What will you do to get out of your comfort zone today?

Take a look at our new video!

What does your Out of Office message say about you?

I just sent an email, and buried on the cc line was the email of someone who lives about as far across the country from me as possible. I’ve never met him and likely never will. We were just 2 independent souls whose professional email addresses were both included on a message that connected us. I responded to the email – replying to all – and received the following Out of Office message:

“My daughter is being born! Be back later.”

I had to respond. Not only because I wanted to congratulate this excited father-to-be on the expansion of his family, but to let him know his message had made my day.
 
When was the last time an Out of Office message invoked an emotion in you?

Most of us are in the habit of keeping our Out of Office replies professional. In fact, they are dry – dessert sand dry.

“I will be out of the office Monday through Friday returning Monday with limited access to emails. If you need assistance in my absence please contact XYZ”

It gets the job done, but there is no connection.

So, your challenge this week is to figure out some new and innovative ways to make an impact with your Out of Office message! We want to hear from you! Reply back with creative messages you have used or seen in the past or ideas you plan to use in the future!

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff. Visit the ProfessionalEdge website at www.gettheprofessionaledge.com, email info@gettheprofessionaledge.com, follow them on Twitter @profedge, or like their Facebook page.

Ten tips to keep your website fresh

You’ve heard us say that your website is one of your front doors, especially if you are an online or remote business. It should be clean, free of cobwebs, with a fresh coat of paint, and oh so welcoming.

Here are ten simple tips to help you keep your website fresh:

Keep the look and feel current

The look and feel of your website (and other company collateral and social media sites) is as important as the clothes you wear. It is the eye-catching part of your brand and it is important that it represents your company today, not 5 years ago. It doesn’t take a total rewrite of your website to update the look and feel. It can be as simple as a new header, some new pictures, or a new color scheme. Don’t let your look and feel get stale or that’s the impression customers and potential customers will receive.

Change content often – it’s not that hard!

You will often hear the mantra “Content is King!” and it’s the absolute truth. The content on your website should change often and there are many different ways to do that. Some companies nowadays use a blog or Facebook page in lieu of a website. That is one way to assure that your content is always current – so long as you are always posting new content. But if you are using a traditional website, you can easily update content. We talk about several ways to do this below.

Access is everything

It is critical that people know how to stay connected with your business. Be sure that access to you is prominent on the home page and throughout your site. Update icons and links as you add new social mediums. Don’t make people search to figure out how to keep in touch.

Tell people the good stuff going on

One of the easiest ways to keep content up-to-date is to include current information about your sales, new customers, new staff, new products, improvements to old products, etc. Include a quick summary on your home page and allow visitors to drill down to get more information.

Talk about your team

One of your greatest assets is your team and you should showcase your team members as often as possible. This serves two purposes – let’s your customers learn more about your team, and is a morale booster. If you are just a small shop and showcasing would equal tooting your own horn, include information about your partners, board members, star vendors, etc. They are all a part of your team!

Use your current customers to help you get new customers

There is nothing better than a customer testimonial to help tell your story. Look how Amazon.com uses customer reviews to help sell each and every product in their massive arsenal. Request testimonials from everyone and post them on your website!

Add video to spark interest

Video captures attention – it’s something unique and quick that can tell your story. Add video to your website – particularly on the home page. But don’t have it play automatically! That can be a huge turn off to your visitors.

Add promotions or events

Be sure to update your website with every promotion and event you hold. Don’t forget to capitalize on national events like Small Business Saturday so you can leverage their marketing!

Add a Twitter or RSS feed 

You can add some simple code to your website that will continue working for you without any additional work on your part. Add a simple Twitter feed or RSS list and it will do the updating for you!

Make it a priority!

The most important thing to remember is, even though it seems like a daunting task, if you make updating your website a priority you can make it happen in just a few minutes each week. So make it a priority! Add it to your task list!

These simple tips can help you keep your website fresh and inviting so people will want to continue to visit through that door.

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff. Visit the ProfessionalEdge website at www.gettheprofessionaledge.com, email info@gettheprofessionaledge.com, follow them on Twitter @profedge, or like their Facebook page.

How do you put your tray down at the end of the day?

Recently I read the following post on a friend’s Facebook page and was reminded of it at 3 AM this morning when my mind was racing from one work or life-related topic to another.

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ..."How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

In today’s world, we don’t only carry one glass. Sometimes it feels like there is a tray of 100 different glasses we are lifting carefully as we step over the loads of laundry and scattered kid and canine toys. There are different sized glasses, some holding more water than others. Hopefully, none of the glasses is too full so that it throws the entire tray off balance and everything comes crashing to the ground.

So, this post is a call-out to all of you. What are your tricks for making sure you place that tray in a safe spot at the end of your day, tucked away out of your mind, hopefully some of the water having evaporated leaving it lighter when you pick it up along with the Legos the next morning?

 

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Kerry Brooks is Co-owner of ProfessionalEdge Associates, offering a wide range of marketing and support services to businesses that want to increase their success, but aren't in a position to add to their staff. Visit the ProfessionalEdge website at www.gettheprofessionaledge.com, email info@gettheprofessionaledge.com, follow them on Twitter @profedge, or like their Facebook page.