12 Essential Small Business Marketing Strategies

13 Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas in 2022

Elizabeth Kraus has more than a decade of first-hand experience building and growing a boutique digital marketing agency and double that in small and mid-size business marketing management. She provides expert answers to marketing questions related to branding, content marketing, web development, email, social media, and SEO.

Startups and small businesses on a budget can still promote themselves successfully with a little time and effort. We detail 13 cheap or totally free small business marketing ideas below to help you do just that, from free digital marketing tools and free advertising to events, referral marketing, and strategies to make your brand stand out. Read these small business marketing tips and find out to power your company to the next level.

These marketing ideas can be done for little-to-no-cost, but not without the investment of your time. Many of these tips can be outsourced on a project basis to professional freelancers on Fiverr, or for a more holistic (but still affordable) solution, check out Hibu.

Word of Mouth Advertising

Once you’ve laid the foundation, you can get your marketing strategies rolling. One of the most cost-effective small business marketing strategies is to tap into the voice of your customer by getting them to talk about their experience with your business. That means building a great product or service first and then delivering it in an amazing manner to your customers.

Encourage customers to talk about your small business on social and professional networks and to share their opinions. This will boost your chances of getting new customers in the door. Typically, people trust their friends and value their opinions. That is why it’s critical to tap into your customers who are willing and able to share your excellent products/services with their tribes.

Content Marketing

If marketing is the engine that propels your business, content marketing is the gas in the tank. It’s a fantastic way to bring you leads through search engines, but it also works well to educate your customers on best practices.

Content marketing is about creating interesting material that your audience is likely to engage with, be it text, video, or audio. It entails the creation of content for publishing on your homepage, blogs, product pages, landing pages, advertising channels, and social media. Content marketing allows you to show that you’re a top expert in your field. This means creating fresh content based on your audience’s biggest challenges, and curating content that is relevant to your visitors/readers .

Once you have created highly-relevant content, push it out where your audience is engaging, such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram. Your content distribution methods are the only way to harness the full potential of your content marketing strategy.

5. Invest in Analytics Early-On

Having a data-driven marketing strategy gives you an edge and makes your initiatives more effective. As a small business, you cannot afford to make mistakes and need to do things right the first time. That is where data and analytics can help you.

Social media analytics, for example, is available for free as most platforms have built-in analytics tools that can provide you with all essential information. Similarly, for your website, you can use Google Analytics to get insights into the performance of your different landing pages.

One thing that you should invest in is social media monitoring tools as they can help you track relevant conversations and respond to them. This is very important for small businesses as it is very important to respond to customer queries and resolve issues quickly. An established brand may still be able to live with a few negative reviews but for small businesses, it can be devastating.

7. Create and Promote Explainer Videos

Even the best of businesses with amazing products can struggle to gain that initial momentum and get people to learn about their brand. And, if you launch an innovative product, then it is even more difficult to make people understand what it is and how it can help them.

Take Panasonic’s explainer video for its ES-SL33 shaver, for example. The product was innovative and had many advantages over regular razors. However, the brand could not have conveyed how it differs from other razors, if not for this explainer video.

What Next?

If you have a small business and are struggling to meet your marketing goals, try the tactics mentioned in this post. These are tried-and-tested marketing techniques that can give you the push that you need to ace your marketing game.

Sources:

https://fitsmallbusiness.com/small-business-marketing-ideas/
https://www.benchmarkone.com/blog/essential-small-business-marketing-strategies/
https://influencermarketinghub.com/marketing-ideas-small-business/

Improve your focus and concentration: 15 ways to build your skills

7 Useful Tips for Improving Your Mental Focus

Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Staying on task can be difficult, but it can be particularly challenging when you are surrounded by constant distraction. In today’s always-connected world, diversions are nothing more than a click away.

The ability to concentrate on something in your environment and direct mental effort toward it is critical for learning new things, achieving goals, and performing well across a wide variety of situations.

It will take some real effort on your part and you may have to make some changes to some of your daily habits. Here are some tips and tricks from psychology that can help you develop laser-like mental focus and concentration.

Press Play for Advice On Staying Motivated

Eliminate Distractions

While it may sound obvious, people often underestimate just how many distractions prevent them from concentrating on the task at hand. Such intrusions might come in the form of a radio blaring in the background or perhaps an obnoxious co-worker who constantly drops by your cubicle to chat.

Minimizing these sources of distraction isn’t always as easy as it sounds. While it might be as simple as turning off the television or radio, you might find it much more challenging to deal with an interrupting co-worker, spouse, child, or roommate.

One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that period of time. Another alternative is to seek out a calm location where you know you will be able to work undisturbed. The library, a private room in your house, or even a quiet coffee shop might all be good spots to try.

A few strategies you might want to try to minimize or eliminate such internal distractions are to make sure you are well-rested prior to the task and to use positive thoughts and imagery to fight off anxiety and worry. If you find your mind wandering toward distracting thoughts, consciously bring your focus back to the task at hand.

What is concentration?

In Will Power & Self Discipline, Remez Sasson wrote that concentration is the ability to direct one’s attention following one’s will. Concentration means control of attention. It is the ability to focus the mind on one subject, object, or thought, and at the same time exclude from the mind every other unrelated thought, ideas, feelings, and sensations.

That last part is the tricky part for most of us. To concentrate is to exclude, or not pay attention to, every other unrelated thought, idea, feeling, or sensation. To not pay attention to the numbers, beeps, and other indicators that we have a new message, a new update, a new “like,” a new follower!

Our daily routine is dominated by switching in and out of our mobile phones and computer. We get a constant influx of messages from WhatsApp, email, Telegram, and the half-dozen other apps that are somehow critical to our job. We constantly search for information to help solve our daily problems or get our work done.

Frequent distractions affect productivity. It takes longer to finish a task. We don’t listen as well. We don’t comprehend things as well, whether with our partner or with colleagues, and end up in misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and conflict. It affects memory. We forget things or can’t recall information promptly which affects our personal life and professional image.

Try a small amount of caffeine

But don’t get overzealous with the coffee, or you might get the caffeine jitters, which typically reduce your ability to concentrate. You can also try a cup of tea, which won’t give you the quick buzz like coffee but can provide you energy for a longer period thanks to the L-theanine chemicals in it that our bodies metabolize throughout the day.

You might have heard that watching cat videos on YouTube can improve productivity. Well, that’s true . sort of. Whether it’s watching cat videos, taking a walk, or a brief nap, it is critical to take the occasional break from work.

In one study, 84 subjects were asked to perform a simple computer task for one hour. Those who were allowed two brief breaks during that hour performed consistently for the entire time whereas those who weren’t offered a break performed worse over time.

Another widely-noted 2011 study analyzed the decision making process of 1,112 judges and found that more “favorable rulings” were made by judges during the beginning of the day and after they took periodic food breaks. Essentially, this study explored how “decision fatigue” (i.e. how fast and accurately we make decisions) was alleviated by semi-frequent breaks.

Get a good night’s sleep

If you can disconnect from the internet, there are fewer things to distract you from the work at hand. Experts think that every time you flip between tasks — whether it be responding to a friend on Facebook or checking your inbox — a little bit of your attention remains with the task you just left.

Sophie Leroy, a professor at the University of Washington at Bothell, coined the term “attention residue” as the reason for why it’s so hard to change tasks. Eliminating those online distractions can keep you from finding tasks to flip between and help you focus.

Disconnecting from the internet may mean unplugging from social media too. If possible, try limiting or all together getting rid of social media use during your work day. Designating time to look through social media, rather than checking it constantly throughout the day, can help you stay on task.

Source:

https://www.verywellmind.com/things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-mental-focus-4115389
https://www.betterup.com/blog/15-ways-to-improve-your-focus-and-concentration-skills
https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/how-to-focus

How To Move Up in a Company: 12 Steps for Success

How To Move Up in a Company: 12 Steps for Success

The potential for a promotion or career advancement is a significant motivator for most employees. It typically results in a higher salary and greater responsibility at work. Your actions, decisions and performance are what help you get that promotion. If you’re hoping to move up in a company, follow this list of important steps.

The prospect of moving up in a company can keep you excited about and engaged in your work. Promotions may come with bigger paychecks, new projects and more authority in the office. Moving up in a job also looks good on your resume if you decide to apply with a different company or industry. It shows you are responsible, driven and produce high-quality work.

When you continually explore how to move up in your career, you gain new skills, responsibilities and challenges. The motivation to move up in a company benefits your employer, too, through your hard work and superior performance.

Work at a Startup

There are few experiences in life that can rapidly accelerate your career more than working at a startup. Whether you’re interested in digital marketing or learning how to navigate the funding process, startups are hungry for new and ambitious talent, and will throw you more responsibilities than you’ll know what to do with.

Identify goals you want to accomplish while working at a startup, but stay flexible. It’s likely you’ll wear many different hats and be pulled in numerous directions as you figure out how to land on your feet. As your responsibilities and career start accelerating, keep notes on the new skills you’re learning and projects you’re exploring to update your resume and portfolio. Chances are you’ll miss something if you try to recreate the experience in hindsight and will fail to pull out relevant details that can impact your next career step.

Make Friends with VIPs

Seeking out the top players in your industry, whether seasoned executives or rising stars, can take your career far. But know the difference between blatant stalking and brown-nosing, and offer genuine feedback on a project you enjoyed or ask thought-provoking questions. It’s relatively easy to become memorable and well-liked the more you can show you’re an interesting, proactive worker who respects his superior’s opinion.

Look up the meaning of agile, and you’ll find definitions ranging from “The ability to move quickly and easily” to “Dividing business tasks into short phases of work and reassessment.” Both are relevant to moving up in your career, whether you’re looking to quickly adapt to new challenges and pick up new skills, or to approach your career path as a series of different phases that push you towards your end goals.

Source:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-move-up-in-a-company
https://www.inc.com/chad-halvorson/10-guaranteed-ways-to-move-up-in-your-career.html
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/how-move-within-company-career-progression-secrets.html

Going Back to School At 30: Why & Why Not

Going Back to School At 30: Why & Why Not

According to a 2017 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, workers with a college degree were far more likely to have a job than workers who lacked a college education.

Yet, the idea of going back to school as a 30-something can seem daunting. Life is a lot more complex than it was in your 20s. You might be wondering if it’s possible to balance the demands of being a student while simultaneously juggling a day job and family responsibilities. And you might even be questioning your ability to meet the demands of the coursework itself.

The good news is that mature students (in their 30s and beyond) are actually perfectly positioned to earn their college degree. Let’s explore the reasons why going back to school at 30 might be your best idea yet.

4 Reasons Why Getting Your Degree at 30 is a Great Idea

One of the benefits of going back to school in your 30s is the on-the-job experience you’ve amassed over the past 12+ years. You’re at an advantage compared to students who have nothing on their résumé. Why? You’ve had time to learn what you enjoy doing, what you don’t like, what you’re good at, and where your greatest areas for improvement are.

You may want more thorough, in-depth knowledge of a subject. Or maybe there’s a particular skill missing from your professional toolbox. Whether it’s detailed focus of a general field or a very specific skill set, not having this knowledge can hold you back from growing professionally.

Or maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to learn (for the sake of learning). Many people choose to finish their studies for personal development alone. Always wanted to master a second language or learn more about financial planning? Go for it!

Speaking of on-the-job experience, another fabulous benefit of going back to school a bit later in life is your developed sense of direction. Oftentimes, students in their 20s are unsure about what they want to study. Or they receive a degree and later realize that working in that field is not what they thought it would be.

Good news! If you’re ready for a career change, you have an advantage over less mature college students due to your previous employment experiences. What you’ve learned on-the-job—your understanding of what you want (and don’t want)—means you’re more confident and focused on the goals ahead.

How to Make Going Back to School at 30 Possible

1. Position Yourself for Your Future-Ready Career

Your skills need to improve at the speed of technology — which is lightning fast. To position yourself for the future, you’ll likely need advanced technical training that allows you to stay on top of new changes.

Learn the industry’s standard requirements by reading job postings and noting the educational and technical qualifications. Make sure, too, that the industry is on an upward trajectory so that your effort will pay off. You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars, only to be told you’re now “overqualified.”

2. Learn the Lingo: Certificates, Certifications, and Degrees

Certificates are generally awarded in non-degree granting programs. You take classes to bolster your knowledge on a particular subject. But make no mistake: adding this information to your resume will help you stand out. After all, you’re showing a commitment to lifelong learning!

An MBA (Masters of Business Administration) is often required if you plan on transferring to a financial field. An MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) allows writers to teach at accredited schools and colleges.

If you can’t see yourself leaving your job for a few years to pursue these degrees, investigate Executive MBAs and other low-residency options. Maybe there’s a way to accumulate credits toward your degree while you hold down your job.

For those who want to supercharge your learning ability and pick up any skills faster, try the Learn Anything Fast Handbook offered by Lifehack. It will surely upgrade your learning skills right away. Find out more about the Handbook here.

3. Find Your Balance

Not only do you have the demands of staying on top of course work, but you also may likely have to balance them with the demands of your day job — and perhaps even a spouse and kids.

Do your research before choosing a school or program. Look up the school’s program rankings and make note of the program’s graduation rate and what types of jobs its graduates land. Write yourself a goals chart, and tack it on a bulletin board above your home computer. Studies show that writing down your goals is the best way to achieve them.

And what about online options? Online programs may be your best choice in terms of convenience and targeted degree options. But they sometimes lack the cachet of the in-person study programs.

Before deciding to go the online route, make sure the school is reputable, accredited, and that students are offered the support they need. Look for reviews to give you a glimpse of student reactions to various programs.

If you can afford to take time off from your current job and return to campus, you may find it easier to foster new connections among professors and classmates who will hopefully all become an integral part of your business network.

As you investigate how to straddle the simultaneous demands of work and school, determine whether you can cut back to part-time work and go to school full-time. If so, you’ll finish your degree more quickly.

But, if you need to maintain a full-time job, find out in advance the minimum course load for enrollment. While part-time enrollment can make work more manageable, it may not allow you to be eligible for financial aid.

4. Tell Yourself: It’s Never Too Late to Learn

While further training is one lure to send you back to school at 30 or beyond, you might also decide that it’s important to finish a degree that you started, but for various reasons put on hold.

This was the case with Shaquille O’Neal, or “Shaq” as he’s widely known. He embarked on his 19-year NBA career having completed only three years at Louisiana State University. But he later earned his Bachelor’s in general studies, and went on to earn an MBA and then a PhD in education.

Steven Spielberg was also compelled to finish a degree he hadn’t completed. He dropped out of California State University, Long Beach, just a few credits short of earning his degree. More than three decades later, he finished his requirements, which included submitting his film, “Schindler’s List,” to satisfy a film course requirement.

It’s possible that, by age 30, you’ve discovered the career direction you pursued in your 20s is to no longer a field in which you ultimately want to remain. This happened with Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett Packard and U.S. presidential candidate in 2016. [2]

She enrolled in law school after earning a history and philosophy undergraduate degree from Stanford. But after one semester, she dropped out and found employment at a commercial property brokerage firm. Ultimately, she wanted to explore other areas of business and went back to earn an MBA. It landed her a job at AT&T, where she was promoted within two years to a management position. The company sponsored Fiorina in a fellowship program at the Sloan School of Management at MIT that set her on her trajectory to become CEO of HP.

The Bottom Line

Ideally, your education should open doors to a career that will allow you to pay back any resulting student debt. Still, it’s important that you do the math to know whether it will pay in the long run to go back to school. Compare the cost of tuition and other fees with the revenue you’ll likely earn.

It’s a good idea to tell your coworkers and boss that you’re going back to school. This will show them that you have the drive to better yourself. When they know what you’re undertaking, they may be more understanding as you juggle your added responsibilities. Your employer might also be able to help out with paying some of the cost if the company has a tuition-reimbursement program.

Going back to school at 30 will show current and future employers that your brain is still active and your outlook is still expansive. At 30 — and beyond — there’s no reason not to pursue schooling that will pay dividends in the future.

7. Explore financial aid opportunities.

Did you know that you qualify for FAFSA even as a part-time online student? Depending on how much time and cost you can invest into your program, applying for financial aid can ease that aspect of your transition back into your education.

“Now that I am chasing a dual master’s from two different universities, the FASFA has made it possible to obtain this level of education and experience. There is a huge barrier for many who are scared or leery of using FASFA because they don’t want to pay back school loans. I would urge anyone serious about their education and career potential to look further into the FASFA program and see that it’s not as expensive nor difficult to pay back loans. Some career fields qualify for loan forgiveness after a certain amount of years served in that career field.” – Justin Kerbow

Choose a school that is geared towards your needs as an adult learner. Examine the help and resources that would be available to you. Does the accreditation of the school matter to you? You can find out this information by speaking to an alumni of the school or contacting the school directly.

Once you have chosen a school that fits your needs as an adult-learner, research the program you’re interested in enrolling in. Does the program offer the training and skill-set you’re looking for? Does the program offer the flexibility you need to balance your wok, school and life? What skills and credits that you’ve already acquired are transferable to the program?

Does your employee offer a tuition reimbursement program? Programs like the Arizona Online Corporate Initiative partners with employers to create affordable higher-education opportunities for working adults. You can check with your Human Resources department today to see if your organization is part of the Corporate Initiative program or other reimbursement programs.

Review postings of your dream job to understand what the requirements and the desired skill-set are. Landing your dream job might require an undergraduate certificate, which can be completed faster and is often less expensive than a degree program. Graduate or professional certificates often require undergraduate degrees or professional experience but are a great way to up-skill in technical or educational fields.

It’s never too late to go back to school. Lifelong learning can not only help with personal development such as strengthening memory and opening your mind, its also essential to giving you a competitive edge in the job market, making you that much more employable! Plus, research shows that the average online college student is in their 30s. So its It’s definitely not too late to go back to school at 30!

Careers that require advanced degrees or specialized skill sets will most likely equate to a higher earning potential so careers in the following fields are worth re-enrolling for: Healthcare, Nursing, Information Technology, Engineering, Busienss and Finance.

Yes. You can work full-time while studying although it can be demanding. Online programs allow for flexibility and the freedom to complete classes on your schedule. Developing a schedule for yourself with help with finding the right work, school and life balance. You also have access to faculty and advisors who can help develop and support your academic journey so that you can manage the priorities in your life.

Source:

https://www.franklin.edu/blog/going-back-to-school-at-30
https://www.lifehack.org/831005/going-back-to-school-at-30
https://online.arizona.edu/news/going-back-school-30-7-reasons-why-you-should-go-it-and-some-tips-how-excel

How Does The Law Of Attraction Work Scientifically?

How does The Law of Attraction really work?

The Law of Attraction is inescapable in the sense that, as long as we exist, we will be affecting the reality that we perceive. The perceiver and the perceived are more one and the same than we often realize. We cannot cease to attract to us the experiences that reflect what we are vibrating (thinking, feeling, believing, being) in each moment.

In short: What you send out is what you get back. Your frequency determines the reality you will experience. Your vibration of being activates the Law of Attraction in a specific way, making the things in your life appear a certain way, as a reflection of what you “send out.”

Hence, physical life–circumstances–are like a mirror, reflecting you. You cannot change the reflection in the mirror without changing yourself. This is the key you really need to understand before you can use the Law of Attraction positively and deliberately.

Understanding that Everything is Energy, and How It Affects the Law of Attraction

I’m sure you’ve heard this term somewhere in recent years, whether suggested to you by a spiritual teacher, a long-deceased genius, a New Age affirmation card, or a modern quantum scientist.

In the rest of this article–after this section–I am going to assume you are already a believer of the statement “everything is energy” enough to where we can move on from the debate about whether or not this physical universe is truly physical, separate, and governed by randomly generated physical laws, or whether physicality is an illusion of consciousness held up by complex electromagnetic fields and equations, and beyond that, by the subtlest reality of quantum configurations/fluctuations.

If everything is energy, this also means that everything is connected, and this is where the concept of energy starts to play into how the Law of Attraction actually works in our daily lives.

In energy, true separation is not possible in the way that it seems to be possible in the illusion of the physical world. Whereas in the physical illusion you can take one object, separate it into two parts, move part A to China and part B to America, perceive their physical distance from one another and call that “separation,” at a quantum-energetic level, communication continues to exist between “particles,” regardless of time and space, distance, and physical separation.

This is often referred to as “quantum entanglement,” which is a proven and well-documented phenomenon. If you are still skeptical of the statement “everything is energy” and “everything is connected” and “you attract what you think of,” you can look up quantum entanglement.

In today’s world, the interconnectedness of all energy that makes up matter is as much real scientific knowledge as it is intuitively known by every creature in existence. If you trust the instinct that knows that everything is somehow connected to everything else, and that what we perceive physically is nothing but energy in communication with itself at different frequencies, then you’re set to start using the Law of Attraction deliberately in your life.

How We Inherit The Limiting Beliefs That Hold Us Back

When you’re asking the question “How does the Law of Attraction work scientifically?” it’s important to first look at basic biology and genetics. It’s in this area that we can start to see why we often don’t get what we want at first, even when we don’t know why, and think we’re trying as hard as we can.

In particular, the very latest genetic research indicates that we actually inherit certain negative beliefs and associations from previous generations. This is a blameless fact that can undermine us until we uncover it.

The most exciting and evocative experiments on this phenomenon have been conducted with mice and cherry blossoms. When mice receive an electric shock at the same time as smelling cherry blossom, the resulting negative association is so significant that it ends up being passed to their children. These children then react fearfully to cherry blossom even though they’ve never had a single negative experiment with it themselves.

Images of their brains show that they actually have different neurological receptors. This is all because of something that happened to their parents. This is the science that gives us one of the major starting points for manifestation (i.e. the identification and excision of inherited limiting beliefs).

The Importance Of Mirror Neurons

One of the other key lessons of manifestation science is that vibrating on a high frequency and becoming an open-minded, loving person will attract good things from the world around you. Science actually has a lot to say about why this approach is successful.

We have specific neurons that mirror observed behaviors. These mirror neurons allow us to induce particular responses in people we interact with. So, if you are happy, passionate and giving, those around you will offer the same attitudes and behaviors in response. They simply can’t help it!

Further, MRI brain scans also indicate that mirror neurons cause others to feel anxious and afraid if we feel anxious or afraid. This helps to provide a scientific explanation for why a low vibration of fear and lack will prevent us from forming good relationships and successful careers (even if we think we desperately want those things).

19 Crucial Tips to Manifest Money with the Law of Attraction

Many of us grew up with limiting beliefs around money. Fortunately, we can change almost anything using the law of attraction philosophy. But what are the best law of attraction money tips?

“The Law of Attraction is responding to your thought, not to your current reality. When you change the thought, your reality must follow suit. If things are going well for you, focusing upon what is happening now will cause the well-being to continue.”

-Abraham Hicks pic.twitter.com/4WgjGTM6vS

— The Secret LOA (@TheSecretLawofA) May 14, 2022

1. Understand How The Law of Attraction Works

The first thing or the first step is to understand the law of attraction, this powerful law of the universe so that you can understand the mechanics of manifestation techniques that will gradually turn you into a money magnet and grow rich.

Negative thoughts attract negative experiences. In like manner, positive thoughts attract positive experiences. Specifically, in this context, a mind that is filled to the brim with thoughts about lack of money cannot be a place where an abundance of money becomes a reality.

2. Rid Your Mind of Scarcity Mindset and Similar Limiting Beliefs

And we’ve had a lot of life experiences, mainly negative experiences that seem to validate our limited way of seeing money. We are always struggling financially. We have been brought up not to aim too high.

Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie…were all born into abject poverty, but when they understood the power of manifestation paired with hard work, they attracted great wealth. Likewise, you will have to change your belief system if you are serious about money manifestation.

3. Adopt an Abundance Mindset

These are largely defined by negative thoughts around abundance. Then replace them with positive thoughts, positive mindset, positive things, and good feeling, which will ultimately fill your life with positive growth.

You’ll even start feeling better and happier even before you experience a change in your financial status. This is because you are no longer suffused with negative thoughts and negative energy.

4. Aim For Financial Freedom

For the most part, our lives unfold as self-fulfilling philosophies —- if a person is convinced they would never know a life beyond financial struggle, they will live a life that is consistent with their aim.

You could buy some of the best works (books and courses) on personal finance. It’s not difficult. In a recent article I published, for example, I explained whether you could sell your term life insurance policy for cash. Check it out.

5. Use Money Affirmations

They will gradually help you focus on your aim and even imbue you with confidence. You can use them to gradually improve your relationship with money. The best way to use them is regularly.

6. Decide On a Specific Amount of Money

So instead of being vague, “I just want to manifest money”. Pick a specific amount of money that you want. I’ll suggest that the higher the amount, the better. Pick a really high amount.

7. Use a Vision Board

Simply cut out pictures that are accurate representations of these goals and stick them on a board. Put it in a place where you can see it a couple of times each day and simply go about your business.

8. Use Visualizations

9. Use Journals

You can also write down your own clear goal about money, the money you are manifesting, and related financial goals. You can also keep track of how you are changing and the good things that you are attracting into your life.

10. Use Mantras

Mantras are chants that are a great way to focus and channel your vibrations around what you seek to manifest. You could find mantras online that relate to how to manifest money or simply craft your own.

“I am grateful for the abundance that I have and the abundance on its way. Every dollar I spend and donate comes back to me multiplied. I can look at my finances without fear. I choose to live a rich and full life. I give myself permission to prosper and grow.”

11. Fill Yourself with Positive Energy

In trying to manifest money and have an obese bank account, it is not enough to simply think about what you want to manifest. It is vital to ensure that you are also filled with positive energy.

Being filled with positive energy would make you more optimistic and driven. In this state, it is easier for you to have an “energetic match” with the amount you are trying to manifest.

Resource:

https://www.bentinhomassaro.com/read/how-does-the-law-of-attraction-really-work
https://thelawofattraction.com/law-attraction-work-scientifically/
https://middleclassdadmoney.com/law-of-attraction-money-tips/

Best Sample Thank You Emails After an Interview (4 Examples)

How to Write an Interview Thank You Email/Note

1. Begin with a professional or formal greeting (e.g. “Hello Susan,” or “Dear Susan,”)
2. Thank the interviewer and tell them that you appreciate their time spent during the job interview
3. Mention something specific you talked to them about in the interview, that you enjoyed learning about, so they know that this interview thank you note is written specifically for them
4. Reaffirm your interest in the position and tell the reader that you look forward to hearing about the next steps in the hiring process
5. Tell the interviewer that they should feel free to contact you if they need any additional information or have follow-up questions in the meantime
6. Optional: Include something to reaffirm that you’re confident you can perform well in this role and explain why
7. If you interviewed with multiple people in a single day and want to thank them all, send a separate thank you note to each for a more personalized feel

If you went on a video or phone interview, you can ask for their contact details at the end of the conversation. Simply explain that it’s for the purpose of following up and sending a thank you message.

4 Best Thank You Email Samples After an Interview

Later in the article, I’ll cover the pros and cons of sending this via email versus a handwritten thank you letter/note. So if you’re not sure which to send, make sure to read until the end.

Sample Interview Thank You Email/Note #1:

Hello ,

Thank you for taking the time to interview me . I enjoyed our conversation about and it was great learning about the position overall.

It sounds like an exciting opportunity and a role I could succeed and excel in. I’m looking forward to hearing any updates you can share, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns in the meantime.

Best regards,

This type of short message also makes an ideal thank you email to a recruiter or HR person after a phone interview or other first-round interview. At that stage, you don’t need to be sending a lot of detail in your thank you letter; you simply want to give thanks and reaffirm your interest.

And modern companies don’t want to see a ten-paragraph, formal thank you letter that takes ten minutes to read. In fact, it might make them want to hire you less because they’ll doubt whether you’re a fit for their company culture. That’s why I recommend keeping your message short and genuine, like the sample above.

Even if it’s a second- or third-round interview, this type of very short, concise thank-you email can still be effective. Here’s an example of the type of message I’d personally send if I were job hunting right now:

Example Interview Thank You Email #2:

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your time yesterday. I enjoyed the interview and it was interesting to hear about how the team is expanding and the new types of customers you’re trying to attract.

I’m confident that I can take what I’ve learned at and step into your role and be successful, so I’m eager to hear your feedback when you have a chance.

Don’t hesitate to contact me in the meantime if you have any questions or concerns.

Best regards,
Biron Clark

However, if you’re in a more traditional or formal industry, or if you want to send a thank you note in the mail rather than email, one of the next two thank you note examples will be better.

Sample Interview Thank You Email/Letter #3:

Hello ,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about the position at . It was a pleasure talking with you, and I enjoyed learning more about the opportunity.

The information you shared about sounded particularly interesting.

I am confident that my skills will allow me to come in and succeed in this role, and it’s a position I’d be excited to take on.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you about the next steps, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any additional information in the meantime.

Thank you again.

Best regards,

Note that at the end of the third paragraph, you could also add details about WHY you feel confident you’d succeed in this role. Doing this will make your thank you email more convincing to hiring managers.

Try to remind them of something you shared in the interview, like a piece of past experience, or a skill you have, that will prove to them you’ll be able to come in and be successful in their role.

Sample Interview Thank You Email/Letter #4:

Dear ,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me . I’m very excited about the opportunity to work at .

The role sounds exciting and is a position that I’m confident I’d excel in due to my prior experience in .

I look forward to hearing feedback as soon as you have any updates and would love to continue discussing the opportunity with you at that point.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any additional information in the meantime. Thank you again, .

Best regards,

So if you like one, but feel it’s not formal enough, you can make adjustments. However, in most modern industries, you should be careful not to sound too stiff/formal. Your note should sound genuine.

What would you say if you were standing there, thanking them in-person? Writing out a thank you note isn’t much different! Most people write very differently than they talk, and that’s usually a mistake in your job search because you end up sounding very robotic and unnatural.

What to Do Right After a Job Interview

Resist the urge to go straight to the pub. Of course, you should celebrate a bit, assuming all went smoothly. However, whether you feel you aced the interview or not, you should immediately look for an opportunity to write down some notes.

I know what you’re thinking, “I just spent days stressing over this interview, and now you want me to spend more time thinking about!?” Yes, that’s exactly right. But don’t worry, it will be over soon enough.

While you interview it’s a good idea to take notes on what the recruiter tells you; however, it’s also easy to miss jotting something important down if you are focused on being responsive. So, when you finish an interview, whether you go home straight away or sit down somewhere else, take a moment to reflect on any important information mentioned during the interview, compare this with your notes, and write down anything you may have missed.

The reason behind is that you will capture information that may help you prepare for a second interview or to help you make a decision should you be offered a job. Salary information, job responsibilities, requested references/portfolios/work samples, and even the names of all of your interviewers are good to capture on paper for future reference.

Writing a Thank You Email After an Interview

Wondering when is the best time to send a thank you note after an interview? The short answer is three hours. You’ll often hear of a 24-hour rule, but it doesn’t make sense to put this off so long. At the same time, you don’t want to seem pushy or desperate – sounds a lot like a first date, right?

The reasons for writing a thank you email after an interview are three-fold: first, to show courtesy and good manners; two, to leave one last reminder of why you are suited for the job; and three, to reiterate your interest.

As I mentioned during our conversation, I think that my (skills/experience in a given specialty) would be particularly valuable in contributing to your work on (area or project types).

This type of note assumes that you ARE interested in the position. Sometimes an interview will make you realize that a job isn’t in fact suited to you. If this is the case, and you are sure that you will not accept a job offer, use the interview thank you email to politely state that you are no longer interested in the position.

Source:

https://careersidekick.com/thank-you-note-after-interview/
https://novoresume.com/career-blog/thank-you-email-after-interview
https://zety.com/blog/thank-you-email-after-an-interview

Publishing tips

💁🏻 Employ third-party promotional services. Burnt out on self-marketing, or simply don’t have the mass influence you’d like? Book promotion services can help you out. Look for services that cater specifically to your book’s target audience.

Choose a publishing route

Again, modern authors have many publishing routes from which to choose. There’s no one “right” way to publish a book — so the steps in this guide should be seen as best practices, rather than mandatory actions.

Is self-publishing or traditional publishing right for you?

This quiz should point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day, only you can determine which publishing path is right for you. If you haven’t looked into it yet, check out the posts linked above! But for those who just want quick takeaways on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, we’ve summarized them in the table below.

Pros and cons of three different publishing routes

1) Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need

I’ve seen many aspiring authors want to get their books out yesterday, but you can publish a book fast or you can publish a book well; it’s harder to do both. Give yourself the space to make the best decisions for your book, hire the best people, and get clear on how your book fits in with your larger plans and goals.

Every author I spoke to reported that they wished they had begun marketing earlier. The basic rule I’ve heard is to start building your author platform (email list, social media, a forum or dedicated social media group if appropriate) 6 – 12 months before the book’s release and to start your actual marketing campaign (targeted blog posts, articles, podcasts, and advertising designed to create a buzz about your book) 2 – 3 months before the book is available.

It’s not enough to place ads or to send out an announcement to your email list (you do have an email list, don’t you?) once the book is released. You need to have a community of people who like the work you do, want what you’re offering, and are excited to buy your book before it even comes out.

Learn not to take rejection personally

I spent three years writing my first novel, squeaking out sentences and full chapters whenever I could find the time. Once I had a manuscript that I was proud of, I spent another two years meticulously selecting agents, perfecting my query letter, and sending them out—only to get rejected by over 100 of them.

The idea of starting over from scratch—of literally filing away an entire novel, opening a blank Word document, and writing another 100,000-word manuscript from the beginning—kind of made me want to burst into tears. But at the same time, this is where the importance of deadlines comes in again: At that point, I was 27 years old. Thirty felt like it was looming, so I knew that if I had any shot of meeting that deadline, I needed to just buckle up and try again.

In the beginning, those 100 rejections hurt like hell, and the idea of putting myself through that again was incredibly daunting, but here’s the thing: After a while, the rejections kind of lose their bite. A writer’s worst nightmare is pouring their heart and soul into a story, sharing it with others, and having them not like it—and that happened to me over and over again, day after day, for two entire years. By the time I decided to abandon my first book and start another one, I had already lived my worst nightmare—being rejected—and I realized that it hadn’t killed me.

A few weeks before publication, boxes of books start arriving at your door. These books were all signed and sent to bookstores around the country so they would be ready to be displayed on publication day.

I signed with my current agent less than two weeks after finishing A Flicker in the Dark, a stark contrast to my first attempt. But while I was celebrating the idea of not having to face another agent rejection again, what I didn’t realize is this: The rejection never stops.

Now that A Flicker in the Dark is out in the world, I’ve experienced a whole different type of rejection. It isn’t gone just because I’m published; if anything, it feels louder and more personal than ever. Before, “a rejection” meant getting a polite email from an agent saying “thanks but no thanks,” which I could simply file away in my inbox and never look at again. But now, “a rejection” comes in the form of a very public one-star rating from a reader with 10,000 followers. It comes in the form of a less-than-flattering Instagram post with hundreds of likes that magically appears in my newsfeed (thanks, algorithm). My point is: Even after “succeeding,” I still get rejected by people multiple times a day every day, over and over again, so I’m actually glad I got those 100 rejections before because now I feel prepared. Now, I’m able to look at these rejections with more of a clear head. I’m able to let the positive reviews and enriching conversations drown out the negative ones, and in the end, I remind myself that everything in life is subjective, so it’s a waste of time trying to please everyone.

You will experience a lot of rejection on this journey, and if you’re anything like me, it might tempt you to quit. But please, please remember: One person’s opinion cannot invalidate an entire work of art. It’s a battle you’ll be fighting daily and one that still knocks me down sometimes—but as long as you get back up, you’ll be stronger for it.

While all of this is happening, you’re also working on your next book! About five months before publication, I sent the first draft of my second book over to my editor. It’s now in production and slated for publication in January 2023.

Sources:

https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-publish-a-book/
https://wnba-books.org/ten-tips-for-aspiring-self-publishing-authors/
https://theeverygirl.com/author-book-publishing-tips/
Publishing tips

(2) You have many options for formatting an ebook, from DIY to hire. The most cost-effective way is to begin with the tool you have. What tool are you using to write your book? Can you use that tool to also format your book? Find out everything you can about the tool you already have.

5 Tips on Self-Publishing Your Book

Looking back on the self-publishing process, I don’t believe I could have learned enough simply through my own research to do a good job. Fortunately, I did have help throughout the process, and I’d like to share five self-publishing tips I learned that I hope will help you. Let’s dive in!

I used to build websites for a living, and self-publishing feels similar in one respect: it looks easy enough to do yourself, but it isn’t. The reality is that you can do a bad job by yourself, but doing it well is its own large and complex world.

Where it’s most likely to fall apart is in the marketing. Just like “I have a website!”, “I have a book out!” is a great feeling initially. However, reality quickly sets in: putting something up on the internet does not guarantee that anyone will see it.

But if you’re doing self-publishing properly, that challenge of marketing should inform every detail of how you self-publish, even the seemingly mundane or technical ones. It’s all those details—easy-to-miss but important steps that support the marketing of your book—that you’re likely to miss with a do-it-yourself, Google-and-YouTube approach to self-publishing.

~ Laurence O’Bryan ~

READ THE CONTRACTS. Know what you’re selling, how much it costs and how you’ll be paid. Know what you’re buying, how much it costs, how you will pay. (Percentage or lump-sum). If percentage, percentage of what, net or gross? discounts? And term. Always look at the term.

Print books – if using images use Insert > Picture to place them in the file. Don’t just copy and paste them into the file. Also don’t resize them inside the Word document. Insert the file size you need. (I use black and white images for children’s books.) This rule may also apply for ebook images.

If you’re creating a children’s picture book for print, be aware that you cannot get silk paper finish from Createspace or Lightning Source. The paper finish is good but it’s not the sticky-finger proof variety that you see on the shelf in bookshops.

~ Dan Holloway ~

(1) Accept the idea that producing a book is a DAILY PROCESS. You don’t need to have every part perfectly figured out in advance before you begin. That would require literary genius plus marketing and design genius. The process will go more smoothly if you work at it steadily, every day, keeping your mind in the game and allowing the book time and space to grow and evolve.

(2) You will be happy if you write a clean simple story that does not rely on any tricky formatting, fonts, italics, etc. It’s almost impossible to make something graphically complicated look good on every e-reader, phone, kindle and other device. KEEP FORMATTING SIMPLE.

(3) STICK TO THE INTERNET. You may be tempted to take out a print ad in the New York Times. It will never pay for itself. All the best promotions are online, because online your potential readers are just one click away from a purchase, a download, and a review. Plan on trying various things (bookbub, KDP, giveaways, etc.) there is no one perfect way unless you are famous and already have 2 million facebook followers.

(4) BE PROFESSIONAL. Spend 95% of your efforts producing the best fiction you can, and that includes more time writing, revising and editing it to make it easy to read and entertaining. Work with at least one editor and proofreader. Make a completely professional error-free presentation and then readers take you seriously and give you money. Only 5% of your time should go into marketing, because there are limits to what you can achieve.

All authors of a manuscript are responsible towards what is being reported, thus be committed and let’s write and publish high quality articles! Submitted by LIM Seng Joe, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia.

What is the challenge or barrier you observed in the publishing process?

I have been reviewing quite a number of manuscripts assigned by reputable journals with high impact factors, and from my observation, the main reason of manuscripts being rejected is due to the manuscripts being poorly written, with inconsistency of writing, incoherent paragraphs and sequence of subtopics, and poor use of language. Inconsistencies are observed when different terminologies referring to the same thing are used throughout the manuscript, eg., a particular sample is being referred as “raw”, while the same sample is being labeled as “crude” in the subsequent paragraphs, which in some cases, confuse the readers.

Also, some paragraphs and subtopics are written in such a way that the previous paragraph/subtopic and the subsequent paragraph/subtopic do not have a logical sequence. A poorly written manuscript could also be due to the poor use of language, where the readers could not understand the message that the authors were trying to convey.

How did you solve this problem to achieve a positive outcome?

In order to have a manuscript being properly written, once the draft has been completed, all the authors need to sit down, go through and edit the draft together; rather than editing it individually and then compile. During the editing session, all authors can give opinion and discuss the best approach of writing the manuscript. This saves time and in some cases, resources, as it reduces waiting time (especially when there are too many co-authors) and eliminates the need to individually printing out the draft for editing (saving resources).

The complexities of publishing interprofessional/interdisciplinary research are best solved by a documented collaborative effort involving pre and post research group brainstorming followed by a definite action plan which perfectly delivers the essence of this research project in the proposed journal. Submitted by Geethanjali Bhas, International Medical School, MSU, Malaysia.

What is the challenge or barrier you observed in the publishing process?

The current challenge for me is in publishing research which is of a interdisciplinary or interprofessional nature. Interdisciplinary research articles span various disciplines such as medicine and engineering/technology or biology with a humanities component, etc. Such articles have a mix of methodological approaches in the research techniques and statistical techniques along with multiple authors of diverse disciplines and peer reviewers.

The complex challenges with such publications include finding the best journal with a broad scope and crafting the research projects as per the guidelines of the selected journal within the approved word limit without losing valuable insight gained by the different disciplines.

How did you solve this problem to achieve a positive outcome?

Solutions to the problem begin with a documented plan which begins by brainstorming with co-authors before the start of the project and after completion to identify which journals are best suited to publish the interdisciplinary/interprofessional research work. This requires researching about the previous publications and scope.

It should also address areas of concern as identified by the subject experts along with broader insight of the project by the entire project team. Further to this, a collaborative action plan is developed by the research group to identify key findings and methodology which must be included in the publications and areas which need pruning.

Sources:

https://writers.com/5-tips-on-self-publishing-your-book
https://www.creativindie.com/publishing-tips-from-smart-people-write-promote-and-publish-your-book/
https://www.aje.com/arc/tips-for-publishing-research/
Publishing tips

On that note, if there’s anything I’ve learned in my three years at Reedsy and two years of writing for DIY MFA, it’s that we creators thrive when we share resources and support one another. In that same spirit, here are my top tips for self-publishing authors! While they’ll be most helpful for the first-timers, I hope even experienced authors learn a little something new about the self-publishing process.

What is Self-Publishing?

The success of my books has been directly responsible for the strong performance of my business, which has grown to over 7 figures in less than 2 years. To hear another self-published author’s success story, check out the podcast with Pat Flynn below.

Five years ago, in order to achieve this level of publishing success, you would have needed to be extremely lucky to even land an agent who would attempt to find you a deal at one of the “Big 5” publishing houses.

How can I publish my first book?

What’s the Difference Between Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing?

Pricing to publish a book varies greatly depending on its length, production costs, and the retail price you set. This article from The Write Life outlines four case studies of publishing costs from self-published authors.

How much does it normally cost to publish a book?

Write the book you believe in

Before you can self-publish a book, you have to actually write it. And though “write to market” is increasingly common (and valid!) advice these days, I still think most authors should start with ideas they really love. Not only will the passion shine through in your prose, but it’ll also motivate you to write all the way to the end—something that marketing potential alone may not do.

A little anecdotal evidence: nearly all the most interesting, fresh-voiced books I’ve come across through Reedsy have been passion projects. Plenty of these titles end up with solid audiences too! But with the exception of nonfiction books serving specific groups (how-to, self-help, etc.), the best books are inspired by the story, not by the people who will buy it.

Invest in your cover design

As I emphasized in my post on cover design mistakes, your cover is a crucial window into your book. Readers use it to judge genre, tone, and ultimately whether or not they should commit to your work; even the tiniest design mistakes can have a devastating impact on this decision.

This is why you must invest in cover design over everything else, whether that means spending sufficient time on your self-design or hiring a professional to make it look flawless. I’d certainly recommend the latter route to most authors: while you can always self-edit your book in a pinch, graphic design skills are simply not in most writers’ wheelhouses. And on top of being artistically gifted, a professional cover designer will be savvy enough to know exactly which design elements readers in your genre want to see.

If you are watching this right now, you are in a really excellent position to get your book out there and start to find readers.

Joanna: Fantastic. I think one of the main things that you and I have also done is we have both learned from other people. So both of us have taken a lot of courses, listened to audio books, bought books. Both of us have turned our knowledge into courses to try and help other people avoid the mistakes that people make. Now you’ve got this super 101 course, tell us a bit about that, what’s in it, who is it for?

We look at formatting, cover design, we’ve got a blurb writing module, we’ve got advertising, promotion, focus on the main email list, what one is, how you get one, the software you need to use. It’s absolutely everything that I needed myself.

I tried to go back five years and think, what didn’t I know? Well, I didn’t know anything really. I try to imagine that I’m instructing newbie Mark with my first book with the benefit of what I know now after five years of experience.

It’s for beginners and it’s also for those who are intermediate. So we have plenty of students who have gone through the course and have found that it’s refocused them into getting away from bad habits. Maybe open their eyes to some things that they haven’t tried before. Those things that they subsequently do try and have success with. It’s not for New York Times or USA bestselling authors who don’t need me to tell them what to do, but it’s for people below that and starting out in their author journey.

Joanna: There is this myth that self-publishing is really easy, that anyone can do it. And of course, it is in one way. Just upload a book to Amazon, but if you just do that, you are not going to sell any books.

I highly recommend Mark’s 101 course and you can check it out using the button below, or join the waitlist for the next course opening date. Do you want to just tell people where to find your site and the podcast which is really useful?

Mark: You can go to selfpublishingformula.com. The podcasts are uploaded there every week. We go live on Fridays. You can also see them on YouTube, we do live-read broadcasting to our Facebook group. You should get the podcast wherever you get the podcast from iTunes and whatever you use. We’ll be there.

Sources:

https://self-publishingschool.com/how-to-publish-a-book/
https://diymfa.com/community/tips-for-self-publishing-authors
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/self-publishing-tips/

14 Types of Business Growth Explained

METAMORPHOSIS OF COMPANY CULTURE As companies grow, entrepreneurs often find it increasingly difficult for them to keep the business grounded on the bedrock values that were instituted in its early days. Owners are ultimately the people that are most responsible for communicating those values to employees. But as staff size increases, markets grow, and deadlines proliferate, that responsibility gradually falls by the wayside and the company culture becomes one that is far different from the one that was in place—and enjoyed—just a few short years ago. Entrepreneurs need to make sure that they stay attentive to their obligations and role in shaping company culture.

14 Types of Business Growth Explained

Businesses of any size look for ways to expand their market share and increase revenues. Companies often choose to implement specific growth strategies to advance their business. Understanding these strategies can help you lead strategic initiatives for company growth. In this article we explain the types of business growth strategies used by companies today with ideas to help you grow your organization.

Business growth is a phenomenon that occurs when business owners, employees and outside factors influence the success of a company. A business grows when it expands a customer base, increases revenue or produces more product.

Growth is the goal of most businesses and is the reason behind many decisions that affect the daily workings of a company both internally and externally. Business growth is impacted by consumer trends, market opportunities and decisions made by company leadership.

Strategic: A strategic approach focuses on long-term growth through specific initiatives. Businesses often move into this growth stage after a period of organic growth. Companies may try to gain a share in untapped markets or plan to produce new inventory.

14 types of business growth strategies

Market penetration

Market penetration occurs when a business tries to generate further growth within their current market. To do this they may try to lower prices or increase marketing efforts to gain more market share. Increasing brand awareness can be an effective way to implement this strategy.

Product development

Businesses may choose a growth strategy that involves innovating current products or creating new ones to increase revenue. Some companies choose to take existing inventory and add new features to attract more customers. Investing in the design and creation of new products is one way businesses foster growth.

Market expansion

In the market expansion method, a business tries to expand in their current market by reaching untapped customer bases. For example, an office supply company may try to gain market share by selling to educational institutions, healthcare organizations and government agencies instead of strictly selling to corporate office clients.

Vertical integration

Companies who decide to growth through vertical integration strategies take on another part of the manufacturing or distribution process. This may mean that a company begins to produce their own packaging materials or buys a factory that produces a key item for a product.

Productivity and efficiency

Some businesses grow by changing their processes to increase productivity. Efficient production methods can help cut costs and increase revenue. A business may choose to conduct an audit of their manufacturing processes, distribution methods and other parts of their production chain.

New geographies

Investing marketing efforts into expansion in other locations can also be a growth strategy for businesses. This can mean regional, national or even worldwide expansion of product offerings and distribution. Offering products outside of a current geographical area can generate new revenue streams if distribution is also handled effectively.

Share of wallet

By focusing on customer retention and quality service, companies can initiate growth by expanding sales to current customers. Selling to existing customers typically costs less than other marketing efforts. This strategy can be effective for companies with excellent customer service practices and a loyal customer base.

Diversification

Companies that choose to grow through diversification create new products for a completely new market. This kind of growth may mean moving into international markets or areas where the company has no prior sales history. Some companies do this by looking for areas of large-scale expansion, hoping to gain market share. Diversified companies may own a stake in multiple industries through a range of product offerings.

Acquisitions

Companies may implement a growth strategy by buying another business. A company might buy out a competitor to absorb their market share and acquire their assets. The parent company will then experience growth in sales and revenue. This strategy encourages more immediate growth because a business is essentially buying into a market instead of having to invest time in organic growth methods.

New channels

Offering products through new distribution channels is another way for businesses to expand. For example, a company may decide to offer product in retail stores after operating exclusively online. A company may also decide to work with consumers instead of selling just business to business.

New business models

Changing the way you do business can affect growth patterns in a company. When a business decides to make operational changes, they have the chance to create more growth opportunities using other strategies.

Investment

Owning shares and investing in other companies may be a way to expand business growth. When a company uses their revenue to increase the assets of another business, they have the opportunity to receive benefits as a stakeholder. This may include dividends, stock options or other investment earnings.

Market segmentation

By focusing on a small segment of industry and growing specifically in that area, businesses often find growth opportunities. Small businesses can benefit from this strategy in markets where big businesses already dominate a large portion of the market share.

Business partnerships

Strategic partnerships can increase business growth by leveraging the key elements of two or more brands. In this strategy, businesses often create a contract with clear terms outlining the agreement for both parties. Companies from different industries or markets benefit from gaining the attention of another consumer group.

Sources:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-business-growth#:~:text=Here%20are%20some%20ideas%20to%20help%20expand%20your,consumers%20by%20connecting%20customers%20to%20your%20brand.
https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/business-expansion.html
https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Bo-Co/Business-Expansion.html

How to Write a Press Release? The Guide Expert Comments

Reporters look for stories that are timely, affect a large number of people, have an emotional element, or relate to other news stories. You could also tap into what people are talking about, either in person or on social media. If your business has a connection to a bigger story, you may improve your chances of getting covered.

How to Write a Press Release? [The Guide + Expert Comments]

There are specific guidelines for writing a press release—covering everything from news angles to press release structure. All of them you will find in our complete guide on how to write press releases that get attention (and results!), along with expert comments.

Remember that the angle (a perspective that story will take, in other words) which will interest the readers of a specialist magazine will be very different from the local newspaper. In fact, you should write different versions of your release for the different audiences you are targeting.

Keep in mind that you’re not only targeting potential readers, but also journalists. If you don’t do your research and target the wrong journalists, writing good press releases won’t get you anywhere.

With PR tools like Prowly, you can not only access a Media Database with over a million contacts but also use smart recommendations based on the contents of your press releases. This way, you’ll always pitch relevant journalists that are likely to be interested in your story.

Step #2: Develop Your Hook

Step #3: Write Your Press Release Headline

Note that the headline doesn’t start off with their company and how great they are. That’s going to turn off most journalists. Instead, the headline kicks things off with something about cryptocurrency, which is actually interesting.

Tips for press release distribution

First, you can make a list of the media outlets whose readers and viewers would be most interested in your news and send your release directly to them via email. You can find their email addresses with a quick internet search: [reporter name] + [news outlet] + email address.

These companies send your release to journalists based on their specific interests and also publish it on their website. Each service offers a variety of options, and costs can vary greatly, ranging from $69 to a few thousand dollars.

If your news is time sensitive, such as an event or announcement, send it to reporters a few days beforehand so they have time to craft their story. If you want news outlets to hold off on publishing, release it under embargo, which is a request that reporters not publish information until a specific date. If you really need something kept secret, make sure to only offer embargoed news to outlets you trust.

Generate buzz with a press release

While a press release doesn’t guarantee free press release coverage, it can be an effective marketing tool. By sending out releases with a regular cadence, you start to build up brand recognition with members of the media, influencers, and bloggers.

You never know when an outlet might be looking for a source in your industry, remember your company, and reach out for an interview. By sharing newsworthy information, you become a thought leader in your field.

Successful publicity depends on sustained effort. If you do get coverage, keep the buzz going by sharing those stories on social media. Mention previous coverage in the boilerplate of your next press release. Press often follows press, and once you get your first mention, you might find it easier to get a second, third, and so on.

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Sources:

https://prowly.com/magazine/how-to-write-press-release-guide/
https://backlinko.com/write-a-press-release
https://www.shopify.ca/blog/how-to-write-a-press-release

Practical Exercises to Improve Writing Skills (and Keep Practicing)

While playing with perspective makes for a great fiction writing exercise , poets and essayists can do this too. Patricia Smith’s poem “Skinhead,” for example, is a persona piece written from the perspective of a white nationalist, but the poem clearly condemns the speaker’s beliefs.

Writing exercises you can do in 10 minutes or less

Writing is a skill set anyone can improve with a bit of dedication, direction, and practice. The trick is figuring out what actions will truly help you become a better writer and which are simply a waste of time.

One of the best strategies great writers use for improvement are writing exercises — guided written activities that develop specific writing-related skills. The key is to choose daily writing exercises that align with your goals.

Writing skills

The best writing exercises focus on helping you improve one or two specific elements at a time. It’s similar to how athletes go to the gym to train certain muscle groups. Impressive performance is the result of targeted practice.

Below, you’ll find a list of 8 activities you can try, along with clear directions on how to start them, and short explanations of how each one will help you grow as a writer.

I Spent Two Years Practicing My Book (And Then I Published It!)

Practicing is hard work, especially when you just start writing. Still, when you practice exercises to improve your writing skills, it will make a big difference.

I often asked myself if this was all worth it. Am I really learning? Or am I just fooling myself? When you’re in the grind of the day to day, it’s hard to see the improvement.

Headspace is now published, and you can pick up a copy now.

Writing Exercises: Have Fun with Them!

Many of these writing exercises might feel challenging at first—and that’s a good thing! You will unlock new ideas and writing strengths by struggling through these creative challenges. The main point is to have fun with them and use them to explore within your writing, without indulging too many monologues from your inner critic.

Are you looking for more exercises to improve your writing skills? Our instructors can offer prompts, illuminating lectures, one-to-one feedback, and more to help you improve your craft. Check out our upcoming creative writing courses, and let’s put these skills to practice.

Write a beginner’s guide on something you’re passionate about

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you have no clue what the other person is talking about? They’re using lingo you’ve never heard and you’re trying to think of something to say, but you have no idea, so eventually, you just tune them out.

As a creator, your job is to excite your audience about your offers, not intimidate and confuse them. To prevent your audience from tuning you out, make sure your copy explains your offerings in a way that’s easy to understand.

To practice writing simple copy, spend ten minutes a day crafting a beginner’s guide breaking down a topic you’re intimately familiar with. Write your guide for someone who has no experience with the topic at hand.

“If you are not ready to write [longform copy] just yet, then social media [posts] are a great starting point. Social Media posts are short, therefore, you learn how to get your point across with minimal character and word targets.”

— Maria Juvakka

Bonus: If your guides relate to your niche, they can serve as starting points for actual books or ebooks. While you might not have your sights set on becoming an author, you can package up your guides as ebooks for an additional stream of passive income.

Writing Exercises to Improve Your Writing Skills

1. Fill a Blank Page

Set aside an hour and fill an entire page. This can be the start of a book draft, a short story, a story idea, blogging, or just free writing. One page is not a huge demand, but is enough words to get the juices flowing. Sometimes all you need is to give your stream of consciousness permission to flow.

2. Write Flash Fiction

I’ve read flash fiction that consist of only two words but speak volumns. If you’re not familiar with writing flash fiction, or feel intimidated by the idea, try it in reverse: write out a story premise, then reduce the words to see how many you can cut out and still retain the essence of the story.

3. Use a New Word

Creative writers are constantly learning new things. Expanding your vocabulary is part of this. While you don’t have to constantly fill your story with flowery language to achieve great writing, it’s beneficial to have a good selection of words to choose from.

Try finding a word you’ve never used before and writing a little passage using it. This can be combined with any of the other three exercises, and is in fact encouraged because it will help you become more comfortable integrating new words into your writing.

4. Switch the Point of View

Writing a story from a different character’s point of view can provide a lot of insight and flex your creative muscles. Writing from a different POV is more than just rewriting the same story, because every sequence of events presents a different story to different characters.

One person’s joy may be another person’s tragedy. Seeing a story’s events from a different POV forces you outside the box and really consider how to reframe an event or communicate a different message.

References:

https://ghost.org/resources/writing-exercises/
https://thewritepractice.com/exercises-to-improve-writing-skills/#:~:text=4%20Writing%20Exercises%20to%20Improve%20Your%20Writing%20Skills,lot%20of%20insight%20and%20flex%20your%20creative%20muscles.
https://writers.com/best-writing-exercises
https://convertkit.com/writing-exercises
https://thewritepractice.com/exercises-to-improve-writing-skills/