Everyone here at PMI would like to wish you happy and safe holiday weekend! Take some time out of your busy schedule to be with the people you care about. Travel safe out there!
Blog
Happy Holidays
December 24th, 2010
Always Look for New Opportunities
December 14th, 2010
Some people are naturally attracted to new business ideas and are always looking for new opportunities. These people make the best entrepreneurs. In a corporate career, this restlessness might be mistaken for a lack of commitment, but fortunately, as an entrepreneur, this attraction will serve you well.
Large companies have the tendency to stagnate and rest on their laurels once they get into a good business pattern with consistent earnings – settling for “good enough” and “predictable profits” rather than chasing after the “best”. Any stagnation in a company can be detrimental for business. The moment a business lets their guard down; there is another, better company to take their customers away or a new technological advance that makes their business irrelevant. Smaller companies are sometimes guilty of the same mistake. But entrepreneurs, with their flexibility and independence, have the ability to make changes and pursue new opportunities as they please.
Entrepreneurs have to work hard to compete against bigger companies in many ways, but when it comes to staying at the forefront of change and taking advantage of new opportunities, the entrepreneur has a definite advantage. Also, with an active role in so many aspects of the company’s success, entrepreneurs can spot problems quickly and understand how to fix them.
2011 will bring many new trends to the table that entrepreneurs can capitalize on and use to improve their businesses. Advances in social shopping and the growth of ecommerce, both as a business and a shopping option, will provide entrepreneurs with countless opportunities for growth. Diversifying their business is one of the best things an entrepreneur for job security. Many affiliate marketers, for example, have dozens of websites and offers earning them money at any given moment. This doesn’t mean that you need to start three more businesses right now just in case your current endeavor flops, but you should always be on the lookout for opportunities to expand your business or branch out in some new way.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet
November 12th, 2010
More and more entrepreneurs are turning to Twitter as a important element of their business. If you’ve come to Twitter with the primary goal of making big money on the site, you’ve come to the wrong place. That’s probably not what you were expecting to hear, but it’s true. Now, here’s something that’s also true. Many people make big money by using Twitter.
How can both of these statements be correct? It has to do with the nature of the Twitter environment. According to the PMI Education team, there are two main issues:
- Because it is so easy for followers to create and sever connections, they are unlikely to continue following anybody who comes off as a salesperson. In order to build the sort of following that can become economically rewarding, your primary goal must be to deliver great information to your followers, not to earn big money from them. That’s not just a subtle difference. It has the power to impact every post you make.
- Twitter does not function at its best as a stand-alone application. The real power comes in integrating Twitter within an overall strategy. From a marketing standpoint, you might think of Twitter as a place where you can easily spread the word about the more detailed work you’ve done elsewhere. A well-constructed tweet can be the perfect tool to generate curiosity about your products, but you will usually need to prove the value of those products in a more content-rich venue. You can do this on your website, or if you have a blog, it could handle this function perfectly.
Lighten Up!
November 11th, 2010
It’s healthy to laugh. It lightens the burden of life and reduces stress. Have you ever noticed that when someone starts laughing, people close by will laugh even if they have no idea why the first person is laughing? Laughter is contagious, and, unlike other viruses, laughter is good for us.
Laughter can help us cope with illness and can bring balance to the immune system. According to howstuffworks.com, laughter can reduce the level of certain stress hormones:
These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure. When we’re laughing, natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
Laughter can be a total body workout. Laughing 100 times is equal to 15 minutes of aerobic workout. Laughter works the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles And as if we needed any more reason to laugh, laughing simply makes life more joyful. It is hard to be upset, sad, or angry when we are laughing. Laughter makes life lighter. Along with joining in service opportunities, it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your overall well-being. Even in the worst of situations, a good laugh can make us feel better. Laughing is one of those things that is actually good for us, isn’t fattening, and is free.
Always Include a Call To Action
November 10th, 2010
You likely use a lot of different media to communicate with people – phone, e-mail, fliers, online campaigns, etc. One of those important things to remember, which can sometimes be overlooked, is to include a call to action.
This is more than just including a phone number or e-mail address, although you should always do that too (there’s nothing worse than sending out thousands of pamphlets only to learn you forgot to put your phone number on it). A call to action should tell the reader or consumer what they’re supposed to do with this new-found information.
On mailers or other written communication, this can include an invitation to call or click or write or buy or sign up or anything. On the phone or face-to-face, you’ll also want to extend some sort of commitment or invitation.
Make The First Step
November 9th, 2010
“Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.”
-Theodore N. Vail
We’ve all heard the old adage “showing up is half the battle”. I completely agree with this statement. The fear and anticipation that comes before you make that first critical step is far worse than anything you experience once you get going. The trick to making things happen is to push yourself to make the first step as quickly as possible. It’s okay if your debut is a little messy. What’s important is that you’re there and the hardest part is over.
Reinvest in Your Business
November 8th, 2010
When your business first starts to turn a profit, it’s time to celebrate. We here at Professional Marketing International would like to suggest a few ways to do just that:
- ~Expand your marketing. Increase the amount of money you’re putting into pay per click or other campaigns, or begin exploring other marketing media.
- ~Upgrade your equipment. If there’s something that’s inhibiting your business – an obsolete computer or doing everything by hand – this would be a time to upgrade it.
- ~Learn more. Buy a book, enroll in a class, or sign up for an educational seminar. Use the money to gain more knowledge and skills about how to improve your business.
Success Profile: Tim Russert
October 26th, 2010
As the longest-serving moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, Tim Russert had a significant impact on the political discourse and news coverage for nearly two decades. His untimely death in June 2008 from a sudden coronary thrombosis left the news world in shock as they honored his success and memory.
Earning his law degree in 1972, Russert spent several years in politics – as chief of staff and counselor – before being hired onto NBC News’ Washington bureau. He quickly become bureau chief and then host of Meet the Press.
Russert was perhaps best known for how he handled long-form interviews. He would prepare extensively prior to the interview by researching the individual and going through any previous statements or clips he could find. Always allowing the guest to clarify and give context, he would often present discrepancies in positions or conflicting ideas. He held these individuals accountable not with accusations and finger-pointing – as seems to be the case in today’s media – but by encouraging open discourse. He also acted as moderator for numerous gubernatorial, senatorial, and presidential debates, where his pointed questions helped to illuminate the candidates and their campaigns.
So what can we take from the legacy Russert left? That preparation is vital to success. Too often people think they can “play it by ear” as they try to start, manage, market, and grow a business. More often they not, they end up failing because they don’t have the knowledge necessary to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
Learning about business and creating that stable foundation before diving in head-first to a new business venture is what leads to success. By utilizing valuable business resources – both before you start your business and during its growth – you’ll have the knowledge necessary to confidently move forward and build a successful business. You won’t be caught off guard, unsure of what to do or how to move forward.
Why Web Safe Colors Matter
October 22nd, 2010
The term “web safe colors” can be a little confusing. Contrary to the way it may sound, it doesn’t mean that certain colors are safe for the “web.” It’s not like if you don’t use web safe colors, you’re going to damage the internet. So what are web safe colors, exactly? In a nutshell, they are a select number of colors that will display the same on every computer monitor.
In the past, colors and formats would vary wildly depending on the computer monitor they were being viewed on. This variation of color appearance is called “dithering.” Web safe colors are non-dithered, meaning they will appear the same on your desktop computer at work as they do on your laptop at home.
Using web safe colors helps produce sharp images and clean backgrounds. Additionally, they allow you to create graphics that will be universal in their appearance. This may seem like a small concern, but if you’ve ever seen colors and formatting go awry you know how badly it can look. To boost your website’s appearance and professionality, always make sure you are using the right colors.
Success Profile: Katharine Graham
October 21st, 2010
Katharine Graham was born in 1917 into a world of privilege. Her parents were wealthy; they owned homes in New York and Washington DC and were so busy during Katharine’s childhood that she was partly raised by nannies and governesses. When she was old enough to attend university, she went to Vassar College and then to the University of Chicago. Despite her sheltered upbringing, Graham befriended people from all walks of life at the University of Chicago and took a particular interest in labor issues. Shortly following her graduation, her father purchased the Washington Post which was headed for bankruptcy. Graham took a position at the Post in 1938. A few years later, she was married and left the newspaper to have children and attend to her family. Graham’s husband Philip took the helm of the Post in 1946. After suffering from mental illness for years, Philip committed suicide in 1963, leaving Katharine and their four children devastated.
Katharine made the decision to take over the post soon after the death of her husband. Though she inwardly questioned her ability to run the company, she improved the quality of the publication by hiring talented writers and making the company a better place to work for women and minorities. In 1972, she made the decision to publish the Pentagon Papers that would unveil the Watergate conspiracy. She has since been recognized as one of the most powerful women in journalism. Katharine Graham’s memoir was published in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her candid account of her husband’s illness and her experience as a woman in a male-dominated workplace. Thanks to Graham, the Washington Post is now one of the most widely read news publications in the nation.
The social status and financial situation Katharine Graham was born into didn’t set her up for a life of hard work. She could have easily been a party-going society girl and lived off of her family’s income, but that wasn’t enough for her. Graham’s determination to find her own success, carry on in the face of adversity, challenge gender roles, and publish important stories is inspiring to entrepreneurs, journalists, and people everywhere.
Copyright Professional Marketing International 2009-2012. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Blog
Happy Holidays
December 24th, 2010Always Look for New Opportunities
December 14th, 2010
Some people are naturally attracted to new business ideas and are always looking for new opportunities. These people make the best entrepreneurs. In a corporate career, this restlessness might be mistaken for a lack of commitment, but fortunately, as an entrepreneur, this attraction will serve you well.
Large companies have the tendency to stagnate and rest on their laurels once they get into a good business pattern with consistent earnings – settling for “good enough” and “predictable profits” rather than chasing after the “best”. Any stagnation in a company can be detrimental for business. The moment a business lets their guard down; there is another, better company to take their customers away or a new technological advance that makes their business irrelevant. Smaller companies are sometimes guilty of the same mistake. But entrepreneurs, with their flexibility and independence, have the ability to make changes and pursue new opportunities as they please.
Entrepreneurs have to work hard to compete against bigger companies in many ways, but when it comes to staying at the forefront of change and taking advantage of new opportunities, the entrepreneur has a definite advantage. Also, with an active role in so many aspects of the company’s success, entrepreneurs can spot problems quickly and understand how to fix them.
2011 will bring many new trends to the table that entrepreneurs can capitalize on and use to improve their businesses. Advances in social shopping and the growth of ecommerce, both as a business and a shopping option, will provide entrepreneurs with countless opportunities for growth. Diversifying their business is one of the best things an entrepreneur for job security. Many affiliate marketers, for example, have dozens of websites and offers earning them money at any given moment. This doesn’t mean that you need to start three more businesses right now just in case your current endeavor flops, but you should always be on the lookout for opportunities to expand your business or branch out in some new way.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet
November 12th, 2010More and more entrepreneurs are turning to Twitter as a important element of their business. If you’ve come to Twitter with the primary goal of making big money on the site, you’ve come to the wrong place. That’s probably not what you were expecting to hear, but it’s true. Now, here’s something that’s also true. Many people make big money by using Twitter.
How can both of these statements be correct? It has to do with the nature of the Twitter environment. According to the PMI Education team, there are two main issues:
- Because it is so easy for followers to create and sever connections, they are unlikely to continue following anybody who comes off as a salesperson. In order to build the sort of following that can become economically rewarding, your primary goal must be to deliver great information to your followers, not to earn big money from them. That’s not just a subtle difference. It has the power to impact every post you make.
- Twitter does not function at its best as a stand-alone application. The real power comes in integrating Twitter within an overall strategy. From a marketing standpoint, you might think of Twitter as a place where you can easily spread the word about the more detailed work you’ve done elsewhere. A well-constructed tweet can be the perfect tool to generate curiosity about your products, but you will usually need to prove the value of those products in a more content-rich venue. You can do this on your website, or if you have a blog, it could handle this function perfectly.
Lighten Up!
November 11th, 2010It’s healthy to laugh. It lightens the burden of life and reduces stress. Have you ever noticed that when someone starts laughing, people close by will laugh even if they have no idea why the first person is laughing? Laughter is contagious, and, unlike other viruses, laughter is good for us.
Laughter can help us cope with illness and can bring balance to the immune system. According to howstuffworks.com, laughter can reduce the level of certain stress hormones:
These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure. When we’re laughing, natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
Laughter can be a total body workout. Laughing 100 times is equal to 15 minutes of aerobic workout. Laughter works the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles And as if we needed any more reason to laugh, laughing simply makes life more joyful. It is hard to be upset, sad, or angry when we are laughing. Laughter makes life lighter. Along with joining in service opportunities, it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your overall well-being. Even in the worst of situations, a good laugh can make us feel better. Laughing is one of those things that is actually good for us, isn’t fattening, and is free.
Always Include a Call To Action
November 10th, 2010You likely use a lot of different media to communicate with people – phone, e-mail, fliers, online campaigns, etc. One of those important things to remember, which can sometimes be overlooked, is to include a call to action.
This is more than just including a phone number or e-mail address, although you should always do that too (there’s nothing worse than sending out thousands of pamphlets only to learn you forgot to put your phone number on it). A call to action should tell the reader or consumer what they’re supposed to do with this new-found information.
On mailers or other written communication, this can include an invitation to call or click or write or buy or sign up or anything. On the phone or face-to-face, you’ll also want to extend some sort of commitment or invitation.
Make The First Step
November 9th, 2010
“Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.”
-Theodore N. Vail
We’ve all heard the old adage “showing up is half the battle”. I completely agree with this statement. The fear and anticipation that comes before you make that first critical step is far worse than anything you experience once you get going. The trick to making things happen is to push yourself to make the first step as quickly as possible. It’s okay if your debut is a little messy. What’s important is that you’re there and the hardest part is over.
Reinvest in Your Business
November 8th, 2010When your business first starts to turn a profit, it’s time to celebrate. We here at Professional Marketing International would like to suggest a few ways to do just that:
- ~Expand your marketing. Increase the amount of money you’re putting into pay per click or other campaigns, or begin exploring other marketing media.
- ~Upgrade your equipment. If there’s something that’s inhibiting your business – an obsolete computer or doing everything by hand – this would be a time to upgrade it.
- ~Learn more. Buy a book, enroll in a class, or sign up for an educational seminar. Use the money to gain more knowledge and skills about how to improve your business.
Success Profile: Tim Russert
October 26th, 2010
As the longest-serving moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, Tim Russert had a significant impact on the political discourse and news coverage for nearly two decades. His untimely death in June 2008 from a sudden coronary thrombosis left the news world in shock as they honored his success and memory.
Earning his law degree in 1972, Russert spent several years in politics – as chief of staff and counselor – before being hired onto NBC News’ Washington bureau. He quickly become bureau chief and then host of Meet the Press.
Russert was perhaps best known for how he handled long-form interviews. He would prepare extensively prior to the interview by researching the individual and going through any previous statements or clips he could find. Always allowing the guest to clarify and give context, he would often present discrepancies in positions or conflicting ideas. He held these individuals accountable not with accusations and finger-pointing – as seems to be the case in today’s media – but by encouraging open discourse. He also acted as moderator for numerous gubernatorial, senatorial, and presidential debates, where his pointed questions helped to illuminate the candidates and their campaigns.
So what can we take from the legacy Russert left? That preparation is vital to success. Too often people think they can “play it by ear” as they try to start, manage, market, and grow a business. More often they not, they end up failing because they don’t have the knowledge necessary to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
Learning about business and creating that stable foundation before diving in head-first to a new business venture is what leads to success. By utilizing valuable business resources – both before you start your business and during its growth – you’ll have the knowledge necessary to confidently move forward and build a successful business. You won’t be caught off guard, unsure of what to do or how to move forward.
Why Web Safe Colors Matter
October 22nd, 2010
The term “web safe colors” can be a little confusing. Contrary to the way it may sound, it doesn’t mean that certain colors are safe for the “web.” It’s not like if you don’t use web safe colors, you’re going to damage the internet. So what are web safe colors, exactly? In a nutshell, they are a select number of colors that will display the same on every computer monitor.
In the past, colors and formats would vary wildly depending on the computer monitor they were being viewed on. This variation of color appearance is called “dithering.” Web safe colors are non-dithered, meaning they will appear the same on your desktop computer at work as they do on your laptop at home.
Using web safe colors helps produce sharp images and clean backgrounds. Additionally, they allow you to create graphics that will be universal in their appearance. This may seem like a small concern, but if you’ve ever seen colors and formatting go awry you know how badly it can look. To boost your website’s appearance and professionality, always make sure you are using the right colors.
Success Profile: Katharine Graham
October 21st, 2010
Katharine Graham was born in 1917 into a world of privilege. Her parents were wealthy; they owned homes in New York and Washington DC and were so busy during Katharine’s childhood that she was partly raised by nannies and governesses. When she was old enough to attend university, she went to Vassar College and then to the University of Chicago. Despite her sheltered upbringing, Graham befriended people from all walks of life at the University of Chicago and took a particular interest in labor issues. Shortly following her graduation, her father purchased the Washington Post which was headed for bankruptcy. Graham took a position at the Post in 1938. A few years later, she was married and left the newspaper to have children and attend to her family. Graham’s husband Philip took the helm of the Post in 1946. After suffering from mental illness for years, Philip committed suicide in 1963, leaving Katharine and their four children devastated.
Katharine made the decision to take over the post soon after the death of her husband. Though she inwardly questioned her ability to run the company, she improved the quality of the publication by hiring talented writers and making the company a better place to work for women and minorities. In 1972, she made the decision to publish the Pentagon Papers that would unveil the Watergate conspiracy. She has since been recognized as one of the most powerful women in journalism. Katharine Graham’s memoir was published in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her candid account of her husband’s illness and her experience as a woman in a male-dominated workplace. Thanks to Graham, the Washington Post is now one of the most widely read news publications in the nation.
The social status and financial situation Katharine Graham was born into didn’t set her up for a life of hard work. She could have easily been a party-going society girl and lived off of her family’s income, but that wasn’t enough for her. Graham’s determination to find her own success, carry on in the face of adversity, challenge gender roles, and publish important stories is inspiring to entrepreneurs, journalists, and people everywhere.
Copyright Professional Marketing International 2009-2012. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy