Ryan Lim

6 Habits To Improve Your Memory and Boost Your Brain Health

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“Maintaining productivity as an effective decision-maker, innovator, strategist and planner necessitates continued development and sharpening to take advantage of the brain’s vast capacities,” Chapman said. However: “Neglecting your cognitive health and allowing your brain to lose its mental edge with routine [life activities] rather than innovative thinking has unnecessary and deleterious economic, social and personal ramifications.

In our always-on connected society, more and more people express concerns about feeling mentally exhausted, and experience memory lag and information overload. Many of us may therefore conclude that we need a vacation or some downtime, when the actual remedy needed may be a boost in brain health.

Here are the six brain-boosting habits:

1. Limit multitasking.

Multitasking diminishes mental productivity, elevates brain fatigue and increases stress.

 

2. Get an adequate amount of sleep.

Make sure you regularly get seven-to-eight hours of sleep. Information is consolidated in the brain at a deeper level of understanding during sleep.

 

3. Commit to an exercise routine.

Get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week, to improve memory and increase attention and concentration and brain blood flow in the brain-memory area.

 

4. Construct bottom-line messages.

Summarize your task-assignment reading, training seminars, articles, movies you see or books read. Abstracting novel ideas, versus remembering a litany of facts, builds a brain with an enhanced long-term memory for global ideas and the ability to retrieve fundamental facts.

 

5. Laser-focus on important tasks.

Block out information that is relatively unimportant. Limiting the intake of information is a key brain function associated with brain health.

 

6. Stay motivated.

A motivated brain builds faster and more robust neural connections. Identify your passions and learn more about them.

Resources: Entrepreneur.net

5 Pointers for Getting More from Your Team

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How to effectively communicate your expectations as a leader

Managers are taught that holding employees accountable is the key to getting results, yet they often fail to clearly communicate their expectations. Rather than getting frustrated, try these steps:

1. Know what you want first. We may assume others are being thoughtless or selfish when they don’t satisfy our needs, but we haven’t clarified in our own minds what we want. Get clear on this first.

2. Clearly communicate expectations and ensure understanding. Ask the person to summarize or re-explain. This helps make sure you’re on the same page.

3. Define your desired outcome. What do you want the end product or behavior to look like? Rather than telling an employee, “I need this ASAP,” say, “I need this by 10 a.m.”

4. Explain what you do want rather than what you don’t. Rather than saying, “Stop emailing me about urgent issues,” try, “When an issue is urgent, I would really appreciate it if you could call me or stop by my desk.”

5. Reward the positive and coach the negative. If your expectations are met, make sure to show appreciation. If not, before assuming the person intentionally disappointed you, clearly communicate what you wanted.

Resources: success.co

3 Ways to Increase Employee Vitality as You Grow

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If you’re in charge of a company with an expanding client base and quick financial growth, it can be easy to forget one key factor of your company’s success — your employees.

No matter how big your brand becomes, your company is nothing without the people who make it run. While it’s easy to think of your business as something that belongs only to you, it’s important to treat your employees as vital contributors to its health.

Keeping employees invested and engaged during your growing pains takes effort, but what’s worse is allowing them to get left behind. Gathered from my own experience growing a business, here are three tips to keep your team happy and united:

1. Set expectations early.

Setting expectations early on — for workloads, company culture, benefits, etc. — helps employees remain happy over time. If your team knows what they are agreeing to, they are more likely to remain involved during periods of growth.

One way to establish expectations is through a robust orientation schedule. At the onset of employment, new hires should meet with peers across all departments as well as the leadership team. Encourage team to not only share what their role is in the company and how they will interact with the new employee, but also to share some personal insights such as family, hobbies, etc. When employees can understand other roles and how their own positions interact across the company, they can feel confident in their contribution and status.

 

2. Communicate often.

How often and how well you communicate with your employees is tough and often overlooked. Whereas profits and sales are quantifiable, talking with your team is not. The communicate on a regular and consistent basis able to understand them more in term of their feeling and work task. There are also ways to incorporate communication into events that stimulate engagement. Plan a happy hour for an upcoming holiday, or do something more unique, like celebrating Monday instead of Friday. For example, our team tends to host impromptu celebrations ranging from barbecues to work-hours parties such as our event to unveil a new logo. Although these get-togethers seem simple, they create avenues for communication where your team can enjoy the benefits of their hard work.

 

3. Get to know your employees personally.

As your brand continues to expand, it can become stressful to sacrifice valuable work hours to spend time with your employees. However, during periods of growth, knowing your team personally is important. Employees who feel a direct and genuine connection to upper management will feel a stronger relationship and accountability to their company, too.

Finding the time to build personal relationships starts with setting the time aside. Rather than just saying you will meet with employees, budget real time into your calendar and then stick to it. There are many fun ways to schedule this time. For instance, I like to host monthly feedback lunches. Not only do these lunches give me the chance to learn more about my team in a casual setting — we all share a fun fact about ourselves — but they are also a great opportunity for unfiltered company feedback.

Not only does consistently interacting with your employees build relationships, but it also weeds out the weaker connections. When you create a culture where everybody works together toward the same goal, it’s likely a mutual feeling when it’s not the right fit. By setting expectations early on, it’s relatively easy to tell when an employee’s values and objectives are not aligned with the company’s. Separation becomes natural, and when employees do leave, it’s typically for the right reason — or another sensible opportunity — not because they feel left behind.

There’s never a wrong time to start engaging employees and building out the practices to do so. While you might not be in a state of growth right now, you can only hope that one is just around the corner.

Sources: Entrepreneur.co

5 Challenges Successful People Overcome

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It’s truly fascinating how successful people approach problems. Where others see impenetrable barriers, they see challenges to embrace and obstacles to overcome.

Their confidence in the face of hardship is driven by the ability to let go of the negativity that holds so many otherwise sensible people back.

Success isn’t the only thing determined by your mindset. Much higher rates of depression in people who attribute their failures to personal deficits. Optimists fare better; they treat failure as learning experiences and believe they can do better in the future.

This success mindset requires emotional intelligence (EQ), and it’s no wonder that, among the million-plus people that TalentSmart has tested, 90% of top performers have high EQs.

Maintaining the success mindset isn’t easy. There are five things, in particular, that tend to shatter it. These challenges drag people down because they appear to be barriers that cannot be overcome. Not so for successful people, as these seven challenges never hold them back.

1. Age

Age really is just a number. Successful people don’t let their age define who they are and what they are capable of. Just ask Betty White or any young, thriving entrepreneur.

Without fail, people feel compelled to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do because of your age. Don’t listen to them. Successful people certainly don’t. They follow their heart and allow their passion—not the body they’re living in—to be their guide.

“They follow their heart and allow their passion—not the body they’re living in—to be their guide.”

 

2. What Other People Think

When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own destiny. While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to hold up your accomplishments to anyone else’s, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within.

Successful people know that caring about what other people think is a waste of time and energy. When successful people feel good about something that they’ve done, they don’t let anyone’s opinions take that away from them.

“No matter what other people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain—you’re never as good or bad as they say you are.”

 

3. Toxic People

Successful people believe in a simple notion: you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Just think about it—some of the most successful companies in recent history were founded by brilliant pairs. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple lived in the same neighborhood, Bill Gates and Paul Allen of Microsoft met in prep school, and Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google met at Stanford.

Just as great people help you to reach your full potential, toxic people drag you right down with them. Whether it’s negativity, cruelty, the victim syndrome, or just plain craziness, toxic people create stress and strife that should be avoided at all costs.

If you’re unhappy with where you are in your life, just take a look around. More often than not, the people you’ve surrounded yourself with are the root of your problems.

“You’ll never reach your peak until you surround yourself with the right people.”

 

4. Fear

Fear is nothing more than a lingering emotion that’s fueled by your imagination. Danger is real. It’s the uncomfortable rush of adrenaline you get when you almost step in front of a bus. Fear is a choice. Successful people know this better than anyone does, so they flip fear on its head. They are addicted to the euphoric feeling they get from conquering their fears.

Don’t ever hold back in life just because you feel scared. I often hear people say, “What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you?” Yet, death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you…

“The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you’re still alive.”

 

5. The Past or the Future

Like fear, the past and the future are products of your mind. No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. Successful people know this, and they focus on living in the present moment. It’s impossible to reach your full potential if you’re constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment.

To live in the moment, you must do two things:

1) Accept your past. If you don’t make peace with your past, it will never leave you and it will create your future. Successful people know the only good time to look at the past is to see how far you’ve come.

2) Accept the uncertainty of the future, and don’t place unnecessary expectations upon yourself. Worry has no place in the here and now. As Mark Twain once said,

“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.”

Bringing It All Together

Your success is driven by your mindset. With discipline and focus, you can ensure that these seven obstacles never hold you back from reaching your full potential.

Sources: Entrepreneur.co

10 Practices for Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire

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Becoming a self-made millionaire is no easy task. Yet, for the individuals who have accomplished this major feat in the past, the process involves following a few set rules like these or guidelines that have proven to help self-made professionals, no matter what industry they may be in. If you have your sights focused on a life as a self-made millionaire then consider these rules to live by.

 

1. Do it for the challenge.

If you ask any self-made millionaire why they got started in the field they did, chances are they will not just say “to make a million dollars.” The true story behind most people’s success is that they wanted to accept the challenge of following their dreams and becoming successful on their own terms.

 

2. Never get too comfortable.

There should never be a time in your journey to the top where you stop and think “Ok, I’ve done enough, I can stop working so hard.” If you’ve met your goal and made a million dollars, set another one. You should never be comfortable, you should always be working for more.

 

3. Study and work harder than anyone.

No matter how talented you are, you will never reach your full potential success unless you are willing to study and work harder than anyone else. This is the only way to truly achieve your goals.

 

4. Learn from failures and mistakes.

You are going to make mistakes and you are going to fail. How you react to those failures is what makes you successful. If you fall, don’t get down on yourself, but look at why you failed, take it as a learning experience, brush it off and move on.

 

5. Read every day.

This rule cannot be emphasized enough — you need to be reading all the time. Never stop reading and never stop finding new topics to read about. You need to keep aware of the cutting edge movements within your industry to stay ahead of the trends.

 

6. Keep your mind and body healthy.

Exercise along with mental health breaks are all an important part of being the most successful version of yourself that you can be. Work out daily, eat right and always get plenty of sleep.

 

7. Surround yourself with successful like-minded people.

Surrounding yourself with the wrong people can be a major drain on you. Make sure that you are around people who share your same goals and visions, who are motivated and are true peers that also want financial success. Being around these individuals will motivate you and help you stay focused. Avoid people who don’t care about work. People who spend all of their time partying are not good for your success.

 

8. Give to the less fortunate and take care of loved ones.

We’ve talked about taking care of your mind and body, but it is also important to take care of your soul. Never lose sight of the world around you and those who are in need. Taking care of your loved ones is one of the best ways to enjoy your financial success.

Give back to those in need. I started my Timothy Sykes Foundation to help those who are less fortunate. It has really made a difference in my perspective and work ethic.

 

9. Be honest and transparent.

Lying and being deceitful will never get you as far as you think. You need to always be honest, straightforward and transparent with people. This is a truly important and undervalued practice that will help you earn the long-term professional success you have always wanted.

 

10. To succeed think long-term, not short term.

So many people are focused only on their short-term success and have goals like “I want to make X amount of money in the next year.” Don’t focus on short-term goals, focus on the long-term big picture of where you want your life to be. These are the types of goals that will get you motivated to being truly self-sufficient and building actual wealth for you and your family.

While there undoubtedly is a certain amount of challenge that comes with becoming a self-made millionaire, if you keep these rules in mind and learn from the success of those who have accomplished this goal in the past, then you will be armed with the insight you need to help make your financial goals a reality.

Resources: Entrepreneur.co

7 Hobbies Science Says Will Make You Smarter

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For a long time, it was believed that people are born with a given level of intelligence and the best we could do in life was to live up to our potential. We now know that by learning new skills the brain creates new neural pathways that make it work faster and better.

Here is a list of seven hobbies that make you smarter and why.

1. Play a musical instrument.

Playing music helps with creativity, analytical skills, language, math, fine motor skills and more. While these are all great advantages, some people argue that playing team sports might do as many things. What playing musical instruments does that other activities don’t is strengthen the corpus callosum that links the hemispheres of the brain by creating new connections.

An improved corpus callosum helps with executive skills, memory, problem solving and overall brain function, regardless of how old you are.

 

2. Read anything.

The benefits of reading are the same whether you are enjoying Game of Thrones, Harry Potter or the latest issue of the Wall Street Journal. Reading reduces stress, which makes you feel better about yourself, and increases all three types of intelligence — crystallised, fluid and emotional. That helps with problem solving, putting different pieces of knowledge together to better navigate everyday life, detecting patterns, understanding processes and accurately interpreting and responding to other people’s feelings.

At work, this translates into better understanding how to make things happen and better managerial skills.

3. Exercise regularly.

Occasional exercise alone doesn’t do the trick. Regular exercise is much more effective than hard work-outs every now and then. When exercising regularly the cells are flooded with BDNF, a protein that helps with memory, learning, focus, concentration and understanding. This is also often referred to as mental acuity.

Some scientists speculate that sitting down for prolonged periods of time has the opposite affect and actually hinders our brain from working as well as it could.

 

4. Learn a new language.

Forget solving puzzles to improve your memory and learn a foreign language instead. Research has shown that people who are bilingual are better at solving puzzles than people who speak only one language. Successfully learning new languages enables your brain to better perform any mentally demanding tasks. This includes the typical executive skills such as planning and problem-solving.

Additionally, speaking at least two languages positively affects your skill to monitor your environment and to better direct your attention to processes. Many people are told that because executives speak languages, they should learn Spanish or French if they want to move up the ranks. Based on how the brain reacts to learning languages, it might be the other way around. Learning another language might be the last missing link people need to get their brain ready to take on C-level jobs.

 

5. Test your cumulative learning.

Many intelligent students in high school and college “cram” for finals and seem to have mastered the topic the day of the big test. The trouble with that is we tend to forget these things quickly because we are rarely, if ever, required to repeat that knowledge in that same way. One reason studying a new language makes us smarter is because it requires cumulative learning. Because we need them over and over again, the grammar and vocabulary we learn is repeated countless times as we improve our foreign language skills.

Apply the concept of cumulative learning to every day life and your work place by keeping track of noteworthy bits of knowledge you acquire. Go through takeaways from recent books, observations during an important negotiation, or keep a small journal with anything that strikes your attention. Start integrating cumulative learning into your self-improvement program.

 

6. Work out your brain.

Sudoku, puzzles, riddles, board games, video games, card games, and similar activities increase neuroplasticity. This encompasses a wide variety of changes in neural pathways and synapses that is basically the ability of the brain to reorganize itself. When nerve cells respond in new ways, that  increases neuroplasticity, which allows us more ability to see things from different points-of-view andunderstand cause and effect of behaviors and emotions. We become aware of new patterns and our cognitive abilities are improved.

Considering that neuroplasticity is involved in impairments such as tinnitus, an increased amount can help prevent certain conditions. For instance, people with high neurplasticity are less prone to anxiety and depression while learning faster and memorizing more.

 

7. Meditate.

Meditation became interesting to ambitious people because the study implied that we can control our own brain waves and feel whatever we want to feel whenever we want to. This means that can feel more powerful right before a negotiation, more confident when asking for a raise and more convincing during a sales call.

The general idea is that the brain can develop further and you can do it on purpose. Different activities stimulate different areas of your brain, so you can work on becoming unbeatable at your strengths as well as improving your weaknesses. Focusing self-improvement on the brain is a good idea for anyone who feels they are at their professional peak (or maybe just have stopped getting better), ambitious professionals and of course entrepreneurs who are looking to maximize their potential.

Resources: entrepreneur.net

Are You a Manager or a Leader? Here’s How to Tell the Difference.

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Within any organization, systems and structure is required to ensure that all the trains run on time. Having an applied universal system in which all members can follow and abide by is a great way to uphold standards, increase accountability and promote unity. You need people whose responsibility is carrying out these systems and assuring that they are implemented properly. Throughout time, these people have held many different names and titles — chief, official, lord and duke, just to name a few. In today’s day and age, we have added new positions to the list, such as supervisor, CEO or manager.

While the names attached to these positions of power are constantly shifting and fluctuating, there is one title that has transcended the years and remains the same — leader.

The reason for this is that a leader can accomplish things that none of these other positions can. Leaders possess unique qualities and traits which prevent them from being molded or classified as simply a supervisor or manager. Here are a few of these qualities.

 

1. Followers versus subordinates

Managing those below you means overseeing your subordinates. Delegating responsibilities, designating tasks and expecting results in return is the way in which a manager operates. Those working under a manager will do what they are told, not because of any blinding devotion, but in expectation of a reward, be it money, accolades or a possible promotion.

In contrast, the most obvious and apparent indicator of a leader is one who has followers. A leader does not have people below them but rather people behind them. Those who work for a true leader are constantly encouraged and inspired, and this is the driving factor behind their work. When you have followers instead of subordinates, they will strive to go above and beyond to achieve a goal, will stay loyal to you through the ups and downs, and will, most importantly, place their trust in you.

 

2. Sustainer versus grower

When a manager is considering how best to achieve their goals, they are usually concerned with sustaining whatever it is they are managing. That is to say, they think of the best ways to maintain the system in which they find themselves. While there is not necessarily anything wrong with this, it does not leave much room for advancement or expansion.

If you are only concerned with how to keep things running the same way, you will become stagnant and, consequently, invite others to surpass you. A leader is someone who is constantly looking forward. They are innovators who possess a growth mindset and are not comfortable with simply performing at the same level.

Marshall Goldsmith says it best in his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. Sometimes the systems and strategies that got you to where you are will not take you to the next level. Managers sustain what they have, and leaders shift and change to take their team to the next level. Each day we get older, we become less flexible. Leaders who grow people and organizations know that and try to become more agile each day. When a leader is in charge, they will strive to venture into uncharted territory and reach heights that others may not even think possible.

 

3. Systems versus people

A good manager knows how to work within a system and ensure that others are doing the same. With that being said, their main concern is to perfect the system and then to work different people into it. On the other hand, leaders put people first and create systems to support the people themselves. Leaders have the ability to relate with and understand people. This skill means that they can get the best out of those that they work with, and adjust the system accordingly.

Focusing on the team members who are actually doing the work gives you access to a wealth of knowledge and potential that a set of rules, company policy or handbook, could never provide.

Looking at these traits, it is easy to understand why the title of leader stands in a category of its own. A manager serves an important role and is vital to organizational success, but a true leader is invaluable. Knowing the difference between the two is imperative. If you can recognize and understand what it takes to be a leader, you can then use that knowledge to develop your own leadership skills as well as the skills of the people around you.

It is also important to realize that although these traits can and should be found in every leader, there is no universal handbook to leadership. We are all individuals with our own backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it is inevitable that everyone’s leadership style will be different. Herein lies the beauty of leadership. To be a proper manager, you must follow the rules and keep the order as best as possible. To be a leader, however, you have to think creatively, add your own personal flair and inspire as many people to join you as possible along the way.

Sources: Entrepreneur.net

PROPERTY INVESTMENT CONVENTION 2015

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On the 8th and 9th August 2015, Wealth Mastery Academy (WMA) organized the Property Investment Convention 2015. Held on a yearly basis, the convention is an amazing opportunity for both property home buyers and investors to learn and explore about the latest updates and strategies in the property investment industry.

This was an ideal place for developers and real estate agencies to exhibit their products to the potential buyers in the crowd. Held at Intercontinental Hotel, one of the significant landmarks in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, approximately 1,000 visitors were present for the exciting convention.

The exhibition provides an opportunity for exhibitors to expand their marketing network globally through various channels. There were good deals and properties below market rate for both soft and pre-launch. It was an exciting moment during the weekend.

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CloudHax was one of the official media partners for the Property Investment Convention 2015.

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Selected speakers from various background, experience and knowledge came for the exciting convention. They are the experts who shared various powerful tips and strategies on property investment which expands the attendees’ knowledge.

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The featured speakers are:

  • JOHN LEE- CEO & Co-Founder, Wealth Dragons UK.
  • CHRIS TAN- Managing Partner of CHUR Associates.
  • MILAN DOSHI- Property Investment Guru & Best Selling Author.
  • HO CHIN SOON- Director, Ho Chin Soon Research.
  • TAN HWA CHUAN- Managing Partner, BIG Property Consultant Sdn Bhd.
  • DR DANIELE GAMBERO- CEO, REI Group of Companies.
  • DAVID CHONG- Vice President (1) – Investment Promotions, Malaysia Property Incorporated.
  • MOHD NAJIB ABDUL HADI- General Manager of Coway, Sales Trainer and Successful Young Entrepreneur and Investor.
  • FENNIE LIM- Executive Director, Crowe Horwarth.
  • KK WONG- Deputy Chairman, REHDA Johor.
  • DR. GERARD KHO- Group CEO & Futurist, Reapfield.
  • RAPHAEL WONG- Chairman, MIEA Youth.
  • AHYAT ISHAK- Best Selling Author & Property Enthusiast.
  • ELIZABETH SIEW- Partner of Messrs Iqbal Hakim.
  • SIA & VOO
  • And more…

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The topics shared were both valuable and essential; well suited to educate the investors to make wise choices. A few of the topics consists of suitable personal investment profiles, and latest strategies that market experts are implementing to assist property investors to avoid extensive losses. On top of that, property investors gets the opportunity to know about hotspots in the industry.

Some of the topics that were shared over the weekend are:

  • Updates! New Urban Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) Property Hotspots to Look Out for in Greater KL?
  • Post GST Effect! The Impact to Property Investors.
  • Property Price X Factor: High Speed Rail, Rapid Transit System & Greater KL MRT 2.
  • Invest When Other Stops: Seizing The Opportunity!
  • Greater Income! How to Invest in Property and Create a Passive Income in Malaysia?
  • Local Vs Foreign: Investing in Overseas Real Estate.
  • Property Protagonist: From ZERO to HERO.
  • Dream Come True: Youth Investors Achieving Financial Freedom by Age 30.
  • Facts and figures of Iskandar Malaysia: Perception Vs Reality of a Well-Planned Economic Growth Corridor.
  • The BIGGER Profit: Land Investment Vs Land Joint Venture.
  • The Ultimate Adventure: What It Takes to Become a Property Millionaire?
  • New Rules: A New Challenge to Property Investors with Recent HDA’s T & C

Sources: Cloudhax.net

Listen to your customers: Why crowdfunding of brands is the future

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‘The customer is always right’ is the mantra of many a brand. But it has taken us decades, if not centuries, to really incorporate customer feedback into brands; to make the customer’s voice the loudest in our brand evolution.

With customer feedback sychronising with customer purchase through cookie capture and machine-to-machine technology, crowdsourcing of brands is the future.

Customers driving change in brands

Customer data has always been an important tool in the evolution of product development. However how we generate this data has been revolutionised through technology to the point where brand guardians can track almost every aspect of the customer journey from desire to purchase.

Larger enterprises are already using customer forums to crowdsource ideas for future development with Starbucks launching My Starbucks Idea, giving the customer not only a voice in the NPD of their products and services but also their voice a presence in their development strategy – giving the customers and Starbucks the feel good factor.

Likewise General Electric’s #EcoImagination has turned the brand into a driver for change – a brand named as one of the worst pollutants in the world a decade ago, GE has recently been named by Fortune as one of the greenest brands around today. How? Through listening to the chant of their customers and responding to their voice.

And look at the phenomenal success of social media and analytics tool, BrandWatch, which has seen 100% growth year on year from 2009 to 2013. What does it do?  It records what customers are saying about a brand, analyses it and reports back to the brand guardian.

At Platform, we have already seen the rise of the Customer Experience Centre, which started out life as a showcase and a courting space for clients, but quickly transformed into a place to dismantle and co-create brands with customers and clients alike. Second guessing your customers is dangerous – listening to them makes business sense.

Intermediaries driving change

Harnessing customer feedback is nothing new though even if utilising this data in the most effective way is still an on-going challenge for marketers.  However, what about the intermediaries influence? Those who are at the customer coalface – the sales manager, the client liaison officer? How do you aggregate this information which is correlated to purchase but more anecdotal than statistical?

Again, forward thinking companies are already realising the power of the employee, not only paying lipservice to their thoughts but giving them a real voice in the evolution of their brands.  Technology is facilitating this listening with companies, including Platform, launching business apps that aggregate data from customer and sales meetings and then reconfiguring that information back to them alongside competitor data – like their own learning machine, fed with real data and feedback and personalised to their own market, customers, products and services.

Digital data is allowing us broader access to realtime data about what our customer wants and their everyday interactions and engagement with our teams be it our salesforce or our customer service team.

External drivers of change

Then there is the third level of change – the external influence that can drive and shape a brand through credibility and influence with the rise of the blogger/vlogger.

Bringing credibility and endorsement to a brand has always been the Holy Grail of the brand guardian. Previously the charge and power of the media, the b/vlogger is taking the crown of the journalist to become top influencer of the brand. So how do brands access this channel of influence? And how do they influence the data that the b/vloggers are accessing about their brand, and respectively communicating to their target audiences about their products and services? And how does that change the experience of the brand in the future? Will bloggers and vloggers be the ones driving brand change?

For many audiences, the b/vlogger started out as an embodiment of the voice of the customer. Saying the things about a product or a brand that the customer didn’t have a public or collective outlet for – and being rewarded by a following that agreed or at least valued their opinion.

However, as the b/vloggers have become more influential their voice has become more valued – not only by customers but by brands, and as a result now commands a high price in exchange for positive PR. When crowdsourcing of an idea from customers or staff, there is an element of trust to it, but with the blog/vlog landscape how much credibility and transparency is there?  Is the commercialism of advocacy destroying trust and openness of a brand?

There is no doubt that we have passed a point of no return in the evolution of the brand – that crowdsourcing the future of brands will become the norm in the world where everyone has a say and the channels of communication are open for all to voice and see.  It will be those brand guardians who stay close to their customers and influencers, who listen and who are truly transparent who will be the winners in their brands’ PR battlefield.

Resources: marketingtechnews.co

Marketers missing a trick with Instagram advertising, research reveals

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New research suggests that nearly 41% of Instagram users have used the social media tool to drop hints to friends and family about what they want for Christmas.

More than half (57%) of the 1,000 respondents surveyed in a report commissioned by digital marketing agency Greenlight have used it to gain inspiration when gift buying and one in three have bought items after seeing them on Instagram.

And yet marketers are missing a trick. A separate survey by Greenlight of 100 senior marketers showed that 60% aren’t using Instagram as a marketing channel and only 14% run a branded Instagram account.

But while they may be missing out this year, the research suggests that marketers are planning to be more on the ball next year with more than half (53%) planning to make use of the channel in 2016. The research showed that nearly a third (29%) planned to use Instagram’s recently launched advertising services whilst just under a quarter (23%) said that they were planning a branded account to target consumers.

The main reason for embracing the channel was for brand awareness for half of respondents and for brand storytelling for 30%. Driving sales and loyalty was the priority for 30% of respondents in the survey.

However these priorities differ somewhat to those of consumers where the top reasons that consumers followed Instagram brand accounts was for offers and discounts for more than half (51%). Using the channel for inspiration for new purchases was the main reason for 39% of respondents and to monitor brand news and announcements for 37% of consumers studied.

When it came to what they wanted to see, 49% of customers said that they valued useful or informative content, whilst 37% said that they wanted to see brands sharing authentic or user-generated images. Respondents also valued two-way interaction through the channel with 35% valuing brands interacting with their followers and a further 15% liking to see brands reposing or sharing other users’ photos and videos.

For 2016 the study showed that 18% of marketers planned to run influencer engagement programmes aimed at Instagram ‘celebrities’ next year and nearly one in ten (8%) were looking at how to make greater use of user generated photos or videos.  However although 29% of marketers plan to use Instagram advertising to target users and promote posts next year only 23% intended to share photos and videos using a branded account.

Resources: marketingtechnews.co