Saturday, January 21, 2012

Business Branding.


So You’re Thinking of Starting a Business 
Let me get this straight. I’m not going to discourage you in the least. I strongly believe that new small businesses are what are going to save our economy. What I am going to do is encourage you to slow down, think it through, and make some wise decisions. Most small business failures occur before they even open the doors. Poor planning, or worse, no planning can cause a premature demise of your new baby. Here are some key points:
Start with a business plan. Utilize the SBA, SCORE or your local not for profit small business development center and pick their brains. They can be a wealth of information and usually it’s free. Here locally in Johnson County we have the Kansas Small Business Development Center. The service is free. Let them help you develop a sound business plan.
Make sure you’re plan includes branding. You need to think of branding right up front. How do you want the public, you’re potential customers, to see you. As a small business owner you are your brand. You are whom the customer will rely on for a good experience with your company. Branding is not just a well-designed logo, signs, or stationery. It’s how you perform customer service, how you train your staff, even how clean you keep the place. Think McDonald’s. They have branding down pat. When you put branding at the top of the list and make it a priority you also need to figure it in to the budget. Your brand must be in place before you even open the doors. Without it you will have no direction on how you plan on marketing your new enterprise.
Have a marketing plan. A marketing plan will be well thought out. You will know who your target market is, who your customer is. By knowing the nuts and bolts of whom you want as a customer you will then begin to know how to get you message to them. Do they read newspapers, watch TV, or sit in front of a computer a lot? Do they like informational advertising or humorous? These and many questions must be answered before you buy your first ad or place a commercial on TV. Long before you open your doors this homework must be well on its way to completion and the HOW of you marketing must be in place.
Make sure you are funded. Every new businessman thinks he can start a business on a shoestring. Truth is you don’t need millions but having enough money to keep the doors open until your profitable is a goal you should shoot for. Will it take 6 months, 12 months, or 2 years to become profitable? If so you will need operating expenses to get you through. Otherwise you may be tempted to not spend money on your brand and marketing. Without these you won’t last long.
Remember this one thing: Branding and Marketing aren’t expenses but investments. By investing in them you ensure your success over the long haul.

Michael Irvin.

Call of the Outback.

Found on the Internet.

THE CALL OF THE OUTBACK

I wonder what it really is that draws me back each day,
is it the outback calling, urging me to head this way?
What looks like miles of nothingness may greet the untrained eye,
but somehow gets into your blood; it’s hard to reason why.
I leave it for a while at times, but never for too long,
for loneliness soon touches me, despite the city throng.
The bush has compensations bringing peacefulness of mind;
the country folk you meet there; fellow nomads of my kind.
And I can see such beauty where some others may see none,
and love the sound of silence, like old timers must have done.
So when I take a trip away, I know it’s not for long,
I’m fed up very quickly with the nightlife drink and song.

I live the life I want to live, not ruled by clock or phone,
the sun’s my only timepiece and the choice is mine alone.
There’s time to listen to the birds and view the scene at hand,
to pause and breathe the fresh air as it drifts across the land.
I pick a place to camp and stay a month or just a day,
depends on how I’m feeling, but I do it my own way.
I’ve tried to fit into the life that most Australians live,
down in the noisy cities; gave the best that I could give.
But soon was suffocating in a sea of stressed mankind,
trapped in a concrete forest where my life was too confined.
There’s hustle and there’s rushing with the constant tramp of feet,
and I was out there with them as they pound a city street.

My heart was never in it and my mind was miles away,
I missed the open spaces; grew more restless by the day.
I knew I had to leave that life, it wasn’t meant for me,
and urgings grew much stronger as the time approached to flee.
The wilderness was calling, quietly whispering to me,
and nights were full of distant dreams, of where I ought to be.

I felt a sense of freedom as I left that life behind,
my spirits were soon soaring; I again had peace of mind.
I took up where I left off in the gold fields of the west,
prospecting for a living; It’s the life that I love best.
You see the changing country as you’re always on the move,
you choose a road to follow, and there’s nothing more to prove.

I still go to the city for a visit once a year,
and I can see the reason why my heart belongs out here.
And people from the city feel the same about their town,
they hate the isolation of the outback dry and brown.
With numbers slowly dwindling, the future looks quite bleak,
my way of life is fading, disappearing as I speak.

© T.E. Piggott 2/11/2010.

***




“ Bloody beaut aint it.”

Rimeriter.


Saturday, January 14, 2012

Sense in Selling.


G'day, perhaps writers will find this interesting.
During my working life I was involved with industrial sales. Humour proved to be beneficial.
Therefore, to attract interest to our written words by using 'happiness' makes much sense.
Read anothers thoughts -

The Power of Humor in Blog Writing
Chief Editor
Butler, New Jersey
There are many different ways to separate yourself from the crowd when it comes to blog writing. One of the most effective ways is through humor. People love humor and generally react to it with interest.
Making use of humor in blog writing is in no way about selling directly. However, it is all about being engaged with your readers, enhancing your brand, and managing what you do in the most effective way possible. When you use humor in your blog writing, you don’t need to hit your readers over the head with it. You can be subtle as long as your content is interesting and attracts your readers. You can use any type of humor you like, provided that you confine it to your particular niche or industry.
The attraction of humor in writing
Humor is an excellent way to break up content that might otherwise be extremely dry. What tends to happen to writers who are tackling serious subjects is that they feel that they need to take themselves so seriously that they forget to make their writing interesting. That concept might be totally fine for the person doing the writing; however, it is not so fine for the person doing the reading. A good way to lighten up your writing approach is to smile as you are writing. Your writing will stand out if you use humor to captivate. An effective approach to your writing is not just to write about what you know well but strive to write about what you want to know better. That will make your writing a pleasure to read for others.
As you are writing, it is very important to try to put yourself in the shoes of the reader. You will want to give your readers the opportunity to get to know you on a human level. The more you allow them to know you, the more they will want to know you. One disadvantage that people who share online relationships have is that they generally can’t see or hear each other. Of course, it is very hard to understand emotions at times through written content.
Making your blog writing humorous
If you inject humor into your writing, you will most likely be attracting many more people than if you have not humor in your writing. There are many reasons to use humor, which will have very positive results.
Making your readers happy: Life is difficult enough for most people. The last thing that anyone wants is to read content that does not allow them any break from their everyday issues. Humor in your writing will provide them with that break and make them feel entertained.
Using humor to teach: One of the main goals of your blog writing is to provide material that is educational for others. There is a great likelihood that whichever points you want to get across and cause to stick, your readers will remember if you use humor.
Avoiding dryness: If you use humor in writing, there is no chance that your content will be boring to others.
Standing out in the crowd: Your readers will remember you and identify with you if you use humor in your writing.
Connecting on a human level: Humor allows your readers to identify with you on a human level. There are some experiences and feelings that all humans have in common.
Humor sells: There is nothing more attractive to readers than reading something that makes them smile and feel good. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Conclusion
Humor in blog writing is an excellent approach if you want to be remembered for what you think and say and if you want to foster relationships with your online connections that will last indefinitely. Human beings share all kinds of basic qualities and senses of humor are definitely at the top of the list. So, start writing in a creative, funny, and compelling way and you will draw people to your blog like bees to honey.

**
These are two from my personal archive -

'the night was dark and stormy
the billy goat was blind
he backed into a barbed wire fence
and hurt his
never mind'.
**


Blinky Bill


once said –




“I’m almost good, nearly everyday”.

**

You also must ENJOY your writings,
Jim.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Sucking the Seed.




Naracoorte Nonsense.

Two tiny steam engines following along
both of them singing their sweet little song,
sucking up dust, spreading to air,
the farmer must feel downhearted despair.

But no !
He is just - clover seed harvesting.
Collecting seeds, expelling some dust,
think him a little deranged if you must.

Five bags to the acre, not measured in tonnes,
compared to other grains, then it’s bag up or bust.

Sixteen harvesters working all day
filling one silo wont bring in much pay.

©. Rimeriter  5/1/12.

Timothy Marshall – ABC Rural, published an item titled  -  Sucking the Seed.

On a quick glimpse as you speed pass the paddock it looks like someone is trailing home made steam engines behind a tractor. If you slow down to take a closer look, the sound makes it appear that someone is vacuuming dust from the paddock and then shooting it high into the air.
Though bewildering this thought might be, it isn't that far from the truth.
Welcome to the world of clover seed harvesting, where a good day's work is measured in bags not tonnes to the acre.


Monday, January 02, 2012

Humble Habitat.




Prologue -                    Gum Tree Reserve, Guildford NSW.

An environmental activist, known hereabouts as
Banjo Hayes,
were it not for his intervention
this habitat,
would now be lost
in haze.

Humble Habitat.

This symbol in a  city, a little west of Sydney Town,
in Guildford a small suburb, deserving just renown.


Gum Tree Reserve is extant.               A piece of Heritage.
This piece of nature’s wonders must be written on a page,
of histories that have lasted long, through trouble and through strife.

A piece of nature’s wonders that have been granted longer life.

Turpentines stand stoutly.                              So does some Ironbark.
It’s trees now number forty, they have made their modern mark
for they are remnant regrowth, from a time when world was new.

They must - yes MUST - be protected, for you- and you- and you.            

Come, see the natural grasses, climbers, herbs and shrubs as well.
A reserve for native creatures, where they can come to dwell.
This wellspring of hope eternal to be nurtured  -  kept alive.
To give some hope for human nature - becoming humble, to survive.

(c). Rimeriter.
19/3/05.
item no.13