by Belinda Lui | Dec 16, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
Productivity means making active steps towards accomplishing something — not thinking about what we have to accomplish. What are we “putting down” when we “put it down on paper”: a current of thought, a torrent of emotions, the first incisions of a decision Flannery O’Connor said that she writes in order to discover what she knows. And as research into writing shows, the act of tracing your thoughts across a page can make you more productive, more emotionally aware, and a less irrational decision maker.|
If we spend less time trying to remember what we have to do and spend more time figuring out how we are going to do them, this will result in increased productivity and efficiency.
Here’s why…
1. Writing clears the clutter from your mind
TED speaker David Allen emphasizes that your mind is for processing, not for storage. Storage of information, after all, can be outsourced in any number of ways, including writing down your to-do list on a pad of paper. The insight underlying this is that attention is a finite resource, one that gets depleted over the course of a day. So if you’re walking around thinking about what you need to do next–rather than thinking about how you’re getting to get it done–you’re misspending your neurotransmitters and letting your productivity suffer.
2. Writing assists in retaining a bank of knowledge
Productive people take better notes: if somebody is dropping knowledge on you, writing down what they say allows you to commit your attention to next insight–rather than trying to remember the last one. Like the Chinese proverb says, you can trust the faintest of ink more than the strongest of memories . As you take more and more notes on awesome things said and read, you can amass an awesome bank of knowledge.
3. Writing helps with realizing growth
Journaling in particular helps you see how you have grown. Harvard Business School research director Teresa Amabile has discovered that people feel more engaged, more productive, and have a greater sense of meaning in their work when they record even the most miniscule of accomplishments within their days. She calls this the Progress Principle: the more you’re aware of your progress, the more involved you’ll feel in making it continue to grow–productivity is making use of this learning.
4. Writing helps you understand your life
University of Texas psychologist James W. Pennebaker has found that writing about their lives helps people to organize their thoughts and find meaning in their traumatic experiences–from people diagnosed with HIV to Vietnam veterans. This is crucial, since the more meaning you find in your difficulties, research shows, the more resilient you’ll be in over-coming them, which reminds us of how the happiest people often have the hardest jobs.
5. Writing helps you become more wise
The last reason to write about life: it helps you study your emotions, which makes you wiser, faster.
“What we construct as wisdom over time is actually the result of cultivating that knowledge of how our emotions behaved,” says USC neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, “and what we learn from them.”
This reinforces Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s recommended first step for making better decisions: buy a notebook
(Information from: Fast Company)
How has writing helped you in terms of productivity? Tell us in the comments.
by Miriam Hara | Dec 15, 2013 | Interactive, Latest
Over the last 4 years, at Christmas time, retail gurus have been stating that online retail shopping has been increasing exponentially. The fact is, we all do it. At the speed of life and the demands of maintaining that speed, what’s easy and quick is what we gravitate to. Last year during the Christmas season, retail online shopping increased by 14% from 2011 in the U.S. alone. This year the predictions have obviously been higher. I have always wondered what will be done with all these gigantic shopping malls once the trend goes completely towards online. Can the premium that real estate demands for retail store frontage be a thing of the past?
Who says that retail online shopping has be to done on a computer?
This Christmas season, retail online shopping has taken a new perspective and a very interesting one, thanks to Walmart and Mattel. In Toronto, while many commuters were waiting for their train to get back home, Union station converted its enormous concrete poles into mini shopping areas. All it took was some high quality printing showcasing high quality pictures and a QR code that led the shoppers to the online shopping site. Commuters were able to browse the photos, identify the toys that they wanted and point and scan. The gift was then delivered to a shopper’s home. Not bad! Multitasking has never been easier…. nor has Christmas shopping!
This year, the Toronto Go-train, with the help of Walmart and Mattel, took it one step further. It has converted 2 of its train cars into “virtual mini shopping destinations”. Commuters may now browse and shop in the luxury of their commute time! All this is still well within the definition of retail online shopping…. but it’s still a retail online shopping experience.
As Toby Desforges so eloquently stated, “Online sales are replacing retail sales. Consumer goods companies invest massively in sales and distribution via traditional retail. The continued growth of these channels is no longer universally assured. New online channels and indeed retailers are likely to grow rapidly in the coming years. This will put sales teams under extreme pressure, not just as they struggle to create new skills but also as they wrestle with the demands of bricks and mortar retailers in decline.”
This has led me to think about the new retail shopping destinations. All that will be needed is concrete… converting concrete poles into vritual shopping areas! How cool is that…or is it?! I have visions of a Shopping Park. We will all be casually walking through nature, with all the tree trunks being hosts to retail goods and QR codes….yikes…I’m shuddering!! Think about it… taking a walk through nature will never be the same.
by Belinda Lui | Dec 13, 2013 | Latest, Marketing
In today’s society of instant gratification, people have short attention spans: They want the news in 140-character snippets, they want to shop with the click of a button — and they want infinite information accessible at their fingertips via smartphones and tablets. It’s easy for businesses to lose potential customers with a complicated, slow or inefficient mobile website. After all, if your business doesn’t have a viable mobile marketing strategy, chances are that one of your competitors does, and that stiletto-hunting customer will go to them.
In an increasingly mobile world, there’s more than one reason why it’s crucial to keep an eye on your website’s mobile traffic. Below, we take a look at some of the most common reasons why this metric is an important piece of your overall analytics efforts — and
What you can do to optimize your mobile marketing strategy with this knowledge.
There’s a Reason “Responsive” Is the Buzzword of 2013
Responsive design is increasingly becoming the go-to solution for businesses seeking site optimization across the mobile board without entering the daunting world of developing a full-fledged app for each device.
The need for a responsive site depends upon your specific business or website, as well as budget. It may well be worth it to “go responsive” if your site is heavy on visuals, videos, products or “m-commerce” — and mobile traffic analysis can help you make these tough decisions. On which devices are users accessing your site? Which operating systems are the most common among your site traffic? Are more users visiting your site on smartphones, or on tablets? What is the overall ratio of mobile to desktop traffic? You can glean much of this information through analytics software or programs.
“Understanding devices and associated technology features is necessary for design purposes. We determine what our sites and our emails need to be designed for from a size, browser and operating perspective. [Mobile reports] allow us to provide the right experience for our consumers,” says Cathy Gribble, associate director of digital analytics for Team One.
That being said, responsive isn’t always the end all, be all of mobile strategy. In-depth analysis and understanding of customer behavior is another factor to consider.
Consumers behave differently on smartphones and tablets, which have differing functionalities and capabilities. Marketers need to analyze behavior and experiences across the entire purchase funnel to understand the best move for web or app design.”Responsive design doesn’t allow for such deep testing of every single experience within a brand’s website or mobile site,” says Blumenfeld. “That means marketers must be cognizant of the different layouts and circumstances surrounding consumers’ use of websites and mobile sites.”
In summary: Take a multi-faceted approach to responsive design. Perhaps not all businesses need to invest in a site that flawlessly translates across every device on the market — but with 17.4% of all global web traffic coming through mobile (a 6%+ increase since 2012), it’s surely a major consideration.
(information from: Mashable)
What other benefits can you think of in executing an effective mobile marketing strategy?
by Belinda Lui | Dec 12, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
I’ve written several posts before on what to post, when to post, and how to post – but in this article, I want to discuss where to post. Which, admittedly, is just as important to identify as the other Ws of Social Engagement. Like most marketing efforts, there isn’t just one formula that works across all social platforms.
Noting this, here is an outline of some of the more popular platforms and the type of social engagement content that best suits their demographics:
Facebook:
This is probably the most liberal social platform for businesses in that you can post pictures, video, links, polls, etc. to engage users. Still, the most dominant demographic for this tool are women between the ages of 18-29.
Twitter:
For more detailed tips on increasing Twitter engagement, read my post here. Twitter actually has a more mature community, so the information (or the tone) in which you communicate should be tailored as such. The fastest growing demographic for Twitter are urban residents between the ages of 55-64.
Instagram:
This application wasn’t meant for hefty, wordy content. Instead of uploading a conspicuous sales pitch with a lengthy description, consider posting a well-positioned product in a picturesque setting for optimal impressions. The top demographic for Instagram are women between the ages of 18-29.
Snapchat:
With a younger demographic (13-23 years old) and a shorter attention span (pictures automatically delete after a timed option), businesses have the opportunity to tap into a new, uncharted territory with fast, impressionable images.
Pinterest:
With women in the lead, making up 80% of the demographic on Pinterest and between the ages of 25-34, this is probably one of the most gender-skewed platforms for businesses to consider when advertising a product or service. The same applies to this platform as Instagram: use a captivating image with a strong message and attach a link for interested users.
Having some clarity about the leading demographics and functions of these leading social platforms may help when deciding what, when, how, and where to post for optimal social engagement.
What are some of the creative campaigns you’ve noted that increases social engagement?
by Belinda Lui | Dec 11, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
As Heraclitus so succinctly put it, “The only constant in life is change”. As people, some of us struggle daily in order to adapt to the changes that life thrusts upon us. As professionals, the same theory applies. The workplace, the marketplace, even the avenues in which we conduct our business are changing at rapid speeds – so how do we stay on top of it all? How do we ensure that we are doing what it takes to be ahead of the game?
There are probably plenty of ways, but I’ve compiled a list that has helped me stay relatively successful with change, in work and in life:
1. Know your strengths and weaknesses
With a Type-A personality, I like to believe that I can do anything and everything; under budget, on-time, and better than anyone else can. It’s humbling to discover, however, that failures are blessings in disguise. They teach you how to be better. If you learn from your mishaps, you will sooner recognize where you sink and where you swim.
2. Persistence
Failing at things is a good thing. Success doesn’t look like smooth-sailing; it looks a whole lot like multiple do-overs, learning from your mistakes each time. The discovery step on the road to success and embracing change, is probably my favourite. Keep failing until it works. To quote the late Nelson Mandela, “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”.
3. Motivation
Realizing that nothing stays the same for very long, it isn’t ideal to remain idle in anything that you do. Even when you’ve mastered a skillset, you must remain motivated to stay current with emerging trends. What motivates you? For me, it’s working in a position that continually challenges me to be better at what I do, no matter what that may entail. Figure out what motivates you and keep reminding yourself of this when things seem unbearable.
4. Work/Life Balance
What’s that? With the uprising of Social Media and Technologies, you’re almost always connected to your workplace. It’s important to keep your work life and your personal life separated, however, even if that means putting your SmartPhone somewhere where you won’t be tempted to respond immediately. You can set aside dedicated time slots throughout the night to check work e-mails but it is easy to get carried away when these boundaries are not clearly defined.
Change is inevitable, but hopefully this list gives you some insight on how to more readily embrace it.
What are some of the ways that you deal with change?
by Belinda Lui | Dec 10, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
Social media is an ever-changing world; keeping up with the trends and statistics can be a full-time job on its own. I’ve compiled a list of interesting facts that may help you design a more strategic marketing plan on Twitter: ten tips that will optimize engagement, reach, and your online presence. A lot of what we thought we knew about Twitter has very well changed in 2013. For example, the fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 age bracket. That’s not all, though.
Here is a list of 7 statistics that will help you optimize engagement on Twitter:
1. Twitter engagement for brands is 17% higher on weekends
I guess not many people know about this one, because only 19% of brands tweet on the weekends. If you’re trying to encourage your followers to engage with you on Twitter but you don’t want to work over the weekend, you could use the Buffer app to schedule tweets to be sent while you’re having a sleep-in.
2. Tweets with image links get 2x the engagement rate of those without
Just like on Facebook, photos are more engaging for Twitter users.
3. Tweets with less than 100 characters get 17% more engagement
This is another stat that was similar for Facebook. Shorter posts tend to garner more engagement on both platforms. If you’re posting tweets with links, Dan Zarrella’s research shows that 120–130 characters will be your sweet spot.
4. Twitter’s fastest growing demographic is 55-64 year-olds
If you’re looking at growing your audience, you might want to look at new Twitter users, which are most likely in the older age brackets. As Twitter’s user base grows, you’ll have a wider variety of users to target, supposing they’re all part of your market.
5. Tweets with hashtags get 2x more engagement
Having said that, keep the hashtags to a minimum. 1 or 2 will get you 21% more engagement than if you add 3 or more. This could be because hashtags often connect a tweet to a particular topic or Twitter chat that others are following or interested in. Keep appropriate hashtags in mind when posting, especially if engagement is something you’re looking to improve.
6. Twitter users who mostly use a mobile device are 181% more likely to be on Twitter during their commute
When you’re tweeting, think about where your audience is, and what they might be doing. If it’s early in the morning, they might be commuting to the office–this is actually a great time to get them, as they’re probably bored and looking for something interesting to occupy them during this time.
7. Tweets that include links are 86% more likely to be retweeted
Like photos, links appeal to Twitter users. Links, however, are more likely to increase your number of retweets than engagement rate. This is helpful to keep in mind, as you might want to broaden your reach (get more retweets) rather than engage your current followers (increase engagement with photos).
(Information from Buffer)
What are some of your tips on optimizing engagement on Twitter?
