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About The Author
Kim Phillips is an independent marketing consultant specializing in branding, communication strategy, creative writing and design, online content, email marketing and social media.
The 12 most practical ways to get good work from your outsource.
Posted in Business Practices - Leave a Comment
So, you’ve hired a consultant, agency, freelancer… some sort of contract labor to do some work for you. Whatever the assignment is, you’ll have a better chance at getting a good product — and a good experience — if you do these simple things.
1. Do your homework.
Before outsourcing the work, research the project or issue thoroughly, and write down the specifications.
2. Don’t bid the source to death.
Look around, find someone you want to work with for a fair price.
3. Be very specific about what you need done.
Write down the actionable steps, and don’t forget to include the strategy and business goal driving the activity.
4. Treat the person like a permanent hire.
Invest in teaching people about your organization and they’ll turn out a better product for you.
5. Keep the source in the loop.
Invite them to critical planning sessions that relate to what they are hired to do.
6. Keep your end of the deal.
Provide what the source needs to do the work and meet your deadlines.
7. Communicate.
Remember that the source can only know what you know if you say it. Give regular feedback.
8. Don’t ask the person to work for free.
Freelancing is a real job and the source has real bills to pay, just as you do.
9. Pay them on time.
You wouldn’t work very hard if your boss was always late with your check.
10. Remember why you outsourced the work.
Either you don’t have enough people on staff, or the people you have don’t have the skills you need, so respect what the source brings to the party.
11. Practice the golden rule.
This one needs no explanation.
12. Give referrals and recommendations.
If the work is good, email a glowing review and say, “You may quote me.” Proactively write a recommendation on LinkedIn.
Do these 12 things and you’ll get good work from your outsource. Who knows… you may learn from them and you may even find someone you want to add to your staff.
What was your best experience outsourcing a project? What made it work? If you are a solo act yourself, what would you add to this list?
This post was originally written for the 12 Most blog. Republished with permission, courtesy of 12 Most.
Contact Me | Facebook | Twitter @LucidKim | LinkedIn | Google+
Tags: business blog, lucid marketing, marketing blog, outsourcing
Make your business cards a portfolio.
Posted in Branding, Design, Marketing - Leave a Comment
In a digital world, having great business cards becomes more important, not less. Sometimes, a business card is all a prospect has from you that is real, tactile, and lasting. Make it a work of art, and showcase what you do. Better yet, make your business cards a portfolio.
<<< Example of cards for Hebrica with a different sample of the work on each card; the other side has the name, phone number, email, etc. Click on the image to enlarge.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, that’s fine for artists and photographers.” It is, and it’s fine for just about any line of work. Are you a dentist? Show smiles. Home remodeler? Show details of your craftsmanship. Shop owner? Show your product lines. Caterer? Show yummy foods. Psychiatrist? Show couches.
Whatever it is you do, you can stand out from the competition by making your business cards little works of art. Click here to get started.
Contact Me | Facebook | Twitter @LucidKim | LinkedIn | Google+
Tags: business card as portfolio, creative business cards
Without Further Adieu, Part 5
Posted in Blogging, business writing, Writing - Leave a Comment
There’s been a bumper crop of homophonic writing gaffes lately, taylor-made for hilarity. It didn’t phase me when I saw the tell-tail signs of “writing by ear” with the phrase color pallet incorporated seemlessly into a design blog. These writers need either to hand over the reigns or get themselves en root to a dictionary. They obviously think that clarity in writing is a waist of time. Of course, nothing will ever top the mother of all hilarious homophones in Part 4 of Without Further Adieu.
Corrections: tailor-made; faze me; tell-tale; color palette; seamlessly; hand over the reins; en route; waste of time.
The Series
Part 4 | Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1
What are your favorite homophones examples?
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Tags: advice for bloggers, homophones examples, writing mistakes
The 12 most striking tendencies of creative people.
Posted in Creativity - 1 Comment
Ever wonder what makes those wacky, creative types tick? How is it that some people seem to come up with all kinds of interesting, original work while the rest of us trudge along in our daily routines? Creative people are different because they operate a little differently. They:
1. Are easily bored
A short attention span isn’t always a good thing, but it can indicate that the creative person has grasped one concept and is ready to go on to the next one.
2. Are willing to take risks
Fearlessness is absolutely necessary for creating original work, because of the possibility of rejection. Anything new requires a bit of change, and most of us don’t care for change that much.
3. Don’t like rules
Rules, to the creative person, are indeed made to be broken. They are created for us by other people, generally to control a process; the creative person needs freedom in order to work.
4. Ask “what if…”
Seeing new possibilities is a little risky, because it means that something will change and some sort of action will have to be taken. Curiosity is probably the single most important trait of creative people.
5. Make lots of mistakes
A photographer doesn’t just take one shot, and a composer doesn’t just write down a fully realized symphony. Creation is a long process, involving lots of boo-boos along the way. A lot goes in the trash.
6. Collaborate
The hermit artist, alone in his garret, is a romantic notion but not always an accurate one. Comedians, musicians, painters, chefs all get a little better by sharing with others in their fields.
7. Are generous
Truly creative people aren’t afraid to give away their hard-earned knowledge. The chef can give you the recipe because she knows you won’t make it like she does anyway.
8. Are independent
Stepping off the beaten path may be scary, but creative people do it. Children actually do this very well but are eventually trained to follow the crowd.
9. Experiment
Combining things that don’t normally go together can result in brilliance or a giant mess. Trial and error are necessary to the creative process.
10. Motivate themselves
There does seem to be a spark that creative people share, an urgent need to make things. They are willing to run the inherent risks of doing something new in order to get a new result.
11. Work hard
This is probably the most overlooked trait of creative people. People who don’t consider themselves to be creative assume that people who are creative are magical, that ideas just pop into their heads effortlessly. Experienced creative people have developed processes and discipline that make it look easy.
12. Aren’t alone
The good news is that it’s possible for everyone to be creative. There are creative accountants, creative cooks, creative janitors, creative babysitters. Any profession or any hobby can be made into a creative pursuit by embracing and using creative traits.
Do you consider yourself creative? (Say yes.) Finding something you’re really passionate about will help you take a chance and might just result in something wildly creative.
This post was originally written for the 12 Most blog. Republished with permission, courtesy of 12 Most. and made AllTop’s “Holy Kaw” list.
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Tags: 12most, alltop, Creativity
Is using Pinterest copyright infringement? Caveat pintor.
Posted in Copyrights and trademarks, Social Media - Leave a Comment
Pinterest, the ubiquitous and highly addictive social sharing tool, just released a revised terms of service, acceptable use policy, and privacy policy. The update doesn’t do much to ease the fear that use of the service may violate copyright law. Much has been said about this by lawyers, and it’s still not clear whether using Pinterest is automatically a violation or whether there is a loophole based on the legal concept of “fair use.” The U.S. Copyright Office’s publicationquotes Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law, saying “… the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “
Section 107 gives four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:
- The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
- The nature of the copyrighted work
- The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
- The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
The publication goes on to say that “…the distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission. Read the full text here.
The conventional wisdom of the internet is that most people don’t mind the sharing of their original work so long as there is a link to it—sending traffic their way—and the sharer isn’t implying that the work was created to them. However, conventional wisdom won’t hold up in a court of law, and some creators are zealously litigious in protecting their work. That is their right, and anyone who doesn’t get that probably hasn’t created much original work themselves…or had it stolen. (Speaking of which… Pinterest’s new terms do clarify that they don’t intend to sell your work.)
A Forbes article suggested that Pinterest, while it says that the burden of observing copyright law is on the pinner, could satisfy the fair use issue simply by changing the word “description” to “comment” in the pinning process. That seems like a terrific idea. At the very least, pinners should make some commentary on each pin, to let the world know that the pinner isn’t representing the work as their own but acknowledging the creator of the work in some way.
The law may or may not have caught up to the realities of online transaction. Sharing happens with the click of a mouse, but the artist, writer, or photographer may have a pit bull for a lawyer.
Is Pinterest copyright infringement, or social sharing via fair use?
See our earlier post about Pinterest and other free online marketing tools.
Contact Me | Facebook | Twitter @LucidKim | LinkedIn | Google+
This post is not intended to take the place of the advice of a professional copyright attorney.
Tags: copyright, fair use, pinterest, Social Media, trademark
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