How to Increase Your Focus at Work

Improve Your Focus at Work

If you find it difficult at times to sit down at your desk and really focus on something, you’re not alone. A 2015 Microsoft study states that the average human attention span has shrunk to eight seconds and it is expected to continue to shrink.

So how can you improve your focus at work and do what needs to get done? Whether you are calling sales leads or grading papers, you have to be able to focus.

Stephanie Vozza writes in 8 Ways to Improve Your Focus that one of the first things people need to realize is that focus is an acquired skill. To say that some people are able to focus and others are not is false. Vozza compares focus to a muscle that needs to be trained.

Too many people labor under the idea that they’re just not focused, and this becomes a self- fulfilling prophesy. Once you drop this mistaken belief, you can take a much more realistic approach to building focus.

Vozza has eight tips for building your focus, ranging from taking short breaks to grabbing some coffee. While the tips are simple, it can be difficult to implement the changes. One thing Vozza advocates is unplugging for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, people who are constantly checking their email or text messages may find this excruciating but it is definitely worth the effort.

While it may seem obvious, in order to stay focused people must identify what they should be focusing on. In other words, if you know what you need to be doing you will be less likely to be distracted by things that aren’t important.

No matter how quickly things are moving or how much information you have at your fingertips, you won’t accomplish much if you are unable to put your head down and get work done. Now that’s something you really need to focus on!

How to Make Your Next Email Marketing Campaign Your Best

When it comes to marketing methods, email remains one of the most popular ways to communicate with current and prospective customers.

One reason that email marketing is so popular with marketers is because it works. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing yields an average 4,300% return on investment for U.S. businesses.

There is simply no better way to provide current customers or prospects relevant content than email. No matter what your objective – promotional, educational, or simply to introduce yourself – nothing works better.

So now that we know email isn’t going anywhere, here are some ways to make sure your next email marketing campaign is your best:

  1. Make sure you have the right audience by obtaining a premier business email database for sales leads. A high accuracy rate for email mailing lists is essential or your efforts are wasted.
  2. Optimize it for mobile. More than 60 percent of decision makers read emails via their mobile device and studies show that emails that are not easy to use on mobile devices will be deleted. And there are no second chances. Once a reader determines your brand’s emails don’t offer a pleasant experience they are extremely unlikely to open subsequent ones.
  3. Content should specifically mention the person who is reading the email. By using their name and other specifics, such as their location or company, an email will seem more personal.
  4. If you are sending promotional materials, don’t use the same promotions you use on social media. If you offer 20 percent off an item through your Facebook site, try free shipping through email or vice versa.
  5. Keep in mind that usability studies show that most people won’t look beyond the first screen of an email so try to keep content short enough to be contained on the first screen. When you do need to send a longer email, use a hyperlinked table of contents at the beginning of the email so people can quickly and easily access the information that interests them.
  6. Measure the results of every email campaign. This will allow you to find out what worked, what didn’t work, and how your next campaign can be even more successful.

The key to successful email marketing is to make sure every one of your email campaigns is better than the last. By using the steps above you can make sure that this is always the case!

 

Quality Content is More Important than Ever

Producing quality content is becoming more and more important for companies looking to market their products and services and generate sales leads. Unfortunately, producing such content is proving increasingly difficult as the marketplace becomes more crowded and the competition gets tougher.

So how can you make sure that your content stands out from the crowd? What follows are some helpful tips and small changes you can make to ensure that your content doesn’t get overlooked.

1. Make sure that all images attached to your content are relevant. While experts have told us for years that images make a huge difference in attracting readers, slapping up just any picture won’t reflect well on your copy. Also, make sure that all photos are formatted and optimized to avoid slowing load times.

2. Make your posts as reader-friendly as possible by including bullets and lists. More than the look of your content, however, it’s important that your content uses clear, simple language. Unless a sentence adds real value to your post – get rid of it!

3. Include influencers. Readers respond to industry leaders. Quotes from authorities on a subject matter always add credibility to posts.

4. Tell secrets. Let’s face it, readers want to learn something they won’t hear anywhere else. Make sure when readers finish reading one of your posts, they learn something new – an insider tip. This type of information is what will keep them coming back for more.

5. Don’t always play it safe. Got a controversial point of view on a particular topic? Don’t avoid it, embrace it. Even if readers disagree with what you have to say, they will respect you for having the guts to say it.

6. Get emotional. There may be no crying in baseball, but when it comes to writing content it’s OK to get a little emotional once in a while. When readers feel that they can relate to your struggles and even failures, you will gain their trust. Open yourself up a little and you will be surprised at what happens next.

Many businesses believe that getting their content noticed involves making huge, sweeping changes to their posts. The fact is, sometimes just a small amount of tweaking can make a big difference. After all, when it comes to content, the way you are saying things can be just as important as what you are saying.

How to Plan for the Unexpected

When running your own business, it’s essential that you have a business plan in place. The trouble is, no matter how well thought out that plan is, challenges will arise that disrupt it.

The most successful business owners not only have a business plan, they know what to do when life, or business, throws that plan out of whack. And as any seasoned business owner will tell you, it isn’t a matter of if obstacles arise, it’s a matter of when, and how many, obstacles arise!

So as a business owner, what do you do when the inevitable crisis occurs? The following guest post gives you some good insight into how to cope with an unexpected bump in the road.

How to Write Content that Connects with Readers

Getting your content noticed is tough. This is true even if you have stayed on top of the recent changes to Google’s algorithm and have put into practice the best in search engine optimization.

The fact is, however, even if you are able to drive people to your website or blog, it doesn’t mean they are going to read what you have written, much less share it. If you are scratching your head wondering why your content doesn’t seem to connect with your target audience, you are not alone. The good news is, there are some common issues that might be to blame for your lack of engagement and most of those issues are fairly easy to correct.

  1. Your headlines aren’t unique. Let’s face it, there is a lot of content out there. That’s why it’s so important that your headlines catch the attention of readers.
  2. Your content is too “informative.” Make sure your content solves a problem or answers a question. Your content must do more than just inform people about an issue because your audience knows what their problem is, what they want to know is how to solve it!
  3. You are unable to get to the point. The attention span of internet users is becoming shorter and shorter and most people scan rather than read articles. Make sure you get to the point quickly or readers will pass you over. You can add more details further down in the story but it’s important you don’t “save the best for last” because you may have lost your readers by then.
  4. Your copy is difficult to read. Remember that short paragraphs, subheads, and bullet points work best.
  5. You haven’t harnessed the power of numbers. Studies show that people are more likely to read posts, articles, blogs, and other content that include numbered lists. And numbered lists are more likely to be shared.
  6. You don’t know your parts of speech. Social media scientists say that headlines that include more verbs and less nouns are more likely to be clicked on.
  7. You don’t write like you talk. Providing good advice in a conversational voice is what makes people view you as an authority on a subject, not using big words.
  8. You’re afraid to be funny. You don’t have to crack jokes in every post or article but it’s a refreshing change of pace when you can insert a little humor into your writing. It also makes you seem more personable.
  9. You are writing about a boring topic. Let’s face it, some topics are easier to write about than others but by getting into the mind of your intended audience it will be easier to make a topic more interesting. After all, you are writing for your reader, not for yourself!
  10. You avoid relationships. Good content will leave people coming back for more. Encourage repeat traffic by asking people to submit comments and questions.