Employers: Stop Asking For A Degree, Now.

I can’t tell you how many job descriptions I’ve helped employers and friends write over the years but I can tell you that every single one of them had to include a “designated level of education required”. For some, this is typical. For others, like myself, it leaves a foul taste in my mouth. Let me go ahead and start this post off by adding before I say anything else that some professions obviously require college experience i.e. Doctors, Lawyers, etc. However, one could argue that almost every other profession can be learned at home just as well if not better. I am not saying getting a college diploma isn’t valuable, especially since it’s something no one can ever take away from you. I am simply saying that it shouldn’t be listed as an absolute requirement… here’s why.

Domain Woes? Startups: Look No Further.

It isn’t often that I am so inspired by a product that I would want to break from my typical instructional blog posts and write a review. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever posted a review to this blog but I believe in this service so much that I feel compelled to write about it in an effort to help others like myself overcome a struggle I’ve often faced myself. If you’re a startup in the web industry, you know as well as I do that finding a domain that suits you best is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Worse, you find one but it’s what sites like Sedo or GoDaddy call a “Premium Domain”, which means you better have premium money if you want it that bad. This process is a headache that every web startup must face and most of the time will face several times as they pivot. Enter Stylate.

5 Tips For A Successful Landing Page

I’ve built several landing pages over the last year, some successful and some not. In my experience, the most successful attempts were those in which I ignored my desire to do what I want to do. As a marketer with a designers background, it’s often difficult for me to do what I know works because it goes against my natural desire to make things pretty and consistent. If you aren’t a marketer or you’re just getting started, designers background or not, it’s still often difficult finding the right recipe for a successful landing page. I want to share 5 things that I have learned so that you might have better success with building landing pages for your business.

What’s Keeping Mark Zuckerberg Up At Night?

It’s obvious that Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, has been having trouble sleeping… particularly as of late. So much so that in one swoop he has taken the worlds most well known and easy-to-use social network and turned it into a complicated, convoluted mess. Now, before you jump at me for just joining in with the crowd of angry mom’s and confused teenagers, let me explain.

Facebook has seen success from two key factors in their business model. The first and most well known is that they launched only to a powerful niche: college students. This exclusivity is exactly what college kids ate up and what proceeded was a large influx of eager sorority guys and gals.

Personal Branding Has Never Been More Important – Part 3

Here we are, we finally made it – Part 3! For those who may have just stumbled upon this, please be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2. We’ve discussed the importance of creating and maintaining your personal brand as well as several tips that can help you get started if you haven’t already. Now I would like to present some ideas to the slightly more advanced users to help enhance their brand in a number of different ways. Let’s get started…

You Don’t Need A Logo
This is often difficult for someone like myself to comprehend. The key to most major brands is their logo, think Nike and Starbucks. So, why would I say that you don’t need a logo? Because it’s distracting to the real value you can contribute to your brand. I started my life as a designer, so I know what it’s like to want a logo for your personal brand, but let me explain why it isn’t completely necessary and some other things you can do that take half as much time and are equally valuable.

How Do I Change My Facebook URL?

I wanted to share a quick tip for those who didn’t know and as a point of reference for my Personal Branding Has Never Been More Important series. Claiming your own personal Facebook URL is easy, but beware… you can’t change it after you’ve picked something. Standard Facebook URL’s are quite cumbersome and are followed by a bunch of random letters and numbers, this is far from professional and quite difficult to communicate in print branding (ex: business card, resume, etc.). Remember, part of branding yourself is making it easy for people to find you.

Personal Branding Has Never Been More Important – Part 2

In my last post, Personal Branding Has Never Been More Important – Part 1, I discussed the importance of maintaining your personal brand. In this post I’ll be helping beginners with the steps they need to take in securing their personal brand. My hope is to help you take only the necessary steps to get started with your brand and follow it up with Part 3 in which I will provide some hints and tips to advanced readers on the things they can do to enhance their newly established personal brand. So, let’s get started!

Step 1 – Determine what your personal brand actually is. How do you want to be portrayed? The best way to come up with this answer is to write several one and two key words down that best describe you and your area of expertise.

Personal Branding Has Never Been More Important – Part 1

You could say that I am as much to blame as the next guy for not living up to the title of this post. I haven’t written in this blog in over a year, for any number of convoluted excuses I can come up with… primarily because I’ve been “too busy”. However, after a year of completely neglecting my personal brand, I’ve realized what a horrible position I’ve put myself in, and the damage I’ve done. You see, I spent years building my personal brand identity and working through every channel to enhance my presence on the major search engines.

Facebook vs. Twitter – Which for Your Business?

I’m often asked by friends, family and colleagues who own small businesses – “Is Facebook or Twitter better for my business?”. Some might suggest that there is a series of questions that need to be answered before determining the answer while others may imply that Facebook provides more opportunities to connect than Twitter. I’ll agree that further investigation is required before implementing a social strategy to your business, but my answer is both.

iPad and Salespeople – A Match Made in Heaven

Presentation via iPad

It seems Apple may not be targeting a very large demographic in their iPad marketing campaign.

Salespeople often have limited access to the variety of tools online that are designed to help make their jobs easier by staying organized. Imagine for one second that you spend 8 months of the year on the road as a salesperson crammed into your car. Then, imagine the appointments you’ll have and the hundreds of people you’ll meet, the leads you’ll work and the deals you’re closing. Now, imagine trying to keep all of that organized with just a tiny smart phone, legal pad and some file folders. The solution is Apple’s iPad.