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Mobile Technology in the Health Care Industry [Infographics]

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No one would have imagined the changes occurring with mobile technology in healthcare: wearable tech, A.I., 5G, the use of Virtual Reality, and especially with COVID-19, telehealth also known as telemedicine.

Wound Care in the Age of Coronavirus

As far back as 2015 when Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society examined the use of mobile technology in the health care industry,  it was already clear that the industry is integrated with mobile technology. (As shown in the infographic, below.)

While even in 2020 the numbers, such as usage, still have room for increased growth, we can also see that the numbers had generally tipped the halfway point by 2015.

It is encouraging to see that there is an adoption of the use of technology, even if there is still quite a ways to go in areas like electronic health records (EHR).

Mobile Technology in the Health Care Industry [Infographics] Electronic Health Records InfographicPresumably, there would be people who are concerned about security and privacy and any HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance issues.

The fact that these numbers are as high as they are indicates that there is forward momentum, especially since any technology advances that violated HIPAA would be shut down and would not be reflected in these numbers at all.

It is clear that a society focused on technology that is specific to the health care industry is the right group of people to be looking at these statistics and reporting back to us where we are in the look toward the future.

Some Mobile Technology Highlights Leading Up To Where We Are Now

Back at the turn of the 21st century, we were excited to have a cellular/mobile phone that would allow us to text each other. Hey, the idea of having a cellular phone at all was exciting.

No longer were we constrained by a car phone or a bulky satellite phone. Or, at least, we were moving toward the freedoms that were presented with these new devices.

At the same time, there was a boom in the usage of PDAs (personal digital assistant) and companies like Nokia became popular with their PDA devices. Even the health care industry got into the process of using

PDAs for databases and anything that could be adaptable to the medical industry at the time. Primarily, it was determined that the use of PDAs helped patients to record their medical issues, making it easier to relay it to their doctor, later.

These PDAs had their own mobile operating system and were a perfect example of handheld computerization.

The concept actually started almost a century before and there had been great strides made throughout the 20th century, leading up to what was about to emerge in the 21st century.

Health Care Apps on Mobile Phones

As we were underway into the new decade, we saw the introduction of the touchscreen mobile operating systems within the cellular/mobile phone.

In 2007, Apple announced their iPhone and the following year (2008), the Android device became a popular addition to the smartphone family.

The term ‘smartphone’ was actually coined for an AT&T device, but by definition it is a device that has its own mobile operating system.

During that time, with the PDAs giving way to their more sophisticated cousins, a new factor was added to the mix. That was the telephone carrier. In the case of the iPhone, consumers were limited to using AT&T as their service provider.

There have been many changes since then, including the process of unlocking an iPhone 6. This is quite different from how the unlocking first began in 2006, resulting in bricked phones and challenging methods of unlocking.

Some industries, like the unlocking service providers, have been affected by these recent changes. However, many consumers are happy to be able to unlock their devices and use whatever cellular service provider they choose to use.

The Future of Health Care and Mobility

Technology is changing fast. The health industry is changing fast. There are also some misunderstandings and disconnects between the two.

Recently, in a journal article by Punjani, Bhanji, and Meghani, called “Implications of Social Media in Health Care Practice” and appearing in the “International Journal of Nursing Education,” there was a reference to how all hospitals block Google.

While this is not a discussion about Google or even whether Google should or should not be blocked, the interesting point is that the use of the word, “all,” should not be used.

Before I lose you entirely, the point here is the disconnect that occurs between the health industry and the technology industry, including mobile technology.

In this case, the hospital administrators were having trouble managing malware and blamed all malware on the existence of Google. In reality, the malware was coming through the sites that the nurses clicked on and it was not coming from Google directly.

The article continued by indicating how unfair it was that the nurses did not have access to information because Google has malware.

Speaking from my own background in technology, there are at least seven to eight holes in that theory. It really doesn’t merit the title of theory because of the missing information.

However, we are not here to pick on someone’s misunderstanding of technology. Their expertise lies in the health care industry and they should solicit the assistance of information technology experts to understand the blending of the two.

Medical Personnel Need Tech Access

In the case of this article, the nurses realized the value of having access to information and they desired to have access to information that would help them to help their patients.

This trend is not going to stop. Even if medical professionals do not have access to the information in their place of employment, they are not unaware of the existence of the information when they have access to it from their homes, their laptops at Starbucks, and now their smartphones in their cars (not while driving, of course!).

So, this (and other studies), while possibly stunted in some cases, demonstrate that our future includes a continued marriage of the healthcare industry and the technology industry and has high hopes of a smooth transition as information and training is shared with those who need it most.

Wound Care in the Age of the Coronavirus
Originally published 11/7/15; updated 6/18/20 because it had become outdated and to add another infographic.

The post Mobile Technology in the Health Care Industry [Infographics] appeared first on GrowMap.

Lee Bowman : Nurturing Nature

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Viewing the art of Mr. Lee Bowman is inspiring. It is as if we are truly in the presence of that which he artfully captures on his canvas. Enjoy the beauty of his art with me and learn a little bit more about the man behind that art.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

Although I have had creative urges my entire life, after some discouragement in my life, I buried those urges until the fall of 2012.

What was your first art creation?

My first creation was a drawing. During my second year of schooling, I entered the creation in a stick figure contest. That was in 1950 and I won 2nd placed! [I received information that] I may have actually won 1st place if there had not been pre-existing favoritism on the part of the teacher, toward the first place winner. 🙂

What was your first memorable art piece?

My first memorable piece was my first attempt at painting a Florida seascape [including one of those unique and spectacular dawn skies].

Please describe “A Day in the Life of Lee Bowman, Artist Extraordinaire.”

I’m up at 4am every day. The peace and quiet is wonderful therapy. That is a special time for thinking and decision making. I decide and create what I plan to paint before my brush touches the canvas. I have discovered that being spontaneous is not a good idea for me.

What do you do with your art?

I have sold 20 pieces [as of the] date of this interview. Please see any link(s) in the “Connecting” section at the bottom of this interview; located under the relevant link reference(s).

During my second year of schooling, I entered the creation in a stick figure contest. That was in 1950 and I won 2nd placed!

What are your plans for the future?

More of the same…I have discovered “the joy of painting”, which at my age is spectacularly enjoyable and fun…to say nothing about the happy bucks that come my way 🙂

In the words of Lee Bowman, from his Fine Art website, “I hope you enjoy viewing my landscape and waterscape paintings,
all designed to convey the spectacular beauty of nature.”

Connecting with Lee Bowman :
Artist Website : lee-bowman.artistwebsites.com
On-site Store : theglobalartcompany.com/collections/lee-bowman
Fine Art America : fineartamerica.com/profiles/lee-bowman/shop

Would Rather Die of Passion Than Boredom

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Would Rather Die of Passion Than Boredom via @5hugsaday | 5HugsADay.com

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” – Vincent van Gogh

I’m the Lady Next Door

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I'm the Lady Next Door via @5hugsaday | 5HugsADay.com

“I’m the lady next door when I’m not on stage.” – Aretha Franklin

Moving Mountains Stone by Stone

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Moving Mountains Stone by Stone via @5hugsaday | 5HugsADay.com

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius

How to Use Psychology For a Positive ROI in SEO Efforts

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Do you ever find yourself overthinking something? Or, how about this… You come up with this idea and realize it is a great idea! Then, you either talk yourself out of it (yes, because of overthinking) or a friend tells you that it will never work.

Then, the next day, you get an email with someone launching your very same idea! And, you hear through the grapevine that they made a killing on it! That could have been you!

True. It is difficult to know which idea will work and which one will not work. But, not getting off your butt and trying something is guaranteed to get you … nowhere.

So, where do you start? Let’s start with a discussion about psychology.

Why Are We Talking About Psychology?

I know. We are discussing search engine optimization (SEO). So, why are we bringing up psychology?

What could psychology possibly have to do with SEO?! You may be thinking, “I have so much on my plate already and this is just not worth my time.”

Ok, wait. It may actually cause you to save time. Are you ready? I know, you were ready three paragraphs ago.

It may be that understanding some basic psychology, or more importantly, some basics about yourself (even beyond the basics of human nature) may help you to release yourself from whatever is holding you back in SEO success.

What does that mean? It means a higher return-on-investment (ROI) when performing your SEO tactics and strategies.

Oh, so you are not having troubles in that area? Well, how about this. Could you use some help? How about a higher ROI? Then, listen up and let’s see where we can improve your understanding of yourself and improve the success output and results.

How to Use Psychology For a Positive ROI in SEO Efforts

What We Desire and What We Fear

As humans, what do we desire and what do we fear? See, you are not alone in this, but are a part of a larger group!

• We desire to get it done.
• We often have goals that include success.
• We have a fear of knowing where to start.
• We often fear failure.

For those of you who are in the mood for a more in-depth (and yet basic) discussion on basic human fears and desires, here is an article (no affiliation, just found it in my psychology studies) to get you going. A Google Search may be helpful in delving into an even deeper level on the topic of psychology.

Key Strategies to Understanding Self

In the meantime, let’s really dig into the important stuff (since I know you all want to get back to your SEO work).

If any of these hit home, why not pull out a sticky note and mark it down. If you are not too OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), that may give you an opportunity to put the sticky note on your computer monitor as a reminder. Hey, it is surprising how helpful that tactic can be and it has actually resulted in increased income for some of us!

Understanding 1: Lack of Confidence Inspires Growth

In the process of inspiring growth, that growth in your business and resulting successes impact your competitors. You may even pass up those very same competitors on that ladder of success.

But, before that growth can occur, it requires that first step on the ladder.

That’s a fact.

So, why is it that we base that progress on the growth ladder to the lack of confidence? Quite honestly because we have to start somewhere and often times, it is that place of need that inspires us to move forward. More on that in the next couple of sections.

When we come to a situation with an overly confident position that we know everything, we don’t allow for any room in our cup for additional information. We may be right that we do know everything, but if that is the case, we may be the last one in the line of success while everyone else tramples us headed for that ladder of success.

We don’t want to be in that position, do we?

So, that means that we need to realize that there is room to grow before we actually grow. It is helpful if, at the same time, we have a positive attitude and realize that we indeed CAN grow.

So, while a lack of confidence may inspire growth, we have to be able to move past that lack of confidence to a realization that we can grow in our SEO knowledge, improve on our SEO knowledge, and become confident in that knowledge and growth.

Don’t get too full of yourself or cocky. Always leave room for growth. It is sort of like ensuring that you leave some space in that cup so that you can fill it up some more. But, at the same time, move past that lack of confidence and into a calm self-awareness of success.

Can you do that? Yes, I know that you can! So, let’s confidently and calmly move on to our second point.

Understanding 2: Fear of Failure Provides the “Get Up and Go”

The “Get Up and Go” is often the component that is needed and separates those who succeed from those who fail.

Sidebar: Have you noticed? All of these “Understandings” are somewhat similar to each other. Why is that? It is because it is very likely that one will hit you with that Eureka moment more so than another. If this happens to you, by all means, use that Sticky Note and write it down for future reference!

Ok, so back to our Understanding #2…

Have you ever been motivated by fear? Not all fear is necessarily bad.

Ok, I’m not promoting that we all go out and watch horror movies (unless you really like horror movies and that is what you want to do).

But, a little fear may be the difference between laying in bed on a Netflix binge-watching session (not that those are bad) and getting up and earning some money, as in getting those SEO tasks done!

Let’s say you get an electric bill shutoff notice in the mail and you realize that the date is tomorrow. Let’s say you also get a call from a client who says that they will pay you $500 if you perform certain SEO tasks on their website in the next 24 hours. Let’s say that that offer is not available if you do not act on it by tomorrow morning (actually within the next few hours, yet tonight).

When you roll out of bed tomorrow morning, what will you be doing? Will you be doing the binge-watching thing? Or, will you be doing the SEO thing?

Let’s add something else to the mix.

Let’s say that you make a modest $120,000 per year and you have been working at your “day job” for an average of 70 hours per week. Let’s say that tomorrow is your first day off in six years.

Now how do we answer the question? Well, there is a higher likelihood that you may consider the binge-watching option. Why? You don’t necessarily need the $500. When you receive the shut-off notice, you will pull out your wallet and take care of the bill right away because money is not that much of a big deal.

There is no FEAR. Your money issues may not be issues at all. Possibly, money is no object (and possibly sleep and rest are!).

However, if you are broke, looking at electricity being shut off, and you only have a few hours to accept an SEO gig that pays $500, then there is a bit of FEAR and you are more likely to get up and accept the gig and get some of that SEO stuff done. Do you see it?

Understanding 3: Lack of Knowledge is the Place to Start

Have you ever played a board game?

Ok, I’ll even count the online version, the iPad version, or any other digital version, in addition to the cardboard version.

And, let’s throw other games in there, like chess or checkers.

What do they all have in common?

They have a place where (or how) you start the game. It obviously differs from game to game and maybe there are some games out there that are random, but even in the randomness, there is some sort of protocol to how the game is started.

In the same way, we need a place to start in positive psychology.

We need a place to start in thinking positively about our progress forward and ourselves.

We need a place to start in gaining in our ROI when it comes to whatever business we are in, whether it is SEO or something else.

So, what is that place? A lack of knowledge is a good place to start.

Let’s translate that into something that may be more digestible.

How about starting where you have the questions? And, let’s consider that there is no such thing as a dumb question.

To some extent, the SEO newbies have it the easiest. They can ask any question and they are at the starting point of their SEO knowledge gain.

But, even for those who are more experienced, there is always something we can learn, right? So, how about making your own list of questions based on areas of SEO that you may want to learn or know more. Where would YOU start?

Understanding 4: Recording the Results of Success

Recording the results (a.k.a. output) of the journey includes the successful results, but also the not-so-successful results. That is the only way that you can track what is working and what is not working.

This can take many shapes and forms.

It may be that you pull out a spiral-bound notebook and just note the tasks that you completed today. That is ok. You are recording the results.

Maybe you want to record it in a calendar, even Google calendar. Or, maybe you have a time clock program and you want to note what you did each day.

What do you record? You might want to start with the tasks that you completed. So, if you have multiple sites (including client sites) and you are performing SEO tasks, record what tasks you are completing on what sites each day. Then, as time moves on, your process can become more sophisticated, including our next “understanding.”

Maybe, as a part of your list of activities, you want to take an advanced step and include audits. This is more of the type of thing that I would include in our next section, under interpretation, but maybe visiting the following sites will help inspire you on how you want to proceed with your recording site:

Just remember that you are not required to be perfect when you start. Just start somewhere.

Understanding 5: Interpreting the Measurement of Success

What is the difference between step four and step five in this article?

One is the process of beginning the logging process or journaling our activities (step four). The other (this one; step five) is about interpreting the results of our actions.

This step, of interpreting, is more complex than just recording the actions, but it is where we can see what is working at what is not working.

In some ways, this is our analysis step.

So, in step four, we are recording that we took such-and-such SEO step/task. In step five, we are looking at, say, Google Analytics, and picking out one area and evaluating if the results have changed.

Have we acquired more visitors to our site? Has this change occurred as a result (i.e. timing) of a particular task that we performed (based on our recording of activities)?

Maybe, we want to log our activities in a spreadsheet and then interpret them or note differences that we observe, in another column on that same spreadsheet.

There are different methodologies and ways of approaching this. The main point here is that we do something.

A couple of favorite sites, that dig a little deeper into the analysis (and possibly deeper than we are suggesting in this step) are:

  • Moz
  • BuzzSumo

Again, you do not have to be the most perfect analyst who has ever existed. You simply need to start somewhere. So, if that means you wrote one sentence in your spiral-bound notebook for step number four and you made one observation for your step number five, then pat yourself on the back. You have started!

In Summary

Remember we talked about nothing? I mean, in the sense that nothing is guaranteed to get you nowhere.

Ok, the converse of that is that something has a better chance of getting you somewhere (as compared to nothing).

So, what is your next step? Get out there and do something! It may not be the three-mile success step, but even a baby step is more than no steps at all, so there you have it! Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back, on that way up your success ladder!

Presentations Can Make the Difference Between Making or Losing Money

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It is not what you say, but how you say it. -Linda B D

I got an email this morning that immediately caused me to want to unsubscribe. It is a paid subscription. The person making money off of me will no longer be making that money.

Do you know what the sad part is? It didn’t (or doesn’t) have to be that way! And, this young woman could have continued to make money from my subscription. All she had to do is modify a few words in her email. Money secure.

Let’s Get Started

I’m going to use the message that I received this morning as our sort of case study. Out of respect for the individual, I don’t want to name names. I’ll avoid specifics. I’ll include just enough to get our job done here, in analyzing…

  • the message; and
  • how it was delivered (or presented).

Ask Yourself What the Message Is

So, in using our case study the message was that getting a college degree was worthless. Now, please, I am NOT presenting that message, only repeating a message that was presented to me. Remember, this is a case study or example if you will.

If you are following along with your content marketing campaign, whether from your home office or your work office, go ahead and do the exercise with us, but use your own campaign and ask yourself what the message is, in that campaign.

Verification is Also Important

When we look at our example of the discussion of college degrees, we should really verify whether or not we have defined the message properly. Have we properly identified it? This goes for your example campaign, as well.

I purposely stated a message that I don’t believe was the message at all. Why did I do that? I did that to demonstrate how easy it is to miss the real message or the objective of what is shared, even before we assess the presentation of it.

In this case, if we read the email further, we would notice that she is selling a program to teach people how to do something that is similar to what she learned in college. But, in this case, the program, of course, is only about $500. Now, $500 sounds like a lot of money, right? But, if you compare it to a $100k college degree, it sounds like pennies!

The Message Sometimes Has More To Do With the Objective

So, while it is true that she is thinking that the money that she paid for her college degree was a waste of money, is that really the message that she is sharing? How would that benefit her? Unless her followers simply enjoy receiving an email with a bunch of complaints in it, it is not a beneficial message. That causes us to dig deeper. That is where we discover that her objective is likely to sell her program.

And, really, it is quite brilliant to compare a $500 program to a $100k degree, if you are offering the same education. I think we all know that you are not going to get as much education with one course, compared to multiple courses, but that is where we have to look at the other side of her coin.

You see, some of us really value the education process and the degree that we earn. In her case, she stated that all she was looking for was a way to make money. For her, the program that she developed would help people earn money and there is a better ROI (return on investment) in earning money after only paying $500 than $100k.

She’s right!

Finishing our Assessment of the Message

So, not only do we need to properly define the message, the real message (based on the objective), but we need to understand the motives. This gal was not incorrect in her assessment for HER. She was not an “academic” who enjoyed going to school for the sake of learning.

That probably applies to many people!

But, there are such people as “academics.” I am one of them. Any amount of learning is not wasted on me as I do two things:

  1. I value the process of learning;
  2. I make sure that I find something to learn so if I already know most of it, I seek out the morsel that I don’t know.

Therefore, for me, an academic, learning (even $100k of it!) is not wasted, especially when I get that fun doctorate!

Digging Deeper

Am I the oddball? Possibly. Maybe the target audience is comprised of non-academics.

But, this is what I want you to notice. In this case, as an academic, I am interested in learning and knowledge. So, even if I have paid $100k for my university degrees, because of the person that I am, I am going to be interested in paying the $500 for her program, for the opportunity to learn.

But, what happens when her presentation is to pick on the process of going to college? I’m going to flush the email, unsubscribe, and she is going to lose the monthly subscription AND the sale of the program.

If you were her, is that what you want, to lose money? If your objective was to earn money, how are you reaching your objective if you are actually losing about $1.1k for the year, over ONE email?

And, all because it was not presented well! It could have been presented correctly and she could have retained the subscription fees and possibly gained an additional $500! And, she could reach the academics like me, as well as the non-academics that she appears to have been targeting.

The Solution is the Presentation

I’m not judging.

If this gal hated her time at college, that is her story. That major that she selected is not what she wanted? That is hers to dislike as well. If she doesn’t like how much money she paid, so be it. It is her complaint and for her, it may be perfectly valid.

But, we have to be careful that OUR opinions about our own actions do not force judgment on others.

Picture something with me, please?

A Visualization Using the Beach and the Water

Before we visualize, we need to define two groups of people. The first group contains those who have committed to going to college, whether having completed their degrees or in the process. There is much more to that discussion, but since it is not the main point of this article, we will just leave it at that, as the definition of one of our groups.

For our visualization, we will picture them as in the water, like the Pacific Ocean, with life jackets, but no watercraft, out about 150 feet from shore and just struggling a bit with a need to swim back to the beach.

Now, there are also people who are on the beach, dry as a bone, who have not entered the water yet. Those are the people who have not gone to college yet and are considering it but have not made a commitment.

Applying the Message to the Visualized Groups

The message in our gal’s email is probably more helpful to those on the beach. It is a matter of stating that they don’t have to make the mistake that she made. But, what does her message do for those in the water? They are treading water, working on getting back to the beach and you basically have someone telling them that they were fools for getting wet (in this case for going to college). Well, what are they supposed to do now? They are already wet!

So, the email only serves to either make them feel bad or get upset about what she is saying. You see, her presentation did not say that it was only a decision that did not serve her purposes but a case of “Why would you want to do that? You would be a fool to do so!” So, she effectively calls those of our friends out in the water fools! Are they going to be inclined to purchase anything she has to offer? Not if it means being insulted!

The Kinder Approach (That Happens to Make the Sale)

The kinder approach would have been for her to warm her audience up a bit and explain to them that she is not an academic and that she felt forced into going to college and chose a degree that also felt forced on her (components that she shared or implied). So far, we are changing how she shares the information and not what the information is.

Now, the next step is to acknowledge that college works for some people. Here she is stating that even though she may not like college for herself, that it does work for some and that that is cool.

What has she done here? She has acknowledged our swimmers out in the ocean and said it was ok for them to swim to the beach and she would not call them fools! Also, there is a message that it is ok that some people go to college or have debts because of those endeavors and that she does not judge them.

She has brought the academics into the fold with the non-academics and said: “We can all live at peace together, regardless of our personal likes and dislikes!”

Then, in the final phase, she could say something to the effect that she is offering an alternative learning opportunity. She can present it to the college-bound by mentioning that it is less expensive. It may also help them earn money for college. Possibly, earning money may help them to have fun if they are not college-bound. By doing this, she has appealed to different groups and sub-groups.

Summary

See, if we walk into a situation assuming that everyone is like us in our thinking, we are going to (guaranteed) alienate some people. When it comes to content marketing, we want to define our target audience. But, we also don’t want to lose any members that we have already convinced, do we? So, let’s keep it on the kinder, understanding side. And, if that is difficult, hire someone who can take your communications and convert them into something that does not cause your bottom line to plummet, ok?

Before Agile Marketing Think About The Attitude of Marketing

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Even before you implement the most ideal methodology when it comes to marketing, you need to make sure you are approaching it in the right frame of mind and with the right persona. It doesn’t matter if it is in person or via the internet. If you are in a bad mood, that will permeate out to the group you are trying to reach.

What is YOUR desired attitude or persona in the virtual world? Don’t think that just because it is virtual that somehow you can hide behind some sort of imaginary virtual mask. It doesn’t work that way. And… people are smarter than that! They will sense it.

Brief Glance into Agile Marketing and Helpful Articles You Will Find on This Site

Quite honestly, agile marketing has been a buzz phrase for some time, but it has gained particular attention lately. And, it is effective… when approached properly. So, my contribution is to say that before you even approach anything related to agile marketing or even agile transformation, understand it. But, before that, make sure you are not wearing a mask that covers up something that needs a bit cheering up on the inside of you.

I mean, if you are going to lead someone through the agile transformation, similar to the one told through gifs, it is much more helpful if you have mastered it yourself and you know where you are leading your followers. So, let’s find that happy spot for YOU, before you market to others.

Your Persona and Attitude Permeate Through the Internet

Even if you use the nicest words and try your hardest to be kind, if you are in a bad mood, people are going to notice.

Note: This article was originally written by Deborah E. Anderson and published on marketinginsidergroup.com but has since had the copyright, original owner, name (author) of Deborah E. Anderson removed (without permission). This article was never given to marketinginsidergroup.com and it was not for them to remove her name. As such, the article, since it belongs to Deborah E. Anderson, has been republished in full, on this site.

And, what happens if people sense that you are in a bad mood as you are trying to sell them your newest ecourse? Do you think that they are going to feel inclined to purchase from you? Or, do you think they will feel more inclined to check out the next offer that just arrived in their email inbox?

You see… It is that important! That is if you want to be successful

What is the Solution to Being that Pleasant Person Even if You Don’t Feel Like It?

There are several things that you can do and they are not that much different from what you would do in an offline marketing situation. But, before you begin, step away from the computer, or at least away from people that you may offend (assuming that you are starting in a mood that would not win awards for congeniality).

Strategy One: Step Away From It

This is difficult, I know. This is especially difficult if you have a deadline or a product launch. But, it does not benefit you if you are coming across as the woman at the top, on the left, during your product launch. So, step back, away from whatever it is that is causing you consternation. If that puts you in a pickle, as far as timing, there is another solution that you can use in conjunction with this one, in Strategy Two.

Strategy Two: Find Someone to Step In for You (i.e. Virtual Assistant)

If you are really upset, but you have a virtual assistant who is available to step in and take your place, let him or her do that for you. Provide whatever notes are needed so that he or she can get the ball rolling for you. Possibly, if it is a few days before the launch, at least your virtual assistant can get things ready and after you have been able to find that happy place, you can come in and close out the launch preparations or publishing of your marketing article.

Strategy Three: Rinse-and-Repeat Preparations

Granted, this strategy is not something that you can do at the last minute, but it is something that you can keep in mind for the future, especially if your environment is stressful. For example, prepare launch methodologies that can be documented and pulled out and used by others (i.e. Strategy Two) without additional planning (or minimal planning). This also makes life easier and may minimize those not-so-pleasant times that need adjusting.

Strategy Four: The Substitution Strategy

Ok, there are some similarities with this strategy when comparing it to Strategy Two or even Strategy Three but it is a little bit different. Here is an example of where this strategy would come in handy. Let’s say you had a webinar scheduled. And, something comes up, maybe even an emergency in the family (see – it doesn’t all have to do with bad moods or not-nice-attitudes!). Let’s say that you gave the very same (or extremely similar webinar) last week. Pull the recording of that previous webinar (you made a recording, right?) and set it up as a live webinar presentation.

Don’t be dishonest to your attendees. Let them know that this is a special presentation, with a recorded webinar, but then maybe offer them a special gift to help them to overlook any potential inconvenience. And, be sure to offer a method for them to ask questions, even if you open up your support system and suggestion that they list their questions in a support ticket and you will get back to them personally. (This may even help those who are shy and prefer the one-on-one attention).

Who knows? Maybe through the use of some of these strategies, you will find something that works even better in your business and helps you to increase your ROI (return-on-investment)

Strategy Five: Find Your Happy Spot

Ok, even with strategies that will make do in the interim, we really want to get down to the core of the issue. That means we want to help you deal with whatever it is that has your attitude off-kilter.

  • Is it an issue with another person? >> Consider talking it out with that person and resolving that issue.
  • Is it an issue with another person who is completely unreasonable (yes, it happens)? >> Let it go. Brush it off like you would brush the dust from your furniture. Yes, ideally you want to solve it but you can’t let something unsolvable (because the other person doesn’t want it solved) stand in the way of your progress forward… Let it go.
  • Can’t figure out what it is… just feel like a bad mood seemingly for no reason? Try distracting yourself. Watch a comedy on television. Hang out with happy friends for a lunch break at work. If none of those work, there probably is something that you need to deal with and need some time to dig in and figure out what it is so you can resolve it. I didn’t say it was easy, but unfortunately, it has to be done.

In Review

If you prefer to be an angry or unhappy person, there is no one here who is going to stop you from being what you want to be in life. But, if you want people to draw near to you, to want to be like you, to want to listen to you, to want to follow you… Well, a bit of a pleasant attitude usually has more success in that area. Just take a look at our pictures at the top of this article and you tell me which one you would want to spend some time with, listening to their most recent pitch or idea. The woman on the left for the woman on the right? Thoughts?

Image Source 1a Image Source 1b

Content Marketers Accessing the Wings of Motivation

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There are many aspects of motivation that could be analyzed, discussed, dissected, applied, and then analyzed all over again. But, that could result in boredom, especially if you are more interested in getting something done… as a content marketer. So, let’s keep it relevant but simple, ok? Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of what is important when it comes to motivation.

Because, at the end of the day, many of us, as writers, marketers, salespeople, or whatever the title, desire to motivate people into an action step or at least into coming back for more, eh?

The Real and the Fake

The are many people out there (even content marketers) who like to brag about how much they know about psychology. I’m not here to unveil them. The reality is that some people really are naturals at understanding people, even without experience or education. Some folks have been observers of people and have applied it and tested it and found success strategies that they are able to teach to other people. Great! More power to them!

Personally, even if I am in that category, I am of the type who has years of experience in the psychology field as well as completing my doctorate as a psychologist (dissertation phase). So, I have spent more hours than I would like to admit with my nose in the books, on topics such as core motivation theories and the research (with real human beings – volunteers) that has resulted in the knowledge base of information on motivation. But, again, I said I would keep it from going too academic.

So, when it comes to real versus fake, here are two observations (one is based on the other):

  • Avoid the fakes. In other words, don’t just go for what looks shiny.
  • True story: I once heard of a “doctor” but when she shared her age and you reverse engineered that into the fastest possible method of attaining the doctorate, she would have been about seven years old. Now, if she were the most brilliant person I had ever met, maybe. But, she was, uh, a couple short of a six-pack. My advice on that? If it is too good to be true or if something smells “off” keep walking.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

Fun words, eh? Ok, maybe not. But, they are not as difficult to understand as they may seem if you look at the first two letters. So, think in when you see intrinsic and ex[ternal] when you see extrinsic.

It isn’t quite as cut and dried as that but the idea (and some of you may already have learned this in school!) is that the intrinsic motivation is that type of motivation that comes from within you. In comparison, extrinsic motivation is that motivation that comes toward you externally and basically has to do with rewards.

So, if we were to analyze Gandhi or Mother Theresa, we would probably find quite a bit that could fall into the category of intrinsic motivation. Granted, for them, it was their spiritual beliefs, so there is much more to this than one blog article, but they were motivated to do what they did out of their internal beliefs and motivation.

In comparison, if you picture a horse with a carrot in front of him, plodding forward to try to get that carrot, that horse is motivated indeed, but it is extrinsic. The horse is motivated by the acquisition of the reward, as in the carrot.

See the picture? Don’t worry if it takes a bit to really iron out the differences in motivation. There are graduate courses on this topic ? But, I say that to say you are not alone. I’m sure you can grasp this without enrolling in college or grad school.

 

Defining YOUR Objective in Your Content Marketing Endeavors

Your objective in content marketing – what is it? Is it to motivate the readers to come back for more or is it to get them to perform the call to action (CTA)? No matter what the objective is in your content marketing endeavors, there is some sort of motivation that is going on at any given time, even if it is simply for someone to notice something that you are writing or a brand or review. I wouldn’t think that people write for no reason and desire that no one reads their articles and I would certainly think that that is not the case with content marketers. How about you? What do you think?

We Have Decided We Want to Motivate with our Marketing… Now What?

Going back to that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation… They are both effective in their own way. But, both may not be ideal in a given situation.

For example, if someone feels moved to do something (motivated) from an internal desire, it is more likely to be something that they will follow through with and more likely to be sincere and desirable because it came from their own desire.

In contrast, that carrot, extrinsic motivation? Oh, it works. Think of it. If you offer to pay someone $5,000 if they are the top salesperson in the office, they are likely motivated to attempt to win that reward and get that $5,000 over the rest of their coworkers. That is extrinsic motivation… using a reward. But, then again, it could be said, by some, that the promise of a paycheck is a form a reward and motivation for an employee to keep working and working well. But, let’s save that for another discussion.

So, both types of motivation work but some (i.e. extrinsic) are easier out of the starting gate than others (encouraging intrinsic). The encouragement of the intrinsic motivation depends on many factors, including the person and the person’s value system. It also may depend on your honest ability to persuade. So, if persuasion is not really your thing, maybe extrinsic motivation is a place to start and pulling out the carrots may not be a bad idea.

Applying a Motivation Strategy That Works for Your Objective and for You

So, let’s pretend that you have decided on an extrinsic motivation method for your motivation strategy. You are probably halfway there already. You see, for the most part, the use of lead magnets in exchange for subscriptions is a form of extrinsic motivation. See? It isn’t all bad. It is an effective method of motivation and it is one that is in use prevalently throughout the internet.

With the lead magnet, you are asking someone to offer their email address for your email list and in exchange, you are rewarding them with a lead magnet (i.e. report, ebook, etc.). This reward is the essence of extrinsic motivation. You have motivated the action of one of your readers to subscribe to your list.

In the same way, adding bonuses to sales opportunities can act as a reward to help entice (a.k.a. extrinsically motivate) someone to upgrade their purchase.

What about those contests? Gifts with purchase? Even the bundle packages? The sky is the limit.

Conclusion

So we have defined the technical terms of motivation. What does that mean to you? How will that change what you do in your content marketing endeavors?

Maybe it won’t change anything. Maybe this just confirms that what you have been doing is right on track.

If not, let’s start motivating!

If you are new to the idea of motivating, start with your objective and then try extrinsic motivating, the one that includes a reward of some type as a result of the desired action.

As you become more adept at this whole thing, start working (testing) with intrinsic motivation, where you are using gifts of persuasion. No gimmicks. Just working with people where they are at, understanding what it is that is at the heart of who they are and their value systems. But, then again, that just might be another article. ?

Perseverance is the Hard Work You Do…

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Perseverance is the hard work you do... via @5hugsaday | 5HugsADay.com

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” – Newt Gingrich

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