Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
DEVELOPING AND BRANDING YOURSELF
Branding
yourself is one of the best ways to get noticed online and offline. It is one thing that you truly want to do if
you plan to do business over the internet and anywhere else. I always like to start by giving the definition
of the subject which is branding.
A brand is a
name, term, design, symbol or feature that identifies a seller’s goods or
services as different from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark.
There are
several important factors that go into the development of a brand. One of them for sure is to make your brand
memorable. Most baby boomers remember
that tagline “flop flop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is”. They had a little cartoon that went along
with that. It was for Alka-Seltzer. There were many more little jingles like this
that helped brand a product or service.
Most times when you heard the first part of the jingle you could finish
the rest without hearing it because you had heard it so many times on
commercials and it appealed to you. It’s
like a tune that you can’t get out of your head.
Marketing is
another factor that plays a key role in developing a brand. Wikipedia describes marketing like this:
Marketing is
the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers,
for the purpose of selling the product or service. It is a critical business
function for attracting customers.
To be
successful in your marketing efforts you must connect with your customers,
deliver and communicate value, develop unique marketing strategies and create
long term growth. Marketing activities
are designed to make products available that satisfy the consumer while making
profits for your company.
Promoting
the product is a marketing activity that introduces your product to the public
through advertising, communications and public relations.
Here are 5
activities that will help you brand yourself:
Press Releases – Wikipedia describes press releases
like this:
A press release, news release, media
release, press statement or video release is a written or
recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of
announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, they are mailed, faxed,
or e-mailed to assignment editors
at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, or television
networks.
The aim is
to provide favorable media attention to the subject’s products, services or
events. It provides information containing
the elements for developing a news story.
Videos –
Becoming ever more popular videos
can help amplify your branding efforts by explaining your “why”. People want to know why you do what you
do. They want to know “how” you can help
them do what they want to do. They want
to know “how” you can help them solve their problem. The video can help you do this because people
can see your passion for your business.
You can give them a way to connect with you on your various social
networks, blogs, etc. In addition you
can leave contact information and a “call to action” statement.
It’s
actually quite easy to make a video. I
use Windows Live Movie Maker. They have
a free download and it is as easy as 123.
If I can do it, anyone can do it.
Blogs – Blogger, which is a free blog platform,
describes blogs like this: In simple
terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New
stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they
comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
So certainly
you can brand yourself with your blog by describing your business and what
benefits it offers consumers.
Webinars –
They are great for sharing information with a large group of people. They are also great for training
purposes. Remember, you are going to
become an expert in your field or niche.
You want to help people solve a problem.
Webinars will be a great asset for you to brand yourself and be the
person that you are.
Workshops –
Another great activity is giving workshops.
You are the expert. Let people
know by giving workshops in your area of expertise. I like series. So have a series of workshop to both promote
you (branding) and your product, service or company.
I will talk
more about branding in the next part of this tutorial.
Toll-free
number: 1-888-210-1575
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Back Pain Problem
Somewhat
recently I have been troubled with pain in my back. It’s not exactly pain but it’s a throbbing,
uncomfortable feeling. I get it when I
sit too long at my desk which is all of the time. It also occurs when I stand for long periods
of time like when I wait in lines for buffets or movie tickets and also when I
walk a long time. Now, that’s not
normal. I remember when I was a younger person lots of people didn’t have cars
because they couldn’t afford them. You
had to walk everywhere you went, even to the bus stops. Of course, when I was younger I didn’t have a
problem. Anyway I’ve been plagued with
this condition.
Recently a
friend of mine called me complaining that she could hardly walk. I was amazed because this was an older
individual who could walk circles around me.
I asked her what was going on.
She confided in me that her knee had swollen and she could barely stand
up and couldn’t walk at all. She had to
go to the Emergency Room for care. She
told me the doctor said it was inflammation and he gave her a pain killer to
ease the pain. He didn’t give her any
medication to relieve her of the cause of the condition. This always seems so strange to me. The doctors are always willing to ply you
with drugs to cover up the problem but they don’t address the problem. Anyway, it made me think of the time I had
arthritis in the big toe on my left foot.
It seemed as though it was gradually working its way over to my right
foot. It was very painful because when you
walk you have to bend your toes, especially that big one.
Being old
fashioned I hate to take medicine. The side
effects are usually worse than the illness itself. I mean you may have a little
pain but when you take a certain medicine the side effects are sudden death,
heart attacks, strokes and all of that nonsense. I mean why would you take something that
might kill you just to relieve a little pain? That sounds crazy to me. So I try to stick to the old fashion home
remedies that people used when they couldn’t afford a doctor; like Apple Cider
Vinegar. Some people call in brown
vinegar.
I mixed one
or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a little honey to cut the taste
with a half glass of water. I would take
it first thing after I woke up so that I would not forget to take it. I did this for about 3 weeks before I actually
noticed that I could walk regularly again with no pain. I continued for another week just to be
sure. But the condition went away and I’ve
never had it again.
There’s a
book called the Apple Cider Vinegar book that gives all the uses for that vinegar. I had read it and discovered that use. So when I mentioned it to my friend she
started taking it twice a day; once in the morning and once upon retiring. Then I thought I should be taking it for my
back condition. I really never related
the problem with my back with arthritis but after recently being involved in a traffic
accident x-rays were taken of my back that revealed deep arthritis. So now I am taking the vinegar twice a
day. It is supposed to act like oil in
screws. It oils the joints and dissolves
the crystals that cause the friction.
On day four
I’m feeling much better.
Personally I
think the drug business is a mega-zillion dollar business and they promote
these drugs not to treat the problem but to make sure you keep the condition so
that you can continue to finance the doctors and the drug companies. So I try to avoid them at all cost. I once read that the hospitals kill more
people every year (by accident or whatever) than the people that were killed in
both World War I and World War II put together and they went out with guns and
rockets and weapons of mass destruction just to kill people. That’s a startling discovery.
So this is
my tip on Apple Cider Vinegar. I hope it helps someone.
Disclaimer
I am not a
doctor and can only tell you what I experienced with the use of Apple Cider
Vinegar when I took it.
Toll-free
number: 1-888-210-1575
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Attitude Is Everything
My
inspiration for this writing comes from a letter I received from The
Televangelist Joel Osteen. In it he
reveals that God wants to take us Further and Faster.
Joel says
that God can speed things up on our behalf.
In other words what should have taken a considerable amount of time to
accomplish can be accomplished by God in a fraction of the time. In his letter he mentions King David’s destiny
being fulfilled in a short amount of time.
One day a Shepherd Boy and the next day the King of Israel. He also mentions Ruth. One day gleaning the fields for leftovers and
the next day married to the man who owned the fields. It had something to do with their attitude.
In his
letter he says that God has already lined up the right people for you, in your
future to accelerate His plan for you.
Somewhere in the Word it says “God knows the plans He has made for you.” It is us who are in the dark.
Joel says
God is going to give us breaks we don’t deserve. He’s going to bring the right people across
our paths and He’s going to accelerate our destiny. God is going to overwhelm us with His favor
in our life; if we have the right attitude.
So while I
was reading this I thought to myself “I’m gonna send off for this new CD
entitled “Further Faster.”
Now I know
this sounds strange, but I was poised to get on the internet and check my
statuses on Facebook and IBO Toolbox.
When I was getting ready to sign into IBO Toolbox, I noticed my name was
at the top of the page; and I wondered.
I thought “I haven’t even signed in yet, why is my name on the top of
the page.” So I signed in and it was
still there and also on the side of the page saying I was the Featured Member
Of The Day. I also noticed I had a new
referral, several associate requests, some comments and some messages. This just blew me over. I’m like, I was just reading this stuff and
now it seems to be happening. Well, I
don’t know what to tell you but Joel says if you want to see God work in your
life taking you further faster, you’ve got to get the right attitude. Your thoughts and words are prophesying your
future. You’ve got to get in agreement
with God.
Your
attitude says it all. It says how you
accept negative situations. It says how
you accept crisis. Your attitude also
shows people who you are. So if you want
to be in agreement with the Word some of you need to change your attitudes for
the better. It might speed you into your
destiny faster.
Toll-free
number: 1-888-210-1575
Monday, August 12, 2013
WARNING! Posting photos with your IPhone!
Mike Larson caught this one and posted it on facebook. Thanks Mike.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO! Sorry I'm shouting, but this is important. Thank you.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
I Want to be an Inspiration
My favorite
definition of the word inspiration is something that motivates you towards your
goal. That is what I desire to
achieve.
I want to
help people attain their goals and be inspired by me to stay the course, not
give up, don’t abandon the ship. An
ounce of inspiration can go a long way.
It can bring people out of depression; lost relationships; a tragic
accident or a plethora of myriad conditions and circumstances.
I feel that
this is my calling in life. That is why
I claim the title of Motivational Mentor.
That’s my job; to motivate. I’m
not so concerned about leadership even though that is important I want to
assist in taking away the pain.
Sometimes people get in a rut when there is a major change in their
life. It is a never ending circle of
emotions that take you further and further into depressive activities and
mindsets. That is never a good thing; so
you must find a way to come out of the circle of negativity and claim the joy
that gives you strength to take it to the next level.
It’s not
always easy to help people in this way because in their mindset they feel there
is no remedy to be found. That is why
they are depressed. But I always say “two
heads are better than one” meaning if you talk to someone about your dilemma there’s
always a chance that you can either come up with a solution while talking or
one of you will come up with a good suggestion for working on the problem. The Bible says in Matthew 18:19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Sometime the people feel there is no hope, so despair sets in. When that happens they just don’t believe
anything can be done about their circumstances.
But I know there’s always hope and I want to give them that hope. I want to inspire them to take another step
or leap or whatever it takes to beat despair and depression. You don’t deserve to treat yourself that way.
So being inspirational is my “labor of love”. I truly care about each and every individual
on this earth whether they accept it or not.
There’s a saying “You may not love me, but I love you and there’s
nothing you can do about it.” That’s the
way I feel. I want to be God’s
expression of love in your life……Be Blessed with Success.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Thinking About Mom
While I was
trying to make some room in my closet, I had to get rid of some of my mother’s
clothes that had been given to me by my sister.
She hated to part with them but felt more comfortable giving them to
me. Only problem was the clothes were in
sizes 22 and 24. I wear size 18.
Mom died in
April of 2004. Nine years ago and I’ve
had the clothes in my closet for about six years; just hanging there and
getting dusty and not in use. Lately I’ve
purchased a few pieces of clothing for myself.
But I don’t have any more room.
So I’ve got to make some room.
As I was
putting the clothes my sister sent me in a bag, I was thinking about my
mom. She was so beautiful. She had a great taste for fashion and dressed
like a movie queen. She wore her hair in
different styles and was just a fashion-conscious individual. I remember she sported blond hair for a while,
which was relatively uncommon in her day.
She wore a side swept beehive hair do for a while. She was always coming up with something out
of the norm. I guess that’s why when I
was a teen I used to buy “Millie the Model” cartoon books and practice coming
up with different hair styles and how to roll them in curlers to get those
looks. Of course I had to make minor
adjustments because the texture of my hair was quite different from Millie’s
hair.
I can
remember my mom had a gold bathing suit like the kinds Esther Williams (famous
swimmer and movie star) wore in some of her movies. She also had a 3-piece Hawaiian print bathing
suit. The bottom was swept around like a sarong and it had a matching
jacket. I remember wearing it. Can you picture that? One of my favorite outfits was a strapless
gold lame and white dress with a full skirt and matching stole. Back in the day you didn’t see those kinds of
fashions unless it was on Doris Day in a movie; but my mom wore it and wore it
well. I got a chance to wear it also
after she had grown tired of it. You know
I thought I was sharp; and I was.
Packing
those clothes made me think about the quality of the clothes my mom chose. You knew they cost a pretty penny by the way
they were designed, and you got extra buttons and small details that made the
pieces look custom made. She really had
good taste. I always wanted to dress
like her.
I really
miss my mom. She was strict, but psychic
when it came to her children. She knew
when things were not right with each and every one of her four children. She gave wise advice that seemed to always
come true. If she told you something,
you could take it to the bank. I miss
her counseling.
I hoped I
would be half the mom she was. I love
you mom. RIP.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)