More Than Leads' Blog

Spooky Marketing Tips for Halloween

hYperstrand — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:04:42 +0000

In 2011, nearly $7 billion dollars was spent on Halloween festivities all over the country! This makes Halloween the second most important holiday for retailers, right behind Christmas. Now is the perfect time to ‘spookify’ your marketing strategy. Take advantage of the opportunity to be playful and have a little fun! Here are some tips that won’t scare your customers away:

1. Host a contest: Holiday contests are the perfect way to get people not only excited about the holiday, but also about your company. The best way to host these would be on your social media pages, such as Facebook. Encourage customers to post a photo on your company’s wall of themselves, (or even their children or pets!) in their scariest, cutest, or most creative costume. Come up with a creative prize for the winner, such as a free consultation and a bucket of Halloween candy. This is fun for your customers and you!

2. Send out promotional items: Whether it’s direct mail or e-mail, create a Halloween themed flyer that has coupons or other incentives. Include images of ghosts or candy corn with orange and other Fall colored fonts. Maybe your company is more playful and wants the background to look like dripping blood. Get creative! Other things that could be included are: safety tips for trick-or-treating, festive recipes, or pumpkin carving tips. By including those things, people are more likely to save the flyer and be reminded of your company every time they look at it, which will increase your brand recognition.

3. Create a video: Videos are an awesome way to attract and keep your customer’s attention.Take this video, for example. It was made by Westlake Ace Hardware and got over 30,000 views, plus national media attention from a news channel. Not to mention the fact that it’s just plain awesome! Creating entertaining and shareable videos, will draw lots of attention to your business, which is the whole point of marketing. The best part is that all you need is a video camera, creative idea, and killer costumes.

What are some things that your company is doing to utilize Halloween in your promotions?hYperstrand Marketing has a bunch of great ideas and tools to help you along. And don’t worry, we won’t suck your blood Happy Halloween!

hYperstrand Marketing adds Newsletters Publishing to Capabilities

hYperstrand — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:13:49 +0000

As a business owner, I have come to notice that while some businesses launch at full capacity others grow in small chunks taking on new ventures that benefit both themselves and the customers they serve.

On September 1, 2012, hYperstrand Marketing Inc added to it’s capabilities a publishing division that will focus on the design, copy, printing and distribution of Homeowner Association Newsletters, small booklets and brochures. These capabilities allow hYperstrand an additional offering to customers looking to produce high-quality collateral for their events, promotions and associations. Their target audience will include homeowner associations, clubs, non-profits and small businesses.

This expansion is the result of the acquisition of Higdon & Associates Marketing of Sycamore, IL. The past owners, Nancy & Robert Higdon, grew their publishing business for the past 10 years and are now looking to retire. Sheryl Theisen of hYperstrand Marketing Inc has 20+ years of industry experience and followed her college graduation working for several publications including working as a reporter for Kaechele Publications in Allegan, Mich; the editor of Campus Today in Kalamazoo, Mich; and then working as the production coordinator for Cincinnati based Family Motor Coaching magazine for four years.

The publishing experience and marketing knowledge now housed at hYperstrand Marketing Inc provides a very comprehensive line of services for customers looking to put together the most effective and affordable marketing pieces for their business.

hYperstrand Marketing Inc, is a small marketing agency in the Fox Valley and is a member of the St Charles Chamber, the Sycamore Chamber and the Fox Valley Chamber. The company focuses on developing strategic marketing plans for businesses. Their services include marketing plans, brand development, business communications, and internet marketing. More information on their services can be found at hYperstrandmktg.com.

Worried About Your Memory? 5 Signs It’s Serious

alwaysbestcare1 — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 22:09:05 +0000

How to tell when memory trouble might signal Alzheimer’s or another reason to seek help

By Paula Spencer Scott

Almost all of us of a certain age — say, anywhere north of 40 — worry at some point about memory glitches. No wonder. Our brains begin to deteriorate by our late 20s. But some memory troubles are signs that there may be something more seriously amiss than normal aging.

“Everybody’s memory is different, so you have to use your own as a baseline to notice changes that are worrisome,” says University of Wisconsin geriatric psychiatrist Ken Robbins. “But certain signs are more strongly associated with a problem like Alzheimer’s.”

When to worry? The following five signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which you yourself might notice, suggest a trip to your doctor, a neurologist, a psychiatrist specializing in geriatrics or memory disorders, or a geriatrician. A thorough evaluation can also rule out other things that can cause memory loss besides Alzheimer’s — for example, medication side effects, depression, pregnancy, and stress.

Worry sign #1: Your memory problems frighten you.

It’s one thing to get irritated when you lose your keys. Or to search a vast parking lot for your car after a concert, growing more upset by the minute. Everybody experiences such frustrations. But when you feel downright uneasy about the oddness or frequency of memory lapses — say, you can’t remember where you parked the car and there it is, right in your driveway — that’s emotional information to pay attention to.

“For many people with early dementia, the nature of the memory problems frighten them or cause a strong emotional reaction,” Robbins says. The fear tends to stem from knowing in your gut that something’s “just not right.”

Other examples: You’re uneasy because you can’t explain how your car keys wound up in the refrigerator — and it’s the second or third time you’ve found them in an odd spot. Or you’re driving down the road and suddenly have no idea where you are or where you’re heading — and a few moments later, you realize you’re on the same old road to work.

click here for entire article

5 Surprising Killers Lurking in Your Bathroom

alwaysbestcare1 — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:32:48 +0000

Nobody’s thinking about danger while relaxing in a warm shower. Yet potential danger, even the fatal kind, is all around you in a bathroom. According to a 2007 research report by the Home Safety Council, preventable home injuries are the fifth largest cause of death in the U.S. And safety researchers point to the bathroom, along with the kitchen and stairs, as the most dangerous zones in the house.

Here are five threats that often trip up (sometimes literally) the unwary:

1. Water, water everywhere

The most basic part of the “water closet” — the water in the sink, tub, and shower — is probably its number-one danger. More people are injured, even fatally, in bathroom falls than in any other room in the house. Trouble is, water doesn’t always stay where it should. Poorly fitting shower curtains and simple wet feet are two of the biggest causes of water winding up on the bathroom floor.

A better way: The ideal shower has a shatterproof glass door, rather than a curtain. Failing that, you can minimize leaks by hanging a curtain liner that falls inside the tub and a second, decorative curtain that falls outside. To stop slips, try tiles in the shower with a slightly uneven surface (such as bumpy smaller tiles, rather than large, smooth squares) that feet can grip onto. A cheaper alternative: strips of adhesive nonslip decals on the shower or bathtub floor.

Keep a nonskid rug on the floor next to the shower/bath exit and in front of the sink. Basic scatter rugs are themselves a tripping hazard; look for one made to absorb moisture and stay in place on the floor. And if you’re renovating, be sure to use nonslip tiles on the floor.

2. Bathroom danger: Slick tub or shower bed

Modern Americans use lots of products in the shower and bath. Trouble is, all that shampoo, conditioner, body wash, exfoliant, bath gel, shaving cream, and bubble bath collects as residue on the sides and floor, making them slippery.

A better way: Soapy buildup should be cleaned off regularly. Giving the shower or tub a quick wipe down with a washcloth after each use helps minimize slickness. A strong adult may be able to withstand the residue, but someone with balance problems, such as a frail older adult, can slip just enough to lead to a fall.

Be sure, too, to install well-anchored grab bars wherever slips are likely.

Click here to read entire article

Have your home smell like grandma’s homemade yeast rolls year round!

jneedham1 — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:08:37 +0000

First of all, I have to give full credit to Peter Troast, Founder/CEO of EnergyCircle.com. Peter attended the ACI (Affordable Comfort Conference in Baltimore the first week of April and came away with this new idea for insulation that smells like baking bread. I cannot attest to the value of this insulation as of now but the idea sounds great!

Amongst building science and home performance professionals, it’s standard operating procedure to find some flaw in all forms of insulation. Fiberglass rarely gets installed correctly and when it’s shoved into rafters with voids, it doesn’t work especially well. Cellulose doesn’t insulate when it gets wet, may or may not provide air sealing, and may settle over time. Foam is pricey, plastic and has high global warming potential.

Amidst all these imperfections is the age old home performance problem that was discussed at length amongst the industry leaders gathered all week at the annual mecca of home performance: how will energy efficiency, forever invisible behind walls, ever compete with granite countertops and tiled showers?

The problem, everyone seemed to agree, is that no matter how large the energy savings, or how dramatic the improvements to home comfort, or how many fewer asthma attacks, efficiency will always be the red headed stepchild of home improvement.

But now, with Celluloaf, those shortcomings are overcome. Celluloaf is active insulation, rising to fill voids and cavities perfectly. It provides the ultimate breakthrough: insulation that you notice.

Take a look at this link for more information and just image how great this will be if it really works as they say it does.

http://www.celluloaf.com/

Home Weatherization…..What You May Not Know or Understand

jneedham1 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:53:03 +0000

Take in steps, weatherizing your home! The best way to go about doing this is to have a home energy audit, better known as an energy assessment.

Energy check-ups, (yes, just like going to the Dr for a physical) helps Mr. or Ms. Homeowner determine where his or her home is losing valuable energy. Energy being valuable, meaning you paid for it with your hard earned money. In the winter months, the “heat” you have paid for is ex-filtrating from house to attic. In the summer months, it’s the reverse, the hot air from outside and attic is infiltrating into your home.

There is a plan of action and Pro Energy takes it in steps. We go for the low-hanging fruit then tackle the rest as needed.

Over 200,000 homes in the US have been weatherized, IL being one of the leaders in doing so.

By having your home weatherized works two-fold:

Your home will stay warmer in winter
Your home will stay cooler in summer
It does save on average about $100 off energy bills
Not to mention the safely aspects

Not having your home weatherized properly is like tossing your money into the wind. Someone else is catching it! (ComEd and Nicor)

Marketing vs Sales

hYperstrand — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:33:42 +0000

Many companies often blur the connection between marketing and sales; some even combine the function and actually create the position Vice President of Sales & Marketing.

That would be the same as appointing someone as Vice President of Finance and Operations. Unless the company is exceptionally small, no one person can maximize their effectiveness at either position. Simply put, both functional areas are completely separate and require separate management as well as separate skill sets.

Marketing vs Sales

Basically speaking the sales function is to bring in business. Marketing’s function is to give sales the tools it needs to be able to bring in that business. Marketing’s job is to understand the company, the competition, and the market.

Many companies operate under the misconception that the only job of marketing is to saturate the opening of the sales funnel. They accomplish this saturation utilizing advertising, brochures, branding techniques, trade shows hoping that they can generate numerous leads for the sales department to follow-up on.

In reality, the marketing process is two-fold requiring a vast amount of research and analysis and then the creation of sales tools. Most often sales resources are limited and cannot afford to chase unqualified leads. The combination of market research and targeted sales tools should lead to demand creation activity. However, that is not always the case and true measurement of success in this arena is generally very limited.

If you take any marketing course in business school, the Five P’s of Marketing are ingrained into you from day one. Collectively these 5 P’s make up what we as marketers call the Marketing Mix. While there are some variations to the P’s, they generally consist of:

Product – the product or service offered to the customer
Price – pricing strategies with the goal of meeting a desired profit margin or costing structure
Place (Distribution) – distribution of the product/service to your target market
Promotion – communication and endorsement of your product/service to a customer
People – service marketing and the level of customer service you provide to your customer

Marketing is Also about Customer Retention

Unfortunately, some marketing “professionals” wouldn’t know a customer even if the customer were a rattle snake and bit them in the behind. They rely on surveys, research and sales person feedback alone. Furthermore they often lack the sales experience to understand where the opportunities really lie. Make no mistake; it is the customer that drives the entire marketing mix. The entire process starts and stops with the customer – this is the only true measure of success.

Some Key Marketing functions should include the following:

Market research
Competitive analysis
Development of marketing plans
Advertising & Promotions
Brand management
Business Communications

Marketing is how you define your product, promote your product, distribute your product, and to maintain a relationship with your customers. Marketing can also play a role in helping sales to become more effective (thereby increasing the close rates) by providing competitive data, solution-building tools, and so forth.

Effective marketing should lead to effective sales.

Marketing may be viewed as “doing their job” if they put out enough brochures, advertising, etc. But, the sales team is considered a failure if all this great marketing effort is not turned into increased sales. Let me repeat — Marketing and Sales must work together but are separate roles. Marketing is a support function to sales but should be held accountable for supporting growth with effective, measurable marketing plans.

Together, as a team…

Social Media Marketing: The basics every business needs to know

hYperstrand — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:57:37 +0000

The arrival of social media on the internet was originally designed to connect people around the world, share information and create a communication tool that was better than sending letters through the post office. Big business saw the potential and launched social media into an entirely new direction. Large and small companies were finding creative ways to promote their business online – after all this is a billion dollar industry that offered a level playing field for anyone who could figure out how to use social media.

Google has 620 million visitors daily and 46% of internet users will interact on social media on a daily basis. Considering that 63% of users will recommend online brands the internet creates a unique selling situation. Your business is now open 24/7/365 and your goal is to figure out how to take advantage of the most powerful sites online.

Social Media Buzz

LinkedIN is your personal and business profile. This social media site is the center where 121 million business professionals go to connect and share their industry insight. There are senior executives looking to stay connected and newbies looking to find jobs. With 1.5 million users joining new groups every week this is your opportunity to network and build relationships.

Four key steps that will make your LinkedIN profile successful:

A clean and complete profile that gives you credibility.
Have quality connections will increase your reach and visibility.
Add video, blogs and links to your profile keeps people engaged.
Join groups and be active in the conversations, this will open a variety of new business opportunities.

Twitter provides the opportunity to interact and inform. Tweeting is your opportunity to reach more than 100 million worldwide users and with 55% of active users accessing via mobile devices, you can now reach a targeted audience when and where you need. There are an average of 350 million Tweets every week so you need to find the balance between too many Tweets and too few in order to be seen.

The four keys to making Twitter successful for business and simple but effective:

Invest in a personalized background and upload your picture to fill your space with important information.
Put each connection into a group for more targeted marketing.
Share content via ReTweets. This is the strongest way to build good connections and start conversations.
The content you Tweet should be information your target audience needs and include links. More than 400 tweets/minute contain a YouTube video!

YouTube allows you to visually showcase your business. When search engines like Google show results for your criteria, they will pull videos, pictures and blog pages before they list your website. This means visual content is critical to being found online. Consider that there are 490 million users and more videos uploaded in 60 days than the three major TV networks created in 60 years.

Making YouTube effective requires four simple steps.

Create a personalized channel keeping your brand image in mind as well as the needs of your target audience.
Recognize that how-to videos are the most popular and create your videos in an engaging way.
Share your videos on all your social media sites and on your web/blog.
Comment on and subscribe to other videos that are in your industry to gain recognition and enhance the value of your channel.

What makes a social media post go viral? The simple fact that the information is relevant to a target group, it’s engaging and worth sharing, and it informs rather than sells. Still not convinced of the power of social media? Google Kahn Academy and discover how a simple family tutoring session is now a million dollar non-profit supported by The Bill Gates foundation.

Sheryl Theisen is the Owner of hYperstrand Marketing. You can find more marketing ideas at www.hYperstrandmktg.com or 630.940.7920.

5 Signs of Short Term Memory Loss

alwaysbestcare1 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:29:40 +0000

Short Term Memory Loss

Your elderly loved one has undoubtedly changed over the years, perhaps they are not as active or as healthy as they once were. For many individuals, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease are major concerns, and these illnesses and others often manifest themselves in the form of short term memory loss. To help keep your elderly loved one as healthy and happy as possible, it is crucial that you pay close attention and catch short term memory loss right when it begins. The following are five signs that short term memory loss may be present.

Decline in Cognitive Capabilities

1. Forgetting recent events or activities can be difficult to pinpoint at first, but this symptom of short term memory loss can quickly escalate and even cause dementia. Individuals with this symptom may have a difficult time planning or organizing, may forget to take their medicine, or may not pay bills on time.

Speech Confusion

2. Speech confusion. When elderly individuals have a difficult time finding the right words, or mix up the meaning of common words, this may be a sign of short term memory loss.

Changes in Mood or Personality

3. Individuals who suffer from short term memory loss may have the constant feeling that something is… off. This can prompt them to act in a different way than normal, and may cause anxiety or other distress.

Disorientation

4. Though visiting a new place can be disorienting for anyone, it is something that most people can navigate. For individuals who have short term memory loss, coping with unfamiliar surroundings can be difficult because they may not remember how they arrived in this new place.

Repetitiveness

5. Elderly individuals who suffer from short term memory loss may ask the same question several times, or repeatedly make the same observation.

Though there really is no cure for memory loss, mild cases can be treated. The key is to address the issue quickly, before it becomes too severe. By watching out for these five signs of memory loss, you may be able to pinpoint short term issues and have them treated quickly. Additionally, paying close attention to the behavior of your elderly loved one will also allow you to better care for their needs.

How does the aging process affect driving ability?

alwaysbestcare1 — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:38:15 +0000

by Julia Layton

The fact is, human beings age at different rates. Some drivers are as safe at 80 as they were at 40, while others probably should give up driving at 65. There are countless factors affecting an older person’s safety behind the wheel. Driving is a complex task, and it involves many systems, both physical and mental, all of which need to be in top form in order to handle the quickly changing environment of the road.

One of most drastic physical changes that occurs with age is vision deterioration. Light reception is what enables us to see, and as we age, our eyes become less sensitive to light. Also, refocusing from one object to the next takes longer, so the “simple” task of checking the speedometer and then moving our attention back to the car ahead of us becomes a lot less simple. Older eyes are also more susceptible to glare because the lenses of the eyes thicken and the pupils shrink as we get older. According to the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, someone who is 55 takes eight times longer to regain normal vision after exposure to bright light than someone who is 16. Other visual systems affected by aging include peripheral vision, depth perception and color perception. An older person may have trouble distinguishing red lights from yellow lights or brake lights from running lights. Also, many seniors suffer from vision disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration.

All of this makes it more difficult to read road signs, react quickly to busy road conditions and accurately determine distance and speed.

Another function affected by the aging process is hearing. Hearing is an important part of safe driving — it allows us to react properly to ambulance and police sirens and the honking horns of people trying to warn us of danger or mistakes. Thirty-three percent of people over the age of 65 have some degree of hearing loss. Over the age of 75, that number goes up to 75 percent. Motor skills also suffer with age. Muscles weaken, reflexes slow down and flexibility decreases. This all makes it harder to do things like turn your head to make sure it’s safe to change lanes and quickly turn the steering wheel to avoid a collision. Also, arthritis is very common among senior citizens, making quick and fluid motion and maneuverability even more difficult.

Click hear to read more.