#and got a job doing business operations for sephora

[greyeyedmonster-18]

(so, heres a quick story.

i have a friend and she was enroute to be a social worker. Like was rejected from masters programs the first year she applied so she went into the field and got more experience and then applied again and yay! She got in! Moved to a different state for school and started it—

and then she dropped it

and learned how to figure skate instead. and got a job at the ice rink so she could get free skate time. and then started coaching children

and never looked back

and i think about this alot. because 1) its okay if the thing you always wanted for a reallllly long time that youve spent time working for isnt what you want after all. 2) its never too late to start over.)

[berkeleycollege]

Berkeley alum shares her success in the fashion industry with prospective students

At a recent Berkeley College Fashion and Marketing Career Seminar, High School and Community Relations Associate Melissa Coudon didn’t waste any time capturing the attention of participants considering a career in the fashion industry. Big numbers mean big opportunity “One hundred billion items of clothing are produced each year. That translates to nearly 14 items for every human being on the planet,” she began. “So, it comes as no surprise that clothing production represents the world’s third largest manufacturing industry. Let’s also not forget that $49.2 billion is generated by cosmetic sales in the United States each year,” she continued. “With the global cosmetic industry, we’re talking about more than $380 billion dollars. So, don’t listen to anyone who says there's no money in fashion!” With that, Ms. Coudon introduced Francesca Cohen, a 2015 graduate of the Berkeley College Fashion Merchandising and Management program, and the current Director of International Accounts at Milk Makeup, a well-known New York City-based cosmetics and skin care company. Following a lifelong passion “I always knew I wanted a career in fashion, but I thought I wanted to be a designer,” Francesca explained. “Growing up, I always like loved clothes and loved to dress up. I was never into Barbies or anything like that. I always wanted to go shopping!” She said, “I took a few classes in design and sewing and found that the technical side was not for me. I wanted to learn the business of fashion. I did a lot of research and found Berkeley’s fashion program was exactly what I wanted.” “The flexibility of attending the different Berkeley locations was key for me,” according to Francesca. “I attended the New York City campus my first year. When I worked at the Garden State Plaza, I was able to take classes at the Woodland Park campus. Through Berkeley, I was able to do two internships—which were very important. My first internship was at Aritzia in NYC, where I did retail sales, public relations and marketing. My second internship was at Rebecca Minkoff, where I worked production, which is the nuts and bolts of the fashion industry.” A fascinating career journey “Throughout my career journey, I’ve found that networking is key,” Francesca pointed out. “I was working as an account manager in handbags and had friends who worked in the beauty sector. One of my friends told me of an opportunity; I interviewed; got the position and thought I would give beauty a try. Beauty is definitely a faster paced field. I starting working at Becca (Estée Lauder) in operations and production with Sephora accounts. From there I slowly learned about international sales, and I found my niche. Estée Lauder gave me opportunities within Dr. Jart where I was Sales and Marketing Manager and became part of the International Team dealing with Mexico and Columbia. I launched Blush Bar in Columbia. From there I became Manager, Travel Retail Worldwide Marketing Department in Estée Lauder for all accounts in China.”  Rebounding to even greater heights after a setback Unfortunately for Francesca, many facilities in China shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she lost her job at Estée Lauder. But she quickly bounced back. “With my International experience, I was able to start a position as Director of International Accounts at Mario Badescu Skin Care,” she remembered. “Once again, networking played an important role as I have a friend that told me about the position as Director of International Accounts at Milk Makeup.” Believing in the products she helps to sell “Before pursuing the position, I tried the makeup,” Francesca explained. “I need to believe in the products before I’ll work for a company. Sustainability was also important to me and it plays a big role in the industry. Milk Makeup maintains 100% commitment on sustainability. The products are cruelty-free. We are what’s called a clean make up brand.” When she started at Milk Makeup last year, she was in charge of the Sephora accounts in Europe, AMZ (Australia/Mexico), and Middle East. “I now have added accounts in the UK, so I’ve traveled to London and Paris for negotiations,” she recounted. “And I’ve just returned from our sales meeting in Barcelona.” Empowered by her Berkeley College education Ms. Coudon went on to ask Francesca the ways that her education has helped her along the way in her career. “My Berkeley experience has been instrumental throughout every stage of my career. The classes that I took were so important – Product Development, Retail Math, Retail Buying, Strategies, and so many more,” she said. “The professors were amazing and shared real-life information that helped prepare me with the tools that I would need. And, of course, my internships played a key role in learning the industry.”  Offering advice for future fashion industry professionals When asked about the qualities need for success in the fashion business, Francesca responded “Along with an education in fashion, communication, hard work, dedication, and resilience are what employers look for.” She was quick to point out the importance of learning and experience for those with aspirations in the fashion industry. “I would say to start out in production so that you can understand every piece of the fashion business,” she recommended. “In time you will find your specialty as there are so many opportunities.” Francesca also spoke of “misconceptions” about the fashion and beauty industry always being glamourous. “ Behind every event that looks glamorous, like the fashion shows, there are countless people behind the scenes who are just as important as those participating directly in the events,” she noted. “You have to do the work to get the glitz and glamour. The hard work pays off!” As the mother of a young son, Francesca also remarked that, “I love the international aspects of by job, but being away from home can be challenging. Forging a future in fashion Francesca plans on continuing her current path and hopes to one day one day head an International Department. “Ultimately, I’d love to develop a new beauty brand,” she said. “Sometimes it’s all about the right place and the right time.” And it seems like Francesca is developing quite a knack for that. [bts/disclaimer1] Originally published here: https://berkeleycollege.edu/berkeley-today/2023/03/berkeley-alum-shares-her-success-in-the-fashion-industry-with-prospective-students.html

[theimpossiblescheme]

Part 24/80 of my Female Rogues of Gotham City series

Many people in Gotham have only ever known Harley Quinn as the only woman in the Joker’s life, but the Clown Prince of Crime had actually gone through his fair share of henchgirls just like any other rogue. However, the cost of working at his side was considerably higher than it was for the rest of the Gotham underground—one false move or one wrong word could have the poor girl lying on the sidewalk with a bullet between her eyes or tied to a fire hydrant laughing hysterically, provided he didn’t simply abandon her to the dark and hostile streets.  Only the most capable survived unscathed.  And as assurance of their loyalty, he forced each young woman to give up something precious to her, thus swearing her old life away and binding herself to his side; if she ever broke that bond, she had better hide herself far away and hope the Joker never showed up to demand her return or to settle the score.

Queenie was the heiress to the biggest makeup manufacturer on the East Coast and had never known anything but luxury; her family liked to joke that she spent more time in a Sephora’s than her own crib.  But even with all of her beautiful trappings and lavish corporate parties, she eventually became bored with her own immense privilege, much to the annoyance of her father’s employees, and started expressing a desire to run away from home and see the world…a desire the Joker promised her he could make happen if she were willing to supply him with spiked cosmetics and a getaway car.  Eagerly accepting the offer and earning herself a reputation in the tabloids as a sort of spoiled Disney princess gone rogue saddled with a loathsome Prince Charming, Queenie became one of Gotham’s biggest scandals, but was quickly forgotten and discarded once her inevitable prison stay and new criminal record stripped her of all her glitz and glamor, even being disowned by the family she should have been more grateful for.

Susie seemed to have an almost perfect life as head cheerleader, secretary of the student council, and one of the most popular girls at Aaron Burr High School, but her meager home life and neglectful divorced parents left her feeling hollow and yearning for the beautiful things in life she had missed out on.  When the Joker promised her a place among his gang and rewards of fine fur coats and bottles of foreign perfume, she leaped at the opportunity, but soon found herself in an even more precarious situation, lecherously pawed at by the clown’s henchmen and facing the daily risk of death should she fail in her duties. A botched forced entry into Gotham Academy left her bleeding and delirious after the Joker had demonstrated his displeasure, but Susie found a sort of second home at this new school; some of the professors offered to shelter her from the law and her old boss under a new name as long as she could help pass on her musical and athletic talents to the students.

Jill had been in and out of foster homes for most of her childhood and teenage years until one of the Joker’s former henchmen took her in; their new home was cold and bare and less than ideal, but it was nevertheless a place where she could feel safe and taken care of, especially when her new father would bring home expensive stolen spoils from his criminal conquests.  But when the Joker decided to “get the band back together” and bring back new recruits for a strike on the Gotham Stock Market, she got to see what the crime scene was like up close…and she hated it. Jill came to loathe the Joker, and the clown took special glee in rubbing her nose into all the messy and unpleasant aspects of his exploits, even as he rewarded her good behavior with furs and fancy drinks, but she stayed out of loyalty to the man who had adopted her, even taking a bullet for him in a firefight at the steps of the Stock Exchange.

Cornelia also came from a broken home; her dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast went completely overlooked by her absentee mother and business-minded father, who owned a rather large locksmithing operation and wanted his daughter to be the spokesgirl and advertisement model.  So standing and looking pretty was all she ever knew how to do; even when the Joker offered her a chance for adventure and a change of scenery, she was always worrying about her appearance and what her family would think of her.  Her last job with the Joker was to break into her father’s storeroom and steal a box of priceless skeleton keys, but she accidentally tripped the alarm and ruined the whole scheme; after being beaten and abandoned by her gang and deathly afraid to go home again, Cornelia ran as far away as she could and eventually stumbled into a warehouse full of out-of-work rogues, who sympathized with her plight and offered to teach her a few tricks of the trade so that she might prove herself a valuable criminal ally after all.

Josie Miller was a modern Southern Belle and a gold-digger par excellence, extorting close to four million dollars out of her numerous wealthy dates and paramours across Gotham and only failing to capture the heart of Bruce Wayne.  Fortunately for her, the Joker was planning on trying again to crash Gotham’s economy, starting with its most rich and lucrative citizens, and hired her to seduce Wayne’s riches right out from under him; her charms worked so splendidly that the man even drunkenly proposed to her on the third date.  However, her new clueless crush also proved to be her undoing, as he found a man to pose as Josie’s “husband” and prove her less-than-honorable intentions; the ironic thing was that even as she was exposed, she was beginning to believe her own lies and genuinely fall for Wayne, even wishing that they might be together in another time.

Venus was once a historical reenactment and Ren Faire actress who had already garnered quite a bit of acclaim for her ability to disappear into a character and was on the verge of a theater career, but decided instead to try her hand at putting her skills to the test in the criminal scene. What started out as fun and games alongside the Joker turned into a near-bloodbath when he nearly crushed young Robin and Batgirl to death in front of her, and she was so utterly horrified that she ran away, intending to find Batman and turn the Joker in so that he could never hurt anyone, much less children, again.  She was able to get Batman to listen to her, but the Joker did not stay down; Venus now lives outside of the city, hiding fearfully from the criminal element, trying to get her life back on track, and pleading forgiveness for all the grief she may have caused innocent people.

Jane Towser was practically a professional muse, posing for sculptors and painters up and down the East Coast, attending gallery openings, and judging art contests; she had grown up around the strange and avant garde and courted the strange and exotic, but still found herself spellbound and completely fooled by the Joker’s counterfeit Pollack piece.  Convinced he was the next great artist she could attach herself to and clearly underestimating how dangerous he could be, she fawned over the “performance pieces” that were his deathtraps and disguises, but he soon tired of the attention and simply told her to “make herself useful”, making her rob various houses and establishments with a gun to her head.  Her time as an unwilling moll came to an end when Alfred Pennyworth, of all people, fought the Joker to a standstill in her defense, and to this day Josie has been a grateful friend to the man who saved her life and a great deal wiser for the wear.

Undine was a Scandinavian exchange student and the closest thing to a human sea nymph who found herself flourishing under the Jersey Shore sun and waves, becoming an expert surfer and high diver in less than a year and effortlessly charming every man and woman she said a word to.  Her natural charisma and daredevil streak made every rogue in need of fresh blood in their gangs sit up and take notice, but it was the Joker who showed up at the hot dog shack she worked at for the summer and offered her the chance to earn a little money under the table via extorting her customers for him and sabotaging contests.  She turned out to have a real aptitude for crime, adoring the thrill of danger and adventure, and although the Joker’s barbarism eventually turned her off of working for him, Undine remains a popular henchgirl for numerous criminals across Gotham.

Emerald was an enormous movie buff, having a particular love for sci-fi and the monster movies of old, and dreamed of one day making her own creepy special-effects extravaganza that would dazzle audiences the world over; she had also worked for the Joker for several years and had since retired from crime to legally pursue her passion.  But her old boss had not forgotten her—he remembered her loyal service, fascination with other worlds, and considerable amount of scientific skill and glibly offered her a place alongside him with the Injustice League to thumb their nose at Brainiac, knowing she would never be able to resist the opportunity to see what her film collection had only hinted at.  And at first it truly was exhilarating, but unlike the rest of the League, Emerald was nowhere near a match for the likes of Brainiac and tried to flee in terror of what the alien could do; the Joker nearly choked her to death and Lex Luthor threatened to have her thrown into the bottled city of Candor for bailing out so late in the game, but she was almost relieved to finally be apprehended by Batman and the rest of the Justice League.

[visiplevc]

What Businesses Can Expect From Virtual and Augmented Reality

For those living under a rock, VR is the use of headsets and/or mobile devices to provide people with a simulated lifelike environment. It’s not looking at the TV screen; its feeling like you’re inside it. AR brings virtual elements into the real world to change what people see and feel before them, such as a hologram.

With revenue of $5.2 billion in 2016 and projections of $150 billion by 2020, everyone is going to be impacted by AR and VR to some degree. Embracing it early is the wise thing to do.

Examples of VR and AR

To understand these emerging technologies it is important to see how they are already being applied. The mobile game Pokemon Go is an excellent example of augmented reality. Smartphone users travel to real life locations and catch and battle Pokemon on their device with an augmented version of a real life map. A local restaurant might just happen to also be a place where you can get supplies in-game. Many businesses have already cloned this concept for marketing. E.g. directing users to go to a certain location where they can obtain a digital coupon code.

Have you seen those 360 degree videos and images on Facebook? These are simple versions of virtual reality. If you use a VR headset or a basic method of shutting out the outside world (like Google Cardboard), you can be immersed in a new world. This type of content is perfect for marketing, i.e. virtual tours. It is also already being adopted for video conferencing and allowing people to experience entertainment events remotely.

Business Applications

Training: The application of VR and AR technology within your business is not just about the end consumer. Internally it might change how you operate. Imagine the time and money saved on training when it can be done virtually, without mentioning improving the safety for dangerous jobs. The next generation of soldiers could be trained virtually and their tactics might be practised in virtual versions of the warzones they’ll enter. Likewise, training that was once theoretical can now become far more engaging.

Conferencing: First came the telephone, then video conferencing. Now your business meetings can be conducted in a virtual and augmented world where data can be manipulated in front of everyone. The most exciting thing is that you can have a meeting at a location other than the office, eliminating the travel costs of going there in real life.

Remote Work: In the same vein, remote work becomes even easier. A worker might be at home, but still within the virtual office space with their peers.

Online Shopping: Despite being adopted by the masses, one of the key criticisms of online shopping is the inability to experience the product. VR and AR will allow for immersive video and imagery of products and the virtual ‘trying on’ of clothing and other items. Sephora for example has an AR app that allows you to capture a Snapchat style real-time image of your face and apply over 3,000 lipstick shades to see what you will look like.

This kind of tech will even be able to take an item (such as a chair, TV, or wallpaper) and virtually apply it to your home to see what it looks like before purchasing it. Experts predict all of this could prevent $1 trillion in returned purchases!

Virtual Tours: The hotel and travel industry are poised for a revolution for virtual tours, or the ability for customers to experience rooms and locations before making a booking. The days of grainy or generic photos are over.

Design Feedback: Once upon a time, when you were designing a product you would have to create physical mock-up or at least a model on a computer to assess how it might look and function in the real world. This process just got a whole lot more efficient with AR and VR. User testing can be carried out remotely and in some cases without even needing the real life product. This whole process will also reduce costs.

The Future

There are skeptics as it’s not like every new technology takes off – 3D TVs are dead!

However data suggests that the public are ready to embrace VR and AR, with 60 to 70 percent of those surveyed saying they see clear benefits to using the technology in their daily lives. One of the main roadblocks so far has been prices at the consumer end, but like all tech this will decrease as demand and available options increase. There are 685 VR and 737 AR startup businesses pushing the technology forward, and around 500 million VR headsets are expected to be sold by 2025.

But it’s not just about additional technology. Facebook honcho Mark Zuckerberg believes VR will become the next major computing platform. I.e. we won’t go to our desktops or mobile devices; we’ll step inside our virtual or augmented environment. The whole world will become one big virtual tapestry that we’ll interact with.

"Cloud technology is colliding with other technologies and we feel foresee VR and AR being a key component to that" said Evan J. Andriopoulos, Founder of Visiple. "VR and AR is much more than just a cool gadget for gamers, it is the future", followed Andriopoulos.

The team at Visiple is looking at VR and AR for our future generation of services.

 A special thanks to our guest bloggers at Skilled.co

[stripedigital]

Video Marketing Strategy No Longer an Option – Here’s Why

You should be considering a video marketing strategy for your business.

Do you ever feel like your business has plateaued? Does it feel as if your company is stagnant–like it’s not getting anywhere anytime soon?

If so, you’re not alone. Running a small business is tough, and many business owners feel the same way. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but 80% of small businesses fail within the first five years. Sometimes, it can be easy to feel discouraged about your small business.

But video marketing just might be the answer to turn things around.

The marketing landscape is changing; it no longer contains the same scenery we enjoyed twenty years, ten years, or even a couple of years ago.

If your small business isn’t doing well, it may be time to reevaluate the playing field and see what new marketing strategies you need to implement. And video marketing is something you absolutely cannot overlook if you want to see your small business grow.

Here are the top four reasons you need a solid video marketing strategy.

4 Reasons Why You Need a Video Marketing Strategy

1. People Watch Videos.

With the advent of platforms like YouTube and Netflix, people have become used to watching videos in their everyday lives. During one-third of the time people spend online, they’re watching videos. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube each day. And the average Netflix subscriber watches 1.5 hours of content each day.

People have also become used to using videos to help them make decisions about which products to purchase.

90% of customers say videos help them make buying decisions.

64% of customers normally purchase a product online once they’ve viewed a video about it.

Consumers are very visually-oriented, so it’s important to appeal to them in this way. A study from HubSpot Research discovered that this is the way your customers want you to speak to them. 54% of customers want to see videos… and that number outweighs their desire for any other kind of content.

As a business owner, it’s your job to give the people what they want.

By 2019, Entrepreneur predicts, 80% of all online content will be video.

That number should be more than enough to convince you that if you want a corner of the Internet, at least part of what you put out has to be video content.

And more than just Netflix or YouTube. These platforms were created specifically for video content, and nothing else. So you have to branch out to be different. Think about the opportunities other social media platforms present for your business.

Video content is popular on every one of them, from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter. Videos are important no matter what channels you’re using to funnel your marketing efforts.

Facebook, for instance, is right behind YouTube when it comes to where people are consuming their video content. And a Facebook executive–Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of European, Middle Eastern, and African operations–even predicted that in five years, Facebook will be all video.

That prediction may be a little extreme. But it is true that video content is only becoming more important.

2. Everyone Else is Doing it.

When you were a kid, you may have used this line on your mom when she wouldn’t let you do something you thought you should get to: “But everyone is doing it!” It probably sounded suspiciously whiny and was accompanied by a big eye-roll and maybe even a slammed door when your mom inevitably refused.

But you don’t have to use it on us… we’re giving you full permission to give in to the peer pressure here. And we think your mom will, too.

Why?

Simple: more and more brands are making a point to incorporate a video marketing strategy into their overall marketing plan. If you don’t focus on video marketing, you and your business will be left in the dust.

We want your business to grow. Your mom probably does, too. And a good video marketing strategy is the answer.

For example, MOZ is an SaaS (software as a service) company that’s one of the most well-known brands in the industry. Like clockwork, the company publishes a video on its blog every single Friday. The videos are dubbed “Whiteboard Friday.” Each week, a MOZ employee shares tips and tactics for managing marketing, SEO, clients, and more. The videos get dozens of comments and lots of engagement.

Live videos are another important aspect of many companies’ marketing plans. On Facebook, you can save the videos to your page, so customers can join in later if they weren’t around when you went live.

Your video marketing strategy should include ways to make your videos easily accessible to everyone.

Beauty company Sephora does a great job of this. They often host Facebook live videos, where they invite an influencer to sit and chat about beauty trends. The videos are informal, casual, and popular. Sephora also publishes shorter videos with bite-size tips for applying makeup or using skincare products.

And don’t count Instagram out. With the relatively new IGTV feature, it’s easier than ever to share video content on Instagram, even if what you want to share will take longer than sixty seconds.

Glean inspiration from the Instagram channel of Food Network, the popular TV channel. They recently uploaded an IGTV video where a few of their staffers were blindfolded to taste pizza from different restaurant chains, trying to guess where each slice was from… and Food Network’s 7 million followers loved it. Food Network calls this series “Taste Test” and regularly publishes new episodes.

If big brands like these are taking advantage of the advent of video marketing, it’s important that you do, too. Companies like MOZ, Sephora, and Food Network realize that video marketing is the future–and more than that, it’s the now.

3. Videos are Easy to Integrate.

You need a video marketing strategy because you can integrate it with all of your other marketing efforts, leading to a higher conversion rate overall.

No matter what other kinds of marketing you’re doing, from social media to blog posts to emails, it’s simple to include your video content with each one.

Let’s start with Facebook. We’ve already established that the platform is tailor-made for video content. You can include videos on Facebook in two big ways:

Sharing videos as status updates

Doing live streams

No matter which you choose to focus on, or whether you do both, incorporating videos into your Facebook strategy is absolutely essential.

A few key things to keep in mind:

85% of Facebook users watch videos with the sound off

Consider creating a video that has words on the screen or closed-captions.

People are 5x more likely to watch videos on a phone than a desktop computer.

So make sure your content is optimized for mobile viewing.

People click because they see something they like, peaks their interest, or sparks curiosity.

Make sure your thumbnail image elicits some kind of emotion. Whether it’s funny, powerful, or shocking, it should make people click.

Integrating videos on Instagram is easy, too. From IGTV to live videos to sharing shorter clips on your profile, this social platform is making it easier than ever for you to share your video content.

Although it may seem a bit counter-intuitive, you can also share videos in your blog posts if you have a blog, like MOZ does. The software company includes a transcript for any viewers who would like to read along.

Tweets that include videos get higher engagement than ones that don’t. So make sure to post your videos on Twitter as well. You can post a video in your feed or use Periscope, a video app, for a live stream.

And if you want to upload those videos on YouTube, one of the things that you should prioritize is the thumbnail image. The image that you need to use should be enticing enough to encourage users to click the video. This is obviously because the thumbnail is the first one that they will see when they type a certain keyword. As a matter of fact, studies say that most users decide whether to watch your video or not based on the thumbnail.

Adding video content to your website is a great way to spruce things up. Greeting people with a video as soon as they navigate to your website can be a method of getting their attention. You can use video content on your landing page in a couple of big ways: have a video background (but do this carefully, as it can get overwhelming), or embed a smaller video.

Check out how we embedded video on our home page: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/

If you want to be the “face” of your business and feel like you have the necessary charisma, this short video can be a clip of you talking. You can also produce a video (animated or non-animated) about your products or services. Or blend together clips of people giving positive testimonials about your company.

A video is a good way to explain a lot of information in a short amount of time. And since people don’t have long attention spans (the timer begins as soon as they get on your website–you’ve got seven seconds), watching a brief video may be more appealing than the prospect of reading a long block of text.

Although you may not have thought about this before, you can also incorporate video content with your email funnels. A study showed that simply mentioning the word “video” in the subject line of an email increased the open rate by 19%. Often, opening an email is the first step towards becoming a customer, so this is an important way to reach your audience.

The word “video” in an email subject line also reduces unsubscribe rates by 26%. Videos can help you retain more customers.

You need a good video marketing strategy because you can integrate it with all of your other marketing efforts, leading to a higher conversion rate overall.

4. Videos Bring Out Your Personality.

Video content can increase your brand awareness, put a face to your company, and show your customers that you have a fun side.

Think about Geico, for instance. When you think about this insurance company’s brand, where does your mind go first: Geico’s insurance options? Their Facebook posts? Or the green gecko that you’ve probably seen on your TV many times?

We’re guessing it was the gecko… and there’s a reason for that.

Geico has done a great job of leveraging the power of video to make sure people recognize their brand anywhere, anytime, and in any context. The insurance company’s video marketing strategy has done wonders for their brand awareness.

What exactly is brand awareness? The term refers to how well a customer can remember or recognize a brand. For instance, you’d know the golden arches anywhere, right? Whether on a billboard, in a magazine, or on the Internet, McDonald’s is one of the most recognizable brands around.

But for SMB’s (small and medium businesses), it can be a little harder to cement your brand into people’s minds.

It’s important, though. Brand awareness plays a huge role in consumer behavior. In other words, if someone remembers you, they’re more likely to buy from you.

The good news: video content can help in this area.

Over half of marketers feel that video is an effective tool to increase brand awareness. Images linger in people’s minds for longer. Videos engage the senses in a way that the written word just doesn’t and can’t.

Videos can also help you put a face–a literal one–to your business.

People connect to people. You don’t want your customers to think of you as a corporation. You want them to think of you as a friendly face, ready to help.

Many companies star their founder or CEO in their videos. They might do a livestream with high-ranking employees to show the faces behind the ideas, or a series of short videos spotlighting various employees to demonstrate the personable side of the company. Much like this clip about a typical day in the life of Virgin Group CEO, Richard Branson.

This is important because it helps customers feel more of a personal connection to the brand and its representatives.

And finally, a video marketing strategy is important because videos can show your customers that you have a fun side.

Think about it. Which would you rather have: a dry piece of content that’s trying to sell you something, or a video with funny graphics and happy, upbeat music?

All forms of content marketing are important. But with the medium of video, you have a combination of sound and visuals that other platforms just don’t offer–and this can really help get your point across.

James McQuivey, a digital marketing expert, has said just one minute of video content is the equivalent of 1.8 million words.

And to your customers, that one minute of video content will probably be far more entertaining.

If you’ve been searching for a way to show your audience that you aren’t a dry, stuffy brand–rather, that you’re a fun and exciting one–video content is the way.

A strong video marketing strategy is important because people watch videos. Everyone else is doing it. Videos are easy to integrate on other platforms. And videos can define your brand’s personality.

Don’t wait–create a video marketing strategy for your brand today. We can help you do just that, so give us a call (404-596-7925) or complete this form.

The post Video Marketing Strategy No Longer an Option – Here’s Why appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog.

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[mlmcompanies]

How do you spell success?

According to Perfectly Post: world domination.

Perfectly Posh knows they’ve made some mistakes along the way. (What business hasn’t?)

But one thing they’ve done right is branding. In the MLM space, where everyone follows the same rules and operates pretty much the same, they’re doing things their own way.

Now, with a strong brand in place, they may have the foundation to begin taking over the skincare industry. And with their message that every woman deserves just ten minutes a day of pampering, they may make it happen.

Perfectly Posh is a popular network marketing company that sells all sorts of cosmetic and beauty products, from essential oils to adorably packaged soaps and scrubs.

Cosmetic and skincare MLM companies are some of the most common in the industry (see: Younique, Oriflame, or Young Living). But Perfectly Posh may be poised to compete. Here’s what you need to know.

FAQ

1. What does Perfectly Posh sell? According to Perfectly Posh, they’re a pampering company that doesn’t take itself too seriously. They’re edgier than other beauty companies, selling fun and indulgent skin care products with sweet and sassy messaging. But they’re also committed to quality. Rather than relying on fillers and fragrances that don’t nourish the skin, their products are made with naturally-based ingredients that actually work. Think Sephora or Ulta, but more affordable.

2. What are Perfectly Posh’s most popular products? Perfectly Posh is about following the trends, releasing new trendy products every season. Their focus is on quirky product names (like Never Grow Up, the Stripper, and the Gender Bender) and formulas that feel great on the skin. But all of their products help you take better care of yourself—products for the bath/shower, body, face and lips, hair, and hands and feet. They have about 100 basic beauty products that have been around since day one. But they have anywhere from 10 to 20 products come in seasonally to supplement the basics.

3. How much does it cost to join Perfectly Posh? It costs $99 to get Perfectly Posh’s starter kit, which has over $250 in products, plus tools and training. As soon as you join, you’ll have access to a virtual office and be able to set up a replicated website.

4. Is Perfectly Posh a scam? No, Perfectly Posh is a legitimate business with a real focus on helping women take 10 minutes a day to pamper themselves. They’re also committed to empowering women. One of the ways they do that is to pay you instantly if you’re at the PINK level or above. That said, there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction among employees and some distributors, which makes you wonder how people are being treated behind the scenes.

5. What is Perfectly Posh’s BBB rating? Perfectly Posh isn’t listed by the BBB.

6. How long has Perfectly Posh been in business? Since 2011

7. What is Perfectly Posh’s revenue? More than $100 million

8. How many Perfectly Posh distributors are there? More than 45,000

9. What lawsuits have been filed? In 2017, the FDA sent a warning letter to Perfectly Posh, letting them know that they were making over-the-top claims about some of their products. [1]

10. Comparable companies: Mary Kay, Younique, Jeunesse

So should you hop on the Perfectly Posh train?

If you’re all about the products, go for it. The company seems to be pretty solid here.

As far as money making opportunities go, this one isn’t terrible, but there are certainly better options out there…

Click here for my #1 recommendation

Either way, here’s the full review on Perfectly Posh.

Overview

Ann Dalton is the 5’1″ powerhouse who created Perfectly Posh back in 2011. Within 5 months, they already had consultants in all 50 states.

By 2014 they were already doing $50 million a year in sales. [2]

She actually started out with MLM-giant Scentsy, where she was granted exclusive rights to create their marketing materials.

This background is a big reason for Perfectly Posh’s success. So many cosmetics MLMs don’t know how to keep up with marketing and design and, as a result, their products are seen as grandma’s makeup. Perfectly Posh’s branding and package design are very trendy and appealing.

Not only are their sales killing it, but the buzz is there. They’ve already got around 45,000 consultants…a number that’s been growing so fast, the company can hardly keep up with demand.

Naturally, they’re also really big on empowering women to be ambitious entrepreneurs who bring home the bacon.

 “The company was started with the firm belief that we all need pampering experiences to take care of ourselves. When we women realize this, we’re unstoppable. It’s critical we take a little time to rejuvenate, so we can spend the rest of our time giving back to those we love in the world around us.” [3]

A littleee hyperbolic. Do most women like a good bubble bath and a lavender foot scrub? Of course. Are those things going to make them unstoppable? Uh, no.

Lots of MLMs, especially in the beauty product niche, focus heavily on recruiting women because the stay-at-home-moms looking for part-time work-from-home opportunities are known to be one of the segments most likely to jump at an offer like Perfectly Posh’s.

These MLMs package their recruitment as empowering women, but some people consider it exploitative and manipulative, especially given the fact that 9 out of 10 of these women will basically never make their money back.

Their profile on Glassdoor, a website where users can review employers, suggests the empowerment message might be smoke and mirrors. They’ve only got a 2.4/5 rating, and one user even claims,

“She [the CEO] is one of the most evil, rude, arrogant, and downright untrustworthy people you will meet. I am yet to talk to someone in my short time here that has an ounce of respect for her. She refers to the consultants as “drunk, fat, idiots that are clueless.” [4]

Ouch.

Products

Their products are actually pretty well-reviewed (by customers who actually receive their orders on time).

Beauty and bath products are all made from naturally-based ingredients, and they’ve even got a line of vegan products.

Hands + Feet is their line of hand creams, moisturizers, foot balm and foot scrubs, and so on. They come in fun flavors like Castaway Coconut and Black Cherry Attack. Hand cream goes for $9-15 while their foot scrubs go for around $20. A little pricey.

Face + Lips is their line of face masks, facial moisturizers, face washes, lip scrubs, lip balm, and shaving products. Cuban Cool lime mint lip scrub and As Good As Gold moisturizing skin stick are some bestsellers. Moisturizing skin sticks go for $12-14 while face masks go for $22.

Body is their line of body products that include soaps, body scrubs, body wash, and body butter in flavors like Easy Peasy (lemon) and Gender Bender (a gender neutral scent). Soap bars go for $9 which is pretty spendy for a bar of soap.

Hair products include shampoo, conditioner, split end treatments, hair oils, and hair masks ranging from $14 to $23.

Bath products include bubble bath, bath oil, and bath salts. They’ve got everything from Bravocado to Calmy Chamomile to Bubble Up, and they sell 6 of them for $22.

They’ve got products on Amazon, and they mostly have great reviews.

One of the most popular items, the BFF Exfoliating Daily Facewash, has 4.5 stars and 23 customer reviews. [5]

Compensation Plan

It costs $99 to join and get your starter kit, which isn’t cheap, but it’s pretty standard for newer MLMs. [6]

The kit does come with 14 of their best selling products ranging from body butter to scrubs to hand cream and “bath honey”.

New consultants get some decent training materials and access to their Prep Academy, which is filled with marketing materials and training videos. It includes a structured training program for your first 30 days, and you get points for completing trainings that can go toward free product.

There are other ways to earn points for free product, such as rank advancements and attendance at events.

No one ever said no to free stuff, but what about cold, hard cash?

Consultants get paid commissions weekly. This is convenient, but they pay out on a company-branded Visa card which means you get charged a fee for withdrawing your paycheck. Kind of annoying.

Personal commission starts at 20% for “Protégé” consultants and ranges all the way up to 31% for “Platinum Premier” consultants. If you can get up to 30% personal commission, that’s almost in-line with the industry average…but still a little below.

Downline commission doesn’t start until you’ve hit the third rank level, and at that point, you’re earning 1-2% on your first three levels. When you get to higher ranks, you’re getting 2-6% on up to 8 levels deep. Not bad.

However, to get up to those higher Premier levels where you’re making even an acceptable commission rate, you need to consistently sell $500 per month, have a team that sells $6,000 per month, and a company that sells $20,000 per month.

Those might not sound like huge numbers, but when you’re selling bars of soap through network marketing, trust me…they are.

Recap

So the compensation plan is nothing impressive.

They’ve got good products, but if money is the motive, I don’t see many people getting rich off selling bubble bath.

The biggest clue that this MLM really isn’t doing so hot, though, is the fact that they once had an F rating with the Better Business Bureau.

That’s pretty bad. I’ve seen plenty of shady MLMs still manage to pull off an A- or a B.

Can they redeem themselves from that epic failure? Other than just removing their name from the BBB? Cuz that’s what it looks like they did.

—

If you really enjoy the products, this might not be a bad company to give a try. Just don’t expect it to replace your 9 to 5 job anytime soon.

I’ve been involved with network marketing for over ten years so I know what to look for when you consider a new opportunity.

After reviewing 200+ business opportunities and systems out there, here is the one I would recommend:

Click here for my #1 recommendation

[theconservativebrief]

Elon Musk personifies the modern cult-of-personality CEO style. His social media posts are unfiltered, he gets into public scuffles with his critics, and he has a loyal band of followers that defend his every move, often attacking Musk’s detractors. But Musk has nothing on Brandon Truaxe, the founder and CEO — though he likes to say his official title is “worker” — of Deciem, one of the buzziest skin care companies on the planet right now.

The unconventional beauty brand founder’s exploits have been followed rabidly by those both interested in incredibly affordable skin care and those who just love messy gossip. As Deciem’s sub-brand The Ordinary gains popularity for its $9 acids, its founder gains notoriety for his incendiary and even offensive Instagram presence. He’s used the platform to insult fans, cancel partnerships, and even posted a photo of an impoverished-looking New Yorker in front of one of the brand’s stores.

In a video on Deciem’s Instagram on Monday, Truaxe said: “This is the final post of Deciem. … We will shut down all operations until further notice, which will be about two months. Please take me seriously.” The location of the video was tagged as the White House. He went on to say, “Almost everyone at Deciem has been involved in major criminal activity, which includes financial crimes.”

The largely incoherent message was paired with a long, rambling caption in which he called out many in the company’s inner circle, then went on to name hotels, restaurants, other cosmetic companies, “so many porn ‘studios,’” Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tom Ford, Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Tim Cooke, and Leonard Lauder, the patriarch of the Estée Lauder company.

View this post on Instagram

Without filters. A revolution is coming. Every one of you who has been laughing aT me will with certainty face criminal prosecution. Estée Lauder Companies Inc. has been the biggest stock promotion. Richard Duntas, Bernard Ass (LVMH), Marica “Tracy” (Bliss, Remedè, Soaper Due Per Shoe), Hyatt (Grand Hyatt, Andaz, er al), Marriott (St. Regis, W, Marriot, et al), So many porn “studios”, nearly all @deciem employees, most of “Hollywood”, Gill Sinclair, India Knight, Caroline Hirons, India Knight, RBC, BMO, Boots, KKR, most of the Lauder family, Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Karim Kanji, Antonio Tadrisi, DF Mc, LVMH, Dia Fooley, Michael Davidson, Hanif, Zark Fatah, Inditex (Zara, Massimo Dutti, etc), H&M, $100 monkey, Too Faced (founders too), TSG, Alshaya, Amanresorts, Erwin Zecha, Oliver Zecha, Steven R Riddle, the Coc and Corcky managers, PRIDE organizers, IT Cosmetics, Nicola L ReadingTons, all of Dishoom, All of Delaunay, David Yurman, Tom Ford, Tim Cooke. McKesson, Rexall, Jamin Asaria, David Jackson, York Heritage and others — sentencing doesn’t begin with any point but sentences like this one do. Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Michael Less, Stephen Spellberg e.T., AON are also included with certainty. ARGO stood for “Ali Roshan GO”. You idiots. Father, please please be safe if you can for the next few hours. I love you all. -Brandon (RIYADH, please be EXTREMELY CAREFUL in the next few hours). Aurora (TSX) : you are finished. Michael Basler, Gordon Wilde, David Trinder, Eric Jacobs, Allan Gerlings, Dalton Pharma SS, Michael OH CON ELLE, Charm IS T A 007, Robert Jones, Cascade, Prince Al Walid, The White Company, Obagi (brand and doctor), Freedom Health, ESHO-isT, Alexandru Serban and baggage, Apotex: Goodbye also. Peace is coming. . It’s clear now. @esteelaudercompanies @richardbranson @realdonaldtrump @gowlingwlg_ca @zuck @musicianjessecook, et. al.

A post shared by THE ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY (@deciem) on Oct 8, 2018 at 5:41am PDT

This post has been covered and analyzed everywhere from Allure to Buzzfeed, but it’s par for the course for Truaxe, who has given fans reasons to worry about his emotional state before. He posts on the brand’s official Instagram page himself — the rest of the social media team consists of one employee who responds to product usage questions — and has a history of posting confusing and sometimes concerning messages.

Truaxe has not hesitated to attack commenters who question him on the brand’s page. This behavior has led fans and critics to question his mental health and the health of the company, as well as speculate that the social media theatrics are actually just savvy marketing. But what is really going on?

Before we get into the events of this week, here’s a primer: Truaxe founded Deciem in 2013 and launched 10 sub-brands simultaneously — including hair care, supplements, and a men’s grooming line — which is pretty much unheard of in the beauty industry. His company, based in Toronto, also makes its own products, instead of contracting outside manufacturers, which is how most beauty brands work. Deciem employs about 800 people and has more than two dozen stores worldwide. Tagline: “The Abnormal Beauty Company.”

Truaxe is a computer programmer by trade, but he co-founded a high-end line of skincare called Euoko in 2008. One product cost $700, according to an article published in W magazine at the time. He then exited that brand and founded Indeed Labs, another Canadian beauty company. He left that under “angry” conditions and with a non-compete agreement, according to an interview in 2016 with Cosmetics Business. “A combination of passion for bringing credibility to the functional beauty business and the revenge overly due to Indeed Labs led to the formation of Deciem,” he told the publication.

Deciem really took off after the company launched skin care brand the Ordinary in 2016. The line features exceptionally affordable skin care featuring well-studied ingredients that have been used in skin care for decades, like vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid, and others. Most are in simple dropper bottles, and the formulas aren’t fancy; they often smell weird or have gritty textures. But the line took off because the price is cheaper than anything on the market, including products you can find at a drugstore.

A simple glycolic face acid costs less than $9; an equivalent at Sephora or Ulta can cost upward of $20. The Ordinary launched at a time when people were getting interested in and purchasing skin care in a way we haven’t seen in years. The Ordinary’s accessibility contributed to a democratization of sorts. Really effective skin care had previously been in the purview of those who could afford pricey products.

According to Truaxe, the brand has done about $300 million in sales. Beauty conglomerate Estée Lauder has a 28 percent minority share in the company, an association that has given the indie brand credibility but invited scrutiny. Truaxe has always been described as quirky in early interviews, but things started to get weirder at the beginning of 2018 when he started posting very personal and even bizarre messages on the brand’s official Instagram account.

In January, Truaxe officially announced he was taking over the brand’s Instagram page. His first order of business was to pick a fight with another indie brand, Drunk Elephant, by suggesting its marula oil was too expensive. He apologized. After that came a series of pictures of garbage and increasingly more personal posts. He also appeared to be communicating with his team via Instagram. Redditors then discovered Glassdoor reviews suggesting that the company was not a great place to work.

In February, Truaxe took to Instagram to broadcast that the company would no longer be producing Esho, a brand of lip products made in collaboration with a UK plastic surgeon, Dr. Tijion Esho. Truaxe unceremoniously announced this on Instagram, allegedly without alerting Esho himself that it would be happening. (Esho is tagged in this week’s Instagram post as well.) It led to an almost year-long legal battle between the two.

Esho told Vox that he secured trademark and other rights to the Esho brand, as well as payment he was owed, with the help of Deciem’s Nicola Kilner.

Kilner is an important part of the brand story. She joined Deciem early from UK drugstore brand Boots and had been integral to its growth; at one point her title was “co-CEO.” She was largely seen as the calm and moderating force in the company. But Truaxe fired her in February after a confusing string of events that culminated in Truaxe questioning her loyalty to him.

An experienced CFO, Stephen Kaplan, who had only been there about six months, quit around the same time in protest. Kilner was given two years of severance pay. She gave an interview to Elle magazine a few months after her firing, in which she seemed reluctant to say anything negative about Truaxe or Deciem. “Talking to Kilner is a bit like talking to someone rescued from a cult against her will,” wrote Carrie Battan in the article. This summer, Kilner was rehired at the company. (She has not responded to Vox’s request for comment.)

Following the ESHO posts, a Racked investigation, prompted in part by the negative Glassdoor reviews, revealed allegations by several employees of verbal abuse and other misconduct by Truaxe and others in management positions. It was generally acknowledged, including by those working at the company, that the leadership was disorganized, with people changing roles and job titles frequently.

But the brand was growing, opening a rash of new stores (including the one in which the indigent person camped out in front or prompting Truaxe to say, “This person is disrespectful to the beauty of the library; he is disrespectful to the beauty of Fifth Avenue”). During this period, the brand got picked up by Sephora and even got a shout out from Kim Kardashian, who was apparently a fan.

Since these flare ups, Truaxe has been likened to Donald Trump by fans. He picked a fight with Cosmetics Business when it reported on these comparisons. He’s angrily lashed out at fans on social media who have questioned his methods, expressed concern about his increasingly incoherent posts, or called him out for his sometimes brash communication style. He would often highlight retorts to them in Instagram Stories on the brand’s official page, which occasionally led to fans attacking those critics on social media.

“Anyone who insults me, I’ll insult back. Look, if someone drops a bomb on my house I will at least knock and maybe pee on theirs,” he told me in the summer in a previously unpublished conversation, when I asked him about angering his followers by insulting them.

Some of these events seem to have affected his relationship with retailers. Sephora carried The Ordinary for a short time online, then it disappeared. Truaxe had suggested that Ulta was going to carry the line, but that has not materialized. Victoria Health, a UK based site (and one of the first to carry The Ordinary) dropped it recently and started stocking a competitor brand, Garden of Wisdom; Truaxe took to Deciem’s Instagram to post unflattering photos of the site’s founder. He publicly announced, via a shared email on the platform, that he would no longer be supplying product to indie beauty e-commerce site Beautylish. (German retailer Douglas recently started stocking Deciem, and the company has over a dozen freestanding stores in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Europe, and South Korea.)

Truaxe has also publicly called out his minority investor, Estée Lauder, a large and powerful company that has always controlled its image very tightly. He’s published emails from Leonard Lauder and other Lauder executives, airing dirty laundry like the fact that the company supposedly wouldn’t allow an artisan who tiles its stores to post her work on social media. (The woman’s family ultimately was upset at Truaxe for that post.) The company is mentioned in this week’s Instagram post as well. In a statement to Vox, a representative for the company wrote: “The Estée Lauder Companies is a minority investor in Deciem, and, as such, we do not control the company’s operations, social media or personnel decisions.”

(There’s so much more. You can read more of my old reporting here, and Elle also has a helpful timeline of events.)

Now we are back to the “financial crimes” Truaxe mentioned this week on Instagram. In the video, he announced that the company would close down. For a while, Deciem’s homepage was a black screen with a small green pi symbol in the center. Individual brand pages, such as for The Ordinary, could still be accessed. As of publication time, the site is up and running.

According to an email leaked to Cosmopolitan UK, Truaxe ordered all the London stores except one to be closed until February 2019, accompanied by a warning that those not following instructions would be “terminated tomorrow.” No one answered phones at any of the London stores, the Miami store, or the Seoul store. (Truaxe and multiple others in the company did not respond to a request for comment.)

At the Amsterdam store, an apologetic woman who spoke English answered and said her boss told her to close the branch for two weeks, “but I don’t know why.” The Nolita store in New York City was open, but others in the city did not answer the phone. Communication obtained by a source close to Deciem suggested that there was confusion behind the scenes and that more of the New York City locations would eventually be opened. The Toronto stores were closed yesterday, per social media reports, but it was Canadian Thanksgiving. The Canadian stores did not answer their phones today.

All over social media and in the Deciem Facebook chat room, customers have reported placing online orders successfully.

This is not the first time Truaxe has alluded to financial wrongdoings at the company. He’s posted increasingly disturbing videos, including one now-deleted post from a hotel in the UK in which he asked for his followers to call the police because he was worried for his safety. He once sent an email to all his employees stating he was “done” with Deciem.

During the summer, I spoke to Truaxe both on the phone and in person in previously unpublished interviews about some of these incidents, especially the insinuations that there were financial “crimes” at the company. He was vague, saying “authorities” were involved. He also suggested that he was served a lawsuit by his former Euoko partner and current Deciem minority stakeholder Pasquale Cusano, who did not respond to calls and emails. Truaxe sounded lucid during the in-person conversation, though he tends to speak quickly and occasionally rambles.

“I found things I don’t like in my company,” Truaxe said at the time. He would not offer more details when pressed. “Unless things are cleaned up, I won’t stay.”

Truaxe’s suggestion on Instagram this week that the company may shut down led to a bit of panic among customers and fans, as it has done on multiple other occasions when his behavior on Instagram has seemed erratic. The CBC, which ran a report on the company in July, spoke to a marketing expert who suggested that it might be a purposeful tactic to get customers to buy products in bulk. If it was premeditated, it’s working, if social media is any indication — though some are calling it a stunt:

this whole Deciem thing must be a next level PR activation stunt. ppl will go mad for the products and sell out the entire stock

— (@thelonelyldnr) October 9, 2018

Truaxe truly seems to run his company by the seat of his pants, and doesn’t really seem to be concerned about who he angers or worries along the way. A blog post about Truaxe’s drama as a CEO on Strategy + Business in July noted, “Chaos is not a business strategy.” But it seems to be working fine for Deciem so far. The company has opened two new factories and several new stores, as well as launched a variety of new products over the last six months. But shutting down stores, which he sporadically seems to have done this week, will cost the company revenue and also possibly cost employees their pay.

The parallels between Brandon Truaxe and Elon Musk are there. Musk’s problematic tweets have opened him up to federal probes and caused him to step down as chairman of Tesla. But the sheer force of his personality and perceived genius are allowing him to stay on as CEO. So far, Deciem is telling a similar story.

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Original Source -> Deciem’s Brandon Truaxe: the world’s most controversial beauty CEO, explained

via The Conservative Brief