 (Image:Unsplash) Organizational trauma takes many forms. It can be “collective trauma” like what we’ve all struggled with over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be a “shock and awe” event like an act of violence or a suicide. It can be ongoing and cumulative, like systemic sexual harassment or racism. Or it could be a less dramatic, but still disruptive event like a round of layoffs (or the ongoing threat of them), a contentious merger or restructuring, or a cyber hack. Regardless of the specifics, says Diana Hendel, PharmD, trauma affects organizations in predictable (and deeply destructive) ways.
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 Image: Unsplash Marketing is a lot like love. They both come from creating a positive emotional connection with a person (or brand) through a series of positive interactions or transactions that build affinity and become habitual, and hopefully loyal, over time. So why is it so hard to get it right? And how do we get to the point where we are delighted with our purchases and spent twice as much as we expected? And, in the process, perhaps even told a few of our best friends what we bought and encouraged them to buy too? Here are five product promotion methods that are sure to be helpful…
 Image: Unsplash The digital transformation of our world is roaring full steam ahead. Are you on the train? While disruptor companies are born ready to serve the needs of today’s digital customer, “legacy” organizations find reinventing their brand experience is a long, arduous journey. It can take years. But don’t despair: Howard Tiersky, author of the new Wall Street Journal bestseller Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance, says there are some small changes you can make right now that may not outright delight your customer…but will at least minimize their aggravation. Some problems are tough to fix, but some aren’t. So, start with those.
 Image: Unsplash 2020 may have taught us a thing or two about best laid plans… But this year, we're setting resolutions that are invaluable for your marketing strategy and, better yet, easy to keep!
Set Your Intentions Before you start, take some time to think. This is the essential first step. Consider your brand's mission, purpose and whom you serve. Set a clear definition for each of these and use this as a basis for your strategy. Your future business self will thank you.  (Photo:Unsplash) At one time, marketing meant using such tactics as buying commercial time on TV or radio stations, advertising in a newspaper or magazine, or sending your message through direct mail. All of those remain options today, but they are joined by a plethora of digital alternatives for reaching potential customers or clients, who spend a lot of time hanging out in the digital world.
 (Image credit:Diana Popescu) 1. Travel blogger
Is traveling the world your life-time passion and you always complain about the routine office hours? Is adventure the only thing that truly motivates you? Then you are probably one of the free spirits who would make an excellent travel blogger. Although traveling and writing about it it sounds like the dream job, there is much more to it. Blogging requires all your attention if you want to transform it into your full-time job. Here are a few aspects to consider in order to be successful: build an audience by writing content that travelers find useful. This could be food and accommodation advice, destination reviews, interesting activities and so on. Don’t forget to include interactive content like pictures and videos, which are like magnets for readers’ attention. Be a social media guru: explore different social media channels and stay very active on them! Also, try to promote yourself in media outlets and among well-known bloggers. Again, this will depend on the content you share with your readers and the activities that you are involved in. But don’t be discouraged! If traveling is your passion, your blog can be your travel diary and readers won’t hesitate to come. You just have to be perseverant in following your dream! 2. Yoga/fitness instructor Probably the most active freelance job you could ever find, being an independent sports instructor can be very fulfilling. Are you already passionate about working out and are craving an active lifestyle? It’s never too late to change your career path. Having a healthy lifestyle is very important to more and more people, therefore the interest in the fitness industry is at its highest point. Fortunately for you, many working professionals have busy schedules, so it is hard for them to go to the gym regularly. This is why many request the help of personal trainers who can build a workout routine tailored to their needs. After you get acquainted with the job and you specialize either in yoga or another fitness programme, it is probably a good idea to get some certifications in the industry, so your services appear trustworthy. Another way is to start a blog or set up a Youtube channel with videos of your routine, so you can attract clients. The more people hear about you the better. Even though the beginning may seem hard, think about the benefits you will get later on: leading an active and healthy life and being paid for it! 3. SEO consultant The digital age we live in has had an impact in many business sectors. Every company needs to be visible online in order to keep an active relationship with its clients. It is why so much emphasis is being put on the success of websites. If you rank at the top of users’ searches, they will easily find you and this will increase both your reputation and your business revenue. SEO stands for search engine optimization and specialists use different techniques to optimize web pages, such as creating interesting content that others in the industry will share. If you have a flair for marketing or IT and you are creative, this could be the right job for you. You don’t need a permanent employer to do this. You can easily work as a consultant for different projects. If you get good at it and you set up a network of clients, it can be a very rewarding job. 4. Event planner If you have great organizational skills, you are outgoing and creative, then perhaps you can freelance as an event planner. The first thing you have to consider is that this market has a lot of competition. Finding a niche for organizing events is probably the best idea. For example, you could specialize in events for children or theme weddings. Second, you have to keep in mind that your success depends on how well you network with people. You need to find the right opportunities and build a chain of customers. But you also need to interact with caterers, contractors, venue managers and so on. So if you are a social butterfly, then this is definitely for you. The rest is all about organization and promotion. So if you collaborate with the right people and are a good planner, you are headed to success. Add a touch of creativity and you can actually make a career out of this. 5. Reviewer How many times did you express your opinion about a product and wanted more people to hear it? Maybe you found a great product or an amazing discount or maybe you were rather dissatisfied with your acquisition. Either way, sharing your opinion seems like a great way to do something that matters. The great news is that you can actually make money by writing product reviews. You can start your own site and share your opinion about different products. Or you can answer online surveys about different products for market research companies and get rewarded in cash or gift vouchers. One such example is surveybee.net, a trustworthy platform that connects you to different survey panels, so you don’t have to do all the research work. You may think that being a product reviewer takes up too much of your time, especially if you have a full-time job. The truth is that it just requires good organizational skills, attention to detail and a touch of creativity. Think about all the products you buy all the time anyway and how amazing it would be to get some of your money back. Found yourself in one of the above descriptions? Then you have no excuse to postpone your fresh start as a freelancer! About the author: Diana Popescu is a blogger for surveybee.net, covering topics on money management, working from home tips and ideas and much more. Follow on: @surveybeeNET or SurveyBee.net
How many hours do you spend at home? Being a freelance writer means staying at home a lot. In short, your home becomes a place for both work and rest. It is not a secret that freelance writers constantly need a productivity boost. It can help manage time, write high-quality papers and even play a big role in the journey to becoming successful writers.
Here's the deal: you need to organize your workplace. Consider these three main steps: Remember your health. Pick a comfortable chair that supports your lower back. Remember to stand up and rest. Also, work standing up sometimes as this gives your upper back and neck some relief. Try it! Divide where you work and where you relax. Try to organize your workplace area into two zones: computer and non-computer. Work in zone 1 and relax in zone 2. See how it impacts your productivity. Prepare your writing desk. Always keep it clean. Decorate your desk with plants, keep your cup of green tea within reach, and start working hard! I have only scratched the surface of workplace organization; to learn more, a useful infographic by OmniPapers would be worth checking. Don't hesitate to share it with your friends and colleagues, as it might be useful not only for freelance workers but for students, too. 
Do you have your own secrets of workplace organization? I am waiting for your ideas...
About the author: Emily Johnson, content strategist at OmniPapers blog, loves the writing process. She plans to publish a self-growth and self-development book next year and teach English to non-native speakers as a private educator. Another very useful website I turn to quite often is Hubspot. They have tons of very useful information and most of it you can just receive by signing up for their newsletters. They have everything from informational presentations to pdf docs that you can download and read later to implement for your own business. Their marketing software is something I cannot afford right now but maybe it might suit your needs. I have found some of their weekly posts helpful as also their marketing grader that I check out every few months to keep my website in check. They do have a free trial period to check out their software so make the most of it!
 Free image of the week from Bigstockphoto Many outlets I write for, both print and online, ask me for accompanying images for articles. Which is great if I have taken some of my own but if not then asking around for images or resorting to a stock photo library seems like a good deal. One such library I recommend is Bigstockphoto.com - their weekly free image is something I look forward to. This one featured here is what I received this week. Can never say where I can end up using it so I have an ongoing library of their free images. Their monthly plans I have never needed to use but for an emergency, I have checked out their credit packs and those are pretty reasonable. Do you use this service? I'd love to know your thoughts, or are there other websites you use for stock images? Do share your inputs :)
I will be a guest of Atlanta Business Radio tomorrow morning! I am excited and looking forward to it. For now all I know is there will be other guests on the show, I am guessing I get about 5-10 minutes of the host's time to discus my work, it will be done with first thing in the morning so I will be happy to share a link to that once I have it! Wish me luck!
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