January 2016 – Vertū Marketing

Your Purpose is Talking to You, Stop Ignoring It

January 29, 2016 by tylie eaves

(Is your business leading you away from your purpose? Don’t be afraid to walk away.)

Life is busy for everyone. Whether you have kids, a cat, a troublesome car or a finicky boss, a quick peek into your daily schedule most likely reveals a flurry of activity and obligations. Most people like to believe that they’re innately in tune with their own lives, but is this the truth?

The number of people young and old alike who are in search of their true purpose in life is staggering, and that leaves some to wonder, why? Sadly, many are simply too busy to be able to sit back and listen to what their own lives are saying. Life will not jump out in front of you and shake you by the shoulders, but it will speak in its own way, through patterns and accidents and even painful experiences. Ready to understand what life is saying? Narrow down the following three items and you just might find that life has been whispering to you all along:

Patterns: The pattern in everyone’s life is unique, but it creates a unifying thread throughout a person’s existence that truly speaks to who that person is. Do you find yourself in a series of service roles? Are you always networking or gravitating toward certain types of people? Dig deep and discover the pattern that has crisscrossed its way through your timeline.
Accidents: Okay, so you never imagined yourself taking on a summer internship, but after running into the leader of the program, she convinced you to apply. Or, that cute little coffee shop that you stumbled upon after getting lost is where you now do your best creative work. These accidents are more than just tiny blips in your life. Look back on the biggest accidents that have had the largest impact on your life thus far and find the pattern unifying them.
Painful experiences: Joy and sadness are two sides of the same coin, and perhaps no one can truly understand the importance and impact of great experiences without going through a few painful ones. The job with the difficult boss, the business deal that dealt a blow to your career, and the relationship that distracted you from life goals are all experiences that might have been difficult and painful at the time, but they can provide profound information. Stop trying to forget those painful experiences and learn from them instead.

It is easy to become jealous of those who discovered their purpose early on in life and seem to live it every day, but avoid focusing on others and turn back to your own life. If you’re willing to listen, you may just discover that it’s been speaking to you all along.

You Don’t Need More Time In Your Day, continued

January 28, 2016 by tylie eaves

Changing habits and regaining control over your schedule will take more than just one day or one week of implementing new rules and routines. At Virtue Marketing, we are dedicated to making your business the best it can be, which may include helping you gain more productivity and better time management.

Many experts believe that habits are made or broken in three weeks. We recommend implementing some or all of these tips for at least that amount of time in order to change some not-so-great habits that may be stealing your time during the day. Once you have read through the first installation of our helpful time-management tips, consider the following additions:

Focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is wonderful in concept, but nearly impossible in practice. When you do more than one thing at a time, you are likely not completing that particular task in the best manner possible. Do one task at a time, and not only will you produce results of a higher quality, you may save time as well.
Eliminate distractions. Social media changed the business world forever, but it can also be one of the main sources of distraction during the workday. If you find yourself skimming Twitter or checking Facebook more than once an hour, try staying off social media unless it is a designated break time or after the workday is over.
Don’t deviate. Incoming phone calls and emails can take a lot of time, but they can also change the course of your day if you allow it. If it is not a matter that demands an immediate response, stick to your scheduled task. Most of the time, the issues that pop up during the day are not life and death, and you can keep control of your day by refusing to deviate from your “must-do” list. Respond to non-essential memos, emails and phone calls during the designated time slot in your daily calendar.

Using your time wisely can lead to higher productivity, which may lead to higher profits and better products and services. However, it also has a great deal to do with how much you respect yourself and your time. You are valuable and should respect your worth by acknowledging that every minute you devote to business should be fruitful and meaningful.

We are here to help you. We believe that you can do great things in business and in your personal life, and we know that time management skills are one of the most important efforts you can take for your long-term success. Take back control of your day–you are worth it!

Bring a Dying Business Network Back to Life

January 28, 2016 by tylie eaves

When was the last time you updated your network? If your list of business contacts is still spinning around on a rolodex, it’s time to get moving. Networks are living and thriving organisms, and no two are exactly alike or composed of the same materials. No matter how long you have been in the online business game, failing to feed and care for your network can result in a withered and dried up series of business connections.

Are you still looking at the rolodex or a planner filled with emails that might not even be active anymore? Let’s get started…

Throw out old info. Go ahead, erase it, delete it and toss it in the trash. There is absolutely no need to keep out-of-date or irrelevant information if a contact is no longer in business or has upgraded to a new entity. Your network cannot be active if half of its occupants are out of business or unreachable.

Stop in to say “hi.” Networks are not a card collection that can be amassed and stored away for long periods of time. Check in with your business connections and perhaps even see if they could use anything in the near future. Keep your connections alive and healthy by maintaining open lines of communication. When you need a contact, they will be there.

Take it off the Internet. Some business owners have the type of model that does not require leaving their office chairs in order to build a network, but that is not the reality for every entrepreneur. Seek out real-world conferences and meetings for entrepreneurs and business owners and give your network the benefit of face-to-face interaction. Just remember to use your time wisely and make as many genuine connections as possible. In other words, don’t talk to the same person all night!

Networks are invaluable for garnering business deals, negotiating sales contracts and an endless number of other potential business benefits. Keep yours intact, up-to-date and ready to go.

Understanding What Wealthy Entrepreneurs Already Know

January 28, 2016 by tylie eaves

Real wealth can mean a number of things to different people. Definitions can include:

Strong savings accounts
A diversified investment portfolio
Multiple, steady lines of income
Maintaining a certain standard of life

So, what connects all of these definitions of wealth other than the accumulation of the finances necessary to reach them? They can all be achieved through successful business ventures headed by determined and focused entrepreneurs. For years, entrepreneurs have been writing their own stories to success and wealth by building and running their own businesses. However, as most people know, not every online startup reaches multi-million-dollar acclaim, and many more fail to succeed in the first place.

How the most successful and wealthiest entrepreneurs set their businesses apart is no secret, and their examples can even be quite easy to follow. Get a leg up on other startups by establishing your wealth early with these tips:

Monetize, monetize, monetize.
Entrepreneurs who want to build wealth through business absolutely must keep monetization on their minds from the very beginning. Create a clear plan for how the money will start flowing in and use it as an essential piece of structure for the business plan.

Know your numbers.
The news loves to trot “big data” out as a scare tactic, but data is your friend. Stay on top of the numbers for marketing, income, customer information and all points of data directly relevant to your business and subsequent profits.

Don’t skimp on staff.
A mediocre employee will produce mediocre work, and there is really no way around this outcome. Find employees who can thrive at your business and hire them, even if their salary is a little higher. In the long run, your business and customers will benefit more from these workers than someone picked up off of Craigslist. Customers are more likely to make subsequent purchases or refer friends after they have had an excellent experience with a business.

Keep your goals focused and business practices up to (or above!) standards and realize what other entrepreneurs discovered long ago — running your own business can be the best path to true wealth.

Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make (But That Can Be Easily Avoided)

January 26, 2016 by tylie eaves

There may be no greater lesson in life than learning from your own mistakes, but entrepreneurs should not discount the value of learning from the mistakes of others. Each and every business venture will face its own blend of unique problems and mistakes, but there are some universal stumbling blocks that tried-and-true entrepreneurs have experienced time and time again and now understand how to work around them.

First-time entrepreneurs do not have to resign themselves to falling into these mistakes. With a bit of careful planning, the most common issues can be avoided, freeing up time and energy to focus on the problems personal to your individual business. Are you worried about what to avoid? Here are the top four avoidable mistakes:

Forgetting about customer input. So, market research is wrapped up, product development is complete and you have a finished product. Great! Now, what does the customer think? Some businesses might strike gold by presenting a finished product to a group of consumers and receiving fantastic feedback, but it’s far from a certainty. By bringing potential customers into the process early on before product development is complete, you can save valuable time and money.
Discounting your product. Entrepreneurs new to the business world are often laboring under the false impression that offering discounts is the only way to bring in those first few sales. A discount might create some extra sales early on, but once the product’s price is reverted to its actual value, consumers tend to feel put-off, leading to an unstable pricing venture in the long term. Let the product speak for itself and avoid starting the business off with discounts or sales.
Misidentifying the market. Time and time again, entrepreneurs turn to their friends and family for those early sales. Of course, loved ones usually want to be supportive, but it can create unnecessary strife as well as a false sense of success. If your friends genuinely want your product, then, by all means, sell away, but don’t mistake them as your direct market by advertising to them or pestering them for sales. Keep your focus on the bigger consumer market.
Lacking organizational skills. Not organized? There are two options. You can create and adhere to a strict schedule of events and necessary actions, or you can bring in outside help. No matter how spectacular a product may be, no customer wants to deal with a disorganized or floundering business owner who forgets to send an invoice for payment until months after a purchase or agreement. You don’t have to be an expert organizer to be an entrepreneur, but you do need to have someone on your team who can keep the business on track.

Both new and established businesses will have a series of hurdles and mistakes with which to contend, but the easy and obvious ones can be avoided. Keep these common mistakes in mind when establishing your new business and free yourself up to focus on the big picture.

3 Easy Networking Steps to Affiliate Marketing Success

January 25, 2016 by tylie eaves

Does the word “networking” conjure images of crowded convention halls where men and women in tailored suits swap business cards? Networking has taken on a somewhat unfortunate meaning and leaves some people worried about how to foot the bill for a five-star restaurant in order to snag a single measly connection.

Fear not, affiliate marketers, because the reality of networking is far different than what movies and TV shows like to depict. And yes, even as a single-person operation, you need to be networking. Here are some quick networking tips to build your affiliate network:

Start commenting.
Virtually all affiliate marketers operate on a blog of some type or another, but no blog can stand on its own. The blogging community is indeed a community, so get to know your neighbors by visiting their pages, reading their blogs and leaving friendly, personal comments. They don’t have to be long or detailed, but avoid the copy and paste route.

Build a presence.
Did you read a blog and post that you really enjoyed it? Go ahead, mention it on your own blog and then link back to the original. Establishing yourself as a dedicated and active member of the community will increase awareness and build your presence among other affiliate marketers.

Make a personal connection.
Those affiliate marketers that you really admire for their success and strength in the business are not your idols. They are now your colleagues. Shoot them a brief email introducing yourself and letting them know that you enjoy reading their blogs and following their posts. Affiliate marketers can swap behind-the-scenes tips and tricks that can help everyone thrive.

Working from home or the coffee shop down the street can be an isolating experience, so don’t let unnecessary networking worries keep you from progressing. Get out there (virtually) and build your affiliate marketing network as a stairwell to success.

Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make (But That Can Be Easily Avoided)

January 24, 2016 by tylie eaves

Forgetting about customer input. So, market research is wrapped up, product development is complete and you have a finished product. Great! Now, what does the customer think? Some businesses might strike gold by presenting a finished product to a group of consumers and receiving fantastic feedback, but it’s far from a certainty. By bringing potential customers into the process early on before product development is complete, you can save valuable time and money.

You Don’t Need More Time In Your Day

January 22, 2016 by tylie eaves

Everyone is allotted the same 24 hours in a day, but why do some people seem to accomplish so much more? From time to time, everyone from stay-at-home moms to entrepreneurs finds themselves facing a long to-do list and not enough time. While you cannot add more hours to the day, it is possible to manage time more effectively. Just a few simple changes to your schedule can lead to minutes or hours of freed-up time, which leads to more tasks accomplished in the same eight-hour work day. Consider the following practices:

Track your time spent on certain tasks. It is possible that you are spending more time on certain tasks than you realize. By keeping a log of how much time it takes you to complete daily routines, you may see that you need to adjust your schedule. If you discover that you need an hour to answer emails in the afternoon instead of 30 minutes, adjust your schedule to meet this demand.
Keep deadlines. You should certainly keep deadlines set by an employer, but respecting self-imposed deadlines can help keep you on track to complete large projects in a timely manner. Break down large tasks into segments and resolve to complete a small amount everyday. Eating the elephant one bite at a time, so to speak, will help you avoid a huge, time-sucking stress point just before a deadline.
Give yourself more time off. People who have regular breaks are more productive during work hours. Instead of taking work home or working after hours, resolve to use the workday to the fullest. This commitment to productivity allows you to be mentally and emotionally present while you are at home–something that will benefit both you and your loved ones.

If you need to take back control of your workday, it will take resolve and will power. It is not easy to right a ship that has been going in the wrong direction for years, but the effort to redirect your focus will reap many benefits for you, both professionally and personally.