Win Hearts And Wallets With Purpose

Win Hearts And Wallets With Purpose

Purpose-driven companies grow on average three times faster than their competitors and witness higher market share gains, all while achieving higher employee and customer satisfaction. So, why are only 24% of companies doing this?

It’s safe to say that traditional brand trust is declining. I would go even further to say that brand loyalty is waning as well. With supply chain issues and the various shortages of the past two years, people were forced to try brands they may not have otherwise tried had they not needed to. Do you want a different brand of toilet paper or none at all? In light of the ever-changing brand landscape and what I see as a pretty huge shift in consumer behavior, brands are going to have to work harder than ever to get and keep customers.

Purpose Is More Than A Buzzword

Just think about how many brands you interact with every day. How many do you feel an emotional connection with? How many of them do you feel truly understand you? How many would you buy again? My point is that it is getting harder and harder for brands to create a lasting connection with a customer. Enter Purpose.

When customers understand the “why” behind your brand, they become more loyal. When it comes to building a strong customer strategy, knowing your “why” is everything. Your “why” is the reason your company exists; it’s not just your mission statement—it’s what drives you to do what you do. It’s why you chose to start or invest in this company. It’s the purpose that drives you forward.

According to a recent Salesforce report, customers are looking for companies that have good values and are focused on social responsibility. In fact, 66 percent of consumers would prefer to buy from a company whose values align with their own. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling products or services—if you can share your vision and purpose with your clients and customers, it leads to better relationships with them and greater loyalty for your brand in the long run.

A 2020 study revealed that when consumers think a brand has a strong purpose, they are:

  • 4 times more likely to purchase from the company
  • 6 times more likely to protect or defend the company in the event of a misstep or public criticism
  • 4.5 times more likely to champion the company by recommending it to friends and family
  • 4.1 times more likely to trust the company

That same study also found that the power of purpose related to a company can transcend age. The likelihood of taking positive action (to champion, protect, trust, or purchase) from a purpose-driven brand spanned all generations from Gen Z to the 74+ age group.

All that to say that being a purpose-driven company can affect your bottom line in a pretty significant way.

So, What Does That Mean For You As A Brand?

You can keep assuming that putting out a quality product at a decent price is going to keep you in the game. Or you can get an edge on competitors and infuse purpose into your brand.

While purpose would metaphorically be like the foundation of a house, you can’t usually add the foundation to a house once it is built. But companies, unlike foundations, have the ability to grow and change over time. If your company is considering a rebrand or brand refresh, that is a perfect time to weave purpose into your brand in an authentic way. For smaller companies, an aligned strategic giving strategy is a good place to start.

Strategic giving is a conscious effort to donate money, time, or both to charity in order to promote and further your business objectives. The difference between strategic giving and traditional philanthropy is that strategic giving has clear, tangible business goals behind it. Most companies have a charitable donation program of some type in place already. But unless there are clear goals behind the donation, it won’t help the business grow. In fact, research shows that 70% of customers believe it’s important for companies to donate to charity, but only 27% of companies actually do so.

At its most basic, finding your brand purpose starts with the process of discovery. Honing in on your company’s core values and beliefs and then using those discoveries to build practices around. Then activating those practices and bringing them to life in the real world. Seems easy enough, right? Depending on the size of your organization it can be quite an undertaking to get buy-off from all levels, but the benefits are worth it.

Yes, Pay Attention To The Metaverse

Yes, Pay Attention To The Metaverse

The metaverse is coming. Are you prepared? If you are struggling to understand what the metaverse is, why it matters, and if you should pay attention to it, you are not alone. It’s estimated that the metaverse is expected to reach $679 billion by 2030 with a handful of companies jumping in from Meta (formerly Facebook), Roblox, Gucci, to artists like Tory Lanez.

The metaverse has been referred to as the next new internet era. It consists of three core technologies:

  • A virtual world focused on social connection where people can work, play, and shop.
  • A digital twin of yourself that mirrors the real world in a virtual world, allowing you to go anywhere you want.
  • A digital economy where you can create, buy, and sell goods.

Just like real life, the metaverse provides many opportunities to do things in real-time like go to concerts, attend events, play games, go on dates, listen to music, shop, and even work. Here are three examples of the metaverse and how it can apply to you.

Virtual Reality

We could be spending more time in virtual reality sooner than we expect. Virtual reality has been around for some time now within video games, entertainment, medicine, and even education.

So what is it? Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by using special electronic equipment: a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors. VR implies a complete immersion experience, giving you the impression that you’re somewhere else while shutting out the real world.

Several companies are dabbling with VR experiences.

  • Roblox has become the go-to platform for brands to experiment in this space. Chipotle hosted a virtual restaurant where visitors could receive a free burrito coupon. The Gucci Garden experience was an event where users could hang out in themed garden spaces, go shopping, and wear exclusive Gucci virtual items. Hyundai Mobility Adventure featured popular vehicles and future mobility solutions. In the Vans World, players could skateboard in various parks, customize their appearance, and purchase clothes to wear back in the real world. Lil Nas X dazzled fans with a virtual concert experience that attracted 30 million visits to the event.
  • Wave platform is a virtual entertainment company and is the popular landing page for live shows where artists can perform a concert in an immersive experience that allows for collaborations in creative ways. The entertainment experience is the most realistic live performance experience in the world. Waves are live, interactive shows that utilize live music and broadcast technology creating a live virtual experience that is exceptional. Recent virtual shows include Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Lindsey Stirling, to name a few.

Far fetched, not really. VR is an excellent opportunity for businesses to create an immersive experience that promotes engagement. Here are some ideas to think about as you ponder how to dip your toe into this space:

  • Employee Training: Train employees on everyday work scenarios in a virtual environment before moving on to the real thing. Think doctors/surgeons trying out new tools and procedures in a safe simulated environment, pilots utilizing flight simulators, teachers testing their teaching methods in a virtual classroom, to the military using it for simulation (flight, battlefield, and vehicle), medic training, and virtual boot camp.
  • Events: Companies can attract customers to host events at their facility by leveraging VR to see a 360-degree view of a custom-designed room set up. On the other hand, individuals can attend events in the form of an avatar, interacting with other attendees, walking the floor, and listening to speakers.
  • Marketing, Sales & Retail: Customers can visit a virtual showroom, pop-up or retail location, interact with a sales representative, and try out the merchandise (i.e a new car, furniture, jewelry, clothing, etc.). These virtual store simulation environments are a great way to test out new designs, signage, product displays without committing to a real-world store layout.

Augmented Reality

Companies are seeking out innovative ways for consumers to experience their brands. Augmented reality may be the answer to cultivating brand awareness and encouraging brand loyalty.

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that augments your experience of the real world, enhancing it with sound, touch, and even smell. AR is designed to add to the things you already do like work, play, shop, explore, and have fun.

While still in its early days, here are three companies leading the way with AR:

  • Nintendo’s Pokemon Go: One can’t talk about AR without mentioning the hugely popular Pokemon Go that brought AR into the mainstream, generating $2B in-app purchases. The AR experience involved finding Pokemons on a real-world map. When you get to the location, you use your camera to see them in the ‘real world’ via your phone screen and then catch them.
  • Snapchat: Snapchat is leading the AR revolution, reimagining AR experiences with the following:
    • Connected Lens: This allows two Snapchat users to share an interactive AR experience, whether sitting side-by-side in the same room or miles apart.
    • Scan: Users scan to find a song, shop, calculate a math problem, and more.
    • Cartoon 3D Style: Turn yourself into a cartoon character with this filter.
    • Local Lens: Launching ‘City Painter’ enabling users to virtually spray paint above London’s Carnaby street’s shops, decorating them with pre-created murals.
  • IKEA: Ikea Place is an AR app that lets you take products for a virtual spin before you buy them. Shoppers can now seamlessly go from visualizing how furniture might look in their home to purchasing in a few easy steps.

Here are three ways you can utilize augmented reality in your business:

  1. Try Before You Buy: AR is a great way for customers to try products before they buy—clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, cars, home goods, and much more.
  2. User/Instruction Manuals: AR provides a digital interface that displays the content visually during setup, configuration, troubleshooting, maintenance, and demonstration.
  3. Brand Materials: Scan marketing materials with your mobile device to access a range of features such as a video, speak with a customer service representative, or access a digital coupon.

NFTs

We’ve seen incredible interest in NFTs, especially in the music vertical. What will this trend bring to the table for indie music artists who can fund their projects with NFT drops, independent of record labels?

Let’s run this back. NFT stands for non-fungible token and is supported by cool technology called blockchain. Consider this blockchain example: Let’s pretend a french bulldog lives in your home and the backbone or the spine of the Frenchy controls a lot of its functions where the spine is very complicated with nerves, bone, individual vertebrae units, muscles, etc. You could consider blockchain as the backbone for NFTs and is an extremely impressive technology that is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system and, at the end of the day, is just cool.

Four important things to consider:

1. Creation

  • The blockchain concept creates a non-interchangeable unit of data or a digital ledger form that can be sold or traded.
  • NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and audio.
  • NFTs can be bought and sold, usually with ETH, a popular cryptocurrency such as Solana that is getting a lot of attention. Solana is an open-source blockchain with tech that solves scalability through speed. This has become an interesting investment option and extremely popular among music artists.

2. Minting

You can mint your NFT, which is an innovative way to guarantee that you get credit for an original creation. For simplicity’s sake, as all minting platforms are a little different in their approach, you can upload a digital asset for minting which processes information in a blockchain format and creates a record in preparation for a sale. The information may include royalties paid to the artist, a description, and a link to your website. Your NFT is then put up for sale (think Shopify type of storefront). Some of the more popular marketplace sites are OpenSea or Looks Rare.

3. Leaders

An artist who has been successful in the space includes Tory Lanez who, in addition to the gorgeous use of color and style in the artwork, dropped his music in a 7 songs/7 works of art format. The story goes that E NFT Marketplace (Emmersive Entertainment) sold out his “When It’s Dark by Tory Lanez” collection of 1 million units in under 1 minute. Each unit was $1.00 and he sold out placing the album in his self-acclaimed notation of “Platinum Album Sales.” According to Google, one of his NFTs has already flipped from that sale to $50,000 value. Exciting. This is a way for artists and creators to have ownership instead of the current indie artist hustle which includes posting on social media and hoping for brand deals, streaming revenue, etc. This is the future.

To say that the industry is an interesting investment strategy for consumers has proven to be an understatement. Will you be the next investor in digital assets like NFTs and cash in on the hype?

4. Practical Implementation

Learning how to use NFTs in your brand can help improve brand recognition, loyalty, and create unique experiences for customers.

  • Reward customers by issuing limited edition items like Coca-Cola did by creating a “loot box.”
  • Raise funds for social causes such as memorabilia and sell for causes in your community.
  • Build brand loyalty by educating customers on trending topics around NFTs, AR, VR, Metaverse, and WEB3.

While we don’t know exactly what the metaverse will become, this next moment in time will have gigantic implications for our society. The metaverse will unlock new opportunities from VR, AR, NFTs, and more for companies, brands, professionals, communities, artists, and those who choose to engage. While there is a risk, the potential is huge and we’re still in its infancy. Are you prepared for the future of the metaverse?

five Advantages of Digitizing Your own Business

five Advantages of Digitizing Your own Business

Nowadays, technology plays an important part in businesses. Actually it’ s something of which can be viewed as so essential that enables competitors to increase above the rest. In case you aren’ t taking benefit of what has for you to offer, it may effect your success in this long run. You won’ t be able to help keep up with often the […]

The post a few Advantages of Digitizing Your current Business made an appearance first on Jobacle. possuindo .

Over 50? This Resume Mistake Will Cost You…

Over 50? This Resume Mistake Will Cost You…

So, you’re over 50. You had your resume and LinkedIn profile professionally done. You’re applying to tons of jobs and recruiters are saying you’re perfectly qualified. And then they’re lowballing you by 20%. What are you doing wrong? How do you get back to making the same amount of money you were making at your last job?

This is one of the biggest resume mistakes people over 50 make, and what older professionals should do instead…

Not Branding Yourself As A Specialist

@j.t.odonnell Over 50? This resume mistake will cost you! #resume #resumetips #over50 #careeradvice #careertiktok #jobsearch ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

The resume mistake most people over 50 make is hiring a professional resume writer who makes you look like a jack- or jill-of-all-trades (or doing this when writing your resume yourself). The problem with this is that it makes you look overqualified and old school, which could make you more susceptible to age discrimination and hurt your chances of landing a well-paying job.

The solution? Specialize.

In order to appear relevant and valuable to employers, you need to brand yourself as a specialist. Sure, you’ve probably acquired countless skills over your decades as a professional. But employers are hiring you to solve a specific problem or alleviate a certain pain, so you need to highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for.

The best, most effective way to brand yourself as a specialist in your job search is to create a simplified, targeted resume and LinkedIn profile that showcase your specialty. You also need to build your personal brand to show recruiters and your professional network you’re a valuable business-of-one who’s worth the money. You’re an expert at something. So, pick a skill set to highlight and apply for the jobs that will allow you to leverage that skill set.

Want To Learn How To Brand Yourself As A Specialist?

Older man writes his resume

The truth is, school never taught us how to do this. I know how difficult it is to find a job and make the right career decisions. If you’re feeling trapped or lost in your career right now, I’m here for you. I’d love it if you joined my FREE community where professionals like you are learning how to become empowered in their careers so they can finally find career happiness and satisfaction.

Sign up for my FREE community and become a Workplace Renegade today! My team and I are looking forward to working with you soon.

The 9 Best LinkedIn Recommendation Examples & Templates

The 9 Best LinkedIn Recommendation Examples & Templates

LinkedIn recommendations are a valuable tool that can provide credibility to anyone interested in using the site to benefit their career. However, many people don’t know how to write one! But don’t worry, this guide will make the process easy. You’ll find great LinkedIn recommendation examples, see how to write one, and understand some common […]

The post The 9 Best LinkedIn Recommendation Examples & Templates appeared first on Career Sherpa.

How To Answer The Job Interview Question “Describe Yourself In One Word”

How To Answer The Job Interview Question “Describe Yourself In One Word”

It’s the ultimate elevator pitch request: “Describe yourself in one word.” If you’re asked this in a job interview, how can you boil down everything you can bring to this role in one single word?

Strategy Is Everything

The key (as with all job interview answers) is to be strategic. If you’re asked to describe yourself in one word, it isn’t enough to choose a word that only describes your personality, no matter how accurate it is.

You could be any number of wonderful things: happy, resilient, warm, smart, a great friend, generous, kind, and so on. But these answers won’t do anything to help convince them to hire you.

What you want to do is think about the job and what qualities would be especially good for someone to be successful in that role, and then choose one of those that apply to you.

What are some good words to choose? Personally, my answer would be “dynamic.” For me, this is a good word because I change, adapt, and do whatever I need to do in order to succeed. This quality has served me well in sales, management, recruiting, career coaching, and running Career Confidential. However, it’s also a good word that could help someone be successful in other roles.

What would make you stand out in the role you’re discussing?

Here are some other great options…

Words That’ll Make You Stand Out

Remote job candidate answers "describe yourself in one word" in an interview

  • Successful (if you’re successful in other places, chances are you’ll be successful here, too)
  • Motivated (great for roles where you’ll be working more independently)
  • Strategic (great for planning roles or leadership roles)
  • Enthusiastic (maybe a good word for roles needing a change agent)
  • Organized (good for managers or those working with a lot of moving parts)
  • Focused
  • Productive
  • Steady
  • Creative
  • Active
  • Helpful
  • Responsible
  • Dedicated
  • Honest
  • Versatile
  • Valuable
  • Flexible
  • Tenacious
  • Analytical

These are all great words you can use to describe yourself during a job interview.

Whatever answer you choose, be prepared to follow up with an explanation or example of how you embodied that trait in your work life in the past. Structure your answer with the STAR technique (tell the situation or task you faced, the action you took that is an example of your trait, and the result you got from it).

Every interview answer you give needs to do its part to help convince the hiring manager to go ahead and offer you the job. Be prepared with a great answer for dozens of tough questions when you check out How to Answer Interview Questions and How to Answer Interview Questions II, both available on Amazon.

Before your next interview, think about the position you’re applying for and choose the best word that describes YOU in relation to that position. What word will convey how and why you’d be a great fit? (Hint: the best word that describes you will probably change depending on the position you’re applying for.)

And remember—a little preparation goes a long way!

Need Help Acing Your Next Job Interview?

Man feels confident about his interview answers

We hope these tips help you answer “describe yourself in one word” in your next interview.

If you need more help preparing for a job interview, landing a job, or changing careers, we’re here for you. We’d love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.

It’s time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.



Interview Hack: #1 Secret To Answering Hard Interview Questions

Interview Hack: #1 Secret To Answering Hard Interview Questions

When you’re in the hot seat at a job interview, thinking of the best answers can be challenging. In this post, we’ll share our #1 secret for answering hard interview questions. Think of it as an interview hack…

Document Everything!

It’s important to bring up relevant and clear examples that prove you’re a fit for that job. But if you struggle to remember specific examples during interviews, you should create a running document of accomplishments. This document will help you prepare for interviews more effectively because all of those examples will be fresh in your mind. Basically, it allows you to review your accomplishments before you go into an interview rather than sitting there trying to think of relevant examples to showcase.

So, what kinds of things should you be putting on this document? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Relevant Quantifiable Accomplishments

Quantifiable accomplishments tie your professional accomplishments to numbers. Remember: numbers = results = value. During the hiring process, your job is to prove that you’ll be a value-add to that company. Quantifiable accomplishments allow you to showcase your value. So, think of all of your previous professional accomplishments and write them down.

2. Challenges You’ve Overcome

Think about all of the challenges you’ve overcome in your career in order to snag that promotion, work with that difficult co-worker, or get that client. Employers want to know these kinds of stories. They want to know you can adapt to situations and overcome difficulties. So, think about all of those challenges you’ve been up against and how you were able to push through successfully. Tip: use the Experience + Learn = Grow model, especially while answering behavioral interview questions.

3. Stories That Reinforce Your Enthusiasm For The Industry/Company

What is it that makes you so enthusiastic about your work? What’s the root of your motivation for working in this particular field, doing this particular job, for this particular company? Write these things down. Employers want to know that you’re passionate about what you do. They want to know you’re in it for more than just the money.

Don’t let your fear of answering hard interview questions stall your job search! Keep a document with all of these items in it. To make this easy, make it a habit to document these things as they happen. Keep everything in the document, pull relevant examples, and review before you head into an interview.

Need More Help Answering Difficult Interview Questions?

Man thinks about how he would answer hard interview questions

We hope you found this hack to be helpful in answering tough questions in your next interview. If you need more help preparing for a job interview, landing a job, or changing careers, we’re here for you. We’d love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.

It’s time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!

What to Do and Not to Do in the Case of a Workplace Shooting

What to Do and Not to Do in the Case of a Workplace Shooting

The article below is provided for illustrative purposes only. Jobacle and all related entities cannot be held legally responsible for following this information; use at your own risk. There was a time when shootings in postal facilities were so commonplace it spawned a new euphemism for a postal worker who was going berserk with a […]

The post What to Do and Not to Do in the Case of a Workplace Shooting appeared first on Jobacle.com.

Strategies for Using Invoice Templates with regard to Contract Work

Strategies for Using Invoice Templates with regard to Contract Work

Is document invoicing extinct? Recent information reveals which it costs from least $30 to procedure a paper invoice, in comparison to $3. 5 when you use a automated one with a design template. Most businesses know of which having an invoice is definitely invaluable since payment pertaining to services or goods can be requested through the shipping of an invoice so that you can […]

The post The Guide to Using Bill Templates for Contract Function appeared 1st on Jobacle. com .

How Can LMS Reports Make Compliance Audits Easy?

How Can LMS Reports Make Compliance Audits Easy?

In the current business climate, it is no secret that businesses are obligated to comply with several regulations. The sheer number of rules and regulations can be daunting — and the cost of compliance is astronomical. Therefore, a compliance audit is undeniably crucial. What is a compliance audit? A compliance audit is a thorough examination […]

The post How Can LMS Reports Make Compliance Audits Easy? appeared first on Jobacle.com.

5 Ways To Have A Great Day At Work

5 Ways To Have A Great Day At Work

Who doesn’t want to have a great day at work? I suppose everyone wants to have a great day except for a grouch—those who feel happiest when they are grouchy. So, what are some of the things I have done to have a great day at work?

Before I start, perhaps it’s best to explain that you need to have a long-term view. That view is: achieving more great days at work is possible if we learn some key habits.

1. Finish Today’s Work Today

Employees have a great day at work

A great day at work today, started yesterday. And a great day at work tomorrow, started today. So, regardless of what you do, finish today’s work today. And if your work is like mine, always unending, start by having timelines and daily goals you want to achieve every day. These become your productivity benchmarks.

2. Be Mindful

Happy employees have a great day at work

Learn to be conscious of your own feelings. Be aware of why you feel a certain way about certain work issues and colleagues. When you feel certain feelings, tell yourself why you feel that way. For example, “I feel jealous because John received compliments.” Then, ask yourself: “What is a better way to feel?” For example, “I should be happy for John. He worked really hard for it. I should congratulate him.”

Of course, it’s not easy. But if you do it constantly, soon you will catch yourself with negative thoughts. You will arrest these negative thoughts before they become words out of your mouth and actions. You will be more self-aware. A more self-aware person can instantly change the way they think, speak, and act. A mindful person will slowly begin to have a great day at work.

3. Appreciate Challenges

Coworkers have a great day at work

Challenges are all around us. Even the moment you get into your car and onto the roads, the challenge begins. Why is the car in front moving so slowly? Why is that red light so slow in changing? Challenges surround you daily. If you continue fighting them, there is no way you can have a great day at work.

The trick is to appreciate these challenges as a way to train yourself. Train yourself to accept challenges—that there is no way you can change this and it’s a matter of how you respond that will determine how you feel towards your day. When you start to appreciate challenges at work, you will start to have more great days at work.

4. Embrace Change

Coworkers smile at each other while working

Just like challenges, change is all around you. Life is about change. Every second, your thoughts and feelings flicker. You change from feeling good to feeling bad, to feeling angry, and a gamut of other thoughts and feelings. Change produces uncertainties and because we like constants and routines, uncertainties bring dissatisfaction.

One way to overcome this is to embrace change. Accept that change is a natural phenomenon and whether it’s a good change or a bad change, these are merely labels we give to a situation. Because things change constantly: something good may change into something bad very quickly and vice versa. A great day at work starts when you can better embrace change.

5. Reflect, Don’t Regret

Man smiles at work

Reflect constantly on your actions. Some people like to reflect at the end of a day, some like to reflect at the end of the week. Whatever suits you best, do it. But reflect. It allows you to be more self-aware and mindful of your actions. Reflect so you are able to make adjustments and be better the next time.

You need not do all of these tips concurrently. Start with one or two, but be consistent with them. Then, see how your great days at work start to increase.

If you’ve tried the tips above and still find it difficult to have a good day at work, it may be time for a change. Join our FREE community today and learn how to become empowered in your career so you can finally find work that makes you happy, satisfied, and fulfilled!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.