2B (of course to be!)

Infographic is no fun…or is it?

Yuliya Karnaukh — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:59:24 +0000

Can you do me a favor? Can you please look at this post like you would look directly into my eyes and shout out loud: “You go girl!!!”…And looking straight back at you with tears of joy streaming down my face I’ll answer: “Aw”… Today I’ve published my very first Infographic.

If you ever compiled statistic data for any kind of project but specifically for the infographics you know what it feels like. If on top of that you also had to come up with the concept and some graphical idea than you understand my tears. Sure there are a lot of tools available to help you with the entire process. There are even businesses nowadays whose sole purpose is to create the Infographics. But I wanted to do it all by myself from the scratch. While searching for the data and putting everything together I felt like a pregnant woman. It’s all there – I could see it growing draft by draft but oh when the baby will come out? And then it finally presented its face to the world…and what an awe it was:)

Emotions to the side here are some practical advises:

Have your concept thought through and ready way before you hit the search button
Don’t list the statistics – develop a story and follow the line
Be unique and creative but at the same time think of your target audience – after all you want them to love it to the point of wanting to sharing it
The Infographic has to be visually rich and image beautiful. An “eye-candy” is a good tag to describe it
Make sure that the design is clear and consistent
Follow through your story from beginning to the end
..have fun

Did I mention the fun I had while developing the Infographic? Besides creating our unique content we also developed a friendship with a very talented designer that works with us. At least I hope we did:)

And here is our baby: tah-dah!

6 Ways to Get Your Infographic Noticed (thecontentlab.icrossing.com)
Adding an Infographic into Your Content Mix (digitaloperative.com)
INFOGRAPHIC: The Psychology Of Facebook (allfacebook.com)

People Are Everything

Yuliya Karnaukh — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:56:41 +0000

Going on the corporate trip is the best way to get to know people you are working with. Last weekend we went on the rafting trip. Besides experiencing the extreme I’ve got a chance to discover one important thing. When there is a vacant place in the boat driven by the person that everyone loves people want to take it. The very uncomfortable, not cool, even not very safe place but next to a great leader. We want it and we’ll fight for it. We had four kayaks and a raft. Kayaks are fun and we’ve got them filled pretty fast. It’s always interesting to see people rub their shoulders to get a place they want. Climbing career stairs is no jock and we are good at mastering the art. Those who are not as fast and tough slowly climbed the raft looking kind of pathetic. Up until our very fun accouter showed up and made a huge difference in a gloomy atmosphere on the inflatable boat. Just one person cheered up a team of eigth so-called outsiders making them look like achievers. He inspired them to row harder and steady singing along the song he knew no words to. I’ve read somewhere that a true leader “…provides a new perspective, inspiring us to abandon our narrow field of vision. When we are preoccupied with our self-interests – be they petty or great – a leader sends out a wake-up call, alerting us to seek the true priorities in life.” And row harder and be happy.

Get What You Want

Yuliya Karnaukh — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:12:29 +0000

Did you ever find yourself wanting something really bad and ending up buying something similar but not quite what you wanted? I just recently came back from the store holding a bag of candy that I purchased from the local grocer thinking why-oh-why am I so weak in my decisions?I mean I knew exactly what kind of candy I wanted. While walking to the store I could feel it melting in my mouth with full reality of a 3D. I chewed on its crunchy filling swallowing hard so people won’t get suspicious on what I’m so excited about. Then I went to store and found it right there on the shelf looking exactly as I imagined and just as much desirable. Up until I saw the price. It was five dollars more than I was willing to spend on my candies. It was exactly what I wanted but a bit pricier than I anticipated. Being as much of a daughter of my mother I started convincing myself that the candy right next to it is just as sweet and yummy as the ones I originally wanted. Just as good, just as…and for the exact budget I had on mind. So I bought it. I took the wrapping off and stuck my teeth into it…It was not the same. The point here is to follow your heart. Don’t let your mind to convince you IF you know exactly what you want. I’m not advocating for uncontrollable spending or anything in this direction. I just want to remind you that once you know what you want in life or in business – go for it. Even if it’s five dollars more than what you originally planned (remember to always include overhead in your business financial planning). You’ll forget what you paid for the idea you knew was right from the start but you will always remember what you should but didn’t do.

Friday Inspiration : Neon Candy Galaxies (thepassionatephotographer.wordpress.com)

In Sickness and Health

Yuliya Karnaukh — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:01:29 +0000

Nothing makes one think of what’s important in life like getting sick. And event though it’s no fun to fell off the face of the earth for a couple of days because of a tiny bug that made himself comfortable in one’s stomach I am still very grateful for a reminder of how fragile we are and how much I have to do before I die. Like learn to speak Japanese. Or build a business. Or pass Google Analytics test that I despise with all my heart but none the less have to make an effort in successfully attaining Google certificate. The other day a friend of mine sent me a quote: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” Robert Heinlein. 1973 Even though I know for sure that I will never be able to butcher a hog there is a lot for me to learn and try, to fail and to succeed at or recover from. Those past days while physically suffering from my little bug that surely did not feel like leaving me for good I saw with all the clarity the importance of using one’s time wisely for no matter what we do personally and professionally the most valuable asset that we own is time. So thank you for spending those couple of minutes with me. Now I’m back to my Google Analytics study. Wish me luck))

Your Guide to Recovering from Google Penguin (mashable.com)

Little nostalgic note about time

Yuliya Karnaukh — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:53:09 +0000

For some reason the future always looks a little brighter than today. Modern people like to live in tomorrow and for tomorrow not paying much attention to the precious moments that are passing by. Sometimes I find myself dreaming about all the things and stuff I’ll do when I’m…um-mm..forty. Or fifty. Or…Whatever. The point is I’m not always living in today and for today regretting some things that did not happen and dreaming about things that I want to achieve. And while it is important to remember your own faults and learn from them as well as to set goals and plan for tomorrow, the most important thing is to fully experience each and every moment of your life. Present moments that are here right now and in a second are gone. In business and in personal life. You had some success with your email marketing efforts? Great! It did not return as much of an interest as you anticipated? Well, ok, evaluate what improvements have to be applied and do it right the next time around. But feel the rush of doing things that you love today and let go of mistakes and mishaps in your life. They are done – get over. Look what it taught you, what was the message since nothing in this life happens just because. Remember, everything has a reason and everything teaches you something. Read the signs, evaluate, re-approach, take your time and live in the moment. It’s here and it’s the most important time of our life.

Motivational Minute 344 (trueheartspeaks.wordpress.com)

Demandware Ecommerce Solutions: short overview of what it’s all about

Yuliya Karnaukh — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:19:29 +0000

It seems that no one is surprised anymore by the fact that retail is rapidly moving from brick and mortar building into an online commerce space. The first quarter of this year’s comScore report indicates $44.3 billion of an online sales in the U.S. alone. The tendency spreads global-wide so every business-savvy person understands the importance of going online. And doing it smart.

There is quite a few ecommerce solutions available out there but if your retail business is large enough to hire sales manager you might consider something solid and reputable for your ecommerce needs. Like ecommerce platform called Demandware.

Demandware is one of the best Software-as-a-Service ecommerce solution that allows businesses to outsource all their e-commerce needs, including the design, implementation and management of their online retail sites and mobile applications. Which means that Demandware partner can build business-tailored online store based on Demandware extensive pre-build technologies combined with exclusive design and ongoing support. In other words clients are getting an ecommerce package filled with services ranged from the stage of development and implementation to an up to date technology updates and maintenance. Such business approach proved to be very cost effective and time efficient. That’s why Demandware portfolio includes big names like Hugo Boss, L’Oreal, Barneys New York and such.

What steps you might anticipate in taking while getting your business online? You will get to choose your software first and then pick a solution partner that would guide you through the entire process that includes:

Custom Development
Deployment
International Expansion
Digital Marketing

Couple words about Demandware solution partners. The company is very picky about who they are doing business with which is another advantage in choosing Demandware as an ecommerce solution provider. Some of them like Astound Commerce is going an extra mile as they implement the approach called Rapid Launch that ensures that your project is up and running within minimum time frames. That could be really important as the process from developing ecommerce site and the actual implementation could be pretty lengthy. So if you decide to base your enterprise ecommerce solutions on Demandware technologies make a selection wisely. Especially because you’ve got an apprehensive list of providers to choose from.

Astound Commerce is Scheduled to Attend the Demandware XChange Conference of 2012! (astoundcommerce.wordpress.com)
NETRADA and Astound Commerce Enter into New and Exclusive Partnership on Global Scale – customized eCommerce Solutions for Fashion Brands (astoundcommerce.wordpress.com)

An Independence that’s all my own

Yuliya Karnaukh — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:04:25 +0000

What to write about on the 4th of July but independence? It’s a tough word if you think about it. And it can mean different thing to different people. Copyblogger posted a short article today on what independence means for a business owner stating that it does not matter whether you are a tycoon or a mom-and-pop store you are a business owner and so be it.

I’m so happy I’m a blogger ’cause I have to digest an enormous amount of information on the daily basis and just like every person we meet is a teacher so is every article I stumble upon teaches me something as well.

I’ve read all the Facebook posts today on what a birthday of America means to my friends and came to think of what “the independence” means specifically to me. I don’t think it’s really a freedom to make my own choices ’cause too many people depend on my decisions. And I can not say that I’m an owner of my own life ’cause it’s tightly connected to lives of my loved ones and that’s the way I like it. So I think my independence lies in my ability to create stuff that I can call my own. Like this blog. Thank you for being a part of it. And Happy 4th!

Independence for Entrepreneurs… (504blog.com)
Happy Independence Day to America’s Entrepreneurs (blogs.constantcontact.com)

Don’t speak

Yuliya Karnaukh — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:44:54 +0000

“No Doubt” clearly had their point when Gwen Stephani so painfully sang her broken heart out. There is also a saying that the best way to preserve good looking body and a long-lasting relationship is to close one’s mouth on time. But let’s get back to Dale Carnegie advices and see what he has to say about “speak or not to speak”. In the chapter of “How to win people to your way of thinking” he suggests to “Let people talk themselves out. They know more about their business and problems than you…Let the other person do the talking”. That could be easily translated into your marketing efforts. A lot of businesses are busy talking about themselves wondering why people place no comments or show any kind of interest. I mean we are so awesome but no one seam to notice! The truth is that people like to hear and read about themselves so the trick is to give them such opportunity. Once you unlock the magic of posting the info that people can relate to or find themselves in it you can rest assured that the process is on the way and you will get the attention you are so eagerly soughing after. “The more you give the more you get” always works! So don’t speak!

Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People (julie-pruitt.com)
Don’t roll your eyes at social media influencers (socialmedia.biz)

The best way to get people to do what you want

Yuliya Karnaukh — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:45:58 +0000

Yes, I am going back to basics and yes, I’m rereading and reanalyzing the great book of “How to win friends and Influence people“. I’m going to implement each and every advice from this book to my quest of creating fun and engaging Facebook business page. If people got friends offline while following Mr. Carnegie’s instructions I should be able to do it online as well. So “there is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything…”“And that is by making the other person want to do it”. What can I do to make other people want to become fans of my Facebook business page? If a person’s main motive to do just about anything is a desire to be great then logically I would need to make my fans feel important.

I found that the best way of doing it is to post pictures. In fact the biggest engagement I’m creating so far on the Facebook is by using pictures from our company events or industry-related images like infographics. Tags, comments, compliments – all of it attribute to person’s flattering feelings and that’s exactly what I need. I’ve posted a picture from one of our events yesterday. Result? – 11 new likes. “I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!”

How to win friends and influence people (earlyinitiative.wordpress.com)
How to win friends and influence people in the digital age (ryanleecarson.tumblr.com)
A token of appreciation (marketing4b2b.wordpress.com)

A token of appreciation

Yuliya Karnaukh — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:10:20 +0000

Remember what one of the movie character answered when asked why people are getting married? – So someone would witness their lives. What does this mean? It means that we all want to be important. At least to someone. Even if we define ourselves as the very unselfish people on the planet our persona is still the most important to us in the whole wide universe. It’s a very natural feeling that’s been instilled in us since the very creation. I don’t need to dig too deep to get confirmation from the wise ones. The best ever written book by Dale Carnegie is the most illustrious study on the human nature that concludes that one of the most influential tools to get people attracted to you is to make them feel self-important.

That’s why Facebook is the number one social network on planet Earth (at least for right now). Sure it allows friends to stay connected and marketers to get the word of mouth being heard. But most importantly it empowers human beings to show to the word how awesome they are. In fact this social network is the happiest place in the universe inhabited by the most beautiful and talented personalities ever found. We post smiles, success stories, best shots, smarties and good news. Why? Because we want to get “likes” and to feel important.

Conclusion? Read or re-read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and apply each and every advice to your social media campaign and see what happens. And share with me your stories. I’m in. Follow my quest.

2B (of course to be!)

Infographic is no fun…or is it?

Please share your own experience. I’d love to hear it:)

Related articles

People Are Everything

Get What You Want

Related articles

In Sickness and Health

Related articles

Little nostalgic note about time

Related articles

Demandware Ecommerce Solutions: short overview of what it’s all about

Related articles

An Independence that’s all my own

Related articles

Don’t speak

Related articles

The best way to get people to do what you want

Related articles

A token of appreciation