Archive for April, 2010
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
Education-guru, Jeff Hurt, posted this video to Facebook and I thought it was a great topic of discussion for Sunday Spark.
One of the hardest things we face is change. Heck, if my husband puts the toilet paper roll on upside down I’m beside myself. It’s natural to want things to stay the same and to believe that because it once worked for us ‘that way’, it’ll work just as well for everyone else. But each generation is shaped by their own major events and realities. The internet and social media to people in my generation and beyond wasn’t natural – we had to learn it and we had to shift our thinking to understand it. But for those generations who grew up with computers in their homes and schools think…well, let’s face it, they don’t think about it…it just is.
The Youtube video above was about a child asking educators to understand and relate to digital natives. Imagine replacing the word “educators” with “employers”. That same child is going to enter the workforce in about 15 years. Bah, 15 years is a long time. But wait a second…every year that goes by new blood is pumped into our industry. That’s new blood that is naturally more comfortable in a digital world than you. My challenge for you this week is:
Instead of saying: “This new generation just doesn’t get it because ________ (fill in the blank).”.
Ask yourself: “What do I need to do to adapt to this new generation?”.
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Smart businesses stay on top of significant trends and consistently challenge their businesses to stay relevant and meaningful to changing consumers.
One such example of a smart business is Noah Wolf Photography. Recognizing a massive shift in the way we all communicate with one another (hint, hint…social media), Minneapolis-based Noah Wolf also identified that many people were using DIY avatar photos for their business and personal accounts. The cost of hiring a photographer to create a teeny profile pic can be prohibitive, so Noah came up with the idea of holding AVATAR sessions. The idea is reminiscent of the uber-popular Boudoir sessions concept, in which the photographer books a venue and offers photoshoot time slots at a reasonable price to eager brides-to-be. At a cost of $79, you can have:
- Creative consultation with the photographer on the day of your session.
- Post-session portrait consultation to help choose your favorite image.
- One completely mastered, retouched and enhanced digital file that you leave with the same day!
- No limitations to how you can use your portrait online.
Visit Noah Wolf’s blog to find out about his future Avatar Sessions. Great idea, Noah!
Update:
Toronto, now you too can book an avatar session too: Sugartree Photography booking for April 26, 2010
Here’s an extraction from my interview with Noah:
What prompted you to offer Avatar sessions?
With the introduction of social media into our personal and business lives, the need for a really great, creative portrait of ourselves has never been more important. Social media has let our businesses become so much more personal. This is can be an incredibly valuable tool to our success. Every time a tweet is sent, or a LinkedIn connection is made, or someone becoming a fan of a Facebook page, people get to see what the other person looks like. Well guess what? That trusty ‘ol saying about first impressions is still very true and very useful.
Why do business people need to invest in their avatars?
I believe most business owners and working professionals know they need a portrait for their business use (business cards, social media accounts, web sites, presentations, etc). It is important because we are what we sell. Some more than others, but we all sell ourselves first in order to gain client’s trust.
What should people think about when doing an Avatar session?
- Is it for personal or professional use, or both?
- If for professional use, what do I want the viewer to think about when they see my portrait? What can I convey about myself and my business to a perspective client? Should it be a traditional feel (perhaps so that it matches other peoples portraits at your company) or perhaps a little more personal and relaxed?
- If for personal use, can the same image be used? If I had two, what would I want my personal image to convey about me?
Other than that, we want our clients to depend on us to help with the rest. Once a client books a session, we send out an email with a bunch of information about what to expect and how to prepare. We tell them right away that feeling nervous is good! It is absolutely 100% my job to do the rest which includes: learning what each client needs before starting photography, getting them to feel relaxed, providing an excellent experience in front of the camera and getting them to actually have fun (I know, right??), as well as selecting their favorite images immediately following the session easy and enjoyable. And of course, if the email doesn’t answer a question, we’re just a phone call away.
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You lined up for 28 hours to be one of the first to get your paws on the iPad. If you’re really going to rock this hot new gadget, you need to do so with style. These are my top 3 must-have accessories for the iPad. (clockwise from top left)
Wool felt & leather iPad sleeve – $48
Temple leather iPad case – $189 – Also available in canvas/leather combination
McGraw vintage fabric iSocket – Currently sold out, but check out the seller’s other cases $35-108
Do you have any hot accessories you feel should make it on the it-list?
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Welcome to Week 1 of READY2SPARK’s ‘Social Media Starter Kit’. As a brand strategist and a sales & marketing consultant, it’s my responsibility to ensure that my clients are making the right decisions for their business and standing apart from the crowd. This series will be dedicated to getting smart about social media.
But first let me tell you a short story…
A number of years ago I was working on a brand design project for a line of weight loss products. To better understand the industry, I flew out to Ohio, where a weight loss conference was taking place. While in town I decided to fit in a few trips to local Walmart stores so I could see how customers shopped the category. Pretending to be engrossed by the various bottles of weight loss elixirs, I lurked the aisle to see who was buying and what products caught their attention. One extremely overweight couple, carts overflowing with chips, pop and other packaged goods (made from ingredients I can’t pronounce), made their way down the aisle. They stopped in front of the diet pills and proceeded to debate which one to put in their cart. Aaah, the quest for the silver bullet. Forget about the proven solution (good diet + exercise). It’s human nature to try and find the quickest route to our end destination.
So, why did I tell this story?
Because we see the same problem in Social Media. There are a tonne of companies who believe that the silver bullet answer to creating thousands of friends, followers and prospects is to have a Facebook page, Twitter account or blog. Like magic, potential-customers will flock to these sites to listen to Company XYZ pontificate about how great they are. “We just launched our new blog!”, “We just won an award!”, “We just signed a new client!”, blah, blah, blah. Listen to what we’ve done, look at what we’ve seen, oh enough about us…what do you think about us? Here’s the problem with this silver bullet theory: People are time starved and information overloaded. If they feel that you’re wasting their time by providing information that’s not relevant or meaningful to them, they’ll say good-bye. And that, my friends, is the beauty of social media. Unlike TV ads, magazine ads and radio ads, they’re not forced to listen to your message. If they don’t like what they hear they’ll dismiss you without a second thought. Add to this challenge that unlike traditional media, ‘He who has the deepest pockets’ doesn’t win. After all, social media is free. This means that you have more competition than ever before. To cut through the clutter, simply participating isn’t enough…you have to be clever.
So for now, I’ll leave you with these thoughts & welcome your feedback. If there are any topics you’d like to hear about, please contact me and let me know.
Until next week!
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I came across this brilliantly hued dessert on the Luxirare blog…which is a must-bookmark site on extreme fashion & cuisine. What is it, you say? Why it’s chilled citrus consomme with blue curacao poached baby pear. The photo was scanned from The Colors of Dessert published by Battman studios, 2008. Photographs by Alan Batt.
So, the question is:
[polldaddy poll=3005721]
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Happiness is as a butterfly which,
when pursued, is always beyond our grasp,
but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
~ Quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Etsy is one of my favorite resources for beautiful and unique handmade goods. Here are my top 10 picks for all things wedding:
Bird seed favors by naturefavors . Earrings by luxedeluxe . Necklace by AmberSky . Garter by florriemitton . Paper banners by aymujer . Invitations by FoglioPress . Favor pouches by petitsmetier . Cake pops by My3lilCupcakes . Love bird toppers by cottonbirddesigns . Pinwheels by petitsmetier
- Custom made pinwheels (30 for $90)
- Pale mink silk satin garter with hand beaded details ($52)
- Hand crafted chandelier wedding banners (3 pack for $114)
- Something blue...floral necklace ($58.50)
- Love birds wedding cake topper ($134)
- Gourmet chocolate fudge brownie lollipop wedding favor (30 for $60)
- Custom favor pouches via petitsmetier ($1.50 each)
- Carnivale invitation ($2 each)
- Long rhinestone and pearl earrings ($68)
- Bird seed wedding favors (100 for $99.95)
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