Finding Waldo in a Sea of Potential Leads

I recently attended a marketing technology summit that focused on CRM systems and solutions. One of the guest speakers, Eric Piela of the FlintGroup, painted the perfect metaphoric image of marketing. Being a visual person myself, I wanted to share this image with you guys....

Where's Waldo? The Gold Rush

Marketing is all about reaching the right 50 people, not the wrong 500 people. In any given marketplace there's an array of people. Is your company trying to reach the cowboys, the cattle drivers, the saloon girls, or just simply Waldo himself? Your tactics and strategies must target whomever you're trying to reach -simply flying a banner above all these people will most likely not garner anyone's attention. Plain and simple, it's all about reaching the right person, with the right message, at the right time.

In addition to outbound marketing, there is also inbound marketing...become the "gold hole" that people flock to.
Get Found - through the use of great content and by building relationships
     ↓
Convert - by involving and motivating leads
     ↓ 
Analyze - what has or hasn't worked?  

No matter if you're focusing on outbound or inbound marketing, there are best practices that your company should follow in marketing planning and execution:

1. Goals 1st, tactics later - the goals help define, guide, and dictate the tacits
2. 'Don't try to boil the ocean' - start small and focus
3. Content -remember, quality over quantity; be useful, relevant, and timely 

 So, have you found Waldo yet?

 

How to Maintain Your Personal Brand Online

Maintaining your personal brand online is an important part of being successful with it. You cannot hope to succeed by creating online pages and then allowing them to sit statically. Rather, you need to be consistent by constantly updating and adding new content.

For a great reference, check out the infographic below from visual.ly. The infographic explains how to build and manage your personal brand in just 9 minutes a day by KNOWing yourself, SHOWing who you are to others, and by GROWing your network sphere.

Some takeaways include:

• Create accountability for yourself by conducting activities with a friend or co-worker and by making your activity public through blog posts, tweets, etc.
• Stay focused -you only have 9 minutes to accomplish your to-do tasks. Get rid of unwanted distractions and hammer out what you'd like to complete
• Again, be consistent -think about and do your upkeep and building daily. If possible, allot the same 9 minutes everyday to help keep you on track and focused.

How do you keep up with your personal brand management during your busy day-to-day life? Share your tips and ideas in the comment section below!

China V -Headed Home Tomorrow

Tea Time (Day 21)

Today we visited a stoneware company in Wuxi that is famous for manufacturing teapots. They mine the stone locally in five natural colors; red, gold, purple. black, and green (which is the rarest of the five). The teapots are handmade and then fired at 1200 degrees. They are specially designed for smooth pouring, properly fitting lids, and no drip spouts. Only one type of tea should be brewed in a pot since the tea accumulates overtime and coats the inside of the pot; this enhances the flavor of the tea. The pots should only be cleaned with water; never soap or any chemicals since this will strip the pot of that coating.

The Chinese word for teapot, ‘fu,’ also means good fortune. The bigger the teapot, the more luck and good fortune that are to be had. As a result, we all touched the giant teapot in the lobby of the teapot museum. The Chinese character for tea is made up of characters for people, plants, and flowers. This signifies that people are surrounded by nature and that they should be harmonious with it.

A farmer who was sitting under a tea tree one day first discovered tea. As he was eating his lunch, some tealeaves fell into his cup. After drinking the water, he discovered that it tasted different, in a good way. After that he researched tea; how to make and its properties.

There are many different types of teas including black, green, and oolong; each with their own medicinal properties. Green is the most popular in China. Oolong tea stands for dragon emperor and should be drunk in three sips; one for happiness, one for longevity, and one for good fortune. When holding a teacup, one should grasp the upper portion of the cup with their thumb and pointer. The middle finger supports the bottom of the cup. Females should drink with their ring and pinky finger out for beauty, while males tuck these two fingers in to symbolize power.

Heaven on Earth (Day 22)

The Eastern cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou are two of the most beautiful ones in China. They are so nice, that they are considered places of Heaven on earth. While the official language of China is Mandarin, each city has its own distinct dialect. The dialect of Suzhou is very soft and pleasant to the ear.  It is said that a person would rather hear a couple fighting on the streets of Suzhou than listen to the Beijing Opera. Suzhou is also well known for it’s attractive girls. Due to the wet climate, they tend to have beautiful skin.

Further, Suzhou is also famous for its lovely gardens. Rich and important people, such as the emperor and high-ranking government officials, tend to have gardens. Gardening is considered an artisan skill in China. ‘The art of gardening’ takes time to master, but once it has been, the artisan can create elaborate designs and garden areas. Today we visited the Administrator’s Garden. One gardening technique we observed was the use of obstruction. A gardener will purposefully add things, such as rock formations, to ‘block’ pathways. This encourages the visitor to walk around more and do further exploring, as opposed to following a straight pathway. Another technique employed was the use of the background/distance into the garden scenery. One particular view within the garden opened up to and incorporated a distant Chinese tower. A third technique was the use of hidden walls. The garden must be enclosed, but it is done cleverly. The walls are designed in such a way so as not to be obvious and as to make the garden seem larger. The structures within the garden are also built purposefully. Since Suzhou is such a wet city, corridors were built to connect all the buildings. These corridors were built to be two-sided –one side for the host to use, and one side for the servants to use.

Romeo and Juliet (Day 23)

Yesterday after dinner we went to a theme park where we watched a live performance show. During the show they dance reenacted a Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. This story is one of the five classic stories all Chinese read and learn about when they are young; this one is the most popular among girls –for obvious reasons. In China, it is said then when a creature lives to be 1,000 years old it gains powers to transform into human form. These monsters can then cause havoc. It is the job of the monks to keep these creatures at bay. In the story, a white snake and a green snake gain this ability and transform into beautiful women. They meet a guy at West Lake and both him and the white snake fall in love. The monks, believing that the snakes are bad, chase after the girls/snakes to destroy them. In the story though, the snakes are good and only want to live happily with the man. The white snake tries to fight back by flooding the temple. Eventually the white snake is caught and imprisoned by the monks. Before this happens though, she has a son with the man. The young boy grows up and finally saves him mom from the monk by destroying the pagoda she’s entrapped in. The white snake is reunited with her son and husband and they live happily ever after.

Relationships in China (Day 24)

China is a collectivist culture. People’s thoughts and behaviors are centered on the group (family, friends, the country), rather than the individual. This mindset has been evident in the relationship interactions I’ve witnessed here.

The family unit is very strong here in China. Once married, couples will often remain living with their in-laws. Here you are taken care of by your parents during the 1^st half of your life, and then you take care of your parents during the 2^nd half of your life. You will often see parents and their son or daughter walking around. Often grandparents will be along or will take their grandchild out too. Parents seem to be very loving and doting towards their children. While both Americans and Chinese love their children, I feel like the Chinese display their fondness more openly than do Americans in public. The children here essentially become the central point of the family. I’ve witnessed both Moms and daughters dressed alike too. I’ve also noticed that many advertisements show the typical family all happy in their commercials.

Couples are also very doting in public here as well. You will see many couples walking around holding hands and hugging one another. The same is true of close friends. Females will often walk hand-in-hand or with locked arms. Males tend to also be more “touchy-feely” than in America and show a greater closeness with one another.

 

Gone in the Blink of an Eye (Day 25)

Today was our last day in China. I feel like I’ve been here so long, and yet for no time at all. It’s a bittersweet feeling right now. I’ve immensely enjoyed my time here in China and am sad to be leaving the exoticism of it. At the same time, I’m looking forward to the comfort and familiarity of home; friends, family, tap water, not washing clothes by hand, and knowing what sort of food I’m sticking in my mouth. While here, I’ve met some great people and made new friends –both American and Chinese. It will be weird returning to the U.S. after a month of ‘isolation’ from everything back home. I am not current on any news, have not used my cell phone once, and have barely touched social media (even despite it being a big part of my planned career path). Overall, this has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life and I would highly recommend similar travel to everyone. While here, I’ve learned so many things. Not just things solely related to China, but life lessons that can be applied daily in my life too.

I already wrote a blog post on not taking things for granted, so I won’t rehash that here, even though that is one of the major things I got out of this trip. Another big thing I’ve learned on this trip though is patience. This has popped up in a couple of ways. With cities containing populations way larger than the entire state of Minnesota (not even mentioning my home state of Alaska), people are everywhere. That means that getting places and doing things isn’t always the quickest. I’ve learned to accept the inevitable slowness and have gained an understanding of what it takes to live in such a crowded culture. It does no good whatsoever to get worked up or cranky about it. Things go so much smoother and everyone is much happier when you keep a positive attitude. Further, I’ve definitely gained a greater appreciation for patience stemming from the language barrier here. The Chinese have been so accommodating with us Americans and our inability to speak Chinese. They do their best to comprehend our measly hand gestures and try their hardest to make their message clear back.

Another thing I’ve taken to heart while here in China is to always give something a try. There’s a phrase currently popular in the states known as YOLO –you only live once. We jokingly suggested one night that the theme of our trip should be YOCO –you only China once. Well, the joke kind of stuck and whenever we go to try something we wouldn’t normally, we always say YOCO first. I honestly believe that this mentality is good to have. It is something we should bring back to the states with us. Just because something is different, foreign, unknown, or possibly looks/smells bad, does not mean that you should instantly dismiss it. Instead you should give it a try and truly find out what it’s like.

China IV

Living the Life (Day 16) 
 

Living the life of a university student here in China is both similar and dissimilar to that of American college students. One of the biggest differences I feel comes from their dorm life. Chinese students don’t just move into an off-campus apartment or house after their freshmen year. Instead, they live on campus with many other students. The typical dorm room houses 4-6 students and contains beds, desks, and a closet/drawer type area for each student. Other than that, there isn’t much space. If you’re lucky as a graduate student, you can get “better” housing and room with only 1 other student. To make matters less appealing, students not only don’t have shower capabilities in their rooms, but they don’t even have them on their floors or in their buildings. Instead, students must walk to shower houses –carrying their shampoo and soap with them down the street.

I knew previously that males and females were not allowed into each other’s housing units, but what I did not know is that no one is allowed inside the apartment complex buildings unless they live there; that means that friends cannot visit each other in their rooms if they live in separate locations. That was quite shocking to me coming from a culture that doesn’t even segregate males and females too readily in housing units.

Just like Americans, Chinese students pass the time by reading and engaging in sport activities. Chinese sport activities tend to be slightly different as mentioned in a previous post. Female students are really into swimming here along with ping-pong and badminton. The male students enjoy ping-pong and badminton too, as well as basketball and sometimes soccer (of football here). Aside from these activities though, studying is the number one most important thing to Chinese students and they spend much of their time doing so. That for sure is not comparable to the U.S. where students, at best, balance studying with other entertainment.

Class appears to be similar to that in America in the sense that student listen to lectures and receive PowerPoint’s covering the material. Unlike in America though, professors have the liberty to run past a class’s ending time; in fact it happened to our group 2 times. Further, classes tend to break midday for a couple hours to allow students to nap.

Aside from walking, the students use bikes as a main means of transportation. The campus is so large, that bikes are needed to get around efficiently. There will literally be hundreds of bikes lined up outside dorms and the cafeteria; it’s a wonder how they ever find their own bike.

 

 

Never Again… (Day 17) 

 

With only a week and half left of our trip, I’ve already started to do some self-reflection around my time here in China. They always say “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” It’s true. I feel like although I try not to take things for granted being so well off in America, it’s nearly impossible not to do so; especially given the vast amount of luxuries we have back home which we’ve grown up with all our lives. It’s not even necessarily American food or being able to speak English that I miss the most (although I do miss both of those things, particularly the later). During my time here I have learned not to take a few things for granted; the first of those being tap water. Being able to turn on a facet or get a glass of water at a restaurant is a huge blessing and convenience that I won’t overlook anymore. It’s a nuisance buying bottled water at the market (even though it’s extremely cheap), paying an arm and a leg at a restaurant for it, or having to choose soda when water isn’t even option (I don’t drink soda, so not having access to water when going out is hard for me). Another thing I will not take for granted is having access to toilet paper in public restrooms. I don’t even mind the squatty potties here anymore. Do I prefer Western toilets? Well, sure, but I’m over that now. What is annoying is having to carry toilet paper around in my backpack or purse. It’s just one more thing to remember. Thirdly, I will no longer take my washer and dryer for granted either. Sure I could pay the hotel to take care of my laundry, or even carry it all down to a local drycleaner or laundry mat, but that just seems like an inconvenience and waste of money. Instead I’ve been washing my clothes in the shower and bathroom sink. I feel like this process is slightly time consuming and bothersome when I’m so use to throwing it in a machine located in my apartment. All in all it’s true. Even if you try not to take things for granted, I feel like you cannot fully appreciate them until you must go without them. 


Cross-Cultural Communication (Day 18) 
 

Communication within the U.S. and within China varies from another. One major dichotomy relates to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. According to Hofstede, America is an individualistic culture that is centered on the individual; people do things for their own personal benefit 1^st. As a result of this, Americans tend to use pronouns such as “I,” “me,” and “my” when conversing. They use talk as a means to affirm their personal identity and express their personal selves. Due to the Chinese way of communicating, Americans tend to wrongly view the Chinese as lacking personal opinions and not having much self-assurance. In contrast to the U.S. China is a collectivistic culture that is focused on the group. Chinese will express both personal and group opinion using pronouns such as “we,” “our,” and “us.” Based upon the way Americans think, the Chinese tend to view them as being slightly self-centered and always trying to draw attention to themselves.

Another aspect of cross-cultural communication is the direct vs. indirect means of communicating. Americans tend to be more of a direct culture. They speak in a way that is straightforward and more authoritative. Americans also tend to be outspoken, prefer honesty, and have the speaker take responsibility. In contrast, Chinese culture is more indirect and is high-context based. Chinese tend to be less authoritative, emphasize nonverbal behavior (the majority of a conversation’s meaning will come from what is not actually verbally said), and like to maintain harmony by being polite. While direct communication can save time and give tangible information, it can also cause discord by being offensive and requires higher-lever officials to take on more responsibility. By contrast, indirect communication can build better relationships and leads to less rash decision-making, but it can also lead to miscommunication (since it might be difficult to “read between the lines”) and takes more time. 


Commercialized Shopping (Day 19) 
 

While in Tianjin I’ve been to Carrefour a couple of times as well as Walmart once. The first thing I noticed when walking through both stores is the slightly unusual layout. Both stores were two stories and required you to wind through. What I mean by that is that you enter on the first floor, but rather than being able to go where you please, you must first take the moving flat walkway escalator up to the 2^nd floor. The 2^nd floor (in Carrefour) houses clothing, electronics, toys, and miscellaneous household products. Once you cart through this entire floor to the opposite side of the store, you are then able to take the downward moving walkway to get to the beauty products and all the food and drink items. From a business standpoint, this strategy is brilliant. It requires customers to walk through the entire store, which more often than not will inevitably lead to additional spur of the moment, unplanned purchases. From a shopper’s stand point though; it’s just plane annoying and time consuming.

Another difference in these stores is the way meat is sold. In America you will have meat and fish cases from which you can buy if you don’t want packaged items, but here in China the stores take it a little further. The meat and fish (not necessarily cut or processed yet) it literally displayed out in the open, not behind cases and not always in refrigerated units. Personally I think this is a little sketch and I wonder how people don’t get sick from it. Another interesting difference that highlights Americans large consumerism is the size of the shopping carts. The shopping carts here are much smaller than of those found in America. Further, shoppers must purchase grocery bags here –I’ve noticed that many Chinese bring their own (and we have learned to do so as well). 


Being Rude (Day 20)
 

I feel like there are a number of differences between American and Chinese culture when it comes to behaviors that are considered rude or not. One main difference I’ve noticed, and am still trying to get use to, is the notion of queuing. In America, people typically line up and politely wait one by one for their turn. People who cut the line or push ahead are considered rude. Here in China, that concept doesn’t seem to apply (except for at stores such as Carrefour). The Chinese way comes across as more of a free-for-all. When ordering food at the campus food court or the market, one doesn’t wait for others ahead of them to finish. If they do, other individuals will come up from behind and go ahead of them. Instead, you must be aggressive and bold by stepping to the ‘front’ to get what you want. The same goes for using public restrooms and getting on trains. Don’t wait for your turn or it’ll never come. I still catch myself forgetting this cultural difference when using restrooms. I’ll stand nearer to the entrance waiting for a stall only to have the open stalls snagged by Chinese ladies if I don’t make a quick move.

Another difference is the use of vehicle horns. In America car horns typically aren’t used very often; they are considered slightly rude and are often used when someone is upset/angry. The opposite is true in China. Car horns are a frequent sound and are used liberally. In contrast to the U.S., horns are used for the purpose of letting other vehicles know you’re there or to signify that you’re coming through so they should beware or yield. I hear horns so often now that I barely bat an eyelash or turn my head when I hear one; this could be problematic when returning to the states.

Another difference is personal space. There’s really no such thing as the ‘personal bubble’ here; there are just plain too many people for that. As such, you’re always being bumped into. People don’t say sorry or excuse me either, they just push on past and keep going. In America this would be considered rude, even more so when an apology isn’t offered.

China III

Following the Leader (Day 11)

Today in lecture, Dr. Zhao Wei talked about business leadership in China. In China, leadership is comprised of three main elements; the leader, the follower, and the situation. They believe that “an ounce of leadership is worth a pound of management.” Leadership is different from management by the fact that it’s based on a long-term time horizon (rather than short), it facilitates decisions (rather than makes them), it seeks a vision (as opposed to objectives), and it gives credit (as opposed to taking it); this seems to hold true for American practices as well.

American companies tend to lead by rules; things are more defined and laid out. In connection, American leadership is oriented on task and regulation and is based on the dimensions of motivation and performance. In contrast, Chinese companies tend to lead by power; things are less clear and rigid. As a result, their leadership is oriented towards authority and relations and is based on the dimensions of motivation, performance, and charisma (ethicality). Based on the Implicit Leadership Theory, it is hard for foreigners to judge whether a manager is good or not because their assumptions, beliefs, and stereotypes are different from the local culture. What is considered good in, say, America, may not be so in China. Another large difference between Chinese and American leadership is the sense of group. In China, things are based on in and out-groups. Those who are in the in-group work harder, but are also given more favoritism by the leader. As part of the in-group they are given more responsibility and decision influence. This sort of behavior leads to nepotism and patriarchic leadership. This patriarchic leadership “combines strong discipline and authority with fatherly benevolence and moral integrity couched in a paternalistic atmosphere.” In a sense, Chinese companies are like a family and tend to have stronger relations than do their American counterparts.

 

The Difference Between the Moo and the Cluck (Day 12)

In American culture fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and KFC are seen as a convenience and are typically cheaper in price. The companies market themselves based upon their niche flavors (i.e. burgers vs. chicken), as well as their low prices, family deals, and/or children’s toy offerings.

In China, these same restaurant chains are slightly more expensive (when comparing using purchasing power parity), and slightly less convenient (i.e. no drive-through yet). The companies market themselves based upon themes of happiness and togetherness (e.g. the family unit or friends) and also use promotional pricing.

KFC and McDonald’s are two of the largest American fast food chains located within China. While McDonald’s is the number 1 fast food company worldwide, KFC claims that title specifically within China. The main reason for this is KFC’s operation principles in China; “based on China, into China, and change for China.” Essentially, KFC has thought globally, but acts locally. The company had adapted their restaurant, namely the menu, to fit the local Chinese tastes. Some menu changes include squid on a stick as well as rice balls for breakfast. Further, KFC has also utilized local suppliers, employs local Chinese managers, and encourages excellent employment and teamwork. In contrast, McDonald’s has done relatively little to their globally known chain and menu, and has instead relied upon their well know products such as the Big Mac to generate sales. Going forward, McDonald’s is going to be facing increasing competition from both foreign companies, like KFC, as well as local companies, like Kung Fu. In order to compete, McDonald’s will need to better adapt their 4 P’s (product, price, place, and promotion), most especially their products, to ensure they remain viable in the local Chinese market. No longer will just localized burger flavors be enough to draw the Chinese consumer market to their stores.

 

Chinese Etiquette (Day 13)

Just like in America, the Chinese also have certain practices and behaviors to follow when it comes to etiquette and table manners. At the table (which is generally round in Chinese culture), many manners surround the proper use of chopsticks. It is considered impolite and rude to lick chopsticks, stir food with them, or use them to gesture or point at people. Further, chopsticks should never be stuck standing up in the center of rice since it symbolized death/sacrifice. The host typically sits in the seat that is opposite at the door, and the number 1 guest sits to their right. The host will generally start dinner off with a toast (note, that guests should never have to fill their own glasses). After the initial toast, any other toasts may be made at any point during the meal. One should always thank another when their glass is filled.

Proper forum should also be followed when giving gifts in China. Oftentimes, the Chinese will refuse a gift 2-3 times before accepting to avoid being seen as greedy. Further, it’s best to wrap gifts in red or yellow colors for prosperity, happiness, and good fortune. One should never give gifts consisting of 4 items, since that number signifies death. One should avoid giving anything sharp (knives, scissors) since this represents the cutting/severing of a relationship. In addition, clocks should never be given either since they represent time/death.

When meeting someone you should always stand until introductions are completed. While bowing was the traditional greeting, handshakes are becoming more and more popular. When presenting and accepting a business card, one should always use both hands. The card should be presented with the name facing the recipient, and the recipients native language should be the side that is facing upwards. Cards should be kept out on the table during the meeting.

 

What the Dragon Teaches us (Day 14)

Today in class, Professor Zhoa lectured on intercultural business communication; including topics on Chinese culture and etiquette. One of the mini case studies we discussed during class really drove home some of the difficulties that exist and arise when speaking across cultures and languages. A summary of the case study reading is essentially as follows (in a tight nutshell): An American and a Chinese person are talking with each other. The American says that they are encouraged to make their own decisions, while the Chinese says that their parents make decisions for them. The Chinese do it for the sake of their children because they want them to become dragons when they grow up. The American asked why the Chinese want their kids to become monsters.

You can see the disconnect occurring at this point. If you recall from an earlier blog post of mine, the dragon is a huge symbol within Chinese culture. It represents power and prosperity. Given that context, it would make sense that the Chinese would like their children to grow up to become dragons. Now view this from the cultural context of an American…In Western culture, the dragon typically signifies evil or is seen as villainous. Given this viewpoint, you can understand why the American would question parents wanting their children to become dragons.

The take away here is that cross-cultural communication is never easy or direct. People need to remember that different cultures are established based upon different assumptions, values, and beliefs. Because of this, people view the world in different ways and assign different meanings to behaviors and thoughts. When communicating with others, you need to be conscious of these differences and seek to establish common ground. Never jump to conclusions (i.e. about possible offense) without first clarifying to ensure that there hasn’t been a miscommunication or misunderstanding. Always be patient, never assume, and try to learn some cultural and language knowledge ahead of time.

 

As Swift as a Coursing River (Day 15)

Today we visited the Tianjin Sports University. This is a school where students literally go to major in sports (i.e. badminton or wushu (a Chinese martial art)). In addition, students can also major in areas related to sports such as refereeing, kinesiology, or food nutrition. The University of Minnesota has an office set up at this school, which facilitates the learning of American sports and culture on campus. During our visit today, we observed ballet and wushu, and participated in dragon boating and badminton. This was probably one of my favorite scheduled activities in Tianjin.

Despite being a collectivistic culture, the Chinese are not the greatest at teamwork. If you take a look at their top sports, they tend to be individual based; ping pong, badminton, wushu. I find this to be somewhat interesting and contradictory. Further, Chinese sports tend be based more on finesse and technical skill as opposed to power, like American sports are. Watching the Chinese play badminton is much more graceful than watching us Americans play. That being said, I got to witness and participate in dragon boating today. The sport is essentially boat racing and was a blast. Dragon Boating is quite rooted in teamwork and does require power. I would say that there is an element of finesse required though, otherwise you’ll splash your neighbors or knock paddles. Another observation worth noting is that these were some of the first Asians I’ve seen that aren’t stick thin and scrawny. Obviously they need to be so for their majors, but that’s not the typical Chinese ideal body type, therefore you don’t see it elsewhere too often.

China II

Chinese Couples (Day 6)

Before we flew over to China, we were told that Chinese couples would be different from American ones. Now that I’m here and have had the opportunity to observe them for a couple of days I have noticed differences, but I don’t feel their behavior is as different as it was made out to be (although perhaps I just haven’t been here long enough to witness or learn yet).  Despite having a more reserved culture, Chinese couples don’t seem to have issues with publically displaying their affection for their partner. On campus you will often see couples walking around and holding holds or girls riding around on the back of their boyfriend’s bikes. These displays seem innocent enough though and don’t really count as PDA (public displays of affection). Further, I feel these behaviors are similar to those of couples in the U.S. Thus far, I feel like the main difference I have observed is that the males seem to be more doting than the females (a phenomenon that seems almost reversed to American norms). I have seen a number of males “hanging” on their girls. For instance, in the food court yesterday I watched a guy play with his girlfriend’s braid. When talking to Jane, one of the Chinese students she said that she and her boyfriend will often go dutch on meals and split the cost. She also explained the concept of ‘face’ (reputation/image) when it comes to dating. The guys will often take their girls out to special places (such as McDonald’s when it 1^st opened or Haagen-Dazs nowadays). Since these special plans tend to cost more, it brings the girls good face. Overall, Chinese couples seem to really enjoy each other’s company (at least in public) and affectionately display this without going overboard with the PDA (I have only seen 2 couples kissing thus far).   

Getting Around (Day 7)

Like I mentioned in a previous post, the traffic in China (especially in Beijing, and now very evident in Tianjin as well) is nuts. There’s a lot more to travel in China aside from just the crazy drivers though. In addition to the cars, buses, and bikes on the roads (no pick-up tricks were seen anywhere inside the city), people also get around by using subways and trains. Surprisingly the Beijing subway was very clean and well up-kept. I will say that we only rode for a few minutes and viewed 2 stations, but if those were that nice, then more of the line must be the same way (although, given the rest of the city and the clash of clean/dirty, I pretty much guarantee that not all of the subway system is that well maintained). The bullet train was a very efficient way to travel from Beijing to Tianjin. Travelling at a speed of 186 mph we made the journey in 30 minutes. The ride was very smooth, had snack carts, and even play Alice in Wonderland on onboard TVs. Another means of travel are rickshaws (that is a “phonetic” spelling of the word). Rickshaws are 2 person bike carts. When we traveled as a group, there was a lead biker who directed all the other carts by choosing which streets to navigate down. Taking taxis is another interesting experience here. Compared to Duluth, it is so much easier to get a cab here. Having never been to a big city such as New York though, I’m unable to make a comparison there. There are literally hundreds of ‘legal’ (B license plate cars in Beijing and E in Tianjin) and ‘less legit’ cabs driving by all the time. One simply needs to stand on the edge of the street and stick out their arm to hail one. The difficultly arrives in finding a cab to accept you. In Beijing we experienced rejection many times by cab drivers because they were unwilling to go the shorter distance to take us back to our hotel; that process became slightly frustrating when you’d have to sit and hail 10 cabs before finding one. That being said, cabs are a really inexpensive form of travel. Our cab ride to TGIFridays the other evening was only $2 after gas tax…that’s less than the drop fair for an American cab.

“On Our Own” (Day 8)

Since our group left Beijing for Tianjin we have had more free time and opportunities to go out and explore on our own. These occasions have allowed me to better step out of my comfort zone and go “exploring” around town just a little bit (of course, generally with at least a small group of us). I feel like I’m able to see more of the true culture of the Chinese through observation while walking around, as opposed to visiting companies or anything. Out on the street, the Chinese are more themselves and are more natural and I feel like there’s less “face” maintenance going on (all the business tours have felt false and showy to me and have seemed less educational/informative than I would like). You can definitely tell which Chinese have dealt with foreigners before and which have not. I feel like those who have are more patient and more willing to try and communicate…and by communicate I mean lots of head shaking and hand signals mostly. It’s definitely quite debilitating not being able to speak the local language. Sure we’ve picked up some phrases and proper hand gestures, but I definitely took for granted being able to walk up to a restaurant window and directly say “I would like 6 pork dumplings please plus a bottle of water.” Instead of that now, you hope there are pictures or displays to give you some sense of what you’re buying or to assist in ordering. Yesterday in the market I walked up to a noodle stand, pointed to a row of pictures, spoke the Chinese word for “2” (signaling I wanted the 2^nd picture), than signaled the number 1 with my hand (to translate that I wanted one order). After receiving my order, I asked in Chinese “How much?” When I could understand I shook my head and got the lady to hold up fingers -5 yuan (so less than $1). Overall it’s a very humbling experience and it has definitely opened my eyes to being an outsider and/or empathizing with someone who has a disability.
 

Female Image (Day 9)

The perception of female beauty here in China is nearly opposite of that in America. Back home in the states, girls attempt to darken their skin by tanning and using products such as bronzer. Here in China, the reverse is true. Chinese girls try to remain and become as white as possible because it is a color of purity. Chinese girls will carry umbrellas around more so in the sun than in the rain to block themselves from the tanning rays. The girls will also wear more clothing to protect themselves, despite the hot temperatures. Further, Chinese women use skin whitening products (which are actually banned in the U.S.) to help lighten the color of their skin.

Similar to American girls, the Chinese also want to be skinny. Contraire to the U.S. though, Chinese girls do not want to be tone or have muscles. In addition, most Chinese girls wear heels and wedges all the time. The way I understand this, after talking with a few of the local students, is that they’re not necessarily all trying to be taller per say, they’re more like trying to match heights (one of the taller Chinese girls says she never wears heels because she already is taller). Another difference about females here that I like is the fact that many of them seem to be always dressed up. They wear outfits I would consider wearing to work or to a party, rather than as my everyday wear. Another interesting thing is that the girls seem to love our blonde hair (and hate their dark hair –which is quite beautiful in my opinion), but I don’t think I’ve seen a single Chinese girl with died hair. All the “bleached” girls happen to be Japanese (which could be the reason why the Chinese girls don’t).

 

Saving Face (Day 10)

A few days ago we learned about the significance of ‘face’ in Chinese culture. I’ve waited until now to write about it in an attempt to better observe this aspect of their culture. Face is essentially a concept about image and reputation. A person (company, etc.) wants to ensure they have a good face in order to impress and look good in other’s eyes. For such a reserved culture, this notion is interesting because the Chinese are so concerned about how they appear to others. While Americans are also concerned about their outward appearance and how they come across to others, it appears that the Chinese are much more concerned about this matter. One great example of face is the Nankai University business building. The building is huge and gorgeous. Our orientation room was like a business executive boardroom, and even our classroom is quite nice. That being said, the building (and especially the rooms we use) are more or less just for show. They don’t seem to be used often, and in fact the business school always seems just about deserted. Many of the Chinese businesses we have visited have also employed similar tactics. Our tours of the facilities often seem quite limited (especially at Airbus). I feel like the companies are just showing us the “best” parts of their business and not giving us a true picture or feel for their companies –it all feels a little fake and less educational to me. In Chinese culture making mistakes and failing is not good; it causes you to lose face. Contrary to U.S. culture of course, we’re encouraged to make mistakes because they’re a great way to learn. Further, unlike U.S. culture, you never call someone out or criticize them in public because it’ll cause them to lose face. Instead, you always have those sorts of discussions 1-on-1.

 

China!

Pseudo Stardom (Day 1)

Today we visited Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Rather than the sites being the objects of attention, our group somehow found ourselves in the spotlight instead. Unexpectedly, many of the Asian foreigners had a fondness for us Americans, especially those of us who were blonde females. I lost track of the number of times I was “asked” to be in a photo with someone. The process would start with them staring at our group and/or they would just snap a candid photo of us. More often than not the situation would go further when they’d approach one or two of us with a smile and point to a camera if they didn’t know any English (most were not bashful about this and often even ‘photo-bombed’ our photos by jumping in with us). It ended up becoming quite funny due to the magnitude of these occurrences, especially when our group would go to take a group photo. We’d all get together and Dr. Li would go to take our picture, but within seconds there’d literally be a mass of foreigners right next to Dr. Li also taking photos of our group. Once or twice today I snapped a photo of everyone taking a photo of us to document the unusual attention we were receiving. Overall it was an unexpected experience that was somewhat amusing to be a part of. While a little wearing after a while, everyone I encountered in this manner was quite friendly and you could tell it made them quite happy to have their pictures taken with total random strangers.

Seeing beautiful sites rich in history and making others' days; what more could you ask for on your 1st day in China?!

 

Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Street (Day 2)

Traffic in China is complete chaos…at least it seems that way to me as a foreigner. There is no such thing as pedestrian right-of-way here. Vehicles own the road and you must be aggressive to get anywhere. Cars and bicyclists seem to drive wherever and whenever they please including the shoulder of the road and running red lights. Car horns and bicycle bells are a common sound here as cars zigzag in and out of lanes and bicyclists maneuver through cars and weave around pedestrians. Don’t be fooled by the green man sign at crosswalks either; he appears to be more or less just for show. Despite this chaos I must note that I have only witnessed 1 fender bender on the streets. Astonishing I have not seen one traffic accident. 

That being said, Chinese traffic is a clash of old vs. new. You will see BMW, Porshe, and even Ferraris driving right next to people on old bicycles. With over 2 million cars on the road, Beijing even limits the number of vehicles that can be on the road at any given time. The system is based upon license plate numbers. For instance, on Thursdays plates ending in 3 or 5 are not allowed to be on the road. All I know is that after witnessing traffic, I would like to look more into Chinese traffic laws to see how things really do operate

 

Being Preyed Upon (Day 3)

China is obviously a hot spot for tourism; especially in Beijing with it’s many attractions and rich history. With tourism currently being in peak swing, the local scammers are also out in force waiting to pounce on unsuspecting and timid foreigners. I think it’s outlandish how many locals will stand outside all day long trying to sell fake junk to passerby’s…it’s even more silly when you pass by 10 of them all trying to get you to buy the same exact items (for example, pictures of yourself and which ever attraction they happen to be hanging out at). As a result of these ad nauseam occurrences, the Chinese phrase for “no, thank you” has become the most uttered phrase by members of our group. The vendors like to be quite persistent and will usually only desist after you utter the phrase in Chinese (no matter the number of “no’s” or head shakes and hand wave-away’s you may have already done). Non-locals or non-Chinese speakers also need to be wary of being ripped off in other forms as well. Fake currency exchanges are another common scam. Further, vendors like to sell things at extremely high prices to non-locals too. Knowing this, one should always bargain and haggle over a price rather than just paying the initially stated number. It is not considered rude to practice such acts here; something I’m still becoming accustomed to.

 

Symbolism (Day 4)

The Chinese seem to have a much richer and deeper culture than do us Americans. The reason could be because I’m an outsider to their customs, which makes it feel as such, but I honestly believe the Chinese have more meaning and traditions in their daily lives. It seems like there is meaning for just about everything around. Take numbers for instance. The number 4 means death. As such, one should never give items in groups of 4 as gifts. The number 8 is lucky for the Chinese. The Bird Nest Olympic stadium opened on August 8^th and the opening ceremonies began at 8:08 pm. The number 9 is religious and means God/Heaven. The Temple of Heaven (which we visited today) was built based upon the number 9 (for instance, all the stairs were in flights of 9). Colors also have a lot of significance here. The color red means luck and good fortune (Chinese women traditionally wear this color on their wedding days). The color blue is religious, just like the number 9 and symbolizes heaven. Yellow is the color of the emperor and green is the color of the common people. These few examples barely begin to scratch the surface of the rich symbolism in Chinese culture. A few more include pomegranate plants, the dragon, and the Chinese knot. The Chinese word for “pomegranate seed” also means “son.” Because of this, the Chinese will plant pomegranate trees in the hopes that it will bring them sons. The dragon is a symbol of power, which is also used to represent the emperor.  The Chinese knot is an intricately woven single piece of string. It is meant to bring good luck and togetherness (symbolized by the use of the single string, i.e. something that isn’t severed or broken). I think it is very interesting and neat that the Chinese culture as so much meaning it. I wish American culture were more like that. I will say though that it can be tricky being a foreigner and trying to navigate their customs. With seemingly everything having meaning, it can be quite easy to accidentally offend without ever knowing it (e.g. like giving a gift that comes in a set of 4 as mentioned above). Overall though, it definitely makes the culture a lot more fun to learn about.

 

 

One Child Policy (Day 5)

Before coming to China I was aware of their One Child Policy, but I was reminded of it today and learned a little bit more about it. Essentially the policy limits Chinese families by only allowing them to have one child in an attempt to control the massive population in the area (Beijing after all has over 20 million people in it). That being said, not all families have just one child. My international Chinese friend in the states has a younger brother. She says that some families have more than one child, especially in the rural regions. She also mentioned that families are generally “penalized” for the 2^nd child and do not receive support for them.

Because of the One Child Policy, China’s population has become more and more skewed (because the Chinese prefer to have boys since they carry on the family name). According to lecture today, the ratio is 121 with males of course being the predominate gender. Professor Li said this imbalance is really going to be a huge issue starting within the next 20 years when males start to become unable to find wives. The Chinese preference for male babies, and subsequent population skewedness has become so bad that hospitals will not tell expecting parents the sex of their child before birth during ultrasounds out of fear of potential abortions.

In a previous marketing class, I heard a short case study about Huggies diapers here in China. Apparently the company tried to market and sell blue and pink colored diapers. The blue diapers would sell out, but the shelves of pink diapers would remain untouched. This occurred because the Chinese were too ashamed to publicly admit that they had a girl, so they would buy the blue diapers regardless of their child’s gender. In talking with one of the Chinese students in class today, she said she feels like this slant is starting to get better. She said that it is now good to have a daughter and families are more okay with it.

 

 

Off to China!

In less than one week's time I will be on a plane headed to China; my first excursion outside the U.S.. For nearly 4 weeks, I will be traveling and study abroad on China's eastern coast for my Business and Economics in China class. I'm quite excited for this great opportunity and look forward to the many great experiences that are like to occur. While I've had the pleasure to be great friends with a Chinese international student during the past two years, I'm sure our conversations haven't even begun to cover all the cultural differences that exist. While I'm in China, the top three things I would like to learn are as follows: 1. I would like to learn about the differences that exist between marketing in the U.S. and marketing in China (and, if possible,  how the Chinese view their marketing when the target market is Americans), 2. I would like to learn how to speak better Chinese, and 3. Having lived in "white bread" communities all my life, I would like to learn how it feels to be the minority in order to gain a different perspective.

Please excuse the irregular blog posts while I'm away on this amazing adventure! :)

As part of my course work abroad, I will be keeping a mini daily blog on various cultural encounters. I will do my best to aggregate those posts here a couple times a week.

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Building a Network and Community Online

Social media is all about being social. "Well, of course it is" you're thinking...but a lot of people tend to forget that. They get so caught up in their own agenda and objectives (e.g. getting their message/product out there) that they turn the two-way communication platforms into one-way channels by pushing their content and feigning engagement and interaction. Take note now and don't become "one of them."

To truly get the most out of social media (any platform, whether that be LinkedIn, Twitter, or even Pinterest), you have to both give and take. Posting, pinning, sharing, and tweeting are all meaningless without discussion and conversation about what was shared. This interaction is what makes the media social. It's what furthers the shared knowledge and generates new ideas. Don't forget this!

I almost feel silly writing this post, but I see this more so everyday; particularly in LinkedIn groups. People are so willing to post links "to get their name out there," yet they're so unwilling to actually have a discussion with anyone. Frankly, I'm tired of the spam -quit it! :)  Instead, let's show our actual expertise and enthusiasm for the subject by commenting and discussing. In fact, let's go one step further; once we've had a great conversation, let's network with each other to grow our professional circles.

So....leave me a comment and let's get the conversation going!

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5 Tips for Writing a Blog (How to Attain and Retain Readers)

While I may have just started writing a blog myself in the past couple of months, I have learned a lot during this time both through personal experience as well as through research. Maintaining a blog properly definitely takes time, but it doesn’t have to be complicated if you follow a few generalities and are committed.

1. Know Your Target Audience
You may be writing for those who love to bake, or you may be writing for social media professionals. Whoever it is you're writing for, be aware of them –what are their behaviors, likes, and dislikes? Why would they be looking for your blog content in the 1st place? What’s going to get them interested and keep them coming back to read more? It’s important to cater to your audience and match your wants and needs with theirs.

2. Keep it Short but Sweet
In today’s busy world, no one has the time to sit and read your 2,000 word post. Aim to keep your posts between 300-600 words; with 500 being a great target. This length is short enough to keep your readers attention, but still long enough to share decent content. Note the last couple words of that sentence, decent content…no one’s going to care about your posts if the content is garbage. If you’re going to write, spend the time to write well and generate content that is useful, interesting, and relevant.



3. Pictures really are Worth 1,000 Words
Don’t be afraid to use images and videos in your posts. Not only do visuals attract readers, but they also make your blog posts even better for sharing, tweeting, and pinning. Please give credit where it’s due though; don’t run out to Google and post the 1st picture you see. Either purchase clipart or use images with creative commons licenses. I like to search photopin.com or use the advanced search on flickr.com (scroll down on the search page and check the creative commons license option).

4. Make it Easy for your Readers
Make your posts easy to read. Don’t write walls of text. Instead, break paragraphs up with spaces, use lists, or use bullets. Feel free to make text bold or italicized to emphasize it or drive a point home. Include popular social media share buttons to make it easy for readers to share your posts with their networks. All in all, make your blog simple, clean, attractive, and user-friendly!

5. Speak from the Heart
What should you write about you may ask? Well, that of course depends upon your ultimate goal for the blog as well as your target audience, but I would say write about what you love and/or know well. When you love something or are an expert in the subject, then the writing should flow smoothly and you should never be at a loss as to what to write. To get you started, some common post themes are lists (like this one), how-to’s, responses to other articles and blog posts you’ve read, authority posts, and reviews. In the end, find a voice that is unique to you and own it; don't be afraid to share your brand story!

And, as one final bonus tip –proofread! Don’t be afraid to let your post sit for an hour or even a night to let it rest and give you a fresher perspective when rereading it.

What other tips would you share with bloggers? Drop a comment below!

photo credit: Robbert van der Steeg via photopin cc        photo credit: RLHyde via photopin cc

Appendix to Discovering My Purpose -The Challenge

Last week in Part 2- The Journey to Discovering My Purpose, I wrote about how I discovered my purpose in life. Today I'm going to share an appendix to that post and elaborate on how I challenged my myself by becoming a tour guide.

A few years ago I was an undergrad in college looking for more out of daily life. I was tired of the same weekly schedule of attending class, going to work, and doing homework. Sure, I was happy with life, but I wasn’t quite satisfied; something was missing…an overall purpose and meaning to my life. That was when I started to search campus for something to be a part of. After browsing the University’s website for a short time, I stumbled across a group photo of the campus tour guides. I couldn’t say why, but I immediately knew that that is what I wanted to be involved in. I emailed the Admissions Office and the following week I was standing in the Solon Campus Center writing up a nametag and getting partnered with a guide for training. It was during this prep time, watching our guided group of 20 slowly gather, that I took pause and let the reality of what I had actually signed up for hit me. I had essentially signed up for public speaking…an activity that has been a life-long debilitation of mine. Being an introvert, I shied away from any situation while growing up that would place me in any sort of speaking spotlight. So naturally, staring at all those people filing into the Campus Center, my jitters started to kick in as usual. Thank goodness the only thing I was verbally committed to during that 1st tour was introducing myself with a name and major.

    Later that evening I did some self-reflection. I knew I was out of my comfort zone as a tour guide, but rather than let that hinder me as it may have in the past, I became determined to persevere through the discomfort. It was then that I decided I would not give up becoming a tour guide; I would instead
use the position to strengthen my speaking skills and overcome the weakness. And you know what? I did just that! Did I still get nervous and jittery during tours, even after a year of conducting them? Absolutely…but I now believe that is the secret to speaking well publicly. I believe one should harness that nervous energy to their advantage by transforming it into enthusiasm.

I now consider becoming a tour guide as one of the best decisions I made during my undergrad years. In addition to the personal growth, it was this experience that led me to discover a meaning for my life as explained in the Part 2 post. As a result of this whole experience, I became determined to always challenge myself. I've learned to turn my weaknesses and disabilities into opportunities. And I challenge you to do the same!

photo credit: ScoRDS via photopin cc           photo credit: quinn.anya via photopin cc

Part 3- Why Your Company Needs to Have a Purpose

This past week in Part 1 and Part 2, I shared with you what my purpose in life is and how I came to discover that purpose. Today I will talk about why your company, business, or client needs to have a purpose of his or her own too.

A few years ago I first viewed Simon Sinek's TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. That video changed the way I view marketing (I would definitely recommend spending the 18 minutes to view it). Simon helped me realize that a company needs to be more than a business that sells products x, y, and z. A company needs to have a purpose...

Quotes from the TED Talk:
“What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? ….People don’t by what you do; they buy why you do it…. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe… and what you do simply serves as the proof of what you believe… ”

Essentially, your company needs to have a reason as to why they do what they do. This will create a deeper and more loyal connection with your customer base. They will buy into your reasoning and spread that with others who also believe in the same thing.

So what you're saying? ...obviously you haven't watched the video yet... Use this to your company's advantage. When developing marketing strategies and content, start with the "why." This tactic is especially powerful in the realm of social media. The online world is all about engagement. Give followers and connections a reason to interact with your company. Be passionate to get them excited and get them to care about your company. 

This strategy is a great way to reach opinion leaders as well. When your company is authentic and ardent, others will pick up on your message and want to share the sentiment. If you can connect with opinion leaders online who believe what you believe, they'll have no issue spreading your message to all of their followers; thereby spreading your content even further and with 3rd party support to boot!

"People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.." So what is your company's purpose? How do you share this message or incorporate it in your marketing content?

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Part 2- The Journey to Discovering My Purpose

This past Thursday, in There's More to Life Than Being Happy, I shared with you my twofold purpose to life: 1. Spreading happiness and 2. Imparting the knowledge I have unto others. The following is what led to that discovery.

A few years ago, back when I was still an undergrad, I became a volunteer tour guide for the University of Minnesota Duluth. While this position stuck me in left field of my comfort zone (now that's a story for another post), it was one of the best decisions I made during my undergrad years. Every week I would meet new potential students. Not only would I share with them everything UMD had to offer, but I always shared general advice about college; tidbits they would be able to take with them, no matter where they chose to attend school. It was always so satisfying sharing my experiences with them in order to better facilitate success in their futures.

Looking even further back to high school, I recall that I initially had planned on going to college in order to become a teacher. During my senior year I volunteered at a local elementary school. Over the course of my time there, I assisted students that needed extra help with phonograms, reading, math, and counting money. It was rewarding to see the progress students would make from week to week. And while I enjoyed my time there, I came to learn that I wasn’t suited for dealing with all the excess flow of snot and turned away from the teacher aspiration.

Returning to more recent times, last year I served as a Hearing Officer in the Office of Student Conduct. As part of my job, I would meet with students who had broken UMD’s student conduct code. Rather than merely telling students they had done wrong and sanction them, I would have educational conversations with them. I would get students to reflect upon the incident; we would discus how it could have gone differently and how it could be avoided in the future. I would share information, resources, and experiences to help students move past their specific infractions and get them to focus on their future. These meetings always brought me satisfaction because I knew I was helping to turn students around and assist them in getting to graduation. Reflecting on all these instances, I realized that I find meaning in helping others succeed by sharing what I know and by teaching them.

So if you’re still struggling to find a purpose to your life, stop searching and start reflecting. I bet you already have one, just like I did, you just haven’t realized it yet. So contemplate the activities in your past that have brought you satisfaction. I just bet you they may be related to your life meaning.

Please check back later this week for Part 3- Why Your Company Needs to Have a Purpose

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Part 1- There's More to Life Than Being Happy

In today’s fast paced world, people seek instant gratification and happiness constantly. But what if I told you that people who spend their lives searching solely for happiness end up the least content when all is said and done? Well one author asserts just that. Through his profound life experiences, he submits the notion of a more satisfying drive in life; discovering true self-purpose.

I recently read an online article by Emily Smith that resonated with me (I urge you to go read it now). In the article, “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy,” Smith writes, “…[Victor] Frankl concluded that the difference between those who had lived and those who had died came down to one thing: Meaning…As he saw in the [Nazi concentration] camps, those who found meaning even in the most horrendous circumstances were far more resilient to suffering than those who did not. ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing,’ Frankl wrote in Man's Search for Meaning, ‘the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.’" Based on Frankl’s book, the article goes on to juxtapose finding happiness vs. finding meaning in life, “Leading a happy life, the psychologists found, is associated with being a "taker" while leading a meaningful life corresponds with being a "giver."”

It’s the above subject matter that has been vexing me for some time now. To be truly balanced, I believe life needs a certain equilibrium of both happiness and meaning. The happiness half seems to come relatively easily. Humans are naturally hedonistic I feel, so satisfying those little cravings and wants comes readily. But what about the meaning of life? What is my purpose in this tiny fraction of the space and time continuum my being currently encompasses? Well, due to personal circumstances in recent months, I have been doing a lot of self-reflection lately. Having lost certain aspects of my future, I also felt like I had lost much of the meaning in my life. Despite constantly filling my happiness meter, underneath it all I still felt an empty hole; a feeling of dissatisfaction and incompleteness. I’ve been trying to discover a way to fill that void; I’ve been trying to find a true purpose to my life.

Oddly enough, it took me until now, yes, now as in right now as I type this post, to figure out that I’ve had a purpose all along; I’ve just been thinking about things all wrong. The past few weeks I’ve been searching for some ‘grand’ purpose for myself, thinking that I’m destined to discover the cure to cancer or something. But that was my problem…my purpose in life doesn’t have to be that grandiose to have meaning, it can be much simpler than that and still bring me fulfillment and satisfaction. I’ve now come to realize that my meaning in life is twofold: 1. Spreading happiness and 2. Imparting the knowledge I have unto others. While neither of those things are necessarily eloquent or profound, together they are enough to provide a higher purpose and reason for my being; and they’ve been staring me in the face all along. What makes these two items truly meaningful though is that I am incomplete control of them; no one can take them away from me.

Please check back Sunday for Part 2- The Journey to Discovering My Purpose
And next week for Part 3- Why Your Company Needs to Have a Purpose

photo credit: Michal Osmenda via photopin cc      photo credit: the bbp via photopin cc

How to Develop YOUR Personal Brand Online Using Social Media -Part 2

In continuance of Thursday's Part 1, once you know WHO you are and WHAT you hope to accomplish, it’s time to jump in online and get savvy with social media platforms.  I could easily write separate blog posts for each online platform as they relate to your personal brand, so the following is just a general overview to help get you started and on the right track. (Want specific input on a social network? –Please drop me a comment to let me know!)

The first step is to select which social media networks you want to use. There’s a good chance this will rely upon your target market, but three good starting locations are LinkedIn, Twitter, and a blog (Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger). LinkedIn is of course THE professional social network; to not have a presence here is nearly faux pas in the business world nowadays. Twitter is one of the larger social networks when it comes to active users. With 140 character tweets, Twitter allows you to share content that is short and sweet, but rich in content. Finally, the blog can be a fantastic hub for all your social media networks. Further, a blog highlights your writing skills and allows you to generate your own content, as well as respond to other’s content; it’s versatility and customization is what makes it really shine.

Tip: Don’t stop at just Twiiter, LinkedIn, and a blog. Be sure to look into other platforms. I would recommend Pinterest (which is strong on visuals), Facebook (don’t mix professional and personal too much unless that’s part of your strategy), Scoop.it (a content curation site that allows you to aggregate great articles), or even Instagram (another site big on visuals).

Once you've selected your social platforms, it's time to start building your online profiles. Remember, consistency and key words are vital here (and will help with search engine results). Come up with a specific name (or handle or slogan) to identify by. I go by my name, Jessica Pospeck, on all my social media platforms (I happen to be lucky that it's unique and I show up 1st in searches when it's looked up), plus I always incorporate "marketing aficionado" -a keyword plus my stance upfront to let my market know what I'm all about. You’re also going to want a professional profile picture to use on all your platforms; it’s another trigger to help your readers identify you. When setting your profiles up be sure to take the time to fill them out completely. Nothing says I’m unprofessional, I don’t care, or I don’t have enough time to do social media properly like an unfinished profile.

Tip: When setting your social media platforms up it’s important to remain true to who you are. Don’t lie to people; plain and simple. Be honest in about who you are; that quirky hobby of yours may just attract readers and followers because the feature humanizes you more allowing them to better relate.

After your profiles are all set up, it’s time to start posting content. If you’re unsure what to post, “listen” first to what others are posting in your industry to get a feel for the conversation and what resonates well with other users. On Twitter I like to post links to articles I find which are relevant, new, and interesting when it comes to internet marketing. On LinkedIn I like to start conversations in my groups; this not only allows you to share you expertise, but to also gain further insights and learn new things. On my blog I enjoy writing how-to articles, list posts, or writing about responses to other articles I have read (write your response, then add additional information too). Don’t be afraid to share/retweet other’s posts as well (just be sure to give credit).

Tip: Despite your personal goals and objectives, the ultimate goal of social media is to share, connect, and engage with others. Social media is all about the two-way flow of information. Don’t self-promote 100% of the time. Share content that is immediately of use or value to your followers and readers no matter if the original source is you or not (this will help ensure these individuals keep coming back to check your content out!).

Questions or comments? Want some more in depth information regarding platforms or what to post? Please leave me a comment below! As an additional resource, I’d highly recommend checking out the book, Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself, by Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy. It’s a great resource and an easy read that’s chalked full of useful tips and tricks.

photo credit: nan palmero via photopin cc         photo credit: B Rosen via photopin cc