Archive for April, 2012
Turn That Cliche Around
Life’s not fair…
If I had a dime for each time I’ve heard that phrase, I would be able to buy a lifetime supply of Monster and still have some money left over for Zingers.
Cliché or not, it is the truth. People are going to make judgments about you or your company based on your experience, appearance, website, personnel…even your company name.
Instead of chalking up lost sales and unconverted clients to the cliché title of this blog post, do something about it. Figure out what element of your company people are seeing in a negative light and turn it into a positive.
For example, just the other day we quoted a major market research project for a very large company. We knew we were up against two other firms who undoubtedly had more extensive portfolios than we did. So how were we going to show that our company’s youth and lack of experience is far outweighed by everything else we bring to the table?
Together, we spent the better part of a day brainstorming ways to overcome the obstacle. Thankfully we have incredibly intelligent and creative team members here, and we found a way to put together a proposal that is unlike any other. We bypassed the ‘traditional’ proposal and produced something that demonstrates our ability to think outside-the-box at a very high level.
Now, whether or not we win the job, each one of us is able to look at our supposed “disadvantages” differently. We’ve started to capitalize on our youth and creativity as opposed to dwelling on whatever experience our young company might lack. After all, when life gives you lemons, you say, “Hey, thanks for the free lemons!” because you know what? Other companies lack what we have in abundance, and that is where their disadvantages lie.
Post By: Erin Walter
“Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest…” complains Facebook and Twitter. “Why is Pinterest getting all the attention?”
Yes, Pinterest is one of the latest success stories to hit the social media scene, and if you’re like many people out there that think it’s just another site on which single women plan their imaginary weddings, well, you’re half wrong. Amongst the wedding gowns you’re probably never going to wear and food recipes you’ll probably never try, there are other pins floating around that just might justify using this social media site in the workplace. That’s right. You won’t have to swiftly close out of your Pinterest tab when the boss comes walking down your row of cubicles or pretend the site happened to appear whilst searching Google for something relevant to that report due in three days.
Pinterest can be a useful tool in inspiring your professional life, and I’m here to help walk you through it. Below, you will find several ways to use Pinterest for work so you can surf the social media site guilt-free at the office.
Create Work Inspiration Pinterest Boards
By now, we all know that a “board” is the way you organize your pins by theme or some commonality. Create a board titled “Work Inspiration” and pin to it things that inspire you to do great work. Are they quotes from the greats in your field? Are they really creative designs that you’d one day like to emulate? Are they websites that are so well organized that you can’t help but want to revisit them from time to time? Perfect, because by keeping these images of inspiring things all together, easily accessible and constantly in front of you, you will have that constant reminder of how to be better at your work. Plus you have a link to the full sites at your disposal, which is way better than copying and pasting links into an email draft folder (come on, you know you’ve done that before…).
Build Workplace Organization Pinterest Boards
If your desk looks anything like the floor of the closet in my bedroom, then you will definitely benefit from this next suggestion. Create a board filled with ways to organize your workspace. True, there are a select few people out there who truly work better in clutter, but the vast majority of us are much more productive when we have a clean, organized desk and surrounding space. Find clever ways to store files, hide your computer cords, arrange that junk drawer and more, and keep those ideas in an equally well-organized board on Pinterest.
Pin for Followers
Are you a designer? A freelancer? A marketer? Then chances are you already know the importance social media plays in scoring that next big account. Pinterest is no different. In essence, Pinterest is like a big portfolio that you can use to showcase your work to other pinners. When a pin starts circulating on Pinterest, there’s no telling how far it’ll go—meaning you will have links to your website (and real portfolio) and hits to your website from all over the place. That only helps with SEO and visibility. The more you pin great stuff, the more people will follow you, the more people you will get to see your portfolio. Is there such thing as a win-win-win? There is now.
Use Pinterest to Network
Network? On Pinterest? Yes! Pinterest is just like Facebook and Twitter in that you can follow pinners you like. As more and more businesses jump on Pinterest, start following, commenting on, liking and repinning their stuff. Chances are they will reciprocate, anxious for some interaction.
Pin Work Party Ideas
Ok, so this one might be a stretch, but technically it’s still a work-related task. If you and your colleagues are tired of just going to the local pub and grabbing drinks after work, create a board for new work party ideas. Party ideas are relentlessly populating the homepages of Pinterest; all you have to do is repin a couple and you’ll be an office hero.
Post By: Molly Meyer
Beauty in the Simple Things
This place always fascinates me—this country, South Korea, is comparable to the size of the state of Indiana, spans a variety of topographic features, including mountains, rivers, valleys, farmlands, and beaches. With almost 48.9 million current residents, there isn’t a whole lot of space to house that many people…so they build up over here, creating high rise apartment complexes and living in pretty close quarters. One thing that always makes me smile here is that people take the time to create beauty…even in the heart of a hugely packed city.
This photo was taken on a street corner in Nam-gu, Daegu, South Korea. There is an elementary school on one corner, high rise apartment complexes on two corners, and a high school and complex of shops on the last corner. Even with all of those buildings, the foot and car traffic still has the chance to see something gorgeous every single day.
Post By: Emily Copeland
How to Send A Beer to Your Friends Using Twitter and Magic
That’s right. With the recent roll-out of Tweet-a-Beer, you can literally send a beer as a gift using Twitter!
Well not physically, but it’s the next best thing.
Once you’ve set up, all it takes is a quick tweet @yourfriend using the Tweet-a-Beer app and you can send a beer.
How does Tweet-a-Beer it work?
The Tweet-a-Beer app is run by Chirpify, an ecommerce platform that serves to connect your Twitter and Paypal accounts. Once all three accounts are linked, you simply use the Tweet-a-Beer app to send a beer as a gift to anyone you please.
No, the gift doesn’t have to be beer. You are actually sending a $5 gift to your friends Paypal account, but both myself and Tweet-a-Beer suggest that the money is indeed used for beer (provided you are 21 of course).
Enough, tell me exactly how to send a beer!
1) If you do not already have an account, you first need to sign up for Paypal.
2) From your mobile device or computer, go to http://tweet-a-beer.com.
3) On the home page, click “Buy a Round” (you can’t miss it).
4) You will see the screen below. Simply fill out the information to create a Chirpify account.
5) You are then directed to the screen pictured below. Type in your Paypal login information to give Chirpify access to your account (you will have to scroll to the right on your phone to see the log in screen).
6) Congratulations you are now ready to send a beer using Twitter!
7) If you are not redirected, just go back to http://tweet-a-beer.com (the site is the app) and once again click the “Buy a Round” button.
8) Type in your intended recipient (@nuphoriq) in the form as pictured and click next step.
9) If you want to be fancy you can add a reason or location to your tweet. If not click “Send Beer Money” and you are done!
Now what?
A word of warning: your new-found ability to send a beer through Twitter may be dangerous (to your wallet). I recommend not using the app after having more than a couple beers yourself as my own research has proven that users of the Tweet-a-Beer app may be overly generous.
I also recommend you send your first beer to @nuphoriq…. Or at least follow us.
Enjoy!
Post By: Michael Larson