In a world that almost pushes us to conform and follow trends, and be where the action is, I’ve been paying rather close attention to some of the activity and behaviour on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn recently. Amongst all the usual Tweet trends and fads, RT this for a prize or Please help me spread the word etc etc (admittedly having followed the same trends and fads before), I almost become paranoid about the what to DO and the what NOT to do instructions. Caught up in the fan fair of ensuring you do things THIS way or THAT way, how refreshing it was to read a few articles that seem to have stuck out at me over the course of the past few weeks.
We’ve been inspired recently by a phenomenon taking the mobile world by storm, called iPhoneography. Doing what it implies, iPhoneography is the taking of photographs using your iPhone – and playing with visuals to create beautiful shots of every-day life, and Marc Forrest (@marcforrest / www.marcforrest.com) has taken it 1 step further and has introduced some iPhoneography exhibitions that allow anyone and everyone to have the chance to enter their photos into a competition to be displayed at various iPhone stores and venues throughout South Africa.
Why not check out what Marc is doing at his iphoneographySA.com website or by connecting with him on Twitter.
Quiet periods in business are the perfect opportunities to do a little bit of housework. So many of us have become far too used to getting slightly jittery when the phones stop ringing as much, or our in-boxes seem to be “empty”. Where we need to do the things we seldom have time for, we replace that with running faster, and harder to find the next business lead.
Sure – we can’t sit back and expect it to find us. However, these times, if managed correctly, are the perfect chances to start thinking of new campaigns, do a little clean-up and maybe even a clear-out. Get rid of the old bags, maybe look at new markets that have emerged under your nose without you even seeing it.
We all need to sometimes dust off the dusty shelves, do some admin work, and take a new look at something that you’ve become used to seeing every hour of every day.
We recently had a situation where, as the one project ended, and the next one was due to start, we sat in that roller coaster moment. You know the one. That moment where you travel skywards on the roller coaster and you go up, and you go up, and you go up some more… and at some stage, you see the end of the curve approaching, but you look up to the sky and wait for the drop… and in those split seconds before all consciousness is lost and your stomach sits in your throat, you feel expectant of what lies over the edge.
We took stock of our approaches, and our links. We looked at our website and we looked at other websites. And we made tweaks and changes and introduced new bits and bobs. We did all the things that “we simply don’t have a chance to get to”.
So, in these quieter moments, we encourage you to think about the following:
When was the last time you had a look through your Social Media network, and re-established some contact with some of them – perhaps inviting them for a cup of tea to chat about their business.
When was the last time you scrolled through your website and checked that all your images, articles, posts, pages, menus and links had the correct metatags
When was the last time you sent out a quick survey to some of your customers to see whether your service had improved / grown or gathered their thoughts on your brand and products
When was the last time you took the time to look at the services that worked, and those that didn’t and explored opportunities to grow the ones that needed some nudging?
We don’t always have the time – but next time there’s a slight lull, and you know the next busy wave is approaching, why not take that glorious gem that has presented itself to you – and make the little changes and enhancements, that could turn your business into the next best thing?
We recently completed some work for a customer that involved a lot of content. We love content – have we said so before? 🙂
Anyway, so we were delighted to be able to present the customer with their brand new website, and as any designer / writer / artist in the creative world would understand, the “hand-over” is probably the most daunting stage in any customer interaction and process. The act of handing something over that has been thoughtfully created and checked, and re-checked, dozens of times, still to this very day, leaves a slight skip in heartbeat and shortness of breath as you expose your creation to the rest of the world, and place yourself at the mercy of critics. (Ok, perhaps a bit melodramatic, but true to the core nonetheless).
We graciously received so many compliments and well wishes from our customer’s followers, business partners and end-customers for which we are really thankful, but there was one compliment in particular, which did tickle our funny-bones.
The compliment, however, requires some context.
My husband has, for the longest time, referred to me as being an active member of the The Grammar Police. I find poor language use, the lack of effort put into writing, poor spelling, incorrect grammar-usage and general language-laziness, really frustrating and I (all too often) find it necessary to correct (whether audibly, or mentally) the offence.
Dnt get mi start on txt spk.
or
I was sat on the ground, when a bee flew into my cool-drink.
or
I was so angry, I could of screamed.
You understand?
You could imagine my secret satisfaction and indulgence when this particular compliment received wasn’t about the beautiful words, the personal touches, the easy-to-read layout and easy-to-navigate website, but rather the fact that I had used punctuation… and used it CORRECTLY (quote).
So, the next time someone asks you for your opinion – think about more than just the obvious – because you never know just how pertinent it could be.
Thank you, Mrs. Customer, for absolutely making our day!
So, working with another company based in the South West, I attended and exhibited at Marketing Week Live 2012. Had the fortunate pleasure of meeting two young guys who have inspired me since I first heard about their story. Ross and Ed started out as most uni students do – with a humungus worry about how they would ever pay their student loan back.
Their story goes like this:
(borrowed from their site www.buymyface.co.uk)
“Picture two financially crippled university students. Having lived like metaphorical kings for the last three years, they are sucker punched by the cruel hard fist of the real world™. Now, scared, desperate and confused, they do what they swore they never would, and begin selling their bodies to anyone willing to pay.
Now, throw some paint into the mix and you get BuyMyFace! For the next year, we (Ross & Ed) are selling advertising space on our faces to pay off our student debt, and demonstrate that, with a bit of creativity and a twinkle in your eye, you can beat the current job climate.
For the next 366 days, our faces are your faces. Buy a day, upload an image (or text), and we’ll display it on our faces for the whole world to see.”
My student loan has been paid off for years. I’m in a profession that I love and that is challenging, day after day. I think I know a lot about stuff, but the moment I heard about these two young guys, I was renewed with excitement at the fact that there simply is, STILL, so much more to try, and to create!
So fancy my amazement when, at Marketing Week Live 2012, Ross and Ed came and had a chat with me about their next adventures. They’re enthusiastic, good, down-to-earth, wholesome lads who just have a need to pay a bit of debt, and have come up with a brilliant way to do it. Only a few more days left of their 366 day target, with just under £3k to raise.
I wish you guys all the luck and success!
Read more about what they’re doing, here. or contact them on Twitter at @BuyMyFace.