Tips for Achieving Your Business Goals in 2012

Developing the Proper Mindset

Without mindset, there is no composure, no focus, no effort, no drive, no determination.
Mindset will align your goals together and will keep you FOCUSED. I’m sure you’ve heard
the saying, “I have tunnel vision” or “I’m laser focused right now.” Mindset starts with
visualization of the end result. Once your goals are clear, you tap into the conscious mind
and create a visual understanding of what you want to achieve. Through constant
repetition (affirmations) and daily practice, what was once hard now becomes easy, what
was once just a thought, now becomes a reality.

Prioritize - Organize Yourself - Control your TIME

TIME is your most valuable commodity. There are 86,400 seconds in day, how you  choose to spend that time is completely up to you. Organize and sort out the clutter in your life. What do you spend your time on, on a daily basis? Is it productive? Are you  accumulating results that lead to progression? Learn to prioritize from MOST important to LEAST important. You can do this by making your most important task have a letter (A),  followed by other task that are just as important with (A2), (A3), etc. You can then follow  this with the next list of task with the letter (B), (B2), (B3), etc

Change Habits - Create New Ones

Existing habits create an environment of comfort and pre-conditioned perception. If what you are currently doing isn’t resulting in the end goal that you want to accomplish, then consider changing your ways and reconditioning the way you do things. WASH away what hasn’t worked in the past, RESET, analyze your mistakes and create new habits. 

Be Clear, Descriptive and Measurable

Without clarity there is no vision. In order to achieve your goals you must know what it is that you want to achieve. Write it down on piece if paper, be as descriptive as possible,write down every detail, visualize and measure your success.  

Learn to Delegate Task

Task delegation saves you time, develops your team, motivates, prioritizes properly, develops chemistry and communications, and leads to success. Your job should be to grow the business, not to micro manage every task that the company needs to complete. Simple steps for successful task delegation:

1. Define the task  

2. Choose the individual or team which will be completing the task.  

3. Train if needed  

4. State the required results. 
5. Consider the resources  
6. Agree on deadlines  

7. Support and Communicate

8. Provide feedback on results.

Create your “WHY” - 1 year, 3 year, & 5 year GOALS

What motivates you everyday to wake up? Do you have a reason to do what you do? Knowing your why and having clarity behind it well set your priorities straight, align your objectives and make you have a greater passion for what you want to achieve in life. If money is the only thing that is motivating you, then reconsider your reasoning. Do you want to service others? Open up a non-profit? Give back to the needy? Provide for your family? Whatever your reasoning, always make sure to make it clear, descriptive and measurable. Follow that “WHY” with long term goals both in personal and in business. Start with your 1 year, then your 3 year, followed by your 5 year goals. Do a minimum of 5 goals per year and make sure to prioritize them by importance.

 

Short Term Goals - 30 Day, 60 Day, 90 Day Goals

Short term planning is allot easier then long term planning. Typically you have more clarity with your short term goals because they’re just that, short term. There is not much analyzing or thinking things through. Just set your goals, prioritize them, set a date to accomplish them, plan out strategy and have an action plan. Do a minimum of 5 goals per 30 day period but make sure to make them realistic and attainable.

              

The Mastermind Group

In developing your mastermind group, make sure all the individuals in your team have one goal in mind, SUCCESS! A mastermind group is a great way to bounce around ideas with like-minded individuals who all strive to achieve similar goals. It can also bring a network of connections to the table and allow you to exchange contact information with trusted individuals within other networks. It is a great way to get inspired and motivated to accomplish anything and everything you set your mind to. 

Hope all this information is resourceful and will help you set your goals a little better, organize your life and get started on the right path.

For more information on how we can help you accomplish your online presence with strategic reinforcement, contact Designlingo by email or phone at:info@Designlingo.com or at:

1 (877) 836 - 3446. You can also check out our site at: www.DesignLingo.com

NEW Portfolio...

‎" The Birth of a City: Seal & Logo Development for the City of Eastvale, California (Case Study) "

The City of Eastvale established itself as the newest city in Southern California on October 1st of 2010. Shortly thereafter, a request for proposal was released in search of a firm to both design the City's seal and logo and to facilitate the involvement of residents throughout the entirety of the design process. DesignLingo submitted a comprehensive proposal, which outlined the step-by-step process for how it would accomplish each goal, and upon review, the City of Eastvale concluded that DesignLingo would be best suited to address the enormity of the project based on its industry experience, design aesthetic, cohesive team dynamic and long track record of client satisfaction.

To learn more about the case study and project itself, click on the link below

http://designlingo2.com/index.php/case-study

2 Thumbs Up For Google's +1 Button

As a business owner, you most likely already realized the importance of establishing a trusting relationship with potential and existing customers.

People tend to like what others like-and this BUILDS TRUST that can spread quickly.

+1 lets you share recommendations with friends, contacts and the rest of the web when your advice is most helpful – on Google search. Similar to Facebook's "LIKE" button, +1 allows the end user to have a say in things.  Allowing the potential or existing customer to provide you with feedback about your product or service goes a long way nowadays.  3rd party credibility features such as the +1 button from Google  and Facebook's "Like" button, allows prospects to interact with your brand and establish instant TRUST.

When you phrase your wisdom, opinion, or instruction as having come from someone else (a 3rd party), the person with whom you are sharing this information with, is more likely to accept it as TRUE and believable.

3rd Party Credibility is based on the human tendency to value the opinion/expertise of someone outside their circle of influence more than someone within.

By providing prospects and existing customers the ability to voice their opinions, your brand and or company will create instant credibility, TRUST and an authoritative online web presence with +1 from Google.

Insert the code onto your page today. Just copy and paste the following code below onto your site.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter @DesignLingo1 & stay connected on Facebook @: DesignLingo. To stay up to date with DesignLingo, make sure to visit our website: http://www.designlingo.com/

CODE:

<!-- Place this tag where you want the +1 button to render -->

<g:plusone></g:plusone>

<!-- Place this render call where appropriate -->
<script type="text/javascript">
  (function() {
    var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true;
    po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js';
    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);
  })();
</script>

Blogging: Create - Communicate - Capture - Convert

Whether you're writing as a way to express your thoughts and activities or giving away free tips and ideas - journaling as some might call it, aka Blogging, has been known to improve sleep, memory, and as of recently, made popular by savvy marketers, as a way to increase your bottom line.

As long as humans have been around we have always had an impulsive need to be with, communicate with, and share thoughts, feelings, and ideas about our every day lives.


By definition, a blog is: a "website" that is maintained by an individual with regular entries or posts which include commentary, thoughts, ideas, and may contain photos, graphics, audio, or video.


Communication has always and still is a 2 way process but as of recently, the way to communicate with prospects and customers has changed over the years.

Think of this simple fact alone when it comes to blogs - BLOGS create COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATION creates TRUST! TRUST converts prospects into customers, clients, and/or fans.

Regardless of the media outlet, one thing is always certain when it comes to marketing - EXPOSURE! EXPOSURE! EXPOSURE!


So whether you are using a blog as a journal for healthier living or creating trust with potential prospects, existing customers, eager followers, restless clients or enthusiastic fans...

• Post Often
• Be Catchy With Post Titles
• Ask open ended questions (GREAT for Feedback & Comments)
• Engage in the Blog WORLD! (Comment on other Blogs. Subscribe to them, share & bookmark)
• Leverage Social Media as an outlet for your audience to hear your message (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, Digg, etc.)
• Use Images in your Post (Help paint the PICTURE)
• Optimize KEYWORDS and HEADINGS
• Structure your blog for easy reading. (Short paragraphs and sentences, bullets, numerical breakdowns, etc - Try not to make it dull, plain, long and boring. )
• Keep it SIMPLE. (What I mean is don't try to put fancy graphics and crazy illustrations in the background which take away from the main point of the blog which is the post itself. Make it easy for the eye to read) 
• Build your LIST early. (Your list will be the eventual money maker. Here is where you create TRUST with free e-books, monthly newsletters, company updates, special incentives and exclusive deals to give subscribers) 
• Have a MARKETABLE topic and show a great amount of interest on the topic itself. 
• Learn how to become a great influence, communicator and authoritative figure. 
• Think Different & Unique
• Use Video whenever possible (It is by far the most effective marketing tool to get your message across) 
• Link to your social media accounts on your blog and vise versa.
• Be yourself.
• Most importantly - Have FUN!

Blogging, without a doubt, is the easiest and most effective way to communicate with you prospects, customers, clients and/or fans.


Blogging keeps you in the loop, relevant and positioned, as the go to leader by providing the latest information in your field


Blogging makes it possible for your company to be found online and at the same time helps with online ranking.

So why not give it a try! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. No more excuses. Just go out there and do it. The best part about it all is that it's Free!


To help you in the process, below are a few tools, applications and websites we use to help make the entire Blogging process that much easier. Enjoy our fellow "DesignLingo fans".


P.S. To receive the latest updates on DesignLingo, make sure to subscribe to both our RSS Feed and Newsletter when you get a chance


Here are a few quick tools which help you capitalize on readership instantly:

1. Social Marker: A tool which allows you to automate your account creation to over 100+ social bookmarking sites. It will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to complete. The return when utilized properly is instant traffic and top ranked web placement.

http://www.socialmarker.com/.

  
   2. Feed Burner: RSS Feeds and management tool. An easy way to alert followers when there is an update to your blog without even being subscribed to the blog itself.

www.feedburner.google.com/

  3. Mail Chimp: Auto responder and email marketing integration tool. Great for newsletters, email list management and email blast Best part about it is that it is FREE!

www.MailChimp.com

 
     4. Share This Button: Easy way to share information throughout the web with the click of a button.

www.ShareThis.com

         5. Google Analytics: Track conversions, leads, click-through and time lapse. Know how long your  audience is staying on your blog, what post their reading, how they got to your blog and so much more.  FREE Tool - Powered by Google.

http://www.Google.com/Analytics/

    6. Tube Mogul: Tracking tool for online video viewership, statistics and trends.

http://www.TubeMogul.com/

7. AddThis: Make it easier for users to share your content. Boost your traffic and let others engage others users for you - All through the power of viral marketing.

http://www.AddThis.com/

Hope all this information was helpful and until the next blog ……

For more information contact us at  http://designlingo.com/

On The Tweleve Day Of Christmas My Twitter Sent To Me...

12 Twits For Christmas

On the first day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TwitPic for my eyes to see. 

http://Twitpic.com/

 On the second day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Twiturm.com

On the third day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.Twellow.com/

 On the fourth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.TweetDeck.com/

 On the fifth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see. 

http://www.Twazzup.com/

 On the sixth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TwitterFeed.com/

 

On the seventh day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Tweetit.net/

On the eighth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://www.Twaitter.com/

On the ninth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TwitterGrader.com/

 

On the tenth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

direction through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://Ping.fm/

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

ChripStats tracking follows,

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

direction through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://ChirpStats.com/

 

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my Twitter sent to me

Twitter Keys enhance my follow ,

ChripStats tracking follows,

TPing.fm keeping updates,

TweetGrader grading influence,

Twaiter for later tweeting,

Itty-bitty URL's with Tweetit,

TwitterFeed feeding simple,

Twazzup feeling trendy,

TweetDeck making it easy,

directions through Twellow,

Music on the Twiturm,

And TwitPic for my eyes to see.

http://TheNextWeb.com/2008/09/16/TwitterKeys-enhance-your-twitter-conversations/

8 Crucial Steps to Promoting your Brand Identity

1. Unify your Brand

The establishment of a cohesive brand is a key factor in any business's promotional activities. Create a Consistent theme for your company, and incorporate it into all your stationary, documents and website design. These techniques echo professionalism and class. If done well, a consistent brand can help you to build brand loyalty in your business.

Think of all marketing collateral as brand establishment.

• Business cards
• Brochures
• Flyer's
• Website
• Packaging
• Promotional Items, etc.

Brands are: Trusted, given repeated business, given a streamline of referrals, maintain customer loyalty, and most importantly, authorize a name for themselves. 

2. Fresh Content is King

Having  compiling content is key to effectively market your business. Your message should be clear and effectively tell your prospects why they should do business with you and only you. So make a compelling call to action about your business, product or service, and back it up!! Define your strengths and use them as leverage. Over-all keep it fresh!!!

• Tell a story...
• Be experimental...
• Constantly update...
• Track conversion...
• STAND OUT!...
• Stay simplistic...
• Leave no question unanswered...
• Have a strong Call To Action!...
• Lead the way...
• Build relationships FIRST before ANYTHING...

3. Start a Online Outrage

Start an online community surrounding your business. Social Media Networking platforms such as facebook, twitter,youtube and an endless assortment of blogs are key areas to promote your business. Social Networking makes it easy for your customers to converse and comment about your business.

Always, Always, Always understand: People by from People. We are most likely to buy from a person we trust then a complete stranger, although at times we can find ourselves doing the complete opposite, it is only then after in which we figure out there was a tactical phycological strategy he/she used to influence us instantly.

This is why the social network has turned into the mecca for new age customer interaction and lead generation innovation. It allows you as a business, artist and or organizational supporter to get closer then ever before to your prospects, existing customers and or fans.

 

4. Culture and Personality

 

The culture of your company should be reflected in every part of your business. It should resonate in your print and website presence. Roar with a unique personality both offline in your PR efforts and online in your social media communities.

Welcome everyone into your company like grandma welcomes everyone into her house. We're all one big happy family and if you treat every customer, client, prospect and or fan that way, Your companies success will be with a "BIG happy family."

5. Become a Giver 

Give away your services (promotion) and your Knowledge. Know and understand the power of FREE! You must give to get. FREE is the most powerful word in marketing. We as humans magnetize ourselves to the word FREE.

If you strategize correctly FREE will instantly establish a great name for your brand as committed, loyal, trusting and caring.

As cheesy as it might sound think of it as this:

Giving is caring,

caring is loving,

loving is trusting,

trusting is Giving.

As long as you give, (by the law of reciprocity) eventually sooner then later one will give back to you. It's how this universe works and a business is no different.

6. Start a Tribe.

Make it easy for others to give you a shoot out.Lets go back to the law of reciprocity, as one performs an act of positive action, in return one will receive an act of positive intention.

Isn't that what a referral is? What about a discount or coupon? We can't forget the infamous word FREE.

Kill them ALL with kindness and give nothing but love as your main focal point of a service oriented business.

You're kindness will yield positivity in return. Be respectful, kind, caring, trusting, enthusiastic, energetic, genuine and courteous and watch them flood through the "doors".

7. Have a Loud Voice

Be seen. EVERYWHERE! And Yes I do mean literally EVERYWHERE!

Know where the eyeballs are and tactically position yourself in front of them. This means you better have placement on every single major search engine out there, expertise in the social media field, an Internet marketing budget, familiarity with web 2.0 and the power of video marketing, a crafty graphic designer and web developer in hand and a strategic marketing plan to execute the proper procedure.

8. Build A Team

A team is the foundation of your success. Unification, communication, trust and leverage creates a sturdy base. 

Start with baby steps but also take into consideration having the help of a team along the way won't hurt. 

Leverage the power of multiple brains and delegate task to those who are more suited for the task in hand. 

Communicate all success, uncertainty and or any other updates.

Trust in each other and build a strong bond, maintaining consistency of communication at all times.

Brand development and establishment is one of the main keys to positioning your company as the go to company when it comes to your product or service. Expectations are high in today's world and a unique experience will definitely separate YOU from the rest.

Stay consistent, fresh, relevant, and compelling. Provide an experience worth investing time into. 

Your BRAND is YOU! It is your Image. It is who your Represent.Without it you are NOTHING!

To HELP you better understand how to strategize a tactical plan for your brand, below is a diagram which will help you to strategize a plan for your brand.

Hope all this information was helpful and until the next blog ……

http://designlingo.com/