Posts Tagged ‘Business’

3 Signs it is Time to Change Your Brand

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

This is a guest post by Eliza Morgan.

Branding is a very precise process and is a very important aspect of marketing.  It is also very difficult to perfect. Your company or product’s brand is critical to success. It is with this image and concept that your customers will recognize your product or service and judge whether it is right for them or not.

brands - courtesy of Adam Crowe

Internet marketing creates an even greater need and opportunity for brand cohesion for a company and brand identification among consumers. However, there are times that marketers have to bite the bullet and realize that a brand isn’t working as it should, however well known it may be.

Making the choice to alter or scrap a brand is difficult, particularly if it has been around for some years. Much of successful branding relies on consistency and persistence. However, if a brand really isn’t working and needs a change, there will be warning signs. Look for these three signs that your brand might need a makeover.

The Brand Does not Reflect New Products or Services

The point of a company is to grow and expand. There are numerous instances where a company starts in one direction and then grows and evolves over time. When this happens brands can encounter some problems. If your brand no longer reflects your products or services wholly it may be a good time to reconsider your branding campaign. You want to allow your brand to grow and evolve as your company, products, and services do. Yes, consistency is important. But you will be doing no one any good by keeping an old brand attached to a new company offering. Evaluate how appropriate your brand is for what your company offers. Does it communicate the entire picture? Is it too narrow now? These are the things you need to look into.

You Have a New Target Audience

Your brand is directed towards a particular target audience. You want to communicate what your company is and what you offer in a way that specifically speaks to your desired customer base. However, just as your products can outgrow your brand, so also your target audience can evolve.

Sometimes when a company starts out, we aim too narrow with our targeted audience. A brand can become too narrow for the audience that we are hoping to reach once your company’s market begins to grow and expand. One of the worst things you could do with your branding is exclude certain people and groups from your marketing campaign. Evaluate your brand to make sure that it includes everyone you wish to reach. If you find that your brand is too narrow or you are not actually reaching your target audience, you should definitely consider making some adjustments.

Customers See Your Brand Differently Than Intended

Another issue that can easily occur with branding is that it is not perceived the way you intended it. This can be one of the more difficult things to deal with and recognize. You put a huge amount of effort into creating a brand that you think communicates exactly what you want about your company only to find that your audience sees it completely differently.

One way to find out if your brand is having this issue is by very simply asking your audience. Survey your target audience about your brand. Find out how they really see you and what your brand says to them. See what they call your brand. Do they have a different or shorter name for your brand? What do they identify with most about your company? These are important questions that your audience can answer so that you can create a stronger more accurate brand. If you find that your target audience has a different perception of your brand, you should consider altering things.

Author Bio:This is a guest post by Eliza Morgan who is a full time blogger. She specializes in writing about business credit cards. You can reach her at: elizamorgan856 at gmail dot com.


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Round Penning Clinic Langley BC December 3 and 4

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

Round Penning

Some regard round penning as a controversial technique in horsemanship.  Indeed a Google search on round penning has a critical opinion as the number one choice.

 

Michael Gonzalez is adamant that he will not use a round pen in any of his demonstrations.

Round Penning
(And Why I Believe It Is Doing More Harm Than Good))

I don’t care for round penning at all. Round penning has become one of the most, if not THE MOST, abused tool in horsemanship today. Now that is a bold statement, but I will stand on that statement very firmly. It is, in my opinion, so abused that I refuse to work a horse in a round pen while performing demonstrations. Perhaps I should clarify that I refuse to do ‘round penning’ during my demonstrations.

Many others do not share the Gonzalez view.  For example Sylvia Scott is a strong proponent of round penning.

Proper round penning is not about mindlessly lungeing a horse around and around a round pen, but is about the opposite: it is direct one-to-one very precise communication with very specific cues and instructions. When round penning is done correctly, the horse will be quieter, more compliant, and a much more willing partner in all of your other training activities.  Round penning can be an invaluable tool in developing a happier horse -- and a happier rider!

Here in Langley another round penning advocate and expert is Jay O Jay..  Here is how he presents his views.

The Round Pen

"A Powerful Tool"
"Get respect, gain control and achieve confidence"

The round pen is where I introduce myself to the horse. It is a place to listen and to communicate. It is a place to develop a leadership role, gain mutual respect and establish control. All without force, bad attitudes or impatience. This allows the horse to stay emotionally and mentally relaxed so he can keep his attention focused on me. This is how I get the horse to learn how to learn!

Round Penning With Jay O Jay

If you would like to make up your own mind on how well Round Penning can be used, then you have an opportunity on December 3rd and 4th when Jay O Jay is giving a Round Penning Clinic at the Highpoint Equestrian Centre in Langley BC. This is the same location where he gave a regular horsemanship clinic in October.

High Point Equestrian Centre Jay O Jay

The six spaces for horses and their riders in the clinic are almost taken up.  However there is room to accommodate up to sixty visitors and this is a very economic way to learn a great deal about the correct way to establish a connection with your horse.

Here is how Jay describes what will take place:

  • I work "one on one" in these clinics so that each person gets maximum value.
  • Day One - I work your horse myself as I discuss in detail what I am doing, why I am doing it and how I am doing it. My goal is to get a respectful, focused and connected horse.
  • Day Two - you are in the round pen with your horse as I teach you how to achieve the same success I did.
  • I am taking a maximum of 6 horses. I will be doing 3 horses in the morning and another 3 in the afternoon.  Each session will be approximately one hour.

Round Penning Clinic Details

Timing:  Saturday December 3 and Sunday December 4 from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm.

Location:  High Point Equestrian Centre and Clubhouse, 658 200th St, Langley, BC.

The two day cost for a rider and their horse is $150 with coffee or $170 with lunch.

Spectator’s daily fee is $20 or $30 with lunch.

For More Information

Contact Kelly Brook Allen at canoa@shaw.ca or by telephone at 604-831-1519 or Annabel Young at 604-961-7541.

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Vancouver For Sophisticated Street Food

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

This is a guest post by Dee Mason.

In most large cities, if you say the term “street meat” to anyone, you will receive a nose wrinkle and a full-body shudder in return.  Everyone, at some point in their life, somewhere in the world, has visited a curbside food vendor.

 

Some are great and lines stretch around the block.  Some are awful, and are completely deserving of their "roach coach" nickname.  Brussels, Hanoi, many cities in Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, London, and Los Angeles: they all have long traditions of street food that is both excellent and cheap.  Recently, however, the Vancouver Street Food scene in British Columbia has begun to give these other "street meat" meccas, a run for their money.

People often look to Canada for ski deals but now they can think Vancouver for excellent street cuisine.  Restaurants can be licensed to set up carts all around the business district and the downtown area.  With more and more carts being welcomed to the street food scene every year (36 so far), the variety of offerings can actually feel a little overwhelming.  Though not every street cart operates at the same time, there is usually a wide array of prices and styles on offer.  As many publications have already noted with enthusiasm, the quality of the food available is quite high.  Food from multiple countries, and carts dedicated to vegetarian, vegan, or halal food abound.  While all are worthy of a try, there are a few standouts that deserve a special trip.

Korean-Mexican Coma Food Truck

Locations:  Varies - Check comafoodtruck.com for up-to-date info.

Serving traditional Korean food like bibimbap and kimbap, alongside Mexican-Korean fusion items like kimchi quesadillas, the Coma Food Truck offers a funky combination of tastes that is pretty addictive.  Portions are human-sized and reasonably priced, topping out at $10 with a drink.

Tacofino Cantina

Location:  Robson Square - Weekdays 11:00-15:00. - Check tacofino.com for more information.

Tacos, tacos, and more tacos, made ridiculously well, with great ingredients.  The Tacofino Taco Truck, is a bright orange vehicle, which specializes in producing great fish tacos, the "must-eat" chocolate Diablo cookie, and other Baja-style dishes.  Owner Kaeli Robinsong, recently launched the Blue Burrito Truck as well, serving a wide variety of burritos.  Prices range from $2.50 up to $15.00 depending on the food item and how fancy you want to get with it.

Nu Greek Street

Location:  Granville Street - Monday to Saturday - Check www.nurestaurant.com for more information.

Great Greek food is heavenly.  Nu Greek Street, which is the street vendor offshoot of the restaurant, Nu, is definitely getting it right.  Very tasty homemade pita bread, impeccably prepared meat, and fresh veggies, combine to make this street cart stand out.  They also offer a vegetarian pita that has received high marks.  Prices are very reasonable and range from $3 - $6.50.  Be prepared to wait in line a bit.  It is well worth it.

Other Places to Mingle

If standing on the street to eat is not quite your cup of tea, there are also some great alternative eateries housed in more traditional settings.  For coffee and tea aficionados, take a moment to visit the newly opened, Revolver, at 325 Cambie Street.  If you are looking for a more laid-back, "get together with friends" vibe, check out, Rumpus Room at 2689 Main St.  They combine great food with board games and movie nights, among other offerings.  For those who want to see and be seen, make a beeline for Sanafir at 1026 Granville Street.  The delicious Mediterranean cuisine and ambiance make Sanafir the king of hipster nightspots.

Whether you like your food on the go, or want to sit down and mingle, Vancouver has something for everyone.  Vancouver's traditional restaurant and food cart communities, have grown exponentially.  It will be interesting to see what culinary fusions evolve out of the city's eclectic food scene, and even more interesting to sample them.


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Amazon Associates Success Tips

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

This is a guest post by Mariana Ashley.

I will preface this post with the cold fact that not all blogs or websites will benefit much from using the Amazon Associates program. That being said, since the program is free to use, it is at least worth trying out.  It is a great affiliate program that is simple to implement and can make surprisingly large sums of money. But for any site or blog to make any serious money from the program, they should fit at least most of the following criteria:

 
  • Your site gets a good amount of traffic – Obviously no one will be clicking on your affiliate links and purchasing things that will give you commissions if no one visits your site.
  • Your visitors are loyal and trust your site – This one is huge! Much more important than just having traffic, having loyal visitors will be the most likely users to convert with your affiliate program. Most of the search engine traffic you receive won’t.
  • Your site has information relevant to the products you’re marketing – Believe it or not, a lot of webmasters will use an affiliate program and market products that have nothing to do with their site’s content. Of course, you can be a little creative, but try to market products that you know your readers will want to buy.

Where In the “Buying Cycle” Is Your Audience?

Even with the above criteria met, you’re still not guaranteed to make money through the Amazon Associates program because perhaps your readers are at a different stage in the “buying cycle” than the products you’re marketing.

For instance, if you write a blog that offers tutorials on Photoshop, you probably won’t get too many people clicking on your Amazon links to buy Photoshop because they already have it and are looking for tips on how to use it. However, if you’re reviewing the newest version of Photoshop, your affiliate links might be a bit more lucrative.

Great Buying Hooks

Now that we do indeed have a loyal audience and have considered what they are interested in buying, let’s look at the way we can link them into Amazon and start buying stuff, so we can get that commission. Remember, they don’t necessarily have to buy whatever product you link to; they just have to buy something on Amazon through the affiliate link on your site.

Challenge Your Readers to a “Hypothetical” Shopping Spree!

As cheesy as this might sound, this idea works incredibly well, particularly for sites that review a slew of products for a particular niche. Just write up an article of how you would spend $1000 (or however much money) on products related to your topic, and then at the end of your article, call upon your audience to go on their own “hypothetical” shopping spree and post what they would buy in the comments (just be sure to give them the Amazon affiliate link as their entrance to the spree). Odds are some of them are bound to buy something that they realize they could use.

Allow Readers to Review Products

As great as it is to review products yourself on your site, I’ve also noticed very positive responses (in terms of affiliate commissions) to articles in which a dedicated reader of my site reviews the product. I suppose this is because people are less worried of a biased review since the reader has nothing to gain if you decide to purchase the product through the affiliate link. Remember, for both your own and your readers’ reviews, to keep your reviews genuine and honest. If you lie to sell a poor quality product to your readers, you will soon find that you have no readers and no one clicking your affiliate links.

Best-Seller Lists

One great aspect of the Amazon Associates program is that it gives you great detail about whether or not people are clicking your affiliate links and what they’re buying. Once you’ve gathered enough data to determine buying trends and popular products, make a best sellers list! This is a surprisingly effective way to gather more support and trust toward your affiliate products and gain more sells.

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges.  She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

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