SOCIAL MEDIA
Find Insta Success
Looking to take your Instagram account to the next level? Hire a professional photographer, says Patrycia Miller, co-owner of Bubbly Paws in Minneapolis, MN. “Without great photos, people don’t pay as much attention to what you put on your feed.” And that means missed marketing opportunities. “The posts that showcase what we have in retail help bring customers into the store,” she says, “and the grooming posts help drive more business.” Check out instagram.com/bubblypaws. A photographer shoots every three months to supply the account, with Miller providing captions and hashtags that help garner likes and regrams.
productivity
Go to Jail
The late inventor Jacob Rabinow used a technique to slow himself down when he was on a job that required more endurance than intuition. A piece in Psychology Today says Rabinow would pretend he was in jail, where “time is of no consequence.” So if something is going to take a week, it takes a week. “What else have I got to do? This is a kind of mental trick. Otherwise you say, ‘My God, it’s not working,’ and then you make mistakes.”
MANAGEMENT
Being Specific is Terrific
Automotive giant Chrysler has found the best creative results are not produced by people with unlimited range to innovate. Instead, the company’s most successful projects come when boundaries are strictly defined. So be specific in the goals you set for the coming year: “I want to replace our three lowest-performing food brands by June 1” or “I want a new customer-service initiative that will increase our feedback ratings by 50 percent with an expense of less than 50 cents per customer.”
citizenship
Repair Your Relationships
If you’re renovating, Entrepreneur magazine’s “Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide” says that you shouldn’t forget about the impact of your project on neighbors. Drop off cards that read “Pardon our mess and thanks for understanding!” Cookies help, too.
CUSTOMERS
Get More Useful Positive Feedback
If a customer is unhappy, you know you’ll hear about it. But satisfied customers are a different kettle of fish. Author Andy Sernovitz suggests this approach: Hold an Employee of the Month contest and ask customers to vote. Second, ensure your website’s feedback form is in a prominent location. And invite free-form comments in post-purchase surveys.
BRANDING
Time for a Logo Refresh?
Today, we want you to stare at your business logo for a few minutes. After you’re done, go to ppmag.us/greatlogos and browse through the logos there. Feeling envious? Your logo is one of your most important branding tools. If you’re not happy with your logo, take the first step toward rebranding your business with the help of a designer right away.
STRATEGY
Gauge Your Risk and Let It Fly
Great quote that’s easy to get lodged in your head and good to have stuck in there: “If the risks are low, fear must go.” What it means is … don’t obsess about every decision. Ask yourself: Is this action low-risk? If the answer is “yes,” and you think the action might work, go for it 100 percent and don’t look back. If it doesn’t work, try something else.