Business Credibility: A Magic Trick
Building credibility is at the heart of earning respect and trust. When a magic trick is performed, it’s hard to dispute what was just seen, regardless of your jaded beliefs. However, it can be difficult to put your trust in the magician, because seeing these brand new illusions, make us doubt the magician’s honesty, not our own eyes. The magician needs to gain the audience’s trust by building a strong, positive reputation, gradually working his way across venues, and slowly trying more and more unbelievable tricks. This same method can easily transfer from the world of magic, to the business world.
Can social networking help my small business?
When people work with or buy from a company, they want to know that the company is reliable, trustworthy, and can provide the desired items or services. However, what initially brings customers to your business, and keeps them coming back, is having a clear, likeable personality. However, it can be hard for your company to show its personality and connect with people. You get caught up in your products or services and forget that at the end of the day, people buy from those they like. Social networking and the Internet are cost effective and efficient ways to build contacts and stay in touch with customers and prospective customers. Building and maintaining relationships is the key in any business, and social networking provides an ideal start.
Social networking websites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, allow your style and personality to emerge in a unique way. Unlike constantly selling and pushing your agenda, social networking allows you to share information about yourself and your company with people who want to find out more about you, such as other companies in your industry or prospective customers. This changes the dynamic because you are now attracting people by sharing useful information, who can then provide you with new insights or tips. This fosters a strong relationship with possible business contacts or potential customers, and allows you to build upon that relationship by continuing to use social networking platforms.
A short while ago, people might have thought it strange or pathetic if you randomly decided to write letters or e-mails to old acquaintances from high school, asking to be friends again. However, social networking has made this practice not only acceptable but also embraced. Social networking allows you to connect with people you see daily, friends you haven’t seen in years, people you’ve never met in person, but could be potential business associates or customers, and everyone in between.
Taking advantage of social networking provides a completely new platform to talk with your prospects in an informal way, which encourages building a rapport. Using social networking allows you to make formal contacts while maintaining a relatively informal demeanor, which leads to more natural, honest conversation. This honest communication gives you the feedback, information, tips, and contacts necessary to further your business aspirations. Social networking may be a bit time consuming, but if you structure your efforts, focus your plan, use it effectively, and give the process enough time to grow, you will see results. While you grow those connections, you are also actively creating a personality for your business, projecting a positive image and providing helpful information that is beneficial to your customers. In the end, you are using social media as a tool to grow your network, generate business relationships and expose your message to an infinite number of prospective clients. With social networking, you get all this while simply interacting with other people and having fun…not a bad approach.
Read More »Keep Customers Coming Back, Again and Again
Ensuring customers keep coming back is not always simple, but can happen more easily by inspiring consumer confidence. Many people have seen a business owner on television describing how, “Times are tough and the future is uncertain.” The thought behind this type of advertisement is that the public will take pity and try to support the company with business. The truth is that the strapped public will not spend money if the owner or CEO doesn’t believe the company is sound. People don’t want to give money to a sinking ship, when it seems like the business will soon be gone, with or without their assistance. You can stay ahead of the game by creating a newsworthy story of how your products or services are transcending economic challenges, without falling into the “pity me” pitfall.
Read More »Entrepreneur SOS: Help Yourself Get the Assistance You Need
Some people hate asking for help, others know when they need it, but might not know what kind of assistance they need, or which direction to go in. There are also the people who think they know exactly what they need, but end up being mistaken. Often, people get focused on the tools they should use, instead of the ultimate goal they are trying to achieve. For almost any problem, there is more than one solution, so there’s no need to worry about finding the right answer. The key is to find the solution that fits your business and your goals, even if it’s not the conventional direction to choose.
Read More »Turning Prospects into Customers: Tell Them a Story
While connecting with your prospects is a jumping off point for launching a business, if you want your business to reach its potential, you need to turn those prospects into customers. A lot of people may know of you, but if no one is buying your products, that knowledge is not enough. Prospective customers need to not only know your name and business, but what you do, and more specifically, what you can offer them.
You most likely drive past many different stores or businesses everyday, with their huge signs in front of their buildings. You could see them everyday, and not really know what they do. Many people can know your business exists and have no real idea of the impact it makes, because they know your business, but don’t understand it.
Read More »Imagelight Announces New Government Contractor Focus
Imagelight, a Washington D.C. based public relations firm, focus its successful marketing approaches to assist government contracting companies.
Washington, DC.- June 8, 2010- The Washington, D.C. based, public relations firm, Imagelight, announces its new focus on helping government contractors. This new focus is specifically geared toward companies working in IT, logistics, transportation, aerospace, and technology. Imagelight hopes to help successful, well-established, government contractors in those fields perform better, by providing marketing, public relations, production, branding and dynamic technology marketing services.
This new government contractor focus builds on the experience Imagelight has gained from their full service approach to marketing. Imagelight has worked with Department of Defense Contractors, First Lady Michelle Obama, IT solutions companies, a NASA astronaut, and have consulted with Lockheed Martin. As a result of their strong approach to marketing and continuous commitment to clients, they have booked clients on The CBS Evening News, FOX News, Smart Money Magazine, and other media outlets.
Read More »The Game of Perception in Sales
So many of us are plagued with the questions, “How can I make the sales process quicker?” or “How can I improve cash flow? The answer is right in front of all of us. It’s the same answer to the questions; why do we lose business to a competitor that is less capable? And, how can a celebrity make $200,000 for a 20-minute nightclub appearance? The answer is perceived value.
Somehow, someway the value of a product, a service or an individual has been increased. The amazing thing is that often quality has nothing to do with it! Again, it’s a perception. I’m sure you’ve seen another business in your line of work get business that you feel they don’t deserve. Maybe you do the exact same thing, or you could be 10 times better but they got the business instead. Maybe your customer doesn’t know you’re available as an option. But, somehow their perceived value was successful to that customer.
Read More »Ryan Prucker discusses the BP Oil Crisis on The Fox News Channel
Washington, DC- Ryan Prucker, Image Specialist and president of Imagelight appeared on FOX News Channel’s America’s News Headquarters to discuss the BP Oil Crisis and the PR implications.
The segment was originally slated to discuss the perception that President Obama could have done more both initially and with the on-going crisis according to a recent survey. On the day of the appearance, breaking news emerged that BP CEO Tony Hayward had been at a Yacht outing in Europe. Prucker was then asked to comment on the perception and image of both gentlemen.
In the interview, as it relates to Tony Hayward Prucker commented “Of course he’s going to continue on with his life, but you don’t have to do it so publicly because it’s just looks arrogant. And when you do it knowing your under the microscope and everyone’s watching you either don’t get it, or you just don’t care and neither bods well for BP.”
In regards to the President and his administrations perceived response, Prucker added; “You have to at least act like you care and that you get it or nothing you do behind the scenes will matter. That was the problem for the president-It’s all about the first impression, which was “President Obama doesn’t seem that interested in this and he is slow to respond. From that point he fights that perception no matter what happens.”
The national media relies on Ryan Prucker and Imagelight for insight and commentary on breaking news stories and major news events in the field of image, public relations, marketing and more. From presidential candidates and Major League Baseball scandals to Pepsi and Super Bowl commercials Imagelight has been a leading voice in the industry.
About Imagelight:
Imagelight is a full service marketing and public relations firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York. Imagelight serves clients across the country with their unique brand of imaging, creative concepts, design, public relations and television production in every major industry. Imagelight’s President Ryan Prucker is a frequent national media contributor providing insight and commentary on major news stories and breaking news in the field of image, public relations, marketing and more.
####
See Video Below
