood and thoughts and their impac

Advanced Leadership Skills for Managers

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Managers can make or break the workplace atmosphere, seeping into a company’s outputs.  Unfortunately, good management can sometimes be hard to find. Poor management costs $7 trillion globally, or  9-10% of the world’s GDP. This staggering number can decrease if companies hire and train better-equipped managers.   Below are the top 4 skills required for advanced leadership in the workplace.  Advanced Leadership Skill 1: Communication Clear communication prevents workplace hiccups.  Communication requires the ability to properly convey sometimes complex ideas to a wide range of people. Age, background, skill level, and personality can prevent clear communication.  Sometimes the most difficult skills in life must be mastered through trial and error. However, you can keep a couple of critical aspects in mind when communicating.  Actively listen. If you catch your mind thinking about your extensive to-do list, stop and bring your focus back to the conversation. Positive b

Top 3 Reasons Small Businesses Should Consider Offline Marketing

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Jingles used to incorporate business phone numbers quite frequently. But now, we direct people to our websites or a physical address. Sure, things have changed, but it’s still advertising. We still need to reach people and ask them to visit our location. And now that more people are working from home, they have more time to read their mail. You can send flyers, postcards, and brochures in the mail, and they’ll get noticed. So here are three reasons you should consider offline marketing in addition to your online marketing efforts. Top 3 Reasons Small Businesses Should Consider Offline Marketing 1. Offline Is Still Relevant Offline marketing tools reach many more people than just online. This is because people do much more than just spending time online looking at websites. In 2018, Nielsen found that Americans spend half the day (11 hours) interacting with media. Out of those 11 hours, over four hours are live TV, 36 minutes are “time-shifted TV” (DVR), and almost two hou

5 Essential Skills for Professionals

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To be successful, you need dedication, determination, and hard work. You also need some up-to-date skills. Below are the Top 5 skills for professionals. 5 Essential Skills for Professionals 1. Soft skills According to LinkedIn data analysis, in 2019, companies looked most for these soft skills: creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management . Soft skills, such as communication and management skills, are the traits that make you good at almost any job. Hard skills, in the meantime, are more teachable and measurable. In a Linkedin report, 57% of senior leaders today value soft over hard skills. 2. Creativity So many things have changed—think cell phones instead of pay phones, internet instead of card catalogs. It takes a creative person to think outside the box. Sure, some things are great, but how much better could life be if we tried a new way? Businesses are always looking for fresh thinkers to do things in a new way. 3. Communication Co