May 16, 2011

USING PAST ADVERSITY TO FUEL PERSEVERANCE

Issue #180

Perseverance is a perfect word to describe what it means… it is a long word (12-letters) that means the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition. Because it is an invaluable quality, there are many sayings that express the sentiment. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”  “He conquers who endures.” 
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May 9, 2011

TECHNOLOGY AND THE DIGITAL HUMAN

Issue #179

In today’s modern world, there are few people who get through a day untouched by digital technology. Digital technology is insidious. It is in the systems that power most appliances and machines in homes and offices. It is clearly present in the computers of today’s planes, trains, buses and automobiles. Digital technology keeps people connected across any distance via phones, text messages, email and social media sites. It is found in the medical devices used to scan organs for disease, keep hearts ticking, and control blood sugar levels. From the peaks of Mount Everest where mountain climbers have taken video cameras to the bottom of seas where submarines probe for shipwrecks, digital technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect and inch of daily life even in the most remote places of the world. Technology is everywhere and in just about everything we do.
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May 2, 2011

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: PART 2

Issue #178

THE GAP BETWEEN DIGITAL NATIVES AND DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS

As we explored last week, the terms Digital Immigrant and Digital Native arose to describe the seeming gap between people who were born before the existence of digital technology and adapted to it to some extent later in life, and those born during or after the introduction of digital technology and generally have a deeper understanding of technology concepts and uses.  For the last decade, these concepts have been debated.  Continue reading →

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April 24, 2011

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: PART 1

Issue #177

DIGITAL NATIVES AND DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS

In 2001, Mark Prensky, author, speaker and consultant, wrote an article entitled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.  In this decisive article, he first described the enormous differences he saw between two groups:  Digital Immigrants — people born and raised to adulthood before the advent of the digital age — and Digital Natives– those born and raised in a digital world.  His argument was that Digital Immigrants see, understand, experience and interact with the world around them very differently than Digital Natives do.  Since introducing that concept a decade ago, industrial psychologists, sociologists, and marketing wonks have sought to either discredit the concept or further define the characteristics of Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives.  Continue reading →

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April 18, 2011

WINNING WEBSITES: WHEN AN “F” IS AN A+

Issue #176

Last week, we examined various studies done using eye-tracking software to determine what and where the human eye looks when ‘seeing’ a search results page. Researchers discovered a Google Golden Triangle or ‘hot zone’ — an area of the page where the eye focused most. Continue reading →

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April 11, 2011

EYE DO DECLARE: THE GOOGLE EFFECT AND THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Issue #175

Fact: Nearly all companies today want potential customers to find them when searching online for their particular products or services. In the world of Search, that often means the potential customer has done a Google, Yahoo/Bing or MSN search and “found” either a website, paid ad, landing page, or social media listing for the company. Being ‘found’ is very important. But is it enough just to be ‘found’… or do you really need to be ‘seen’? Continue reading →

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April 4, 2011

THE VALUE OF A THIRD-PARTY ENDORSEMENT, PART 4

Issue #174

CAPTURING AND USING VIDEO TESTIMONIALS

For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the value of testimonials or third-party endorsements.  Typically, recommendations are provided to companies in writing and then posted online and offline for maximum exposure.  But if a picture paints a thousand words, how many words does a video testimonial deliver?  Infinitely more. Continue reading →

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March 28, 2011

THE VALUE OF A THIRD-PARTY ENDORSEMENT, PART 3

Issue #173

PART 3: MAXIMIZING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS

Go to any reputable company’s website and you’re likely to see a page of Client Recommendations or Customer Testimonials. These comments are meant to reassure potential customers that the company does good work and has many satisfied clients. That’s a good thing.  Written customer testimonials are among the best sales and marketing tools a company can use. Continue reading →

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March 21, 2011

THE VALUE OF A THIRD-PARTY ENDORSEMENT, PART 2

Issue #172

REQUESTING A TESTIMONIAL

What is the purpose of a testimonial a/k/a the recommendation or third-party endorsement? The purpose is to help a person or company build its reputation by using comments from others who have experienced the product or service firsthand. Study after study has shown that an endorsement from an independent source carries greater weight than the same statement made in an ad, on a website, or in collateral materials. That is why an article about the value of Yelp written by the New York Times carries more weight than the same article written by an employee at Yelp. Continue reading →

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March 16, 2011

THE VALUE OF A THIRD-PARTY ENDORSEMENT, PART 1

Issue #171

PART 1: ARE YOU WORTHY OF GETTING AN ENDORSEMENT?

Most sales and marketing efforts are viewed with skepticism. In our hyper-commercialized world where the majority of sales and marketing efforts are saturated with euphemisms, exaggerations and even outright lies, the public has become cynical about what to believe and whom to trust. That is why the third-party endorsement has become one of the most powerful tools in the sales and marketing toolbox.  Continue reading →

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