Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 349 Have You SMACKED Your Clients Lately? Redux Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 349

Sep182019

As most of you know, I believe that a powerful image speaks a thousand words. I therefore love creating transformation visuals® to communicate such messages. I wrote the article Have You SMACKED Your Clients Lately? Back in 2012 to help our clients create more powerful podcasts. I communicated these concepts through the acronym SMACKED. Here is what it stands for: Smile while you talk, which will make the podcasts fun and demonstrate that you are enjoying it as well. If...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 348 How Have We Grown Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 348

Sep112019

Here we are again. September 11, 2019, now 18 years since that horrific attack on our nation that we simply remember as 9/11. Forever ingrained in our brains, those numbers, 9/11, only conjure up that which is evil and still incomprehensible. How have we grown? What have we learned and how has the world changed since that fateful day? I look back on this past year and reflect upon the senseless loss of life from mass shootings, the political turmoil...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 347 Message In The Lantern Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 347

Sep42019

My wife and I recently attended the Water Lantern Festival on Cleveland’s Lake Erie coast at Voinovich park. On a beautiful, warm Cleveland evening, I, along with thousands of others, spread our numbers out, milling around and socializing over the lawns and walkways and waited for the sunset to be begin. Each participant received a bag containing a paper lantern and marker, on which to write our thoughts, hopes and wishes, a wooden base and a battery powered candle. It...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 346 Cyber Strategy Success – Redux Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 346

Aug282019

Back in 2015, I wrote about the attributes of Cyber Strategy Success. I find this article very much applicable to today’s landscape, which provides the answers to many of the questions I often get. In the spirit of repurposing older and valuable content while Raising the Barr® by adding more value in the form of this new Transformation Visual®, here it is: My clients often refer to me as their cyber strategist. So, as I was reflecting about the essence...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 345 When Do Answers Reveal Themselves? Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 345

Aug212019

Most people, when developing their new creative idea, take time to plan and think through the steps, envision the process, visualize the finished product or goal and most importantly, attempt to answer all possible questions. Nothing hatches without preparation and time; a concept we can easily learn from the animal kingdom and ourselves. But what happens when we spend too much time planning, designing, strategizing, thinking about the journey and struggling to develop the answers to all anticipated questions and...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 344 Why Invest in Your Web Presence? Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 344

Aug142019

Should you invest or keep investing in your web presence? Obviously, I am somewhat biased since this is the essence of my business. I have developed 17 reasons why you should consider doing so. Here they are: Transform appearance. It gives you the opportunity to recreate and innovate the way you look, the way you are perceived and your overall virtual presentation. It becomes your 24×7 representative. Rebrand messaging. What are your positioning statement and the stories you are telling?...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 343 The Prize at the End of the Journey Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 343

Aug72019

This week, while my grandchildren were here, we decided to make the trip to Cleveland’s West Side zoo attraction during the heat of the day. We, along with what seemed like the rest of the county, trekked through the exhibits from the flamingos to the elephants. The Cleveland zoo was built on very hilly acreage, which is easy for the young, but not so much for the young at heart to navigate. I was willing to call it quits during...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 342 Achieving Powerful Web Presence Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 342

Jul312019

In my article Is It Time to Upgrade Your Web Presence? I’ve defined your web presence as the confluence of your strategy, content and marketing initiatives. I realize though that to achieve a powerful web presence requires a bit more involvement and articulation. I’ve decided to break it down into 11 key foundations that are the building blocks to your successful and powerful web presence: Buyer: How well do you know your buyers and their preferences? Not only do I...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 341 10 Questions to Identify Your Buyer Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 341

Jul242019

When developing a new web presence or new offerings for our clients, the key is to clearly identify their target buyers, their preferences, concerns, aspiration and potential transformation. Your buyers change their preferences, and as markets and conditions change and potential new markets open up for you and for them, these answers may change as well. Below are the top 10 questions I ask my clients in order to thoroughly and successfully identify their buyers and their preferences: What are...

Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 340 Are You Living Your Dream? Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 340

Jul172019

On this day, July 17, in 1955, Walt Disney’s dream became a reality when Disneyland opened its gates to its first wide eyed guests. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and soon brought in staggering profits. Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion. Walt Disney, born in Chicago in 1901, worked as a commercial artist before setting up a small...