Author: Amber Bradley

Gratitude, it’s not just for Thanksgiving…

Several years ago we were sitting down to a family dinner and my kids were complaining about some thing or another and my husband was not happy because he didn’t have a good day at work. No one had anything good to say. And we were not having a very enjoyable meal with all that negativity floating around. Somehow we came up with the idea that every night each person at the dinner table had to share one thing they were grateful for that had happened that day. This is now a family tradition that we do during every dinner at home. It makes me feel good after working hard preparing a great meal to hear positive things from my family members about what happened during their day.

I didn’t think more of this tradition than that it was a nice little thing we did at dinner each night instead of just at Thanksgiving. Then my son came home from college one weekend with a friend for dinner. As we were getting ready to eat, I explained to his friend about the “gratitude” tradition at dinner. I was half expecting my son to be mortified or hope that we would not do this while he had a guest over for dinner. However, I was extremely surprised, when his friend said, “Oh yes, I know all about that, he told me already.”   WOW! My college son thought our family tradition was a “cool” thing and actually looked forward to sharing our simple gestures of gratitude with his friend. I was impressed.

Our family continues to share our “gratitude” during dinner, and we encourage our friends and family to join in when they are at our table. Never has anyone declined and everyone seems very happy to share a “gratitude” of their day with us.

It feels good to be grateful, we should not just save it up for Sunday mornings or the holidays. We should be grateful each and every day.

Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and are thankful for   the troubles we do not have.

I have listed a few simple ways you can express your gratitude and happiness:

  1. Compliment someone each day- this has truly amazing powers. Just try it and see.
  2. Keep a “gratitude” journal- this can be in a note book or on online. Yes, there’s an app for this!
  3. Be genuine- people can spot a fake a million miles away.
  4. Don’t complain- find some positive in any situation.
  5. Volunteer- donate, contribute to your community. You will be amazed how when you give, you receive so much more.
  6. Smile and say “thank you.”

Gratitude makes us realize what we have, puts things in perspective, strengthens our relationships, reduces stress and makes us happier. Try expressing “gratitude” for a week.  I bet you will be grateful that you did!

Win the Social Media Popularity Contest

Feel overlooked?  No one is noticing you?  You can remain invisible or step into the spotlight of social media.  Follow these social media tips and be seen.  Online Business Coach, Pooja Lohana, at JeffBullas.com highlights how to reach instant social media popularity.

Step One:  All you need is The Big Four

You don’t need to be on every social media platform.  Stop the hair pulling and the sleepless nights.  The social media platform you plan to focus on has more to do with your business goals than how many “likes” you’ll receive.

Lohana promises you may only need the Big Four:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn

From there, you can decide if there are other social media platforms that will be effective for your target audience like YouTube, or community based social platforms like Tumblr or StumbleUpon.  But don’t stretch yourself too thin, quality is still better than quantity even in social media.

Step Two:  Set YOUR Right Goal

Decide what you want from your social media efforts.  Fame? Fortune? Brand awareness? The number of followers does not matter unless they are engaged.  How do you engage the masses?

It’s easy!  Don’t make people think, demands Damian Farnworth at Copyblogger Media.  It is the law of the web.  He explains your readers should know what you want them to do in four seconds or less.  Four seconds!  Boss ‘em around.  They’ll appreciate you for it.

When posting, focus on benefit vs feature.  Consumers want to know what’s in it for them.  For example, Social Media Examiner posted a tweet, “Take the 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Survey.  Participants Get a Free Copy.”  In just nine days, Social Media Examiner had 2887 participants!  Don’t ask, tell them.

Step Three:  Make it an Unbreakable Habit

Schedule routine posts throughout the week.  Post the weekly discount, Tip Tuesday, or Freaky Friday Give Away.  With the daily/weekly consistency of posts, your invaluable consumers will increase their dependency on YOU!

Yes, it sounds so simple.  But who has an extra hour in a week let alone a day?  How will you know the right time to post?  Is it even the right content to post?

Step Four:  Don’t be a Fool, Re-Tool your Approach

Maximize your social media efforts and utilize the tools already available.  You can outsource the responsibilities for a reasonable fee, or simply DIY.

Tools will:

-oversee several social media accounts at once (Buffer),

-tell you the best time to post (Tweroid),

-help you generate the best and original content (Swayy),

-manage your posting schedule (Oktopost),

-know what they are saying about you (Topsy),

-capture their attention.  Social media is visual media.  Sites like compfight provide captivating images for you to attach to your posts.  Insight an emotional reaction from your viewers, and they will be inspired in action toward your business.

Step Five:  Your number one fan is your only fan!

To reach them all, you need to just reach one.  Be mindful of your audience.  Copywriter and marketer, Henneke Duistermaat, reminds bloggers to write for their number one fan.  She challenges them to provide content for what their number one fan wants.  Accept her challenge and answer the following questions about your number one fan:

  • What are their dreams/struggles?
  • Which difficult decisions do they have to make?
  • Which hot industry topics do they follow?
  • Which mistakes do they make?
  • Which buying decisions do they need to make?
  • Which resources could educate them?
  • What could experts teach them?
  • What questions do they have?

Know your number one fan and give them what they want!  They’ll give you their loyalty in return.

Social Media Examiner reported 66% of marketers saw lead generation benefits and 95% increased business exposure by investing only 6 hours a week in social media.  The results are real!

Top 3 Reasons We’ve Neglected Our Blog

How good is a content marketer without a current blog?
Great question! We’re glad you asked.

The first rule of a phenomenal content marketer is to keep your content fresh and consistent! Well, we have broken the golden rule and if you visit our website (you can subscribe to our blog using the link to the right …hint, hint!) you won’t find any new content, except for this entry which I call Our Confession Blog.

*Disclaimer: none of the following “fabulous reasons” are meant as excuses for neglecting our blog, but we hope the information below will divert your attention away from our neglected, but nonetheless valuable, blog, at least for the time being.

1. We have some awesome clients.
At Calibration we are extremely grateful to be growing at a rapid pace.  In the last few months we’ve added several clients that have keep us super busy researching, developing brand strategy, and implementing innovative Corporate Culture Campaigns®.  We’ve also been managing social presences, websites and blogs. 

Check out some of our clients (and their blogs):

–          International Association of Interviewers

–          Checkview Corporation

–          Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates

–          Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates social presence:

It’s been incredibly satisfying to help our clients create compelling content as together we begin to transform their overall marketing strategy while focusing on providing value to their publics.

2. We’ve made some incredible (and incredibly fun) videos.
We have had an absolute blast working with the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) to create and implement its new FMI X-Change brand.  This new initiative is focused on creating educational content to kick-start its motto of “thinking differently” in the market place.

Here’s an example:
The FMI X-Change Brand featuring i3 International:


FMI Asset Protection Daily Wrap Ups
Calibration was fortunate enough to help Rhett Asher, Vice President of Asset Protection, Data Security & Crisis Management for the FMI, host his Asset Protection conference this year in Jacksonville, FL.  In partnership with the Calibration video production team, we created some pretty entertaining daily wrap-ups.  But the question isn’t are the videos fun and interesting….it’s: Are you gonna ride the bull?

Corporate Culture Campaign® Videos
Not only have we been busy creating super cool marketing videos for our client the International Association of Interviewers (IAI) – check it out below – but we’ve also been knocking out videos focused on behavior modification.  We believe the backbone of a good Corporate Culture Campaign® is its ability to inspire and entertain associates to take action.  If you’d like some examples of these videos, give us a shout!  We’d be happy to share some examples with you.

3. We’ve hired some incredible talent.
The common theme of this blog is absolute gratitude because, besides new clients, Calibration is super grateful for two new additions to our team.

We’ve added a new team member.
Meet Donna Murphy. Donna brings extensive experience in loss prevention, marketing, sales and project management to Calibration.  Read more about Donna’s story here.

Donna joins Calibration as a Senior Brand Manager and is responsible for the daily operations of Calibration as well as implementation of killer marketing solutions for our jazzed clients.  We’re ecstatic to add such a seasoned loss prevention and marketing professional to our team!

We’ve also added to our speakers’ bureau.
Meet Chalmers Brothers.  Chalmers is an accomplished author, executive coach and TEDx speaker.  Chalmers is one of the most talented speakers we’ve ever heard.  He presents new ideas about leadership, self-perception, conversations and how to achieve results.  His message of creating and fostering a culture of commitment is a perfect complement to Calibration’s Corporate Culture Campaign® methodology.

Check him out here:

Ok, bottom line. We’re committing to being the fabulous content marketer you are expecting (and illustrated by the above entry) and will be updating our blog often in the future.  You heard it here first!

Check back often or why not subscribe?
We’ll be surprisingly consistent…that’s our confession!

 

How to Live a Mindful Life

Have you ever seen someone dancing in the airport?

Or maybe they are just grooving ever so slightly with their headphones on?

Maybe they are even mouthing the words to that blaring song so you can only make out the bass?

They are in the moment.  They are taking a relatively ho-hum experience and jazzing it up a bit.

What is that?  How can they be so present?

It’s not surprising that it’s a phenomena that has actually been studied for more than 40 years by Ellen Langer.  Harvard Business Review’s senior editor Alison Beard sat down with Langer to get her take on mindfulness and leadership in the March 2014 issue. 

“What is mindfulness?” might be the first question.  As studied by Langer, “Mindfulness is the process of actively noticing new things.”  Her research reveals that by paying attention to what’s going on around us instead of operating on auto-pilot, we can reduce stress, unlock creativity and boost performance.  Being able to unlock the mystery of mindfulness means we are truly engaged in our present life and not trapped in the regrets of the past or the fear of the future. 

The misconception is this way of life would be draining, but the opposite is true.  What causes us stress is all the mind-space we give to negative evaluations and worry that we’ll find problems and not be able to solve them.  Langer says, “We all seek stability.  We want to hold things still, thinking if we do, we can control them.”

Some may be saying, “Is this yet another fluffy article from Virgillo?”  Maybe so.  But consider this:

We can’t solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions.  We need to stand up against learning something until it is “second nature,” according to Langer.  That’s because once we do that, we stop thinking.  It becomes mindless.  How can we really tackle our organizations’ problems by doing the same thing over and over in a mindless state?

According to research, mindful living begets better performance in our work life.  When we are fully present and tackling the day’s challenges in a mindful way it’s easier to pay attention.  We’re more creative.  We’re opening our minds to more creative solutions because we’ve let go of worry and stress about things that haven’t even occurred yet.  A mindful friend of mind calls that “future-tripping.”

Langer has been studying this for nearly 40 years and no matter what the subject matter she tackles, mindfulness generates a more positive result.  It’s pretty simple really.  Every choice we make, every day; we are making a choice to be mindful or mindless.  We are making a choice to be present or not.

Still don’t believe me?  Consider this: If we researched Fortune’s Top 50 CEOs, our most accomplished artists, musicians, athletes, teachers and mechanics, we’d find many are mindful people, according to Langer.  Coincidence?  Nope. Not a chance.

Create a more mindful organization

Mindful people actually consider the perspective of others.  “As a leader, you can walk around as if you’re God and get everybody to quiver.  But then you’re not going to learn anything, because they’re not going to tell you, and you’re going to be lonely and unhappy,” says Langer.  If we are a mindful leaders, we consider that our perspective is not the lone and universal view.

Being able to consider others’ perspectives also yields a side benefit of not jumping to conclusions.  Before we’re quick to label someone as “wrong,” considering another perspective might help us learn something.  Yes, it could be naïve to think that individuals in powerful positions might put their ego aside for a moment to consider another’s perspective.  But what’s wrong with that?  There are a lot of business books out there.  Not one of them demands a prerequisite of successful businesses to be so egocentrically cruel and judgmental.  That might not be a coincidence.

The only way we can legitimately opt-out of being mindful is if two things happen:  we’ve found the very best way of doing things, and nothing ever changes.  As you probably guessed by now, neither one of those are possible.

The first step in creating a mindful organization is to allow our teams to say, “I don’t know.”  If we eliminate a zero-tolerance policy for not having all the answers we might just create a more creative and innovative department.  The second step is asking questions that encourage mindfulness.  Bring our teams into the moment.  If we’re facing a difficult interview or investigation or even a mystifying shrink challenge, ask some in-the-moment questions.  For example, “What process did we change since the last inventory that may have caused this?  What are other stores with less inventory shrink doing that is working?” or, “Based on the exception report today, where should we begin our focus?”

True mindfulness can be accomplished and actually enhance our ability to juggle multiple tasks together.  According to Langer, “You want a soft openness – to be attentive to the things you’re doing but not single-minded, because then you’re missing other opportunities.”

Moments – that’s it

We’re making a choice.  Every day.  Are we living mindfully and truly experiencing the tiniest little joys?  Langer closes with, “Life consists only of moments, nothing more than that.” And another poignant quote that everyone has heard but still remains true, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

So next time you’re in the airport, throw on those tunes and groove it out a bit.  Sure, everyone might watch.  But it’s your moment, don’t miss it.

A perfect example…

Here’s a perfect example of a group feeling their moment…and going with it.  This video received 4 million views within 24 hours!  It currently sits at 16 million.

“Find Your Why”

Can a man with no arms or legs…

  • Live in a 3-story town house
  • Shave with a double-edged straight razor
  • Summit Mount Kilimanjaro?

If you said no, you haven’t met Kyle Maynard.  Kyle is one of the most recent additions to the Calibration Marketing Speakers Bureau and his story is unmatched.  To call him inspirational is an absolute understatement.  Kyle’s message is one of sheer will and determination to find his life’s purpose after being born with no arms or legs.

According to Kyle, failure is a gift.  He asserts that without life’s struggle, achieving our end result wouldn’t be so valuable.  In our everyday life we take our abilities and spiritual gifts for granted.  As you sit and experience one of Kyle’s speeches, you’re in awe with what he’s accomplished.  You’re immediately smacked in the face about all you take for granted on a minute by minute basis.  Kyle gives some examples of some of his early lessons like learning how to eat after dropping a spoon 1,000+ times, putting on his socks and using his iPhone (he texts faster than an “able-bodied” person).

But Kyle doesn’t spend his time explaining how difficult life has been or how many tiny little things we all take for granted every day.   He turns the mirror around and demands the question: What would we be capable of if we believed our dreams were possible?

Kyle credits his parents with allowing him to fail until he figured it out.  Out of these trials and struggles, a young Kyle Maynard learned who he was and what he was made of – tenacity, courage and will.  Because it’s the struggle that makes it worth it!

Kyle operates off the premise that everyone has a disability of some kind.  Some are seen and others are not.  But it’s what we choose to focus on that matters.  It’s what we choose to accept in our lives that makes us who we are, that defines our disability.  What can we control?  What lies are we telling ourselves?

As individuals, we can’t buy into what people say.  We will always have critics telling us it won’t work or we are not good enough.  But the trick is, if we silence those critics…more emerge.  That’s why it’s so important to live for you.  Find your why, as Kyle likes to say.  What is possible when you stop making excuses and start living your dreams?

It’s inevitable as Kyle speaks not to start internalizing these questions.  What monologue am I listening to in my head?  Is it written by me or my critics?  Is it filled with doubt and excuses?  And if so, how do I change it?  Kyle is ready with some answers.

First, ask yourself these questions and start getting real:

  • What lies am I telling myself that get in the way of living my dreams?
  • What excuses am I making?
  • Who am I surrounding myself with?  Are they positively effecting my life experience?
  • What if I changed?
  • What if I chose to make others’ lives better by living my dreams?

Do you really know what you’re capable of?  When everything is quiet.  Your room is dark and the cell phone has finally stopped buzzing.  What monologue is playing?  Excuses?  Or dreams?  Fulfilled or not?

Watch Kyle fight through life and accomplish more meaning in his life than those sitting on the sidelines throwing stones.  Go ahead…if you dare.  Change is coming.  “Find your why,” Kyle Maynard.

Yes, it’s a Credo

Calibration coined the term Corporate Culture Campaign™ not just because it’s a snappy name. We believe any communication campaign, especially internal, has to start with the right focus and the right intent: inspiring your people to take action.

After an intensive analysis of your current culture, existing communication structure and desired message, Calibration emerges with a structured formula that will inspire your audience to take action in a concrete and measureable way. It’s not a long process, but definitely a critical first step in understanding the intricacies of your people and message.

Whether your company is emerging from an acquisition or you’re a loss prevention professional trying to tackle your shrink percentage, the Calibration team knows how to inspire action by connecting your people to your message in a unique, engaging way and then measure it.

But you can read all that on a web site…or marketing collateral…what does it really mean?
Glad you asked.

It’s telling your associate that you care about them. Shhhhhhhhh…don’t tell anyone our secret sauce. Joking, clearly. It takes a special type of company to create engaging campaigns that rise above the noise…campaigns that actually articulate to your associates that they are more than worker bees. Build trust with them and guess what? They will trust you. They will engage in your efforts because you trust and respect them as people. I’m finding that might be a novel concept today, but trust me, when it comes to Corporate Culture Campaigns™ — It works. And it works because…here’s the kicker: It’s true.

Just ask one of our recent clients that kicked-off one of our “mind-blowing events.” Calibration put together an event that internally re-launched this company not only to the public, but more importantly, to their associates who had endured a great deal throughout the company’s recent history. One of the attendees stated, “After attending this event, I now have hope. I’m re-energized and can’t wait to help restore our company to the level of performance we once held.”

We started with the foundation of the company: it’s mission, or in this case, its Credo. Pictured here is a new visual communication piece that articulates this credo to all who enter its doors. It’s the foundational belief that says: we are more than a company, we are people that actually believe in what we do every day…and we believe in you.

Learning from the Best

Always Learning from the Best

You just read what Calibration specializes in: inspiring action through both traditional and nontraditional marketing.  Our methods are cutting edge and flexible so we can change with the ever-changing marketplace.  But most importantly so we can learn.

We believe checking your ego at the door is vastly important to the process.  Rapid learning and adaption is critical in such a multi-generational world of constantly changing technology.

It’s our philosophy to research, read, study and understand trends as they’re happening.  The world of marketing is evolving and if you’re not staying on top of the latest research, Facebook changes and social newbies, you’re at the bottom.

At Calibration, we subscribe to the methodology of providing a high-level of value to your target audience by creating and curating content they can use in their daily lives.  We also believe that your brand should mean something to your audience.  To inspire action, a brand must evoke an emotional connection with its audience.  We believe that connection is essential to truly cause the desired action.

Take a look at a perfect example from the content marketing master themselves: The Coca-Cola Company.  This video is an example the type of emotional appeal and connection Calibration can build for you to reach your target audience.
Check it out:

What’s Your Verse?

Life isn’t simple.  People are not simple. Finding a way into their hearts and minds can often be like knocking on a cold, metal door that you just know is never going to budge.

But what if it did?  What if it opened just enough to see the bright new day of sunlight slipping in just one glimmer at a time?  Just enough to make the inhabitants squint and say, “Something is different.  Something is new.  Change.  And it’s good.” It’s time to take that rare peek behind that door. It’s time for you to experience that bright new day. It’s your turn.

Calibration helps you take on the critically important task of rebranding your company or department when you need it most. Whether complacency has taken hold or you’ve just embarked upon a purchase or acquisition, we’re ready to provide the breakthrough you need.  Change is difficult and is often met with resistance.  Trust Calibration to learn and understand the fears and concerns of your associates and re-inspire them to do their best for you and the company.  We use events, videos and Corporate Culture Campaigns™ to re-inspire your most important asset: your people.  We also tweak and apply those same techniques to re-inspire your core customers and audience.

With all this talk of re-inspiring it only seems fitting to provide an example of what inspires us! Take a look at this recent video produced by Apple. They’ve done an amazing job capturing the essence of what it means to re-inspire.

As a writer by trade, I’m a huge sucker for words in the form of poetry.  However, being an artist by nature, when you combine beautiful, inspiring words with amazingly perfect visual scenes – it’s absolute xanadu.

Leave it to Apple to create something that you can watch over and over, always finding new inspiration as your mind wanders through the visual and auditory beauty.

Apple uses a section from the classic movie Dead Poets Society to truly drive home their message of finding your own path through life.  Challenging the viewer to discover his or her own verse because it is an absolute privilege to contribute to life’s overall discourse.

Apple reminds us:  This life is a privilege to live.  And it’s our opportunity, no – our duty to contribute a meaningful verse.  A valuable verse.  An inspiring verse.

Here’s the script excerpt…

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering – these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love – these are what we stay alive for.

To quote from Whitman,

‘O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’

‘That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’

What will your verse be?”

Say it out loud.  Say it out loud.  What will your verse be?

What will YOUR verse be??

We challenge you to find it. We challenge you to live it.  Now.

 

Was I Making It Count?

Have you ever been reluctant to try something?

You tell yourself all these reasons why it won’t work, why you can’t succeed or why the proverbial deck is stacked against you?  But then, something changes.  That deck doesn’t seem so tall and all the sudden obstacles start to crumble and it’s time.  Your time.

You gather up your courage, your grit and tenacity and you set out to live your dream.  My story started that way and I’m sure it’s a similar story for all those with a heart for adventure.

I can actually pin-point my first thought of following my dreams which is kind of weird.  I was, as they say “searching for the right career fit” ever since I graduated school.  I’m passionate about creating ideas, executing strategy and inspiring action.  Not so much passion for politics, red tape and egomaniacs. Ok, back to my moment of clarity.  I was working on an internal customer service campaign for a client of mine, working for the proverbial “man” when a dear friend of mine sent me a video.  Not just any video.  A video that woke up a certain part of my brain I didn’t know I had.  DING!  The light bulb flickered, then started to glow..brighter and still brighter!

After reading some quotes embedded in the message of this video:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
“You only live once, but if you do it right once is enough.” – Mae West
“One who makes no mistakes makes nothing at all.” – Giacomo Casanova

I was left wondering was I making it count?  Was I living my dreams when we only have so many trips around the sun?  The video and quotes within it started me thinking…more like jump-started me thinking!

Turns out, I was reluctant to try something on: my dreams.  But living them now feels like the most fabulous blessing I could imagine.  I tried it on and to be honest, I’m not surprised.  It fits.

Curious at what video I refer to above?  Check out this Nike advertisement created by Casey Neistat, #makeitcount.