All Things Business Related.

March 9, 2017
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Storytelling Strategy

It was a slow Thursday evening at the sportswear store. There were more sales assistants than customers silently wandering through the displays across polished black tiles. Alan decided to approach a customer who had just picked up a premium shoe, turning it over to check out the price.

‘Can I help you?’ he said.
‘No, I’m just looking, thanks.’ she replied.
‘It would be good to get out of those Nikes. Have your tried our SuperBOOST shoes?’ said Alan.
‘No.’ said the customer, as she hastily put the shoe back.
‘They’re really comfortable and last longer.’ Alan said to the customer as she started to walk away.

We would never say half of the things we say or ask many of the questions we ask if we stopped for a second to think how the customer was likely to respond. What if instead of following a script that leads us to a dead end, we anticipated where our questions would lead the customer? We know that 99% of the time the response to, ‘Can I help you?’, will be, ‘No.’ So how can we do better?

An if-then storytelling strategy invites us to be more empathetic towards the customer and more discerning with our questions.

If the customer is browsing for more than a few minutes, then I will ask how I can help.
If the customer is looking at running shoes, then I will ask her what kind of training she does.
If the customer picks up an item, then I will ask her if she’d like to try her size.
If the customer asks for her size, then I will try getting to know more about what she needs from her shoes.

Better brand stories, marketing, and sales conversations always start with understanding what unmet need or unspoken desire brought the customer to us, rather than with our need to say something when it’s convenient.

March 8, 2017
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A Concise History of International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. Below is a brief history of how the Day has evolved.

History

1909
The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.
1910
The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.
1911
As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women's rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.
1913-1914
International Women's Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists.
1917
Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for 'Bread and Peace' on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.
1975
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March during International Women’s Year 1975.
1977
In December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by the Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Fivenson Studios is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, our graphic design team specializes in logo and web page design, as well as marketing campaigns for social and print media. From flyers and brochures to targeted landing pages, we aim to bring your company into the spotlight and reach a greater range of potential customers.

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

Let's Get Social | https://www.fivensonstudios.com | (734) 224-9696 | [email protected]

March 7, 2017
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Instagram Has Created Two New Apps To Help Your Business

Instagram has created 2 mobile apps that allow you to do more with your photos and videos in less time - from your phone! You can highlight a favorite menu item with Layout or show customers a behind-the-scenes time-lapse video of your business with Hyperlapse.

LESSONS ON LAYOUT

Layout—an app by Instagram—lets you combine, flip and mirror multiple photos into a single image for a fun, one-of-a-kind take on your photos. You can do it all from your phone.

Tips for Success

Get started: Upload up to 9 photos for your Layout from your camera roll, or take them directly within the app.
Format it: Select the format for your photos. Resize the borders of each photo.
Have some fun: Play around with the mirror, flip, and border effects. These affects can be applied to the entire Layout or individual photos within the Layout.
Share it out: Upload directly to your Instagram or Facebook account within the Layout app or save your photo and add it to your Instagram Story.

HOW TO HYPERLAPSE

Forget bulky tripods and expensive equipment, with Hyperlapse—an app from Instagram—you can create smooth time lapse videos where shaky footage is fixed for you. That way, even the most common of subjects can turn into a cool, well-made video.

Tips for Success

Get started: Decide what you want to shoot before you get started.
Choose the speed: You can speed up your video up to 12x. You can also keep it at 1x like any other video, but with Hyperlapse your video is stabilized automatically—making for a less shaky shot.
Share it out: Upload directly to your Instagram or Facebook account within the Hyperlapse app or save your video and add it to your Instagram Story.
Bonus Tip: Before capturing the video, you can quadrupole tap the screen with four fingers to reveal a secret menu. From there you can choose your video resolution, frame rate and speeds up to 40x.

Download the apps today and start creating photos and videos to showcase your business.

Download for iOS or Download for Android

March 6, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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Clef Is Shutting Down

This morning, two-factor authentication plugin Clef, also known as GetClef, announced that they are shutting down. They currently have more than 1 million active WordPress websites using their two-factor authentication plugin.

"Starting next week, we will be winding down our business and sunsetting the Clef product. Our team will be joining another company, which we’ll have more news about in the next few weeks.

The Clef product will continue operating for three months, starting today, with a final shutdown date of June 6, 2017. Everything will remain fully functional and maintained until that date, at which point the mobile apps will cease functioning and be removed from the Google Play and Apple App stores.

If you are a current Clef user, we recommend that you begin transitioning away from Clef as a login method as soon as possible. We’ve written a guide for both API and WordPress user with instructions on making that transition here."

At this point, we don’t have any more detail on who Clef is joining and under what circumstances.

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

Let's Get Social | https://www.fivensonstudios.com | (734) 224-9696 | [email protected]

March 6, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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Invest in the Right Technology

Small business owners can get into trouble by chasing every new technology that comes along.

On the one hand, no one would argue that technology is essential when it comes to running and growing a business. But on the other hand, if you fail to take a restrained and analytical approach when acquiring technology solutions, you could end up negatively impacting your bottom line.

There are some amazing software tools and products on the market. However, small business owners can wander into trouble by signing up for every fad that crosses their paths, often telling themselves that they’ll get around to canceling after the initial free trial—which doesn’t always happen. Consequently, if you don’t put the right checks and balances in place, the tools that are supposed to help your profitability could kill it through dozens of small fees adding up to a large amount.

Some small business spent more than $6,000 in one month on software alone, jolting them into setting a budget and reviewing it regularly as technology and their needs changed.

How do you begin the process of systematically managing your technology requirements?

Set a budget, and keep it in check!
List the most important segments of your business.
Focus on the areas that could benefit from improvement or where your processes aren’t working.
Identify what tasks each solution will support, map out exactly how it will help and who will benefit.
Create workflows and processes for implementation, making sure the individuals involved are on board. (Be sure to include training in your timeline!)
Revaluate quarterly, if not more frequently, to identify which technology purchases are working and which aren’t. (If you’re not using the solutions yourself, set up time with all applicable staff members to ensure you gain a complete perspective.)

Some critical areas to consider are sales, marketing, and customer data. Small businesses that make mistakes in these areas can take years to recover. So, it’s vital to evaluate specific products and services carefully. Often tried-and-true providers and products are best—even with more interesting, yet less tested, solutions available.

When you’re ready to buy, support and training are critical factors to consider before making a commitment. If you can’t figure out how to use what you’ve purchased, it’s just going to sit there and you will have wasted your money. Look for companies that provide webinars and/or private training.

Whether its CRM or time tracking, technology solutions can encourage efficiency and organization, but it can only take you so far. As you’re investing in technology, also invest in your people.

By Manta

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

Let's Get Social | https://www.fivensonstudios.com | (734) 224-9696 | [email protected]

March 5, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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Never bend your head

Quote of the day "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." Helen Keller

What does that mean?

This is an interesting quote, mostly due to the differences in cultures. In the US, looking someone in the eye is a sign of confidence. To not do so, is to look weak or defeated. The same goes for how a person holds their head. Up is showing confidence, down is showing weakness or defeat.

In some cultures, heads are expected to be bowed to some extent (often related to the difference in station or power between the people). The same goes for eye contact. In other cultures, eye contact is considered a challenge and could result in unpleasantness.

This quote is about being firm in your resolve and confident in yourself. In the US, this quote says how to show that confidence. You may need to use different behaviors to make the same statement, but that is the basic point of today’s quote.

Why is having resolve and being confident important?

Without resolve, what will you do? Probably not much, right? You aren’t really all that sure you want to do it anyway, and it looks like hard work. Perhaps you’ll do it later. That doesn’t show much resolve, does it? People with a firm resolve tend to get things done, those without, not so much.

Without confidence, will you follow through? Will you complete the task? Or will you hesitate? Will you be distracted or worry so much that little gets done? If someone answered “well… I don’t know. It depends…” then they probably don’t have much confidence, right?

People with confidence know they can do things. People with resolve keep working at things until they are complete. Together, they are pretty much unstoppable, just like the author of today’s quote. Are you pretty much unstoppable, or do you do things in a half-hearted manner?

Where can I apply this in my life?

That very much depends on how motivated you are. If you are ready to do things and make sure they get done, you are probably already doing it, at least in that aspect of your life. But what about all of the other aspects of your life?

For most of us, our lives are uneven in development. We might be confident in some situations, but timid in others. We might have the resolve to get some things done, but not others. Where you can use this quote in your life is anywhere you want or need more confidence of resolve.

That leads to a logical question, How does one build their confidence and resolve? That would depend on why you lack confidence or resolve, and may very well be different for each situation. Think about a few areas of your life where you lack confidence, resolve, or both.

For me, the primary reason for a lack of confidence is a lack of knowledge on a topic. Generally, it is an unknown or new activity, and until I know more about it, I tend to lack confidence. My other major reason for the lack of confidence is when I feel I’m being tested. My resolve tends to be directly related to my motivation. When I have a reason, things get done, otherwise, they don’t.

How about you, what did you come up with as your main reasons for having a lack of confidence or resolve? Since we’re all going to have different reasons (hopefully not excuses), I can’t really help with any specific methods, other than by example.

In my cases, when I lack knowledge or when something is new or unknown, I do my homework. I look it up, I ask around, and gain confidence in this manner. I try to find things with which I am familiar which have some similarities and use that to gain confidence as well. In the worst case, I just do it and plan to learn from the experience, like skydiving.

For resolve, I’ve just always been kind of stubborn. If I get it in my head that I will do something, it will eventually get done. But when I have the motivation, when I have a reason to make sure I follow through, I have a great deal of resolve.

I hope you will be able to find methods that help you move past the things that are holding back your confidence or resolve. Keep at it, as there will always be another part of your life where you could use a little more.

by Philosiblog

Keep after it, and your confidence, your resolve, and even your life will continue to improve

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

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March 4, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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Beyond the Wage Gap: Staying Fierce in the Workplace

Men outearning women has been documented, but according to the New York Times, women face more struggles than just the wage gap. Research has shown that employers place a lower value on work done by women – so much so that when a field changes from being male-dominated to female-dominated, the pay for that job drops. Essentially, once women start doing a job, it’s seen as less important or requiring less skill. As if that weren’t enough to be concerned about, women entering the workforce also worry about finding a job, earning equal pay, gaining career advancement, battling sexism, and so much more.

Photo Credit: Unsplash, Pixababy

Advancing in Your Career

While some initiatives exist to help level the playing field, it’s often debated whether they do more harm or more good, says the Philadelphia Business Journal. Although the initiatives have good intentions, women can sometimes feel isolated and singled out based on their gender instead of their accomplishments and abilities. So how can you ensure you’re measured by your work?

You need to build a strong network of female peers. However, it’s also important to work with and learn from both men and women. Continually grow and use your network and connections. Also, advocate for yourself and be your own voice. Keep your resume up-to-date so you can leap at any open opportunities. Build a professional website that lists your skills and accomplishments. If you want more responsibilities, tell someone. If you want a raise, ask for it. If you want a promotion, present your case. Go for it!

Dealing with Sexism

Many women face subtle sexism on a daily basis. Women are “expected to tolerate sexist jokes and comments, pet names like ‘sweetheart,’ and comments about their appearances, for fear of being seen as humorless or uncooperative,” states Bustle. Women are also expected to take on office cleaning, planning office parties, being the note-taker in meetings, and other stereotypical roles. All of the examples above can be subtle sexism in the workplace.

Bustle suggests that one way to shut down sexism in the workplace is to first try turning the tables. For example, ask, “Do you comment on your male coworkers’ clothes?” If you’re always being asked to make coffee, ask why you’re always assigned that certain task but other coworkers never get asked to do it.

If someone makes a sexist comment, consider speaking with him or her about it in private. As Bustle points out, sometimes people speak before they think and don’t intend to be offensive; they just need a friendly reminder to not be inappropriate at work. Also, don’t laugh at the joke. You can also ask him or her to repeat it. By saying the comment again without the context that prefaced it, the person may realize how inappropriate it was. When a sexist joke is made, request an explanation by asking, “Why is that funny?” or “Why would you assume I’m menstruating?” Or you can just say, “That’s inappropriate,” and move on.

Bustle also recommends keeping a record of episodes of sexism and any discussions or confrontations you have about these episodes with coworkers or supervisors in case you ever need to go to HR or consult an attorney. If you go to a supervisor, explain what’s going on in a simple and factual manner. And if you kept records, use them.

Cracking the Glass Ceiling

According to Pew Research Center, about two-thirds of Americans say it’s easier for men than women to get into leadership positions. People think this occurs for two main reasons: women are held to higher standards than men, and companies’ lack of readiness to hire women for top positions.

Women can crack the glass ceiling by doing four things, says Business News Daily. First, step out of your comfort zone. Second, conquer your fears. Third, believe in yourself and your career. Lastly, act as if equality is reality. Stand your ground and demand the respect you deserve.

Author: Gloria Martinez

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March 3, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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New Zoom Lens Design From Oppo Could kill Phone Camera Bumps

Oppo has announced a new camera technique designed to enable 5x zoom even in thin smartphones. The company’s "5x Dual Camera Zoom" technology gets around vertical height constraints — the biggest design challenge in smartphone cameras — with a periscope-style lens array that runs horizontally along the top of the device. The system appears to be based around a secondary longer prime lens like you get with the iPhone 7 Plus — the innovation here is in shrinking the module size while increasing the degree of image magnification. The optically stabilized telephoto lens is offset by 90 degrees, focusing light onto an image sensor after it travels through a prism. The catch is that Oppo hasn’t actually announced a device that will use this type of camera system, so it’s hard to know how it will affect the design of a real shipping phone and just how good the results will be. (Oppo released a 4.85mm-thick phone in 2014, so don’t pour one out for the camera bump just yet.) The company also isn’t providing details like specific focal lengths. But it’s a unique, outside-the-box approach to solving a legitimate phone camera problem, and we look forward to testing it out if an actual device ever emerges.

by Sam Byford

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March 2, 2017
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How Marketing Automation Increases the Number of Conversions

When it comes to marketing you need to set your priorities straight and realize that conversions are paramount. Your content may have thousands of likes, shares, and retweets, but this counts for nothing if at least some of these people don’t decide to actually buy your products/pay for your services. What you need to do is learn how to turn visitors and readers into paying customers and one of the things that can help you with that is marketing automation. Here are few ideas on how all of this works.

Numbers Don’t Lie

While some people may be skeptical about software’s ability to successfully deal with this vital task, numbers simply don’t lie. According to a recently conducted survey, companies that have efficiently automated this vital task experience over 53 percent increase in lead conversions. On annual basis, they have 3.1 percent higher revenue growth rate than their counterparts that still refuse to go with this technique. One of the reasons behind this is the fact that a machine is simply more productive. When programmed carefully, it is less likely to make a mistake or overlook an important schedule.

Visitor Profiling

In the past, most marketing campaigns have targeted demographics instead of individuals. Even though this simplifies things, it is much less effective. Today, however, most businesses recognize that their customers appreciate (and even require) a one-on-one approach. Still, in order to engage someone in the best way possible, you need to know a thing or two about them. This technique is known as lifecycle marketing because it observes the conversion process as a cycle with different stages through which the buyer moves. With modern analytics tools, you can easily acquire tons of raw data concerning people viewing your website, but in order to process them into information you can use, you will need the right marketing automation tool.

Always On Time

Although it sounds simple that a machine is less likely to forget about an important date, it can sometimes be completely game-changing. When it comes to B2B engagement, companies value the fact that you respond as soon as possible, since it means that you respect their time. Furthermore, there are some vital marketing dates (surrounding holidays and events) for which you need to start preparing in time. Forgetting to take this vital step can result in losing a lot of business during the most lucrative period of the year.

Your Own Templates

Finally, some people fear that this automation is something their clients will recognize and assume a negative stance towards. This particularly goes when it comes to emails directed to new or inactive members. Whether this is true or not is completely up to you. These tools will use your own templates and strategies, which means that you will still be very much in charge.

It Takes Time

One more thing you need to keep in mind when building a successful automation strategy is that it takes a lot of time. Even when you finally manage to get a grip on it, don’t expect the results right away. It is simply absurd to assume that the difference in revenue growth, conversions, and productivity can be visible just days after you have introduced all these changes. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect the same from your latest marketing strategy.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that marketing automation will take some of this burden off your staff, minimize the margin of error, and benefit your business as a whole. Marketing automation is a way of the future and sooner or later, everyone who wants to stay in the game will have to adopt it. By being a pioneer you can easily provide yourself with a head start that will place your head and shoulders above your competitors.

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with ten years of experience. He is currently working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a coauthor on several technology websites and a regular contributor to Technivorz.

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

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March 1, 2017
By Fivenson Studios
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MARKETING 101

Don’t dive into your marketing strategy before developing a solid plan for promoting your business.

Although you wouldn’t want your entire marketing strategy centered on your online presence, your website and social media can be effective tools, especially if on a budget—delivering a sizable impact for very little money. An even bigger plus is that you can start getting the word out almost immediately. But as is the case with every aspect of owning a small business, you shouldn’t take the plunge or dive in deep without a plan.

As one of the first critical steps of any marketing plan considers identifying your target you have to know who you’re marketing to. Many small business owners believe they’re marketing to anyone and everyone who wants to buy their product or service. That’s what’s known as mass marketing and it doesn’t work in today’s social world. Not only does it force you to water down your marketing message to please the masses, but it’s much too expensive for the shoestring budget.

After determining who you’re aiming for, you should:

Identify the problem. What issues or problems do your targets have? What solutions are they looking for? What could make their lives easier? (Know their problems and you can show them your solutions.)
Craft your solution. Develop a simple and concise message that demonstrates to prospects that you understand their needs and can provide the remedy.
Add a website (if you don’t already have one). An online presence is essential, and there are many inexpensive and customizable solutions that make building a basic site a breeze.
Create free offers. Don’t let people leave your site empty-handed. Provide something engaging and valuable like an e-book, a top-10 list or a fun quiz. Be sure to ask for email addresses.
Develop meaningful content that serves, not sells. Position yourself as the expert and educate and inform rather than pitch. Help prospects understand how your business can provide the best solution to their most pressing concerns.

Content is king, but don’t let it overwhelm you. There are four basic types of content: written (blogs, articles, press releases, e-books and so on); audio (podcasts, teleseminars, audio lessons and interviews); video (webinars, screencasts, and explainer videos); and graphic (infographics, cartoons, pictures, graphs, and charts). Don’t try to dabble in everything, concentrate on what you can produce consistently that speaks to your audience. Focus on your marketing strengths and go from there. The type of content you produce doesn’t matter so much, just as long as it appeals to your target market.

The same goes for how you communicate. If it’s social media, you don’t necessarily need to spend hours a day on multiple platforms. Identify what’s most effective for your customers and start there. You can always broaden your reach as your resources increase. It’s important to balance investment, both time and dollars, with business value. And reevaluate often! Every aspect of your marketing plan needs to have a strong foundation, but be flexible enough to change as you learn about customers or needs change—it should grow and evolve right along with your business.

By Manta

Fivenson Studios: Michigan's #1 Graphic Design, Web Design, & Digital Advertising Agency

Let's Get Social | https://www.fivensonstudios.com | (734) 224-9696 | [email protected]

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All Things Business Related.

Storytelling Strategy