How to Boost Engagement with Micro-Influencers the Right Way

How to Boost Engagement with Micro-Influencers the Right Way Every brand strives to drive engagement because without engagement, there may be no conversions. This makes your engagement rates an important metric for determining your brand’s performance. But if you’re having some trouble engaging your target audience, you could get micro-influencers involved. That’s because micro-influencers tend to generate high engagement rates, and may even be more engaging  than top influencers. In this post, you’re going to learn all about these micro-influencers, and how you can work with them to drive engagement. Download Your Free Micro-influencer Outreach Templates Successful marketing with micro-influencers requires smart preparartion and outreach. Use these three free templates to simplify the process: 10 free influencer email outreach templates: Save time writing while keeping your outreach personalized and effective. Micro-influencer marketing checklist: Make sure you dont miss any steps in your process. Micro-influencer outreach tracking template: Keep track of who youve contacted and monitor your success rate. How to Boost Engagement with Micro-Influencers the Right WayWhat are Micro-Influencers? As their name suggests, micro-influencers are individuals who are influential, but not on a macro level. Their influence is often concentrated within a specific niche – be it beauty, fitness, tech, fashion, or lifestyle. The common definition of micro-influencers is influencers with a smaller number of followers than regular influencers. But there is no exact definition of what that number is. Mavrck  considers individuals with somewhere between 500 and 5,000 followers as micro-influencers. And CNBC  reports that micro-influencers are those influencers who have fewer than 10,000 followers. But according to TapInfluence, micro-influencers have anywhere from 1,000 to 100,000 followers. Despite these variations, what remains true is that micro-influencers have the ability to engage an audience. Micro-influencers have the ability to engage an audience.In fact, a Takumi  study found that engagement rate decreases as following size increases. People with 1,000 followers or fewer have an engagement rate of 9.7%. And the engagement rate of people with 1,000-4,000 followers is about 4.5%. And as the following size increases to 100,000 and over, the engagement rate drops to 1.7%. These findings are consistent with the findings in a Markerly  study. This study found that people with 1,000 followers or fewer have an average like rate of 8%, while those with 10 million followers or more generate only have about a 1.6% like rate. As for comment rate, those with 1,000 followers or fewer drive 13 times more comments than people with 10 million or more followers. How to Find Micro-Influencers in Your Industry or Niche As mentioned earlier, micro-influencers often have influence in a specific niche. So the right choice of relevant keywords could help you discover potential micro-influencers to work with. On Instagram, you can choose a relevant keyword, and use it as a hashtag to discover relevant posts made by potential micro-influencers. For example, let’s say you want to promote a line of skincare products made using all-natural ingredients. The right keywords here would be something like â€Å"organic skincare,† â€Å"organic beauty,† â€Å"organic makeup,† etc. Let’s try searching for the hashtag #organicskincare. You’ll get results of top posts that use the hashtag, as shown in the following screenshot. Then  click on each of the posts, and check out the users who have posted the photos or videos. You just need to look at the number of followers they have to see if they have less than 100,000 followers (based on the TapInfluence definition of micro-influencers). Also check if they usually post content related to what you’re selling. Let’s click on one of the posts in the search results above. As you can see in the screenshot below, the post was from a user named The Beauty Bloss. If the post has any other relevant hashtags like in the following post, make a note of them to find more micro-influencers. If you check out this user’s profile, you can see that she has around 21,900 followers, qualifying her as a micro-influencer. And her posts are all related to makeup and beauty, which is perfect for the product you’re promoting. So you can consider reaching out to this influencer. As for searches on Facebook and Twitter, manual search using a relevant keyword isn’t going to cut it. The search results will prioritize the top influencers and celebrities relevant to the keyword, making it difficult and time-consuming to identify micro-influencers. So your best bet is to use tools like: BuzzSumo Insightpool Little Bird To search for micro-influencers on these platforms, you can pick several relevant keywords. Your search will bring up results of influential figures related to those topics. For example, BuzzSumo in the screenshot below, shows a list of influencers and bloggers related to beauty and skincare. You can make a selection based on their following size, page authority, etc. Recommended Reading: How Will Outreach Marketing Make Your Blog More Successful? How to Convince a Micro-Influencer to Work with You Micro-influencer outreach is no different from regular influencer outreach. But in the case of micro-influencers, it’s likely that they will be more receptive of your outreach efforts. Here’s what you need to do to convince a micro-influencer to work with you: Begin with small interactions.  Before you start sending out emails and messages to micro-influencers, it’s better to start off with small interactions. The idea is to get them to notice you, and remember your name. Try sharing their content, commenting on their posts, or asking them relevant questions on social media. You can also try commenting on their latest blog posts. Develop a suitable compensation model.  Make sure you’re offering micro-influencers what they deserve in exchange for a promotion. Some micro-influencers may be more than happy to promote the free products you’ve sent them without any extra charge. But you shouldn’t take that for granted.Try to develop a compensation model depending on what’s most beneficial for your business. Maybe you could pay them a percentage of, or a fixed sum for every conversion. Or you could pay them for engagements and click-throughs. Some brands even pay micro-influencers a fixed sum for every post. Send them an email. Once you’ve established an initial connection through social media or the influencer’s blog, you can begin your email outreach. Your email should get straight to the point, and talk about why you wish to work with the influencer. For example, maybe their values align with yours, or you find their content intriguing. The email should also contain details like what you’re offering in return for the promotion. In other words, it should provide micro-influencers with a compelling reason why they should work with you. To make your influencer outreach easier and more effective, there are a few tools you can use: Hunter  can help you discover the email addresses of influencers. BuzzStream  can help you keep track of and manage your conversations with the influencers. Pitchbox  can help you create personalized outreach emails as well as automate your follow-ups. Recommended Reading: How to Write a Pitch Email That Will Get Your Guest Post Accepted How to Boost Engagement With Micro-Influencers Based on the Markerly and Takumi studies mentioned earlier, you already know that micro-influencers can generate a lot of engagement. You can harness their ability to engage to boost your own engagement rates. And here are some tips to help you out: #1: Honest Reviews Micro-influencers don’t beat around the bush when interacting with their followers. They get straight to the point, and are honest when expressing their opinions about something. As a result of this honesty, people trust their opinion about a product or a service. In fact, Experticity  found that 82% of consumers would follow a micro-influencer’s recommendation. You can take advantage of this established trust by getting micro-influencers to share honest reviews about your product or service. Depending on which influencers you choose to work with, you can either have them write a blog post reviewing the product, or create a review video. Or you can even get them to create a social media post reviewing the product. Regardless of the medium, the review needs to be honest. Reviews from micro-influencers need to be honest.In order to get an honest review from a micro-influencer you need to: Choose micro-influencers who often create review content, and who aren’t afraid to mention the negatives. Be very clear when communicating your expectations in your outreach email. Propose to send them free samples or exclusive previews of your product. And stress on the fact that they shouldn’t feel obligated to give a beaming review. Make sure you mention that all you expect in return for the free products is their honest opinion from an expert like them. Here’s an example of an honest review of 100% PURE serum by beauty influencer Adri (@sortofobsessed). As you can see in the caption, she talks about how she loves the feel of the product on her skin but she doesn’t like the texture. She also talks about some of the issues she faces when using the product. #2: Giveaways Giveaway campaigns are an excellent way to engage an audience. This is likely because of the possibility of them winning something. And to leverage your engagement efforts, you can get a micro-influencer to host the campaign. Here’s what you need to do to work with micro-influencers for a giveaway campaign: Determine the prize of the contest.  It should be something that would appeal to the influencer’s followers while helping promote your brand. The prize should help compel the target audience to take action. Come up with the rules for participation.  Maybe you can require them to like the influencer’s post, follow them and your brand, and tag their friends in the comments. Or maybe they simply have to submit an online form through a link promoted in the influencer’s blog. Pitch the giveaway concept to a micro-influencer in your email.  The email should highlight what’s in it for the influencer in addition to the compensation. For instance, you could talk about how this could help them boost engagement among their followers or even grow their following. Recommended Reading: How to Get More Followers on Social Media With 30 Awesome Tips You can talk to them about the rules for participation after they’ve agreed to work with you. And make sure you let them know about any important information you want them to highlight in the post promoting the contest. Based on how the influencer responds, you may have to negotiate the compensation. Food blogger Jessica, of Savory Experiments,  hosted a contest sponsored by the Mussel Industry Council of Prince Edward Island. All participants had to do was to choose their favorite recipes created using Prince Edward Island mussels. The recipes were created by various micro-influential food bloggers including Jessica. And by voting, participants got a chance to win a free trip to the island. This contest involved a giveaway of an experience as opposed to an actual product, but it’s still an effective engagement tactic nonetheless. Jessica also mentioned at the beginning of the post that she was compensated to write the post, but all opinions expressed were her own. Recommended Reading: How to Improve Your Instagram Engagement With 15 Tips How to Improve Your Pinterest Engagement With These 15 Tactics 12 Effective Ways to Expand Your Facebook Engagement #3: Tutorials and How-Tos The previously-cited Experticity study also found that people considered micro-influencers to be better than everyday consumers at explaining how products work, or how they can be used. It is for this reason that you should consider getting micro-influencers to create tutorial content around your product. If it’s a product that doesn’t require much explaining, they could still offer creative tips and ideas on what consumers can do with it. For this tactic to be more effective here’s what you need to do: Look for micro-influencers who often create tutorial content – videos, blog posts, or social media posts. You’ll basically need to check out the various pieces of content created by influencers you’ve shortlisted for your campaign. Analyze their tutorial content and determine if the quality lives up to your expectations. In other words, see if the content is both intriguing and educational. And try to look at the comments, shares, and/or likes in the content to understand how well their tutorials engage the audience. Reach out to them by email and pitch your idea. Like before, your email should highlight the benefits of working with your brand and what’s in it for the influencer. You could offer them exclusive access to the product along with a competitive compensation. Makeup and beauty influencer Tamira Jarrel  created a sponsored video for True Botanicals. In the video, she talked about some of the various products that worked for her. And she explained how to use them and what works for what. She even provided her fans with a unique discount code so they can purchase the products for less. #4: Original and Authentic Sponsored Content Every now and then you may have come across influencer content in which they promote a product. But unlike their regular content, this one seems uninteresting and maybe even too promotional. This is hardly going to do anything for brand engagement. Usually, this kind of bland and overly-promotional content happens because the brand is trying to control everything about the production. You chose micro-influencers because they can engage their audience with original and creative content. If you want your brand sponsored content too to engage the same audience, you need to provide them with something equally interesting. This means you need to trust the content creation in the hands of the influencer. Encourage them to come up with something original that blends in with their usual content. Encourage micro-influencers to come up with original content that blends with their usual content.A survey conducted by Crowdtap  found that creative freedom is highly valuable to influencers. In fact, 58% of those surveyed said that their favorite projects were those in which the brand gives them creative freedom. And 77% said that they’d be willing to work with a brand more than once if said brand provides them with creative freedom. 77% of influencers are more likely to work with brands more than once if they have creative freedom.These findings suggest that being too restrictive with your content guidelines could negatively impact your relationship with the influencer as well. So, here’s what you need to do if you plan on letting the influencer be in control of content creation: Provide them with basic guidelines such as the kind of vibe you want to give out, the important points you need them to cover, etc. This will ensure that the influencer content delivers exactly what you need. Make sure the micro-influencer understands your goals from the campaign and trust them to deliver. You need to communicate your expectations without trying to control the content creation. Be transparent about what you don’t want so the influencer knows what to exclude in the content. For instance, maybe you don’t want the content to have swear words in case you want to share it on your site. When communicating these guidelines and expectations, make sure you do so in a respectable manner. Remember the saying â€Å"it’s not what you say; it’s how you say it†. You don’t want to come off as rude or bossy when communicating with the influencer. Instead, talk to them as friends and let them know that you trust them to create something new and intriguing.

Marcus Tullius Cicero essays

Marcus Tullius Cicero essays Marcus Tullius Cicero was born in the year 106 BC. He was also known in English as Tully. Most of his education was received while he was under the age of twenty-one. As a child Marcus Tullius Cicero was part of a wealthy family. When he became old enough to begin his education, his father moved to Rome and Marcus Tullius Cicero received the best educations possible at the time that wealthy Roman people could afford. After his schooling, his main occupations were poet and philosopher, but he also possessed skills in journalism and law. He was known for being humorous and profound at the same time. As a lawyer, he defended one young man from the evil nature of the dictator, Sulla (see other paper). His skills also served the people while he was a politician. He achieved a position that was considered the highest possible among Roman public officials and it was called the res publica. Soon afterwards he became involved in many legal affairs and his many accomplishments impacted Rome in many positive ways. For example, in 69 BC he prosecuted a public official named Verres who was known to practice corrupt politics. In 63 BC, he suppressed a large Catinlinarian conspiracy. These accomplishments made him a consul that was both well known and well respected by the vast majority of the Roman public. His position in the Senate was well respected as well. But despite his reputation, he was eventually exiled from Rome due to his refusal to join the First Triumvirate of the Roman Empire. He believed that such a political body was immoral and equivalent to a dictatorship. But, refusing to submit to the evils of Roman politics, many years after his exile, he came back as a senator to continue his career. He lived a healthy life right up until his last years, when he died an un-natural death. After he lead the senate against Marc Antony following the fall of the first Triumvirate, he was assassinated for his opposition. He...

The Power of Internal Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Power of Internal Marketing - Research Paper Example Internal marketing dictates that excellent marketing departments, by no means, are the guarantee of extraordinary value creation for the customer. In fact, any organization, where employees point out at the marketing department by saying that â€Å"They do the marketing†, might not ever be able to realize its potential (Knudsen, 1995). Only when employees start understanding that the goal of achieving customer satisfaction, through value creation, is the job of all employees, the company becomes a pure market organization (Lauer, 2010; Boone and Kurtz, 2011). Consider the example of a Vice President of Marketing at an airline company. He has adopted a market penetration strategy and intends to do the same with cleaner cabins, lower fares, better-trained crew and providing better quality food, which lead to customer satisfaction, customer retention and word of mouth advertisement. However, the Vice President is helpless in this case because the catering department serves food of average quality in order to keep the costs down. The human resource department does not care if the crewmembers are friendly enough. The maintenance department is indifferent about high quality and constant cleaning and just focuses on ordinary services. Furthermore, the finance department has been increasing the fares in order to improve the liquidity position of the company (Cahill, 2008).

Impact of Social Networking and Blogging on Internet Usage Essay

Impact of Social Networking and Blogging on Internet Usage - Essay Example These are just limited uses of blogging and social networking. The wide spectrum of using these interactivities online entails that blogging and social networking bring people closer and turning the world into a global village where there are no distances (Jacqui 2010). Introduction Social networking has become an integral part of millions of Internet users around the world. When people come back to home from their work places and educational institutes, the first thing most of them prefer to do is to check their personal profiles on social networking websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and many others. They find it a facilitating medium for interacting with hundreds of people within and outside their national borders. Social network or social networking websites actually provides Internet user a virtual interface where they can share their ideas and thoughts. The social networking websites are usually used for studying the social relationships of people. The term social networking d escribes a person’s or group of persons’ social structure and is determined with the help of their communication and interaction with others (Lusted 2011, Aleman and Wartman 2009). On the other hand, blogs or blogging websites provides a personal space to Internet users where they can lodge their posts, ides, believes and views on certain issues, keeping in view the area of interest. Blogs usually contain write-up of a person, group of personals or organization aiming to discuss a single agenda subject. Scholars and web technologists first utilized blogs in 90s and to post content containing ideas and beliefs of these scholars and technologists. Since then, non-technical users are using blogs as well (Rettberg 2008). Social media and blogs has attracted masses towards utilizing these internet tools to share ideas, market their products and services and help out individuals who are looking for solutions to their problems, let it be professional or academic one. A resear ch conducted by University of Maryland reveals that people across the globe are becoming addicted to using social networking sites and blogs. Social media especially has become a major source of communicating with rest of the world. The academic research conducted on understanding how the social networking sites are reshaping the behavior states that Facebook, world’s most used social networking website, has become a primary source of communication among students. On professional level, social networking and blogging is utilized extensively for providing business solutions and discussing new technologies and innovations. In broader spectrum, Internet usage has increased after the introduction of blogging and social networking websites and the analysis of statistical data shows that it is expected to increase even more. Academic Usage of Internet Societies and individuals living in these societies are of the view that their internet usage has increased since the arrival of inf otainment add ons like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger Online, Flickr, and others (Ishak 2010). This is because these individuals can share their precious moments with others, and also, take guidance and suggestions regarding the problems and issues they are facing. Students goes to social networking sites and blogs at least four times a day in order to keep in touch with their friends, to ask their teachers for solutions to

The Satire Behind A Brave New World Essay Example for Free

The Satire Behind A Brave New World Essay In the book A Brave New World, is it possible to say that the author Aldous Huxley conveys the idea that the book is a satire rather than a blue print for a perfect society? This is a controversial question, which may only be answered after analyzing many aspects of the book. For example, Huxley not only uses many exaggerations throughout the narrative and various language resources but he also uses irony to create a satirical and entertaining story. The author uses satire throughout the novel, when approaching certain subjects as, materialism, replacement of love by promiscuity and forgetting about the importance of poetry and literature. Satire is used by Huxley when describing how people in the brave new world believe that ending is better than mending. In other words, you should never allow something you possess to be old and out of date. Instead you should replace them constantly to the new and latest product available. He also shows how people are induced to buy more and more with the constant use of propaganda. This may be seen as ironic to the reader as people always try to save the most money as possible in our present world, while in the brave new world people believe that you should always be spending money on as most activity and consumptions as possible. This creates a contrast to the world in which we are living in. In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to the promiscuity and the lack of commitment in the lives of the characters. What is seen in the story is that the reason for sexual relations with another human being is only for pleasure and not for conceiving a child and that it is better for a woman to be as most promiscuous as possible and be with as many men, opposing our knowledge, that a woman should marry and be faithful to one man only. This may be seen as a satire because it contradicts the knowledge that human beings have had so far .In the book characters such as Lenina and Fanny are constantly discussing the subject of sexual relations showing how their ideas in relation to men contradict todays thoughts, making this a very interesting and unique aspect of the book. Another very amusing aspect of the book is that people living in the brave new world believe that reading is a waste of time and it is seen as an insult a person who believes that poetry and literature (Shakespeares plays for example) should be valued. I believe this adds to the irony of the narrative because nowadays people value more and more learning about poetry, literature and art, and the history behind it. So when reading the novel, it is very interesting to see how Huxley portrays these opposing ideas found in the hypothetical perfect world he created. He shows how the people in the Brave New World are not interested in old things, they are however interested in seeing new and superficial movies with no significant meaning behind them. I believe that these aspects of the narrative were approached and developed in such ironic and satirical way; to allow the reader to reflect on what was the authors intention was when doing so. I believe Huxleys intention was to show how the idea of Utopia may be so aspired and worshiped by humans; however it may not be so perfect after all. Even though in the brave new world people are always happy, they dont experience feelings of love and even though they have the power to consume products in such great amounts, they are not allowed to the power of freedom. The author approaches these subjects throughout the novel in such way that it is amusing and entertaining to the reader, making him want to read more and discover more unique aspects attributed to the characters and the narrative created by Huxley.

Blindness and Sight - Irony and Lack of Vision in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The Irony of Blindness in Oedipus The King    Is there a single definition of what it is "to see"? I can see the table, I can see your point, I see the real you, I don't see what you're saying. Sometimes the blind can "see" more than the sighted. During a scary movie or a horrific event, people may cover their eyes, choosing not to see the truth. As human beings, we often become entrenched in the material world, becoming oblivious to and unable to see the most apparent truths. Oedipus, the main character in Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex, could not see the truth, but the blind man, Teiresias, "saw" it plainly. Sophocles uses blindness as a motif in the play Oedipus Rex. Oedipus, known for his intelligence, is ignorant and therefore blind to the truth about himself and his past. Yet, when Teiresias exposes the truth he is shunned. It is left to Oedipus to overcome his "blindness," realize the truth, and accept fate. Oedipus, "who bear the famous name," fled his home of Corinth in fear of fulfilling the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. During his flight, he Oedipus kills a caravan of presumed low-class travelers. Oedipus comes into Thebes a stranger and hero who solved the riddle of the sphinx. Believing that he is blessed with great luck, Oedipus marries the recently widowed Iokaste and becomes King of Thebes. After many years, a plague vexes the city and Kreon, brother of Iokaste, comes to Oedipus with news from the oracle. He states that the plague will be lifted when the murder of Laios is avenged. Oedipus claims that he sees and understands the terrible fate of Thebes and vows to find the murderer. Since the criminal is said to still be in Thebes, Oedipus believes that a man of his intelligence should have no difficulty in finding the perpetrator. When Oedipus is confronted by Teiresias with truth, perhaps it is Oedipus' own hubris, which blinds him to the unthink able truth. Unwillingly, Teiresias the blind seer provides Oedipus with the hurtful truth. Although before the truth is announced, Oedipus describes Teiresias as a "seer: student of mysteries." Oedipus looks to Teiresias for help in finding the murderer of the former king. He is trusted and respected by everyone in the city as evidenced by his introduction as "the holy prophet In whom, alone of all men, truth was born.

Answers: Difference and Mrs Higgins

Anselmo, has a protective attitude towards †¦ answers. yahoo. com/question/index? qid=20120703060428AAb4†¦ How are don anselmo and mrs Higgins different? Jude is gay More  » Source: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/How_are_don_anselmo_and_mrs_H†¦ Compare And Contrast Mrs Higgins And Don Anselmo Free Essays †¦ Free Essays on Compare And Contrast Mrs Higgins And Don †¦ How are Don Anselmo from the gentleman of Rio en Medio and Mrs. Higgins from all†¦ they both have vowels in their names.More  » Source: http://wiki. answers. com/Q/How_are_Don_Anselmo_from_the_†¦ ANSELMO FAQ | Ask. com How are don anselmo and mrs Higgins different? Who is phil †¦ www. ask. com/faqcentral/ANSELMO. html What are the differences between Mrs Higgins and Don Anselmo What are the differences between Mrs Higgins and Don Anselmo? In: The Difference Between †¦ How are don anselmo and mrs Higgins different? Jude is gay †¦ wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_the_difference s_between_Mrs†¦ How are don anselmo and mrs Higgins differentHow are don anselmo and mrs Higgins different? In: Uncategorized †¦ Relevant answers: What are the differences between Mrs Higgins and Don Anselmo? wiki. answers. com/Q/How_are_don_anselmo_and_mrs_Higgins_†¦ How are don anselmo and mrs higgens different What are the differences between Mrs Higgins and Don Anselmo? none frankly, both are weird people loll Read More. What type of character is Don Anselmo? wiki. answers. com/Q/How_are_don_anselmo_and_mrs_higgens_†¦ All the Years of Her Life Questions and Answers ompare and contrast essay don anselmo from juan a a sedillo's the gentleman of rio en medio and mrs higgins from morley callaghan's all the†¦ Posted by †¦ www. enotes. com/years-life/q-and-a/ Ads Anselmo | ImportGenius. com Identify the trading partners of Anselmo www. importgenius. com/suppliers/anselmo Products Video Reviews Sign-Up We Found Donald Higgins – 1) Get Phone/Address/ Age Instantly 2) Find Anyone, Anywhere for Free. www. peoplefinders. com/ We Found:Donald Anselmo – 1) Contact Donald Anselmo – Free Info 2) Current Addr

General Motors Essay

A car for every purse and purpose† – Alfred P Sloan Jr, Former President & CEO General Motors. General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. Company History: General Motors was founded on Wednesday, September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, as a holding company for Buick by William C. Durant. Durant started acquiring many companies like Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Cartercar, Elmore, Ewing, Pontiac etc. Durant lost control of GM in 1910 to a bankers trust, due to the large amount of debt (around $1 million) taken on in its acquisitions. Durant left the firm and co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet. After a brilliant stock buy back campaign, he returned to head GM in 1916. GM surpassed Ford Motor Company in sales in the late 1920s thanks to the leadership of Alfred P. Sloan. Sloan was inventing new ways of managing a complex worldwide organization, while paying special attention to consumer demands. Car buyers no longer wanted the cheapest and most basic model; they wanted style, power, and prestige, which GM offered them. During the 1920s and 1930s, General Motors assumed control of the Yellow Coach bus company, and helped create Greyhound bus lines. They replaced intercity train transport with buses. GM needs a sense of urgency regarding revising a strategic plan that incorporates the next generation of vehicles. In today’s global economy and highly competitive auto industry GM has no time to procrastinate. As stated, GM has just too much at risk in not becoming an industry leader in alternative fuel technology. Fuel-economy legislation is sparking the race. This is a critical time in auto industry with many threats, but opportunities as well. The next several years will redefine GM. Vision Statement The GM vision is as follows: GM’s vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. GM will earn our customers’ enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people. The proposed new vision for GM is as follows: For GM to become the automotive industry leader in alternative fueled vehicles and providing superior quality products that global consumers call to mind when they think of quality and innovation. My vision for GM is to be the industry leader in innovation, and where all other industry competition strives to imitate. Mission Statement The current GM mission statements are as follows: Drive improvements in market share, revenue, brands, people, responsiveness, and cost effectiveness through the implementation of global common metrics and best practice sharing. The new proposed mission statement will be as follows: GM will become an industry leader, not a follower. To regain lost market share that was lost to foreign competition, and once again be the auto industry leader in sales and market share in today’s global market. Values Statement The auto industry just like the global economy is going through tremendous change, due to rising fuel prices, and environmental worries, such as global warming. GM must use these threats as opportunities, and take advantage of changing consumer buying habits. GM needs to change consumer perception of the company, from a dull, poor quality, vehicles to innovative, quality, and environmentally friendly company. To do this GM must portray an image that states that GM values what the consumer wants and what the environment needs. Listen to what consumers are saying directly and indirectly about GM’s current products, and create innovative, green, vehicles that turn consumers into customers. At the same time provide GM stakeholders pride and financial incentives to remain with GM. Environmental Analysis GM and the entire auto industry are currently challenged with the perfect storm. The auto industry is being hit by a weak US and global economy, rising fuel prices, and social and political environmental concerns and issues. In order to overcome these potential threat, GM should consider mass producing a range of alternative fueled vehicles, i. e. fuel cell, electric, and hybrid. SWOT Analysis Strengths 1. Large Market Share Although GM’s market share in the US has dropped it is still very much competitive at 26 percent. They also have an increasing share in the Chinese market. With the right decisions there is no reason for GM to not become the automotive leader it once was. . Global Experience As explained above even with GM’s recent decline they still have the market share and the experience to bounce back. They have been a worldwide company for nearly a century now and have established themselves as the global leader for most of them. If you recall I mentioned above that a current opportunity for GM is to expand globally and as we can see they a lready have the experience to do so. It is just a matter of the correct planning and proper implementation of those plans that will decided whether or not GM’s goals are achieved. 3. Variety of Brand Names GM as I mentioned has been the automotive leader for the majority of the last century. A large reason for that is the wide variety of quality brand names that appeal to all target markets. The current GM brands include: Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Daewoo, Opel, and Holden. 4. GMAC Customer Financing Program Since its establishment in 1919 it has proven to be GM’s most reliable source of revenue. 5. OnStar Satellite Technology Developed in 1996 OnStar currently has over 3 million subscribers and is standard on all GM vehicles. This technology allows the vehicles to be tracked in the event of an emergency or theft. It also allows the driver and or passengers the ability to communicate with OnStar personnel at the click of a button. Weaknesses 1. Behind on Alternative Energy Movement This is GM’s biggest weakness. The alternative energy/hybrid trend has begun to take place in the automotive industry and GM has been one step behind the competition in terms of alternative energy vehicles. This has led to many problems including loss of market share and a decrease in company profit. In order for any automotive company to be successful from this point forward they must be Hybrid friendly and fuel efficient. 2. Poor Organizational Structure As we can see in exhibit 1 of the case GM’s organizational structure seems to be too vertically integrated. This causes a lack of communication between employees from top to bottom and may have played a part in GM falling behind on the alternative energy movement. 3. Stagnant Profitability Looking at GM’s profit we see that they are certainly struggling with respect to the size of their company. Their profit margin was about 1. 5% and the ROE has dramatically decreased over the recent years dropping to 10% in 2004. This is a situation that shareholders will not be pleased with. 4. Overly Dependent on US market GM has become too dependent on the US market and must take advantage of the opportunity to expand globally. The competition is becoming too strong to focus on just one country. 5. Overly Dependent on General Motors Acceptance Corporation(GMAC) Financing GM has become too dependent on its financing program. Granted it is a great strength for GM, however they once again cannot rely solely on financing in order to turn profit, especially if they want to compete with Honda and Toyota who are rapidly growing. 6. Poor Credit Status GM’s credit status has like everything else has been steadily declining. Their current ratio is just barely above 1 and their acid test is even lower. Although, I don’t see them getting denied based on their credit at this point, the seriousness of the matter is certainly apparent. Opportunities 1. Alternative Energy movement It is obvious that GM was behind its competition with regards to the research and development of hybrid vehicles. However hybrid technology is still very much new giving GM the opportunity to once again become the automotive industry’s leader in innovation and technology. 2. Continuing to Expand Globally. Recently GM saw an increase in the Chinese automotive market, which proves their needs to be more emphasis put on foreign markets. If GM can infiltrate these markets and successfully grow along with their continuing focus on the US market they will be headed in a positive direction. . Low Interest Rates With the right marketing strategy the low interest rates have the potential to generate an immediate increase in sales. 4. Develop New Vehicle Styles and Models This is an opportunity that will never be satisfied, meaning that GM should always be attempting to develop the automotive world’s most popular vehicles, and as we know, what is in today will be out tomorrow. Th reats 1. Rising Fuel Prices With GM being a large producer in both trucks and SUV’s, sales have drastically decreased due to the lack of fuel efficiency. The rise in fuel prices has played a significant role in creating the opportunity for development of both hybrid and more fuel efficient vehicles. As you will find with most threats, an equal opportunity will usually emerge as is the case here with GM’s opportunity mentioned above. 2. Growth of Competitors GM no longer has the luxury of being the known leader in the automotive industry and faces the reality that they are in serious trouble. As I mentioned earlier Toyota took the first step in the direction of hybrid echnology and has since drastically grown and become the questionable automotive frontrunner to start the 21st century. 3. Pension Payouts. Part of this threat is their own doing and the other is simply unavoidable. GM is responsible for providing generous pension benefits to its employees, which at the time seemed like a great idea, however they are now experiencing problems as more and more people begin to collect. 4. Increased Health Care Costs GM, like many lar ge companies with quality employee health care benefits, is experiencing a large financial hit that only gets worse as time continues. . Rising Supply Costs, i. e. Steel Once again this threat affects the entire automotive industry and forces each company to cut manufacturing and production costs as much as possible, without taking away from the quality of the product. Core Competence The core competence of General Motors is innovation. This is the driving force behind its $190 above turnover. General Motors has been utilizing innovation in service ad technology to secure itself a dominant position in the automobile industry, since 1908. In 1911, it conceptualized, engineered and commercialized the self-starter engine for the first time. Then in 1926, its product Cadillac was the pioneer in devising a nationwide service strategy. In 1996 General Motors introduced OnStar satellite technology which allows equipped vehicles to be tracked in case of an emergency or theft and allows the passengers to communicate with OnStar personnel. Other new car concepts include minicars such as Chevy Aveo. However in the case of hybrid vehicles, General Motors was unable to keep up to the pace of the market demand.

Rule of St. Benedict Influence on Medieval Monasteries essays

Rule of St. Benedict Influence on Medieval Monasteries essays Around 530 C.E., after living in solitude for a number of years, St. Benedict wrote his rule that would change the monastic world forever. It established a stable and obedient lifestyle for all monks living in the medieval era. The Rule of St. Benedict (RB) designs a life for cenobites...those who belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot.# The three main concepts of the rule are: 1- a monk joins and stays in one particular community, 2- a monk places himself under a superior and listens to the needs of others and the word of God, and 3- a monk begins his quest for God, which happens to be through a de-individualized life of work, prayer, sharing of possessions and celibacy. The RB also describes the place where this all occurs: the workshop where we toil faithfully at all these tasks is the enclosure of the monastery and the stability in the community.# Benedict suggests that the architectural order of the monastery where his rule will be enforced has to be h armonious with the life he describes. And many monasteries achieved that during their creation, such as the Abbey Church in Fontenay. Fontenays program helps to create efficiency in the implementation of the RB upon the monks by placing significant spaces adjacent to each other. In addition, specific features of the plan give the monks all they need in order to live properly. Furthermore, Fontenay strips itself of ornamentation and superfluous elements to get back to the true values of the RB. As a result of these three aspects of the monastery, a correlation between both orders develops. Any monastery following the RB has to be a claustra, or a space where the monks are enclosed. Not only does the building physically enclose the monk within its walls, it intends to do so mentally as well so the monk can be focused on his search for the love of God, for the love of Christ must come before all else.# Monks live a ...

12 requisitos para patrocinio de visa niñera para EE.UU

12 requisitos para patrocinio de visa nià ±era para EE.UU Trabajar como nià ±era (au pair) en Estados Unidos requiere seguir unas directrices estrictas establecidas por el gobierno para sacar la visa J-1 para ese programa especà ­fico. Adems, las agencias autorizadas para contratar extranjeros para esa posicià ³n pueden establecer sus propias preferencias. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre los requisitos legales y tambià ©n sobre los que habitualmente piden las agencias autorizadas para contratar. Adems, se mencionan otras programas alternativos pensados para jà ³venes extranjeros que quieren pasar una temporada corta en Estados Unidos aprendiendo inglà ©s y disfrutando la experiencia americana. Puntos clave La visa para nià ±eras extranjeras es la J-1, programa de au-pairSolamente agencias autorizadas por el gobierno de EE.UU. pueden patrocinar la visaAunque se habla de nià ±era, lo cierto es que se puede ser mujer o varà ³nEl tiempo mà ­nimo de estancia en EE.UU. es de un aà ±o y el mximo de 2. 8 requisitos legales de visa J-1 para trabajar de nià ±era en EE.UU. Para poder aplicar con à ©xito para una visa J-1 en el programa especà ­fico para nià ±eras es obligatorio cumplir con requisitos de edad, estudios y experiencia. Los principales son los ocho siguientes: Tener entre 18 y 26 aà ±os de edad, gozar de buena salud, no tener rà ©cord criminal y haber completado, como mà ­nimo, los estudios de secundaria. Adems, es necesario poder demostrar experiencia de al menos 200 horas de trabajo cuidando nià ±os. La manera de probarlo admite muchas variantes, desde haber trabajado en una escuela o guarderà ­a a tener muchos hermanos pequeà ±os o participar como voluntario en campamentos infantiles, escuelas dominicales, etc. Tambià ©n se exige no haber estado previamente en Estados Unidos como au pair, es decir, nià ±era. Asimismo, es necesario entender y hablar, como mà ­nimo, un inglà ©s de nivel intermedio. Finalmente, las reglas de esta visa exige a los candidatos comprometerse a vivir con una familia estadounidense un mà ­nimo de un aà ±o. Este periodo se puede extender por tres, seis o doce meses. 4 requisitos de las agencias para patrocinar la visa de nià ±era Estos requisitos son obligatorios, desde un punto de vista legal, pero lo cierto es que para las agencias es mucho ms fcil colocar en una familia a una au pair que los reà ºna y, por lo tanto, suelen pedirlos. Entre los ms frecuentes destacan los siguientes: En primer lugar, ser mujer. Es un hecho, las familias prefieren a una muchacha antes que a un varà ³n para trabajar en sus casas cuidando de los nià ±os. En segundo lugar, tener licencia de manejar. Hay que tener en cuenta que en muchà ­simos lugares de Estados Unidos el transporte pà ºblico puede ser inexistente y que las distancias son enormes. Facilita mucho la contratacià ³n el saber que una persona sabe manejar. En tercer lugar, ser flexible en cuanto al rea geogrfica en la que se quiere vivir y tambià ©n en relacià ³n al nà ºmero de hijos que debe tener la familia de acogida. Una au pair que quiera ser contratada en zonas muy populares como California o Nueva York y en casas con un sà ³lo menor puede tener ms dificultades a la hora de encontrar una familia. Y, en cuarto lugar, no fumar. Estos son los Estados Unidos de Amà ©rica. Va a ser realmente difà ­cil y tomar su tiempo antes de que se encuentre a una familia dispuesta a contratar a una nià ±era fumadora. A tener muy en cuenta para evitar problemas migratorios Para los extranjeros sin papeles para trabajar en EE.UU. sà ³lo es posible pasar una temporada como au pair en Estados Unidos participando en el programa a travà ©s de agencias autorizadas por el gobierno. Si hay una familia dispuesta a patrocinar a una extranjera como nià ±era, la familia deber hablar con una agencia autorizada para patrocinar visas J-1 de au-pair y el papeleo debe hacerse a travà ©s de ellas. En otras palabras, una familia estadounidense no puede patrocinar directamente una visa J-1 de esta categorà ­a. Para asegurarse de que se trata con una agencia legà ­tima y que no se est ante un caso de fraude, se recomienda verificar que est incluida en el listado de la pgina oficial del Departamento de Estado para estos efectos. Si es una agencia ubicada en fuera de los Estados Unidos, verificar para quà © agencia autorizada en Estados Unidos est trabajando. Las au pairs recibirn una visa J, que son de intercambio. Debern respetar sus caracterà ­sticas generales que aplican a todos los programas incluidos en esa categorà ­a de visa.   Adems, para recibir la visa no es suficiente con tener en mano la oferta de la familia y la intervencià ³n de la agencia autorizada. Si se es inelegible o inadmisible para recibir la visa, la peticià ³n de esta ser negada por el oficial consular. Por à ºltimo, se recomienda encarecidamente no mentir sobre los conocimientos de inglà ©s. En el momento de la entrevista en la Embajada o consulado se determinar si realmente se tiene el nivel de inglà ©s requerido. Si no se tiene, la visa ser denegada, el dinero de la aplicacià ³n no se regresa y la mentira quedar en el rà ©cord de la solicitante para las autoridades consulares y migratorias de Estados Unidos. Opciones a la visa de nià ±era Los jà ³venes de otros paà ­ses que desean pasar una temporada en Estados Unidos trabajando y aprendiendo inglà ©s pueden optar a distintos tipos de programas dentro de la categorà ­a de visas J-1, por ejemplo: Prcticas o pasantà ­as en una ONG.Estudiante de high school durante un aà ±o acadà ©mico completoPrcticas profesionalesVisa para trabajar y viajar en veranoTrabajo en un Summer Camp  como staff de un campamento de verano. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Analysis of an Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of an Advertisement - Essay Example d that the adverts which employ the use of colors attract more attention and recognition than the adverts that either uses only one color or no color at all. The use of many colors as illustrated in the advert above, triggers excitement from the audience and hence makes it appear more appealing to both the mind and the eye (Barnet and Bedau 140). The audience gets more attracted owing to the fact that many people associate certain colors of their choices to particular success in their personal lives. The general ambience of the advert is that which triggers excitement from the audience. The animation of the advert exhibits a world of happiness that eliminates technological strain owing to the introduction of a multi tasking device (I phone). The multi colored animation provides a universal satisfaction to many individuals who may have different tastes and preferences (Barnet and Bedau 143). Similarly, the advert creates a mood of acceptance of the product on display by exposing much of the extra benefits the audience would acquire than they would ordinarily expect. A number of features have been revealed through such colors as blue, red, white, black, yellow and purple which all represent certain features. The secondary features on display depict the additional efficiency and the functions of the device. Use of signs and symbols In addition to the use of many colors in the advert to gain the attention of the audience, there are a number of symbols and signs employed to create more meaning to the advert. Similar to the other forms of communication such as speeches, signs and symbols also give more meaning to the advert. These meanings are coded in particular patterns which may however be accurately interpreted by certain individuals and not others. An example of a... Analysis of an Advertisement Comparatively, researchers have established that the adverts which employ the use of colors attract more attention and recognition than the adverts that either uses only one color or no color at all. The use of many colors as illustrated in the advert above, triggers excitement from the audience and hence makes it appear more appealing to both the mind and the eye. The audience gets more attracted owing to the fact that many people associate certain colors of their choices to particular success in their personal lives. The general ambience of the advert is that which triggers excitement from the audience. The animation of the advert exhibits a world of happiness that eliminates technological strain owing to the introduction of a multi tasking device (I phone). The multi colored animation provides a universal satisfaction to many individuals who may have different tastes and preferences.. Similarly, the advert creates a mood of acceptance of the product on display by exposing much of the extra benefits the audience would acquire than they would ordinarily expect. A number of features have been revealed through such colors as blue, red, white, black, yellow and purple which all represent certain features. The secondary features on display depict the additional efficiency and the functions of the device. In order to attract more of the audience attention and attraction, framing the animation as well as including simpler signs and symbols that may also be understood by a majority of the audience if not a few targeted individuals.

Family variables Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family variables - Essay Example The youth is important for it constitutes the highest world population. Therefore, if proper measures are not taken to control and monitor their activities, they would definitely transform into an uncontrollable force once they get into their adulthood thereby graduating into committing more serious crimes which would be a threat to the society (Bynum and William 1996). The family is the basic foundation over which a child is brought up. The parents act as the best teachers and administers of discipline in the house hold. It is therefore necessary for parents to ensure that their children grow up in a safe environment and also ensure that they teach lessons on moral issues. Parents also determine the behavior of their children by setting examples on the manner in which they solve their personal differences. In families that have parents who keep on quarrelling and fighting, the children are most likely to indulge in delinquent activities due to the bad example set by their parents as compared to those that have limited conflicts (Bynum and William 1996). This is because, violent parents have little time for their children and the level of communication is also poor. Parents who are disciplined do not show their disagreements in the presence of their children. As a result the children accord them respect and are more likely to prevent juvenile delin quency. The family’s social class is also a key variable that influences the possibility of child delinquency. Children who come from poor families are more affected than those from rich back grounds (Schmalleger 2007). This is due to the fact that they tend to be discriminated by the society which makes them feel misplaced and unwanted. Poverty makes the parents desperate and sometimes, they forget their role of offering guidance and instead concentrate on searching for basic necessities. In these cases, educating their children may become difficult