#there’s a video i watched that re-ignited a lot of strong feelings for me about this

[nomazee]

a month ago i said i would yell about misogyny and patriarchal themes in fanfiction and eventually i will but there are so many thoughts and feelings in my head that it will take me forever to type it down. But i will say this

Be critical of the things you read. i’m not saying you CANT read for enjoyment—you CAN and SHOULD read for fun. But i’m saying that sometimes you should take notice of the themes in writing and think “wow, i wonder why that’s written like that. Is this harmful or is this helpful?”

it’s a given that fanfiction is widely heteronormative because society and media blah blah blah We know all of this … but in my opinion i think it’s important to think about why women in hetero fics are portrayed the way they are sometimes. I think reader insert fics have gone a long way in being more inclusive and less harmful than they were years ago BUT. Do not let that stop you from recognizing themes in the works you read right now

like; Why are misogyny-affected people written a certain way?? Why are there often degrading themes in a lot of tropes and fics regarding women?? Why are there certain roles that misogyny affected people are expected to fulfill even in fiction?? why are women often the “default” for fics with male characters?? think about any of these questions for like longer than two minutes, read a bad fic, and you will probably see where i’m coming from

[ironbiohazard03]

The Power of Veronica

So I have been anonymously asked to write smut, as comfortable as I felt, with a dominating Alexia and sub Claire from Resident Evil Code Veronica. The plot of my choice, which I kinda chuckle at because I have NOT played Code Veronica (CV). I’ve watched a lot of videos about CV and played Darkside Chronicles, but this was a fun challenge presented to me.

This story is PG-13, 16+. Pretty much a lime!

To anyone who’s a fan of the RE series, like how much I TRULY love it, I hope you find this piece interesting!!

          The Ashford Mansion was more than just a symbolic relic left behind by Umbrella; it held more than just that. Behind its dirty and dingy walls laid something far more sinister and evil. The residents in this household were more than hellbent to bring something to the world it would never see before. The name Veronica would be etched.

                                                             //

           Guns went ablaze as Claire tried everything she could against the demented Alfred. He laughed like a royal maniac as he shot right at her, but suddenly it came to a halt and Claire could hear Alfred lowering his rifle down.

           Great, now’s my opportunity to get one shot on him and get the hell out of here.

           As she pulled out her Magnum gun to take the bastard out of his misery, a soft feminine voice came through. “Please dear brother, let me deal with the guest. I don’t think it would be wise to shoot them, it would ruin the dinner conversation.”

           A woman dressed in the loveliest, ornate purple gowns waltzed on through. She looked like she was ready to attend an opera, but as she started to sing flurries of insects surrounded Claire.

           “WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE?! GET AWAY FROM ME!”

           Oversized flies that looked like ants and spiders that had wings managed to pick up Claire and she dropped her gun in the process. “Alright, what do you two want with me? I don’t have any money or political power; all I want is for you to let go of Steve. OK?” She tried to wriggle her way out from the disgusting bugs, but a rather large sized black widow slinked its way down from the ceiling. It slightly flexed its legs in anticipation of catching its prey. An almost hissing-like sound escaped the monster’s mouth, an acidic fluid dripped down its mouth and left small holes on the concrete below.

           Alexia almost giggled at the sight of the distressed woman. “Oh, Steve you say? You mean the brat who should keep his mouth shut?” An evil smirk almost appeared on her doll-like face, but she wanted Claire to feel pure terror.

           “Look, LET HIM GO! You’re the one I’m after!” Claire screamed out, tears nearly welling in her eyes. She felt useless, for once in her life. No matter what she could do, her physical abilities were limited by the Queen-to-be in front of her.

          Alfred turned around and headed back towards his quarters. “Alexia, do whatever you want with this woman. She is of no concern to me; I doubt anyone like her can make an impact on the Ashford family. It's about time that the Ashfords reclaim what is rightfully theirs.” He almost let out another cackle, as if his grasp on a human reality was slipping farther in his mind.

          A few more of the bugs managed to carefully grab Claire’s weapons and made sure that they were put out of commission.

          With a snap of Alexia’s fingers, the insects released their grip and rudely dropped Claire like a hunk of meat.

          There Alexia stood, proud as ever. The Veronica virus melded so well with her, every action she made worked in tandem with it. Nothing could stop her now; in fact, she was more than willing to share that power with a select few. “I do say, you’re Claire Redfield right? I did some research on my end, because I was the result of what my father created and my lust for knowledge is what drives me. You managed to survive the horrific, or rather wonderful, results of Raccoon City. Hundreds of zombies running around, with no will of their own. Except, not me, I have my own will and I will make sure that everyone else around me begs on their knees for forgiveness.”

          A small ember nearly formed on the palm of her hand, not incinerating the delicate and beauty of her white gloves. Claire wanted to find something to combat with the crazy woman. How could Alexia talk about people like that? As if they’re puppets willing to be controlled. “Why are you keeping me alive? Wouldn’t you want just to kill me, right here, right now?” anger could be felt behind Claire’s voice, as if having to be reminded of the events of Raccoon City was enough. “Umbrella is nothing but scum and anyone who wants to bring harm to others deserve to burn in hell!”

          She still felt useless, normally any Redfield would find a way to get out of a situation. However, Claire felt completely out of her element.

          Just as Claire wanted to try to come up with some plan, Alexia breezed her way down the baroque staircase, one of the few remaining relics of Umbrella. The Ashford family prided themselves on elegance. If a mansion could look as elegant as ever, would it matter if there were bodies rotting in its core?

          “Claire, I want you to realize what Veronica can do for you as well. For as strong and resilient as you are, a woman like you should deserve some sort of benefit. Normally, anyone who dared to cross me would meet an untimely death. However, you are different, I see something within you that needs to be brought out.”

          Claire didn’t know what to do, she was completely terrified. A woman who would look like any other normal human, could manage to strike fear right into her. “I REFUSE!” she screamed in rebellion, she stood her ground and tried to find any sort of weapon. One of the staircase railways was on the verge of rusting off, so she managed to rip it off and swing it like a bat.

          With such grace and elegance, Alexia raised her hand and ignited the beam into a ball of flames.

          Quickly, Claire dropped it to the ground and went right into for a jab.

          However, whatever strength or ferocity Claire had, it was quickly drained as Alexia managed to inject her neck with something.

          Rage filled Claire’s delicate blue eyes, an almost tinge of red showed through, but darkness filled them. Shit, I can’t beat her. She’s just too strong.

          Thoughts of Raccoon City and people dying by the dozens flooded Claire’s mind; somehow Chris would be overrun by numerous zombies and would meet a grizzly demise.

          Minutes passed on by, hours passed on by, till Claire finally managed to gain consciousness. Chains and bindings held her down; there would be no way for her to escape.

          Suddenly, the same pain returned to her. She wanted to grab at it to dull the pain down, but nothing would quell that combustion. As if she felt every limb in her body was going through a hellfire. Suddenly, the insects that Alexia had summoned before started to gather and stood in awe in what they were witnessing. As if, somehow a sense of humanity was injected into them. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!” Claire screamed in confusion and anger. More and more, her hair started to change as some kind of vines or fauna started to sprout where her hair normally was.

          “You see, it’s the Veronica virus running its course. You will possess the same power as me. In fact, you could be even stronger than me if I showed you how it works.” A slight cooing tone escaped the female Ashford’s voice, she relished to see others suffer from what she proclaims as the next step of human evolution.

          Delicate fingers caressed Claire’s face, not a single blemish would ruin what Alexia visioned in her mind. As her fingers danced around, she found an opportunity with her other hand and ever so carefully let her fingers twirl the vine-covered hair. A few strands of red hair slipped through the madwoman’s fingers, but it brought an odd sense to the woman. As if, Alexia was wanting to do more than just twirl it.

          Lips met one another, but Claire had no will to fight, but to accept the truth around her. As if her body was almost craving more of the power Veronica would be able to deliver. Slowly but surely, more vines wrapped tightly around Claire’s delicate throat.

          She wanted to take a breath, but the ecstasy-filled rush took her body over. Hands tried to grab where they could, as if she was deserving to feel that way.

          Alexia pressed her body up against Claire’s; somehow Claire managed to feel the organza, the silkiness of that lovely purple dress.

          A small ember glowed on Alexia’s white gloves, yet the flame managed to not damage them. She quickly cut Claire’s red vest into tatters, exposing how much the Veronica virus could do to the human body. Alexia was far from any human, she was a scientific experiment ready to be brought out into the public. She would no longer keep herself in isolation or rely on experiments to do her bidding.

          The fauna on Claire’s body managed to hide her breasts ever so carefully, but to Alexia nothing would be hidden in her gaze.

          Fingers gradually cusped around Claire’s breast, fingernails ever so slightly dug into them. They didn’t bleed, but the pressure was too much for Claire. As she wanted to cry again, her lips were silenced once again by Alexia.

          For once in Alexia’s life, she found those sorts of romantic affairs odd, but entirely fascinating. How much satisfaction would she get from it all?

          However, Claire’s body was looking it wanted to reject the virus. Fear ran through her mind. Is this how Sherry felt all those years ago?

          Once again, she didn’t allow herself to cry while Alexia was around. Every so carefully, the female Ashford managed to pierce her hand right into Claire’s breast. Green blood slowly trickled down, but somehow the coldness brought a sense of pleasure to Claire. “PLEASE!”

          Panting breaths escaped from both women, they were completely drawn into the moment. Alexia could’ve easily just killed Claire right there, allow the virus that made Alexia who she was into Claire’s coffin. However, this moment would not be wasted.

          However, not soon after, a few male voices echoed in the chamber.

          “CLAIRE?!” both Chris and Steve yelled.

          Faith was slowly restored into Claire’s blue eyes. However, Alexia was disappointed with how short the affair was, but she was able to fulfill her purpose. See what the Veronica virus could do.

          “It’s such a shame that this game is over, but I don’t think we’re far over from it. Just remember, while I’m willing to give you a cure, Veronica will always call you back. It always does.”

          As Claire’s rescuers came by her side, Alexia dropped a purplish vial on the ground. “DO AS YOU WISH WITH HER! She can die where she is or you manage to save her, but I doubt it’ll last long.” She slinked her way back, an army of bugs created a getaway for her.

          “THE ASHFORDS ARE FAR FROM DONE, I HOPE YOU DO REMEMBER THAT!” Alexia screamed, but it was far from a scream; it was a declaration of war, Umbrella would be sure to come back to the public.

[lambourngb]

My brain is still a messed up bowl of depression and anxiety soup. However, I’m trying to get back into writing so I can finish Last Year’s Wishes. And hey, thank you everyone for reblogging my dumb not-fic this morning, that was sweet.

Anyway @tasyfa gave me some suggestions on re-igniting the fires of creativity- like re-reading the story, putting on the right playlist, thinking mindfully about the next step in the story.

I spent the morning re-reading, and it felt a bit weird. Like I know I wrote it, but wow it feels like a million years ago... bits that I love and can’t believe came out of my brain:

From Chapter 8- I loved writing stoned Alex.

The sounds of Michael moving about the cabin, the thunk of discarded boots on the wooden floors, the soft close of a door and the start of the shower all made for a soothing background noise that Alex drifted in peacefully. He shut his eyes for a moment, only to find himself awake to the strong scent of food again.

Michael sat a plate on the coffee table in front of him. Dinner was a pair of hot dogs slathered with relish and mustard, with baked beans spilling around it. He placed a can of soda next to it, sweeping away the now-warm beer bottle from his reach. “You awake enough to eat?”

“Yeah, I'm starved.” Alex rubbed the drug fatigue from his face, and reached toward his hip for the melting bag of ice only to encounter a fresh pack with his fingertips. Michael had thoughtfully changed out the ice and prepared him dinner, all after working a full day at Sanders's. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you do all this after working.”

Michael cracked open a bottle of beer, and settled back in the chair with an amused look. His own plate of food balanced on his thighs. The shower’s effects were present, the damp curls mussed and in intact locks around his face, and his grease-marked clothes exchanged for a simple sweatpants and t-shirt. “You make a terrible wife, Alex, not having a hot meal ready at the end of the day for your hard-working man.”

“Haven’t had a lot of practice.” Alex bit into the hot dog, noting to himself that Michael prepared it just the way he liked it with no ketchup to be seen.

“No? You never played house like this before with a boyfriend? I mean, once you could legally.”

“Can’t play house if you've never had a boyfriend.”

Michael paused, holding his beer to his lips in surprise. “What, never?”

It was flattering that Michael appeared so shocked by the idea. Alex chewed with deliberate consideration. “Depends, are you counting yourself?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Then never.”

***

From Chapter 12:

Michael swallowed hard, twin wet tracks of tears shining on his cheeks. “That family tree, the evil doesn’t branch out much, does it? Direct line to your dad.”

“I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t,” he cut Alex off brutally. “Don’t apologize. You’re not the one who put her in that cage. That was what, your great-grandfather Harlan? And you’re not the one who gave her that fucked up exam, that was just your granddaddy. And you’re not the one who killed her. That was just daddy dearest-” Michael choked harshly, as a sob caught in his throat. “Or me, depending on how you look at it. So don’t apologize, Alex. It wasn’t you.”

“No, just everyone I’m related to,” Alex replied bleakly, taking a seat next to Michael. He reached out to rest a hand on Michael’s leg cautiously. “I'm sorry that you saw that. I was… I was looking for footage of her where she was... where she was just in her cell. Not okay, but not being hurt.”

Michael tipped his head to the side, to meet Alex’s gaze finally. “Did you find any?”

Mutely Alex shook his head, as his own eyes welled up.

“Yeah, didn’t think so.”

His heart breaking at the amount of pain and hopelessness on Michael’s face pushed him to keep going, “It’s early though. I… I've only been able to crack two out of twelve of the drives. That one’s part of one that documents procedures. There might be others that are just surveillance.”

“Mmmm. So I can watch her pace in a glass cage, instead of being sexually assaulted. Cold fucking comfort, Alex.” Michael’s voice broke on the word assaulted, before it turned hard and angry. “When were you going to tell me you had these? When you found some nonexistent footage of her not being tortured?”

“I was going to tell you, I was,” Alex defended weakly. The justification for waiting for the correct time was just as Kyle predicted, feeble and without weight. This was the fruit of his cowardice. “It’s horrible, I know. I was trying to spare you the visuals.”

“I need you to stop doing that. You can’t keep trying to control shit by holding onto information and then saying it’s to protect me. I have a right to make my own damn decisions. She was my mother!” Michael ended his ragged speech with a harsh cry. He wrapped his left hand into a fist, pulling tight on the black wrap on his knuckles.

Immediately Alex tensed, as he wiped at an escaped tear. His brain, formed and shaped by his experiences with his father, went into high alert. Michael, with his own trauma-shaped instincts, caught his flinch instantly and exploded upward from his seat and away from Alex to place several feet between them in the close confines of the bunker.

“For fuck’s sake,” Michael shook his head, wounded as he fisted the curls back from his eyes. “I will never, fucking never, lay on a hand on you.”

More tears spilled from Alex’s eyes, as he took a deep breath to lock down his feelings. He was really messing this up with Michael, not that the reveal was ever going to go smoothly. The progress that they had made in the last few weeks was vanishing right before his eyes, and he felt helpless to stop it.

Trying for calm and conciliatory, he replied lowly, “I know. I know you wouldn't. We've never done that to each other.”

“Right. Never.” Michael kept to the other side of the room.  He dropped his hands flat against his side, keeping them in view. His face was red, struggling to hold back his devastation at Alex’s response, merely compounding the grief triggered by the video. “I'm pissed and I can barely look at you right now because you kept this from me, but that. That’s not me, that’s not us.”

“I know, Michael.” Alex took another deep breath, and wiped at his face with his sleeve. Gradually he felt his pulse starting to slow, with the soft embrace of an upcoming adrenaline crash threatening at the edges.  “Just... tell me what you need?”

“I don’t know. Short of a time machine, where I can rescue my mom, there's nothing. She’s dead. She lived a long, miserable life here. How ...how old was that clip?”

***

From Chapter 14

“Well, it’s like you said, I’m the expert in leaving.” He twisted his lips in a semblance of a smile, “I had just learned you had slept with my best friend and you were working on a way to leave orbit, how else was I supposed to react?”

“I don’t know, I guess I didn’t really think you’d care,” Michael paused, shrugging carelessly, “about either of those things.”

“Now we’re back to the ways in which I’ve fucked up with you.” Alex braved a hand on Michael’s arm. “I care about both of those things. I'm trying to come to terms with you moving on from me and that’s not going great, okay? This limbo we’re in, it hurts, but it’s nothing compared to what you leaving the planet will do to me.”

Michael blinked a few times forcefully as his eyes started to glisten. “Really?”

Alex tightened his grip on Michael’s arm, as he dug down for the words. He knew this was usually the point where he backed off and let things be understood instead of implicitly being said. The second, third, and fourth chances to get this right kept slipping away from him.

It would be stupid to waste another moment.

“It would kill me, Michael. I know I left in the past, with deployments and training rotations, but I was always going to come back. Even after the IED hit, I pulled a belt off my dead friend and killed my right foot just so I could live long enough to come back to you.” Alex swallowed hard, forcing the grief back down his throat. “I was prepared to hack the DMV once my assignment to Roswell was over just to track you down. But I can’t hack a spaceship, so I kept the piece from you. I’m sorry.”

A tear finally streaked down Michael’s face as he let go of the console and turned to put his arms around Alex. “God you’re such a fucking asshole.”

The sentiment was in direct opposition to the tight embrace Michael pulled him into, before he leaned back to meet Alex’s eyes. His hands trailed from Alex’s waist and glided up to cup his jaw, holding his face close, so he tipped his forehead against Alex’s. “Such a fucking asshole,” Michael repeated wetly.

“Does that mean you forgive me?” Alex ventured tentatively, soaking in his touch greedily.

****

From chapter 17:

“Yes, and no,” he admitted quietly, his fingers fidgeted with the discarded beer cap. “I want to talk to my best friend about my boy problems but he’s also your boy problem so that makes it hard.”

“Pretend he isn’t then,” Maria urged softly. “Can you do that? ‘Cause I miss you, Alex. There’s nothing I want more than to talk to my best friend about dumb boys again.”

Alex had had a lot of experience pretending it wasn’t Michael Guerin he was twisted up over and then seeking out the counsel of Maria in return. It wasn’t that much of a stretch when he thought about it. Over ten years of discussions about feeling he wasn’t saying the right thing, or being too scared to act on his impulses, and she had patiently held his hand through it all without once knowing the identity. Steady, supportive, and always with a wicked twist of humor to remind him just what a catch she thought he was.

When he was a teenager trying to fall asleep through the various dull aches that came from disappointing his father, he used to press his bruised face into his pillow and pray for two things. To not be Jesse Manes’s son, or if he had to be that, then at least let him fall in love with Maria Deluca.

God was cruel enough to keep him under Jesse’s roof and to leave his desires unchanged.

While his love for Maria skipped over the romantic track, nonetheless it still flowed strongly over the years. Scattered around the loft were various gifts that Alex had sent to her during his time away from Roswell. A wall tapestry he had picked up in Kabul hung from one wall. A pipe and ashtray set from an Istanbul market sat next to a wooden cigar box where Alex knew Maria kept her weed. A bright blue glazed bowl painted in the geometric designs of peacock feathers rested on a side table. It had been a gift from a thankful Yazidi father after his unit evacuated his daughters to a UN camp safely. He had meticulously packed and padded the bowl to ship to Maria two weeks prior to the IED. With the typical international shipping delays, he had already transferred from Landstuhl to Walter Reed by the time Maria had received it.

He held onto that connection, pushing down the lingering question of where Michael spent the night in the close confines of the loft. Certainly not on this small couch.

“Alright, deal.” Alex licked his lower lip in thought. “So there’s this guy, and we have some pretty heavy history together. We’re trying to be friends and like figure out who we are to each other outside of-” he broke off, glancing toward her bedroom alcove nervously before finishing, “outside of the bedroom.”

Maria followed his glance without comment, before taking another sip from her bottle. “That sounds like a healthy and adult decision, Alex. Can I take the credit for browbeating you over the years or do I have to share it with your therapist?”

“Depends, Maria, do you want to take credit for my complete failure here? ‘Cause for whatever reason I keep fucking it up.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

Alex raised his eyebrow skeptically, “Do you?”

“Yeah, you’re right, I forgot what a disaster you are,” Maria teased gently. “I mean you have a good job, you have amazing friends if I do say so myself, you’re the kindest person I know. And your face isn’t half bad either. So you have a few walls to climb, who doesn’t? Alex, you are worth the effort here.”

“He hates my job, and he really hates that I signed a new contract.” Alex tipped his bottle to finish the last swallows. Dully he looked down at the bottle cap pressed tightly between his fingertips, “My walls are pretty high, here. I either hold back on him, or I get scared and push him away, which means I’m either pissing him off or hurting his feelings. It’s no wonder he wants-” He stopped, leaving the rest of the thought unfinished.

“Being afraid of being hurt or rejected is normal. Life has taught you a lot of reasons why you need to protect yourself and if you’d share that with him, I’m sure he would understand.” She reached up to touch her necklace absently, before sighing. “I admit, I wasn’t thrilled when he told me you re-upped.”

“Not you too, Maria.”

“You were so close to being out-”

“I can’t leave until the job is done-”

“Please, that’s the kind of thinking that has kept us in Afghanistan for twenty years.”

A beat passed between them before Alex cracked a disbelieving smile at her sarcastic reply. “Did you just compare me to Donald Rumsfeld?”

Maria covered her mouth, as she started to laugh with him. “I mean, maybe? You have much better hair though, or at least you did. There’s only so much product can do to fix that boring flat top.”

“Thanks,” Alex replied drily, as he reached upward to his hair out of reflex. Maria giggled as he belatedly brought his hand away from his head. “My ego is safe with you around.”

“See? You need me around, you’d be lost without me.” Her smile widened with fondness, the old comfort of teasing each other over having high maintenance hair habits settling in naturally. This time, her words landed awkwardly into the air and her smile slowly dropped away. Her eyes grew bright and glassy in the warm light from the two floor lamps. The atmosphere between them changed again, as the unsaid pressed against them impatiently, nagging for their attention.

Alex dropped his eyes to the floor again. The words in his throat were tangled, as he wished one more time that he didn’t feel like this with Maria. He was caught in the rough current of feeling jealous and angry while being tossed against his ever-present pillars of self-loathing.  

“What are we going to do?” Maria asked forwardly. She was braver than him like usual. “Are we ever going to get past this? I mean, I can pretend some more if you want-”

“God, that’s all I do these days, pretend, so maybe it’s best if we don’t.” He licked his lower lip, registering the dry chapped feeling from his nervous chewing. “I pretend with Michael, I pretend at work, and I don’t want to have to pretend with you, Maria.”

“I don’t think you’re pretending with Michael,” she pointed out, in a no-nonsense tone. Her eyes lost their sharp focus as her face reflected the changeover from friendly observation to a psychic read. “Unless you’re pretending that friendship is going to be enough for you. You love him and you’re not getting over him, and you’re sabotaging yourself with him because you’re afraid. You’re afraid that friendship is enough for him.”

The air in the room felt thin to Alex. He closed his eyes, and placed his hand on his chest to count the rapid beat of his pulse. The black spots in his eyes swam in front of him, and he blinked several times to clear his vision. “I thought he had already made his choice. But then living together, pretending that we never broke up- It’s complicated now. Messy. And I’m afraid if I really ask, he’ll tell me the same thing he did before, that love isn’t enough. That it’s too much baggage to get past and he won’t choose me.”

****

From chapter 19:

Michael closed his eyes, as a tear slipped down his cheek and turned his face into Alex’s touch, as he whispered roughly, “Losing her, my mom like that, I didn’t want to be known by anyone. Not by Max, and not by you.” He lifted his face away, his eyes still wet as his smile wobbled, “That’s why you found me at the Wild Pony.”

“I figured,” Alex replied, his throat tight.

“I know now that I hurt you by doing that. It’s a fucking weak excuse to tell you that I really didn’t think you would care. ‘Cause it doesn’t change the fact you did.”

“Michael.” He started to tell him that it was fine. That he understood. Except on one level, as much as they had laid out the pain and wounds that had been exchanged between them, some targeted, some merely shrapnel from outside forces, there was the unavoidable fact that it wasn’t fine. Discarding the emotions of it, which he was never going to find comfort with, Alex fell into the cold facts of what happened. “I wasn’t what you needed then, or wanted. And that’s okay. You are allowed to make that choice for yourself. You went through something unimaginably terrible, how could I begrudge you for turning to someone who made that a little better for you?”

The hurt miserable laugh that escaped from Michael as he pressed his lips against Alex’s palm in a kiss, sent a chill down Alex’s spine.

“You were exactly what I needed after Caulfield, Alex. You make everything, fucking everything, in my miserable life better. This whole month, every minute of it, you made me feel whole. I can take a full breath because of you. I am okay, and that’s so much more than I deserve to be. And I tried to fight it, especially early on when I was a dick to you, but as it turns out, hurting you so I could make myself miserable isn’t worth it.”

Alex was frozen, his hand still against Michael’s face as he worked to understand just what he had said. The first three thoughts circled back to Michael still being drunk, or perhaps this was delayed gratitude for helping keep them safe from the police investigation. For all that Michael spoke of not feeling like he deserved to feel okay, it was shockingly clear in Alex’s mind he shared that same sentiment. Their broken pieces were shattered on the same fault lines, not necessarily the mirror opposite that would fit together in the same way.

Michael kissed his thumb softly, looking up at him, “I can see by your face you are having a hard time believing me. If you let me do this, open up the bond print, you’ll get it. You’ll see that as nice as Maria is, she doesn’t have nearly the power you do. You’ll feel what I feel. Um, just what I feel, if you’re worried about your privacy. This is a one-way street.”

There was a brief moment of disappointment for Alex hearing that, but the lure of Michael’s offer was too strong to deny. “Okay. Do it.”

“Yeah?” Michael smiled brilliantly as he sat in bed, and gently pressed Alex back on the mattress. He spread his palm flat on Alex’s chest, directly over his heart, its beat strong and quick beneath the touch. Michael’s eyes flickered down at his hand and then to Alex’s tense gaze, his lips quirking with shy pleasure at what was about to happen. “Merry Christmas.”

Michael’s hand didn’t change in temperature, even as a red glow started to build in his palm. It was reminiscent of how his mother had communicated in those last doomed moments at Caulfield. And like that too-short interval from before, there was no pain on Michael’s face, just rapturous joy.

Alex stored that snap shot of Michael’s face, looking so unbelievably happy, away in the place he hoarded his good memories.

It was the last clear thought he had.

Oh. It was a lot.

His therapist had warned him a long time ago that trauma had changed his brain patterns forever. It wasn’t just psych jargon to understand that his electrical pathways of experiencing pleasure and joy were forever altered after his childhood. His doctor had argued to him that comparative MRIs would prove it. The therapeutic homework of practicing pleasure and reacquainting his body to positive feelings had been taken with a dose of skepticism. Michael had always made him feel okay in receiving and giving pleasure, but later Alex realized it wasn’t necessarily the comfort of sex that was the issue, it was happiness.

Michael loved him.

It washed all over his mind, like standing under a waterfall. The torrential press of love, joy, peace beat down on the brittle feelings of shame, of self-hatred, of feeling like Alex had been made wrong in some way right from the start, after all, why didn’t his father love him?

Michael loved him.

Water was the most destructive and most transformative force on earth. It was relentless. It sought out cracks, pouring into the hollows while it filled the caverns. Once inside, if needed, it could freeze and expand, to break down defenses, until the path was clear. It nurtured with the same unstoppable power, feeding the roots, nourishing the parched throats, cleansing the wounds and washing away the filth.

Michael loved him.

It was infinite. It was one thing to know it intellectually, after all, Michael had said it once to him, present tense and all. This connection made Alex feel ashamed, because now he knew he had never really believed it. It wasn’t Michael’s fault though; the core truth was Alex had made it 28 years believing he was the issue, that he was unlovable. Any words that Michael had said, Alex had dismissed as something shallow, or perhaps the result of a trick.

The connection battered at that belief until Alex had to discard it as false.

****

From chapter 21

There was a moment when he thought Michael would break away, he could feel Michael take a deep breath, his chest heaving in effort before he tipped forward into Alex’s body, a mirror of Alex’s earlier collapse. He caught Micheal’s weight easily, and held him securely.

“I really want to scream right now, just so you know,” Michael warned with a low voice in Alex’s ear. “I don’t want to be mad at you, but I’m fuckin’ mad.”

“You can be mad at me,” Alex offered weakly, keeping his arms around Michael.

“I really can’t, Alex,” Michael huffed a humorless laugh, “you tried to pick a fight five minutes ago about Maria, and I saw your face when you got here, you were totally white. You didn’t expect this reveal to go well, did you?”

Alex hummed a little in his throat, acknowledging Michael’s point without argument. He thought about the file that had his father’s request for testing when he was a child and locked down his feelings on it to deal with later. “It’s not all terrible news to report though. If the pod responds to intent, then we should have Liz and I guess Kyle, meet us at the cave so we can see what it might be doing to Max in the meantime. See if there’s any readings we can gather.”

Michael moved his warm hands up to cup Alex’s face, the fabric wrap on his left hand rasping lightly as he gently moved Alex back to meet his eyes. “I’m sure Liz was thinkin’ about saving Max, but he’s not the only one in a pod. What were you thinkin’ when you put your dad in there?”

“Honestly?”

“Uh yeah, of course.”

Alex smiled grimly, “I was thinking how good it felt to choke him out and finally win a fight. I was thinking he got to see my face as darkness took him, the way I used to see his face when I was a kid. And I hoped he was scared. I hoped he felt small and powerless.”

“God, I hope so too. I hope the pod is making him relive that non-stop,” Michael breathed fiercely as he tightened his hold on Alex for a moment, then he leaned in to capture his lips in a deep, hungry kiss. Alex opened under his mouth easily, surrendering to Michael as he backed him against the parked Bronco. He pushed his fingers into Alex’s short hair, pressing against Alex’s body as Alex’s tongue stroked firmly against his.

The warning burn in Alex’s lungs was the only thing that brought the kiss to an end, as he sucked in a gulp of air, the taste of Michael and a hint of beer still on his lips. “As much as I want to continue that, um, you should finish up here so we can make a plan with Liz and Kyle.”

“You’re lucky my trailer is at the cabin, otherwise you and me and a horizontal surface-”

****

Also from chapter 21

The warmth of Michael scooted up against his back as his arms snaked around Alex’s chest. He pressed his lips against Alex’s neck and offered softly in his ear, “Listen, if this is…. If this is something in your head, I can help with that. If you want.”

Anticipation and pleasure lit up briefly through the agony as Alex followed the train of thought to Michael’s offer and remembered Christmas Eve. It was beyond tempting but being back on active duty made that an impossibility. With regret, he shook his head, “No bond print, too risky.”

“Nah, not that, but I could go inside your mind, and um, persuade you that what you’re feeling isn’t real.”

“Oh,” Alex breathed. Michael inside his head, seeing his thoughts, seeing just how messed up Alex was, not that he couldn’t already guess it from the outside. The cramping seemed to intensify as he debated, from what felt like a stabbing feeling from the ball of his foot, to a deep burn into the arch of his instep, traveling up his right leg. “Yeah, okay, do it.”

Michael licked his lips at the acceptance and took a deep breath. He shifted in bed again until Alex faced him. He brought his palm up, to cup Alex’s cheek gently, meeting his eyes. Alex blinked heavily at the touch, tears from the pain slipping down his face as Michael brushed the wetness away with his thumb with love.

Then.

Then it was warm and bright. Michael was the joy of a perfectly played note, the pitch and harmony of Alex’s favorite song, slipping into his mind to curl around him. The percussion of matched heart beats, thundering in time together. The vibration of strings, dancing across two keys, one high and soprano, one low and deep.

That was Michael in Alex’s mind.

Alex though, Alex was a crumpled ball of paper. The painstaking drawing, scratched out in eraser marks and errant ink blots. The brush strokes of a self-portrait imperfectly translated from three dimensions to a flat disappointing two. Discarded and tightly balled up, waiting to be tossed into the trash.

Then.

Teasing at the edges, Michael picked at and pulled at the scrapped drawing, the furrowed shell of Alex. With infinite care, he worked to flatten out the wrinkles and to smooth the creases. This wasn’t a failed attempt; this was a work of art, worthy of being framed. He laid out love, ironing out the perceived imperfections, until the crushed bits, and worn notches were treasured marks of strength and experience. These weren’t deficiencies to reject, or blemishes to trash but well tested symbols of armor worthy of protection.

Then.

Alex blinked again, and swallowed down the sob pressing at the edges of his throat waiting to erupt as the pain was gone. Inside his head, every small scrape and cut was calm and soothed. Michael had wrung the tension from his mind and body, leaving him loose and shapeless.

“Better?” Michael asked, his hand still on Alex’s face.

“Yeah, much.” Alex licked his lower lip, his mouth dry. “Is that, is that really how you see me?”

An enraptured look slipped over Michael’s face as his eyes grew dark, “You are a work of art, Alex. You’re beautifully made, inside and out. I wish you could see yourself the way I do.”

Blushing, he had to look away, unable to meet the intensity in Michael’s gaze. “I think you’re crazy.”

“You’re the crazy one for not seeing it, but I know why you can’t believe me.” Michael’s expression saddened as he turned to catch Alex’s eyes, “He is wrong about you. He was wrong when you were a kid, and he’s wrong now.”

“Ah, you saw it. What my dad wanted to do.” Alex pressed his lips together tightly, and sighed.

“Yeah, I saw it.” Tension grew in Michael’s grip, as he moved his hand down Alex’s shoulder to his chest, pressing his hand against the rising beat of Alex’s heart. “He is a monster, and it’s his loss that he could find anything in you that was deserving of hate, but sweetheart,” Michael’s voice broke briefly, “it breaks my heart that you might agree with him on any level. Your body, the way you love, how you love, it’s all part of what makes you, you.” He paused, before finishing with a thick voice, “And I love you. You should love you too.”

“I’m trying, Michael,” Alex leaned in to kiss his lips gently, “I’m trying really hard to do that.” He let Michael deepen the kiss, sighing at the care Michael used in touching him, like he was that precious work of art he’d glimpsed in Michael’s thoughts.

“Don’t be ashamed of this,” Michael whispered, his mouth hovering over Alex’s.

Alex shook his head, and leaned up to trade another kiss, “I’m not, not anymore. Well, not most days. I’m working on it.”

Michael smiled in response at Alex’s honesty, “Good, anytime you need a reminder, let me know. We can fight those demons together, darlin’. Speaking of, how’s the pain?”

Stretching his right leg out, he rubbed his stump against Michael’s leg, and sighed in relief at the motion. “Gone.”

****

All self-indulgent clips.

[legendary]

The New Frontier of Gaming

A Conversation with Cyan’s Rand Miller

Rand Miller has been on the frontline of innovation in video gaming since the 1980s. Founding Cyan in 1987, he and his brother, Robyn, set the stage for a full-on revolution in the computer gaming space. Six years later, Cyan released Myst, which soared past every boundary of what could previously be possible in computer gaming, taking full advantage of the CD-ROM’s massive storage capacities (at the time). Over 15 million sold units later, Myst held the honor of being the best-selling PC game ever for almost a full decade and Cyan became recognized as a video gaming icon, known as game-changers for their innovation in both the franchise and their other subsequent endeavors. Today, it was announced that Cyan is continuing their tradition of pushing the envelope into the next frontier: console-based virtual reality. In partnership with Legendary VR, Cyan is releasing to console to their critically-acclaimed game, Obduction, with exclusive all-new content for Playstation 4 and PS VR. Legendary Backstory got the opportunity to talk to Rand Miller about this exciting next step for Cyan, his thoughts on virtual reality, and the future of the interactive gaming medium. See the full interview below!

Q: Talk a little bit about your time before Cyan. Where did your passion for game design come from and how did you develop it into what Cyan has become? What games inspired you growing up?

RM: I had my first encounter with a computer game in 5th or 6th grade, and it was like magic - like I now had access to magic. The game was simple (a text based lunar landing game), but it set me on a path. I wrote my first game shortly thereafter, and I’ve been creating games ever since. The inspiration for the games have always been related to what media I am consuming. After watching the Starsky and Hutch TV series I wrote a game about driving a Ford Torino with a bomb in the trunk. After reading the book, The Swarm, I wrote a game called Swarms about saving the US from an attack of hybrid bees. After playing D&D I designed an adventure that I could take others through.

Q: Myst, in many ways, was a revolution in the computer gaming space, igniting the CD-ROM as a legitimate gaming platform. What was it in the early 1990s that drew you towards CD-ROM vs. the popular consoles coming out at the time?

RM: My brother Robyn and I had been building worlds for children (The Manhole, Cosmic Osmo, Spelunx). In many ways, we practiced our craft with those early children’s games - testing the water, and seeing what was possible. When the opportunity to build Myst came around, we decided that CD-ROM’s massive storage capabilities (at the time) would allow us to build an adventure large enough to not require starting over. The player would have so much to explore that they could be entertained for hours without the need to build in “friction” that make them start over. It was the size of this new technology that allowed us to provide an adventure that had a slower pace, puzzle based friction, and a rich storyline - and we tried to design the game around the new medium.

Q: Give a brief rundown of what the story of Obduction is for the fans who don’t know. What does the idea of it being a “spiritual sequel” to the Myst/Riven saga mean to you?

RM: For us, the spiritual sequel aspect of Obduction means that it’s not the same story as Myst, but it reaches back and embraces the idea of being thrust into a situation that is completely foreign and perplexing. There is something so appealing to that original Myst feeling of being dropped into the middle of a story and gradually uncovering the details of what went on in this strange world - and realizing that you are now part of the story. Obduction re-creates that feeling better than any Myst sequel can, because it’s new. A strange alien artifact whisks the player away to some crazy alien world that has chunks of Earth scattered around. It’s perplexing, evocative, and mesmerizing - we love that feeling!

Q: Cyan has built an incredibly loyal and passionate fan base over the years and Obduction feels like a true celebration of the fans, as it was kicked off via a very successful Kickstarter campaign. What was it like to bring the fans together and make them part of the process to create a new game?

RM: Having the fans be part of the Obduction creation was a special gift - we’ve described it as having 20,000 additional cheerleaders who stood with us as we created the experience. We’ve always felt a strong obligation to provide wonderful experiences, but crowd-funding seems like it removed a layer of abstraction and allowed the fans to see a bit more of the process - cheering us on and supporting us along the way.

Q:What was your first experience with virtual reality? What was it about Obduction itself or the current VR landscape to make you think that the time was now right to adapt one of Cyan’s games into VR?

RM: I was able to try VR many years ago when it required a file cabinet-sized computer, was pretty grainy, and used a tether as thick as a boa constrictor. It was really intriguing back then, but it seemed so far off. Then when I tried the recent iterations - it blew my mind. There was suddenly a sweet spot that had been hit - of course VR was now within reach of the masses, but there was also a visual quality that passed some kind of threshold, and the hand controls added an almost tangible intuitiveness to interacting in these worlds. All of those things are what we have always been excited by.

Q: What challenges did designing the game for VR present to you compared to your past games? Did anything surprise you?

RM: Performance is always a challenge with VR - especially with our focus on rich visuals. VR requires two high-res screens to be refreshed at a high rate - there is a lot of horsepower driving things. Because our games are visually stunning and not twitch/reaction based, we felt like we could push the quality of the visual bar higher - even if it meant a slightly reduced frame rate. We pushed hard in that direction - and managed to keep the frame rate high enough to provide a comfortable experience for everyone. One thing that surprised us was just how much VR provides a sense of scale. Objects and spaces that we built, that looked fine on a flat screen, would suddenly seem too large or small in VR. Because you’re fully immersed in the 3D VR worlds you are able to gauge the size of things like never before. It’s that intense immersion that provides such a sense of presence.

Q: Do you have any favorite easter eggs hidden in the game?

RM: We have a crazy Russian control panel at one point that is a bit of a red herring. In fact, it’s used to enter into an “easter egg” mode where some of our Kickstarter backers were able to add their own “eggs” to the game. But the number that is used to enter easter egg mode is a fun little easter egg itself - it’s actually a phone number from the British TV series The IT Crowd, - a 20 digit emergency phone number that has a song to help people remember it.

Q: What are you most excited about in the present VR gaming space and what are you most excited about for the future of VR games?

RM: The present space is exciting as a transitional phase - game creators (including us) are starting out by moving what they’ve done on 2D screens into the VR space. But with every product that comes out, VR starts to take on more and more of a life of its own. The exciting aspect of the future of VR is the fact that it’s so wide open to be defined - the things we’ll see as the medium begins to mature on its own will be mind blowing.

Q: One of the hallmarks of Cyan’s games as well as Legendary’s properties across multiple mediums is a love and passion for world-building. Cyan’s worlds have always been expansive and intricate and leave fans wanting to discover more, a tradition that continues with Obduction. Where does your approach to world building come from and how are you able to approach each new game to do the story world justice?

RM: We love rich worlds - games, movies, books, TV - doesn’t matter. Those rich worlds are what help us believe. The details we put into our games are meant to give it authenticity and credibility, so that even tiny aspects support the storyline and draw the player in. We don’t just put a skin on a game-play mechanism - we weave the story, the environment, and the friction in ways that feel valid and real - that support each other. Good, convincing, world-based entertainment should always feel like the story is so much bigger - that the experience you're having now (whether game, movie, book, TV) is just a small window into that much larger story world.

Q: In the way that CD-ROM was a new frontier for gaming in the early 1990s, what do you see as the next evolution or frontier in gaming? Is it virtual reality as it exists now or is it something the public hasn’t seen yet?

RM: I feel very much with VR like I felt with CD-ROM. It’s a technology that at first we adapt our old experiences to - but then learn what new tricks the new technology can bring to the table and begin to take full advantage of it. I’m not sure how the hardware will evolve, but VR has crossed some kind of magical threshold that convinces our brains, more than ever, that we’re actually living these experiences. That’s powerful!

Q: What’s next for Cyan? Are you looking to continue pushing more into the VR space in the future?

RM: We’re aiming to create more and more VR experiences. We are so excited by the possibilities that we already have almost a dozen ideas at various stages - with different degrees of interaction and storytelling, but all of which are meant to transport players to whole new words. Exciting times!

Obduction launches today on the PlayStation® Store on PS4™ with a PS VR update coming soon. The PS4™ purchase of Obduction includes the PS VR update. Obduction PS4™ demo is playable in the PlayStation® kiosks at GameStops, Best Buys and Walmarts worldwide, and will be playable with the Cyan dev team at PAX West in the PAX IndieMegabooth, September 1-4, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. Stay tuned for more updates at www.obduction.com.

[iamthelightofyourlife]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

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The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[dylanobriennugget1-blog]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[abisnisonlineshopterlaris]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[mytherapistknowsaboutyoupos-blog]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[iteddybearboyfme]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[superplhis-blog]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[yourjuulfriend22-fan]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[little-big-world-in-the-tim-blog]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[unyielding-black-blog]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

20. Spend money on individuals. You possibly can never go improper by making investments in individuals inside the group. Study and understand who they’re, why they’re there, what they need, what they need, who they breathe, where to hang around and more. The more you realize about them, the better you’ll be able to inspire, unite and serve them. Getting the Encourage Connection! By inspiring our audience to connect with us to help them achieve their objectives, we obtain by default, as a result of they are the identical.

Supporting assets:

Need assistance with branding to the subsequent degree? Social Profit Issue Coaching Academy and Advertising Nutz Can Help!

Social Winner may help you ignite content and brand structure to grow your on-line tribe and enterprise via social networks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 2019 is that those that are simply "hushed" to know, have to be out of the hustle and work smarter. Before you even take into consideration sending a video to Facebook, it’s essential to know who you’re, what the general public wants for you, and the way your efforts will convey worth to the general public and your company.

You need a structured plan to achieve success utilizing social media. The Social Winner will aid you develop your plan with objectives, objectives, and priorities inside 30 days!

Register now to turn into a founding member.

Need help with grinding in brand strategy, architecture, messaging platform, online presence, new product or service? Do you need to reap the benefits of social media, digital advertising and branding to develop your small business? Our Advertising Nutz workplace helps you construct, launch and optimize your digital and social brand presence to realize your objectives. Give us a cry and get to work!

Take Action: Obtain the Ultimate 2019 Content material Calendar Template.

! -Perform (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) returns; n = f .fbq = perform () n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply (n, arguments): n.queue.push (arguments) if (! f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded =! 0; n.model = & # 39; 2.0 & # 39 ;; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement (e); t.async =! 0; t.rc = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName (e) [0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore (t, t) (window, document, & # 39; script & # 39 ;, & # 39; https: //connect.facebook.internet/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq (& # 39; init & # 39 ;, & # 39; 750182285083446 & # 39 ;, em: & # 39; insert_email_variable & # 39; ); fbq (& # 39; monitor & # 39 ;, PageView & # 39;);

The post Humanize it! Build a more humane, reliable brand with these 20 strategies appeared first on Android Illustrated.

[coolvanessadogsbodyfan]

Podcast: Play in a new window Download

Building a significant, memorable and useful online brand requires much more than imaginations, viral cat videos or figuring out the right way to replay

Digital noise isolation requires more like hopping on the newest social shiny know-how object.

At the coronary heart you must earn consideration, belief and motion. Social foreign money online as we speak = attention + action. You want each. To do this, it is advisable discover ways to connect with individuals in a possible way. It is advisable to understand how know-how can be used more as a human, make individuals snicker, share their story and encourage them to act.

Individuals purchase individuals, no logos. Humanizing and communicating your brand in a method that makes your brand credible and straightforward to know is the key to breaking down digital noise to develop your corporation.

Listed here are 20 methods to make more of your brand:

Keep in mind that there have all the time been and can all the time be individuals.

1. Be really you. There is only one you, be it the individual, the time. One of the simplest ways to attract a really perfect customer who creates power, mutual pleasure and value, provides your true colour shine. Do not fake you’re someone or a brand you are not. Find the true voice, character, tone and share it with the world. Life and business work so a lot better once we lived with a high human definition with out filters. Share your story and invite, take it with you and convey you along with you. Let them assist you to build. Whenever you win, all of them win.

2. Find where your passion cuts the chance to create and run business outcomes. When your passion comes on, power, pleasure and happiness typically arouse you. Clients know this and are tempted to work with you organically.

3. Create a content calendar and plan. While it might be enjoyable to wake up each morning and spontaneously ship content material to many social profiles, the outcomes grow exponentially when you take the time to design your content. The more you give attention to the appropriate viewers, objectives, objectives and strategies that appeal to your perfect audience, the more successful you’re. Download our social media content material calendar and additional assets.

four. Really feel and love your viewers. Think of the brands you’re keen on. What does it love about them? The more you already know your audience and the perfect buyer, the higher you possibly can create content material, services which might be relevant to them. Personal experiences make your brand more significant and memorable. Create constant, significant and distinctive experiences that separate you from the status quo. Download Viewers Analysis Software.

5. Know your values. Know your biggest strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives to improve. If you find yourself crystal clear if you give the worth that you simply serve to the perfect audience and clients, you’ll come out of the gang for them. They assume "hey … that the brand has exactly what I need now!"

6. Know the objectives of the general public for all times or business We have to encourage our audience to contact us to assist them obtain their objectives. Once we do that, by default, we achieve it because they are one and the identical. Encourage – Join – Attain!

7. Create content that may help your viewers reach their objectives How are you going to help them save time, make more cash, shed some pounds, feel higher, sleep more and hold going. Know what they need and then create content that may help them achieve their biggest goals. Then, you create content that gives a path, a roadmap, and practical steps to help them achieve the desired state or degree of success.

eight. Create content material that evokes and authorizes. Information is power. Encourage your viewers to work with content that provides them the prospect to win! Inspiration doesn’t match the hyperlink to a weblog publish or gross sales page. Really hook up with the guts if you wish to stompin the status quo. Create content material that is straightforward to digest, share, and keep in mind. Inspirational quotes or brief stories that individuals are related to are each good ways to create significant and galvanizing content without spending time.

9. Get visible… like in actually good footage. Do not send the same stay pictures and artistic content, weblog posts, movies, Instagram, Linkedin, and e mail. Utilizing our free content calendar model, you’ll be able to make certain that your content material is organized and that it’s easier to create beautiful visible pictures which might be constant, fascinating, and driven by your clients for what you want.

10. Doubling to at least one specific business or area of interest. Get a laser targeted on a area of interest with experience and case studies. Develop into the business chief and trusted advisor. Focus your concentrate on enhancing and prioritizing content production, in all areas of efficient advertising and content material manufacturing, promotion, promoting, and advertising.

11. Doubling with one or two social networks At the Social Profitable Schooling Academy, we train students a three-level strategy to prioritizing social networks. It is all the time higher to start out with one or two social networks that may have a great presence vs. unfold yourself too thin than you’ve got the time or price range to realize a measurable return in your investment. Going deep might help you create an authentic connection with the target group and create a more human character. Much less is absolutely more.

12. Discover potential rivals that your business is lacking. For example, we jumped to LinkedI 14 years in the past once they have been still in beta. We now have constructed our group and network since. Others in our business are implementing a lot more LinkedIn than job search, and that is likely one of the greatest methods to connect with professionals, we have already got a strong community of 365,000 followers and over 25,000 connections. These links have been rising for more than 14 years and provide the leverage effect of considered one of our largest social community ROI, our advertising Nutz. Connect me to LinkedI and my companion Josh Moore.

13. Doubling one or two advertising instruments corresponding to video, visual or audio. Have you thought you have been digging deeper into video and / or loud? Ready to launch a new podcast or YouTube video channel? Choose one and find methods to add content material to succeed in new audiences. Add a second layer of context and relevance to not just pull present hyperlinks and re-engage them with your brand, but in addition join new individuals and create new pals!

14. Touch the private brand YOU FACTOR! Individuals buy from individuals they know and trust. When was the last time you awoke within the morning excitedly to discuss the social media emblem? Spend money on your private brands, and the quantity of rewards will increase in constructing relationships, constructing trust, and doing business. Eliminate the difference between authenticity and transparency and know that you simply don't should share all the things you do 24/7 to build a rock-strong personal brand that delivers results. Prioritize social networks, content, and instruments to attach with the perfect viewers, clients, impressive brokers, and companions you need to work with.

15. Power with OPC – different individuals's content and group. You don't have to start out your digital and social media alone. Join with other business leaders, resembling influence makers, well-connected thinkers, both online and offline, to share their content. Build relationships. Participate in strategic, enjoyable and galvanizing joint advertising campaigns that ignite the public. Take heed to this podcast for assist. Take heed to the podcast + learn the blog submit: Ignite your brand with the facility of OPC – content material and group of other individuals

16. Think about getting your visitors to your website or weblog a number of occasions after their first or recurring visits? Touch paid social media promoting and in addition goal paid advertisements on other blogs, web sites, and social networks they visit. An instance can be to focus on them on YouTube in the course of the weekend once they watch videos of their favorite interest. Concentrating on works amazingly as a result of you’ll be able to goal and merge with them by adding manufacturers. It takes 6-7 manufacturers before someone remembers the brand.

17. Although your competitors is more apprehensive about everybody else's perspective, sounding and performing … dig deep into the info. When the market begins to maneuver, find out why. If you feel you're not dropping your edge, don't be afraid to show. Nevertheless, you can also make use of the knowledge and make intelligent selections that may assist you to outlive, but will achieve each the brief and the long term. Typically, short-term sacrifices lead to long-term income. Enterprise success right now is more of a marathon than a dash. You’ll be able to win the marathon by preserving yourself and your staff in addition to coaching and the newest tendencies and greatest practices to win your market and market niche.

18. Concentrate on massive image and large good points. The steps of the best baby which are geared in the direction of a bigger imaginative and prescient be sure that you win. Don't go down with small setbacks or short-term losses. Imposter syndrome is actual and may kill your creativity and confidence when you give it. You win and lose provides and even social media followers. Nevertheless, the world is nice and there’s more to return from. Keep targeted in your objectives and by no means hand over.

19. Create once when using many. Creates high-end content that you need to use again and again. This does not mean that you’re sending the same content material again and again. As an alternative, you possibly can create superb content material that may be sliced, diced and served in a variety of codecs, media, lengths and more. Get artistic and work sensible. It will allow you to stay agile while constructing a strong basis for evergreen content that may serve your viewers in the coming months and years. Read and take heed to the podcast:

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[itsbenedict]

i just finished Horizon: Zero Dawn, which holy dicks, might have been my game of the year if persona 5 hadn’t also come out this year. spoiler-heavy impressions (in the form of chatlogs with zero) under the cut:

god damn this game is just fun to play all the sneaking around and shooting stuff is really satisfying, and it feels great encountering some new machine that you don't know how to handle, and figuring out how to deal with it the balance is just right- strong machines can fuck you up, but nothing's a one-hit kill- if you fuck up, you get to chug health potions and run like hell until it loses interest, and then you try again it welcomes and rewards experimentation you organically develop strategies for taking them on stuff that seems intimidating and impossibly hard at first eventually becomes easy- not because you leveled up and got stronger numbers than it, but because you've done this before, you know how to dispatch these things in a matter of moments the giant crocodiles- scary, but you can knock off two thirds of their health by igniting their blaze canisters, and then play keepaway with their easily dodged ice blasts while you chip off the rest with easy headshots the swarms of hawks- overwhelming at first, but they completely flip out if you shoot two fire arrows at them, and you can keep them all downed while you work on taking them out the giant charging desert bulls- a couple ice bombs from the sling more or less immobilize them and make them take massive damage you always start terrified, trying different ammo on different weak points until you find something that works and then you feel like an invincible badass despite not really being any stronger in absolute terms

Zerovirus: that's the good shit

Benedict: it reminds me of the witness, in that you progress and gain abilities by learning systems and getting good, rather than by getting abstract experience points and leveling up i mean, you do level up, but it's just more health mostly

Zerovirus: health, more inventory, better harvesting abilities is what i think it was? and some jump ambush skills

Benedict: it's health and skill points the skills are pretty cool- none of them feel mandatory, but they all make something slightly easier like one gives you a few seconds of bullet time to line up a shot- it doesn't let you do anything you couldn't before, but now you're more likely to succeed and then there's the stealth melee takedowns that i barely use because everything in the fucking game notices you if you get too close no matter how quiet you're being for the same reason, i haven't used overriding since the game made me for a quest early on my advantage is in staying far away and hidden and able to disengage at will getting in close is always such a bad idea

Zerovirus: on the other hand, i'm pretty sure eventually you can override t-rexes and just watch kaijus fight

Benedict: oh yeah the cauldrons the first time i encountered one of those was incredible like, okay, here's a post-apocalyptic wilderness, but OH GOD TETRAHEDRON SPACESHIP ZONE

Zerovirus: were they disorienting for you as a player?i kept getting lost watching the lper navigate them they were really damn cool though what a great total environment change

Benedict: no not really so far they're pretty linear anyway they'd be cooler if the reward for completing them wasn't "now you can do that thing you never do to more things"

Zerovirus: just do the one that lets you do that thing to t-rexes it's entirely viable to go for an override playstyle with sufficient bolas and big boss monsters to hax i mean, you have the bolas, right the.. i mean, the ropecaster the thing-what-lets-you-tie-robots-down-and-make-them-easy-killings

Benedict: oh, right i uh haven't used that either like at all, i haven't tried it yet

Zerovirus: dude try out the ropecaster the ropecaster is what makes override viable as a playstyle it's basically 'shoot it three times in any part of its body to totally immobilize it for a few seconds' (bigger ones might need more than three i think)

Benedict: honestly i haven't thought about it much since my other weapons are so cool, but huh i think the reason i didn't try was because it seemed too good to be true "yeah, this thing you just shoot and it stops the enemy"

Zerovirus: no dude the ropecaster is easily the coolest weapon really locking down enemies is super effective well, that and setting up wire traps and just letting your enemies walk right into them that one never gets old either

Benedict: i use the tripcaster... probably not as intended

Zerovirus: ==>?

Benedict: like you're supposed to put it in an enemy's patrol path so they walk into it but the problem with that is they're usually around other enemies and if you go in to capitalize, you'll get ganged up on

Zerovirus: what the lper i watched did was set up like eight traps in a ring around himself and then make lots of sound and just watch the mobs walk into his death circle it was, frankly, really amusing

Benedict: i tried that once- it failed because i tried it on sawtooths, who, uh they jump. over. the wires. and kill you. oh my favorite enemy to fight right now is ravagers they're huge and scary, but it's so easy to kill them one tearblast arrow to the exposed gun pick up gun fucking annihilate everything in sight there's only a few things that really bug me about this game so far one is that the voice actors are way better than the writers, and it feels so weird hearing good voice actors try to breathe life into really fucking tedious dialogue there's been maybe two characters with more than one personality trait

Zerovirus: the plot of this game isn't super deep or anything don't worry about it too much it's very hollywood robot apocalypse scifi

Benedict: yeah, i'm not- i'm here for the cool robot hunting the game does some pretty ham-fisted stuff to explain why the player is the only one who can do a quest 90% of the time it's "this area is taboo, and everyone but you is too superstitious for some reason" also: the inventory screen is bugged out wrt the little exclamation points to indicate you have new shit i can't discern a pattern, they just seem to be placed at random 

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

Benedict: so zero you told me not to worry about the writing, the plot isn't super deep or anything but holy fucking shit almighty horizon zero dawn got so damn cool i think my gripes with the writing early on were a product of how the nora suck they're an offensive native american caricature, a bunch of nature-worshipping tribal dimwits with more superstitions than brain cells as soon as the writers stopped writing the nora, the writing improved immensely and i'm pretty much almost done with the plot at this point i reached zero dawn and went and heard gaia's message in all-mother mountain and holy fuck this plot got so cool i honestly wasn't expecting explanations for stuff the beginning of the game got me thinking they'd be more interested in treating the whole sci-fi backstory as a mythology for the world like yeah cauldrons make machines, they're like, some fuckin factory whatsit the Mysterious Ancients made instead of what i got, which was several extended sequences of crawling around in ancient ruins and getting a meticulously thought-through backstory through audio logs and stuff my jaw was hanging open for like the whole zero dawn facility section "no, they didn't stop the robot apocalypse halfway- they let it play out until the robots ran out of biomass to eat and reduced the earth to a lifeless hunk of rock, and then deployed a friendly AI to re-seed it with biological life" holy shit incidentally: holy FUCK was the Hades subsystem a phenomenally shitty idea hey gaia try this: if you fuck up, reset things yourself!! you don't need an autonomous ABSOLUTE DEATH GOD that fucking takes over your systems and fights you for control!! it was just such a terrible plan that it breaks my suspension of disbelief a little with all the audio logs in the zero dawn facility with candidates second-guessing and questioning the entire project, no one thought to bring up "hey, maybe the WIPE OUT ALL LIFE AGAIN adversarial subsystem we're building carries a few inherent risks" the conflict here kinda seems like a diabolus ex machina, honestly they could have easily just had Hades be an accidentally reactivated Horus unit- the Faro robots kind of already have a wipe-out-all-life directive that would make perfect sense technobabble your way into saying the Faro plague hacked Gaia somehow, and boom but fucking Hades the whole conflict driving the plot is the equivalent of the supervillain who builds a big red self-destruct button on his machine that aside, this game's plot has turned out to be really fucking cool i came close to tears a few times in the zero dawn facility humanity's best and brightest having various visceral reactions to the shock and despair of the project's nature god damn was that one of the coolest reveals i've ever had in a video game i'm really pleasantly surprised by how much detail it gave me- it really made "find out what the fuck is the deal" the player's central motivation i think the nora shit in the beginning got me expecting that their worldview would be more or less validated by the narrative but now i come back to the starting area to save all their asses, and it becomes abundantly clear that these people are small and backwards and the world is so much bigger than them likewise the moment where fuckin whatshisname dadmurderer captures you and puts you in the sun-ring right on the heels of all the huge plot reveals he's standing there monologuing about prophecy and the sun and how important he is and following what i'd just gone through, it was so, so pathetic to watch this half-naked thug go on and on about how this, this moment of knocking me out and capturing me for some gladiatorial shit, was the most important moment in the world and i'm just sitting there shaking my head at him like, dude, you ain't shit. you ain't even in the vicinity of shit.oh, you've got a corrupted behemoth for me to fight, totally unarmed? don't make me fucking laugh, i eat that shit for breakfast (sorta took the wind out of sylens' rescue at the end when whathisface sicced two corruptors on me) (like dude i had this. two corruptors is god damn child's play.) i'm so fucking overpowered right now, i've completed every single sidequest save the armor one, where i still need the core from the last area oh, corrupted thunderjaw pinning down the entire nora tribe? Y-fucking-AWN ice bombs plus actual bombs, dead in two minutes not that the combat has become boring- attacks still hurt, i have to dodge and get the fuck out of the way and heal off hits that take off more than half my bar, it's really tense- but i can always heal, can always dodge, there's a great rhythm to attacking and dodging and attacking and dodging

[chucksandjeans]

2018 in Review and Goals for 2019

It’s 8 days into the New Year and I finally set aside some time to reflect on the past year and also set goals for the upcoming 12 months. Disappointingly, I did do this retrospective in 2018, so I am unable to measure whether or not I did well. Broadly speaking, 2018 was a very busy year, but I remember a few years ago, I told myself “no excuses”. With that philosophy, shame on me for not prioritizing an hour or so to think about my own life.

 I read a blog this morning written by an individual who broke down his goals into the following pieces: Career, Personal and Hobbies, Home, Relationship, Friends & Community. I adapted this framework and modified the categories to fit my life. Let’s see how this works out:

 2018 at a glance

The first part of 2018 - before the wedding - was a blur. It was a whirlwind of moving into the house, launching Butter and setting up operations, going to Taiwan, Texas and North Carolina, attending several weddings, and getting things ready for our own wedding. These months were reactive, less-planned, and auto-piloted.

 The latter half of the year - post wedding - was also back-to-back with the mini-moon, Hong Kong and Singapore, post-wedding cleanup, getting the house into shape and then the holidays. Overall, I’d give myself a B+ for 2018. I am proud of myself and my wife for getting through these 12 months in one piece given the heightened intensity and complexity.

 And now, a bit more detail into each aspect:

Relationship

I married the love of my life. This woman complements my strengths and weaknesses and gives me a reason to wake up every morning. There have been times where I chose to be selfish and impatient and I will work on these shortcomings this year.

 As a couple, we went through big life moments, like the wedding, buying a home, getting into a car accident, and melting into one blob unit. It’s an exciting time in my life as I grow into the role of husband.

Family

The past year was characterized by events, parties, plans, schedules, money, accidents, and everything in between. Albeit more happy than sad events, everyone was stressed. It was a testament to what a family is, and finding the definition that works for us. I am happy that I was able to visit Hong Kong in 2018 and see family who I have not seen in a decade. It’s been too long and it was my fault that I prioritized traveling and new experiences over going home in the last 10 years.

Friends

The events of 2018 brought my social circle. From traveling to Taiwan with the boys to bachelor parties to weddings galore, I think this is one aspect of 2018 that I was able to excel in.

Career

I grew a lot professionally and personally. The lines have blurred between work and life as colleagues became friends and vice versa. The skills that I learned in 2018 have been invaluable to my growth, and I am happy to say that I have rounded out my skill set to include product, development and general management in addition to my quantitative background.Some highlights from the year include building and leading a high-performing team to launch a new product in the digital space, presenting in front of 700+ people at TechTO, seeing our product featured on Product Hunt, closing deals with big-name partners, learning basic web development, and winning an award recognizing me as an emerging leader. It’s amazing that it’s still possible to learn something new after a decade being out of school. I use to think that learning meant keeping up with the latest trends in a particular industry and reading the current state of X standards. In reality, it can be so much more than that.

Personal

My early 30s is another chance to redefine my life and character. It happens every 10 years or so, in my mind: at age 0, age 10, age 20, and now, age 30-ish. Life changes quickly but the most pivotal moments occur at the decade marks where I change along with everyone and everything around me. I don’t want to watch life go by and have it spin out of control. I want to take the reins and define for myself who I want to be.

 2018 was so busy that I didn’t sit down and think about life. From a broad-level identity perspective, I can do better. I did do well from a life-skills perspective though. In early 2018, I was uncomfortable drilling holes at home and freaked out over what are now seemingly small tasks. Now I am able to use my toolkit to diagnose, install and fix basic elements around the house. Handyman, not yet, but not an idiot either.

Travel

I flew a lot in 2018: Taiwan for Duncan’s bachelor party, Texas for my bachelor party, Raleigh for work, Mexico for our mini-moon, and Florida for the holidays. To be honest, I lost direction in traveling once I hit my “50 countries before 30 years old” milestone goal. That North Star was what drove me to be creative, bold and adventurous to seek out new places and commit to culture shock. Now, I have no goal and feel directionless, which may or may not be a good thing. On one side, it allows me to seeing things I really want to see, regardless of whether I’ve been to the place before. On the other hand, I don’t have a fire under my butt. Whatever the goal happens to be, I will set one.

Health

I can’t say that it’s been a great year for my mind and body. Stressing out over the many events of 2018, making excuses for not running, spending only 45 minutes at the gym vs. 60 in the past, and indulging in fatty foods more often, this year was bit out of the ordinary. But staying too long in out of the ordinary becomes ordinary, so the fix has to be made immediately. I did switch to meal prepping with the help of my wife which has been great, so kudos to her for that.

Finance

We did well given the wedding and house. Buying the home, procuring the first bit of furniture and supplies, paying vendors, trips here and there, unexpected expenses and daily living costs – these all made it exceptionally hard to balance the books. Cash was tight and we lived through one of the most financially difficult years of our lives to date. It did force us to be on top of our finances though which has given us a great set of skills and dialogue for what life has in store for us.

2019 and Stretch Goals

Relationship

I will continue to support my wife in her endeavors, and challenge her to be better every day. I will be a role model, make healthy and well-balanced choices that help us succeed as a couple, and be less critical. In tough situations, I will control my emotions and focus on the bigger picture, which means taking a step back more often. I will recognize events in our lives and celebrate those because life is too short to have no special moments!

Stretch: I will create and capture more memories outside of Instagram, through writing, photos or videos.

Family

Goal: I will work on being more present in the family and fostering a harmonious balance where possible. Striking a medium is important and I will take initiative on being the family man that I strive to be, which includes my immediate family, my parents, my in-laws and my extended family overseas.

Stretch: talk to at least 1 overseas family member once a month

Friends

Preamble: as the years go by, I am more appreciative of friends who stay in touch. Life gets busy and all around me, people are getting married, buying homes, having kids and moving up in their careers. All these things require constant re-prioritization of time and focus.

I will build on strong social bonds by reaching out, staying in touch, physically going to see friends, and recognizing special moments. This will be a challenge without the aid of weddings and bachelor parties but I am confident. At a more granular level, I will proactively reach out to friends on a more consistent basis either weekly or monthly, seek out those who I have not connected with in a while, and hang out with at least 1 friend once a month.

Stretch: hang out with 2 friends once a month

Career

I will think about my career more critically and plan out my path. Although it’s not possible to predict the future, it’s definitely possible to set goals and have criteria. The opportunity cost of making the wrong career choice is too big now, especially in my early 30s. It will be a blink of an eye before I am in my mid-30s, so from here to there…these need to be fruitful years. The role that I am in must provide me with new skills development, learning and intellectual stimulation, a strong team and network, upward mobility, reasonable compensation and good people. I will not settle for anything less. I will not let 2019 be a year that sails by as I sit idly staring off into the distance – 2019 will be a defining year.

Stretch: meet at least 2 new people every month who can help me in my career or gives me new ideas and add an international aspect to my experiences

Personal

Preamble: identities cannot be created or concluded definitively. It takes time. In my 20s, I don’t think I had a plan but I felt confident in my direction. I have to find that in my 30s.

I want to ignite that flame and give myself opportunities to find enlightenment, for lack of better word. What this practically means: I know who I am, I know what I am doing, and this is where my ship is headed. I will put time into soul searching, mind-exploration exercises, and philosophical debates to have a clearer answer by the end of 2019. I will also learn how to do more things around the house, like gardening (maybe) and doing basic electric (and plumbing?) work. I will read expand and relax my mind, which can span from reading to watching TV to playing video games. I’m not going to rub off video games and TV. I will do these things in moderation and be cognizant that it’s for relaxing the mind. I will write things down in my journal 1x a month and read 3 books this year. And lastly, I will be more organized. I will ask myself “does this make me happy” before buying things.

Stretch: write in journal at least 2x a month and read 6 books this year.

Travel

Preamble: April is the first trip of the year: Chile. It’s been 5+ years since I’ve been back to South America and I’ve always wanted to go to Patagonia so this trip checks multiple boxes. Additionally, the Andean air may give me that jolt and inspiration to LOVE travel again. I still love travel but I want to find that flame…to hit 50 countries…but now a new goal. Is it to try all the cultural flavours of the world? Is it to climb the peaks of the world? Whatever it is, I hope Chile will spark and awaken. Later in the year, the plan is to go to a wedding in Italy and then jet off somewhere nearby afterwards. I have yet to figure that one out. Lastly, there’s a brimming desire to add more of an international flavour to my career. I wonder what life has in store.

Find a new goal that revolves around travel and cultural exploration. I want to love travel immensely again.

Stretch: Eat a weird animal.

Health

Preamble: I am a proponent of making small decisions that eventually lead to bigger ones, which become habits and those then define lifestyle and character. In 2018, I did not make the best decisions and 2019 will mark my climb back to the top. I saw a picture of myself from 5 years ago and I looked great. Age is obviously a contributor to looking different but that’s no excuse to not live a healthy lifestyle.

I will continue to meal prep, choose more vegetables and fish over red meats, push back to 60 minute of gym, and drink more water. And yes, drink at least 2L of water daily. I will hit 158lbs by end of the summer and run an organized 5km run.

Stretch: drink 3L of water daily, 160lbs by end of summer and run an organized 7km run or two 5km runs.

Finance

I will go back to the way I use to plan finances, and have a more holistic and long-term view on how to grow the family net worth. This will mean a dedicated savings plan, an investment portfolio, perhaps a way to make money on the side, and a way to control costs such that we have enough to live and enjoy.

This post took over 3 hours from ideation to planning to writing. It was mentally exhausting but I managed to get it all down. I feel good. And now, time for execution. Let’s go!