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To keep your small business going during difficult times, you may need to cut costs in a variety of areas. Evaluating the cash flow is healthy and smart when facing turbulent financial times. Use this checklist to help you identify areas where you may be able to save money. Negotiate with your landlord for lower rent or better lease terms. Sublet unused office space. Work from home instead of paying for an office. Have employees work remotely. Pause unnecessary maintenance and upgrades. Sell equipment you don’t need or use. Switch to cloud computing and sell unnecessary computer equipment. Buy used office equipment instead of new. Switch to a cheaper mobile plan. Replace your landline with a VoIP system. Renegotiate terms on leased equipment. Use a smart thermostat to reduce heating and cooling. Power down all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronics. Replace business meals with coffee meetings. Reduce travel by using videoconferencing. Avoid attending unnecessary events, such as conferences. Print and copy double-sided to reduce paper use. Reuse paper for notes. Go paperless whenever possible. Negotiate with suppliers for discounts. Sell leftover supplies instead of discarding them. Cut back on unnecessary inventory. Compare insurance policies to ensure that you’re getting the lowest rate. Pay a higher insurance deductible to lower your monthly premium. Cut nonessential insurance. Replace traditional marketing methods with low-cost ones. Bring bookkeeping tasks in-house. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions (magazines, newspapers). Stop buying food and drink for the entire company (coffee, pizza). Reduce internet speed. Reduce or cut 401(k) matching. Reduce extra health benefits (gym memberships, dental plans). Cut any unnecessary overtime. Reduce your salary. Reduce employee salaries. Reduce the number of hours employees work each week. Hire contractors instead of full-time employees. Maximize your tax deductions. Automate time-consuming tasks with a service like Zapier. Hire a VA or Intern to help with small tasks. Take some time for yourself to re-energize and meditate on your focus and mission. Clarity proves to be a huge time saver in today's chaotic world. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Preventing burnout protects your overall health and your career. However, if the way you work changed radically over the past year, your old defenses may not be enough. How do you know if you’re burned out? Some of the most common signs include depression, irritability, and lack of motivation. You feel tired and unable to control your circumstances. Your physical health can be affected too, putting you at increased risk for heart conditions and diabetes. If you’re feeling down and your productivity has dropped, you can recover. Try these 14 strategies for bouncing back from burnout. Fighting Burnout During Work Hours: 1. Evaluate your expectations. Burnout is often caused by pushing yourself too hard for too long. Look at your to do list and see what you can eliminate or delegate. Focus on your top priorities. 2. Set goals. Working towards something you want to achieve provides instant inspiration. Break long term objectives down into daily and weekly targets, so you’ll keep building momentum. 3. Limit distractions. Burnout makes it difficult to concentrate. Create quiet spaces where you can work at the office or at home. Turn off your phone and stay away from websites and apps where you tend to lose track of time. 4. Find allies. Do you feel isolated or have more conflicts with your coworkers? Burnout can take a toll on your relationships. Participate in social activities at work. If you feel safe, talk with your boss or a trusted colleague about what you’re going through. 5. Have fun. Brighten up your workday. Join the party planning committee. Pass along a funny joke or an intriguing news story. 6. Pace yourself. How many hours are you working a week? Research shows that excess overtime lowers your performance. You’re more likely to succeed with a 35-to-40-hour week. 7. Take time off. It may help to get away from your routines for a while. If possible, use your vacation days to visit family and friends in another city. If you’re short on leave, you could try a spa day at home or check into a local hotel for the weekend. 8. Be patient. Burnout often builds up gradually and it may take a while to turn things around. Give yourself credit for making an effort. Appreciate signs of gradual progress. Fighting Burnout Outside of Work Hours: 1. Address root causes. While there are many things you can do to cope with burnout temporarily, lasting change depends on resolving the source of your troubles. Maybe it’s an event at work, or maybe it has more to do with your disposition or personal life. 2. Set boundaries. Remote work blurs the line between business and leisure activities. Try to keep office items out of your bedroom. Let your job know the hours when you’re unavailable. 3. Sleep well. Go to bed on time, so you can wake up feeling refreshed. Stick to a consistent schedule, even on weekends and holidays. 4. Work out. Physical activity relieves stress and gives you more energy. Design a balanced program of cardio exercise, strength training, and stretches. 5. Learn to relax. Manage daily tensions with stress-relieving activities. Listen to instrumental music or work on your hobbies.Volunteer and serve others is a great way to distract yourself and re-energize. 6. Consider counseling. If your burnout symptoms persist, you may benefit from working with a professional therapist. Some employers have extended mental health benefits as a result of COVID-19. If you’re on a limited budget, contact a community hotline to explore low-cost services. Burnout can seem overwhelming, but you probably have more options than you think. Change your daily habits and ask others for help if you’re struggling. Taking constructive action will help you to regain your balance and increase your job satisfaction. Institute these ideas to make your upcoming holidays much more enjoyable! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Another fabulous guest post from a very special guest, Lori Creighton of Homestead Media! We were honored to do Lori's branding a short time back and we have learned so much from her! She is an incredible asset for any team! Check out her site, she is a writing guru! _______ Think about the actions you take as you research and choose a product or service online. If part of your process includes reading about the experiences of other people, then you’re not alone. In the B2B world, case studies are the most effective content to convert and move prospects along on their buying journey. (Demand Gen) And in the consumer world, 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. (Search Engine Land) Publishing proof that you’ll do what you say you can do should be in your content strategy. To get started, learn about the difference between case studies, success stories, testimonials and reviews. Reviews - Voluntary Customer Comments Reviews can be found on third-party platforms, like Google and Facebook, or right on a website like Amazon or other e-commerce sites. Reviews are an important piece of your online reputation and contribute ranking signals to search engines. If the reviews are on a third-party site, your business doesn’t have control over the comments. You should be monitoring what people say about you online and respond to comments – both positive and negative. If reviews are popular in your industry, you should create a process for asking for reviews. Testimonials – Solicited Customer Comments The difference between reviews and testimonials is that your organization has control over the process. You’re the one who gathers and publishes customer comments on your website and through your social media posts, email, and other digital channels. You can get testimonials through interviews with customers and edit what they say into bite-sized comments. People are usually happy when you help them organize their thoughts. It’s important to not put words in their mouths, and have an approval process in place before publishing anything in your customer’s name. Customer Success Story – Illustration of Customer Experience The terms “success story," “client story," and “case study” are often used interchangeably, but a “story” is different from a “study.” In a success story, the client experience is described starting with the problem that the client needed to solve and moves through the solution and the outcome. People respond physiologically to a story that includes a problem, challenge, or distress, so the result of this kind of story is empathy or shared feelings and thoughts. Interviews for customer success stories can do double duty and provide material for great testimonials. Case Studies – In-depth Customer Experience Case studies and client or customer success stories are sometimes used interchangeably. A case study includes the context, problem, and solution that the customer experienced but can go into more detail about what the company did to implement the solution. Case studies can be more technical than success stories, but they’re not necessarily better depending upon who you’re trying to influence. For example, a CEO probably doesn’t want to know all the details but wants to know how the outcome is going to affect business results, while an engineer wants to understand the technology or methods that make the solution work. It’s About Trust and Credibility If you are presenting and promoting your business online, then you absolutely need content that will nurture trust and build credibility. People want to be confident in their buying decisions, and you’ll help them get that when you show and tell how you helped other people through customer studies, stories, testimonials, and reviews. Lori Creighton, https://www.homesteadmedia.net/contact.html https://www.homesteadmedia.net/scheduling.html Blog first published https://www.homesteadmedia.net/blog/case-studies-success-stories-testimonials-reviews Want to be a guest blogger? Just contact us and we'll get you in the queue! ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168

One of the best ways to build your brand is to build a community where you and the members can all help each other. The value in building a community around your brand is that it gets others involved in helping to promote your brand. Build a tribe of passionate people who care about the same things you do. This creates a pool of potential clients who already love you, know you and would choose you over a stranger all day long. So how can you build a community? Start a group. In this group, people can interact with each other, share ideas, interact with you, raise questions, etc. Whether you start a Facebook group, a Peer Circle, Charity or Networking group, take advantage of the need for people to be part of something outside themselves. Use this platform to leave the world better than you found it this morning. Host live events. Live events allow you to meet members of your tribe in person. Coffee meetups, retreats, workshops, masterminds, and private dinners are all great ways to deepen your relationships with them. Create a membership site. For a small monthly fee, you can give people exclusive access to you and the content you provide. You can also give them access to things like group calls every month, ongoing webinars, and a forum where they can interact with you and other members. Host a Mastermind. Teach, encourage and lead with your extreme knowledge. It allows potential customers to get a taste of working with you, verifies your experience and expertise and more. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

What Is a Brand? A brand is much more than a flashy logo or a color palette. A personal brand goes far beyond having a nice-looking business card. A personal brand is not just about having a website with your name on it, although that’s certainly part of it. Your brand is personal, it's how you present yourself, both online and offline, to your ideal audience. Your personal brand is the image you put forth. It’s what you stand for. Your values. What you’re all about. The core of who you are as a person. The mission you envision. It’s the combination of your values, unique skills, experiences, stories, personality, and image, all presented authentically to your audience. Every person is a brand. Everyone can constantly put themselves out in front of their audience. Everyone can add value to their audience. Everyone can communicate their message loud and clear. With everything you share with your audience, you’re building your brand. Take control of your brand. Do you want your brand to develop on its own, with no guidance from you, or do you want to be actively in control of the process? It’s always best to be the one in control of your brand. Hiring a professional marketing team like NLC can help you fine tune the magic of your message, the big idea you bring to the table and craft it into a full representation of your heart. It is worth the cost and effort because a great brand markets itself. Why Do You Need to Build a Personal Brand? Every entrepreneur, coach, consultant, freelancer, etc. should be building their own brand. If you are trying to build a business of any sort, it’s important to build your own personal brand. Personal branding allows you to stand out from the competition. Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to offer. You’re unique. Only you are you. You have unique experiences, strengths, beliefs, perspectives, skills, and insights that set you apart from everyone else. Building your personal brand allows you highlight your strengths. Personal branding allows you to charge a premium price. Because you bring unique value to the table - value that no one else offers - you can charge a premium price for your services. When you craft a strong personal brand, you can charge a higher price for your products and services because they’re exclusive to you. Personal branding highlights your expertise. A significant amount of personal branding involves the content that you share with the world. The more valuable the content you share, the more you demonstrate that you’re an expert who should be trusted. With every piece of content that you share, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. The more you show that you’re an expert, the more people will trust you. Personal branding allows you to attract your ideal audience. When you’re an expert, you attract those who need your help the most. They want help from you because you’re the expert. It also generates more referrals from others in your field. Personal branding puts you in charge of the narrative. Your personal brand will evolve, whether you want it to or not. If you use social media, have an email list, write a blog, or speak to groups, you’re already building your personal brand. The question is whether you’re building the brand intentionally. Personal brand building ensures that you’re the one forming people’s ideas and opinions about you. You’re in control of the story. Personal branding increases your visibility. As you build your personal brand, you’ll become more visible. You’ll attract more fans on social media, who will share your content with their tribes, which will then attract more fans. You’ll also be featured in more media outlets since they’re always looking for experts. And you’ll be invited to speak at more places. As you build your brand, your platform will also grow. Personal branding shapes the content you share. Without a personal brand, you have nothing guiding you in terms of what content you should be sharing with your audience. Personal branding gives you guidelines as to what you should share with your audience. You should only share things that are in line with your brand. Anything off-brand shouldn’t be shared. Personal branding connects you more with individuals. People connect better with other people than they do with companies. The more you work to build your brand, the more individuals you’ll attract. They’ll be attracted to your values, personality, and insights. The more individuals you attract, the more you’ll build your overall business. Personal branding allows you to become an influencer. An influencer is someone who significantly shapes the opinions of their followers and has a big influence on how they behave. There are some significant benefits to being an influencer. Big brands want to work with influencers, which can generate revenue for you. You often receive free things from companies who are interested in partnering with you. And you frequently get requests from the media to speak or just to attend events. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Now Is the Time to use Your Personal Brand to Become an Influencer The simple truth is, you have a personal brand, whether you want to or not. Every single thing you share with your audience either adds to or takes away from your influence of those that follow you. You absolutely must be intentional about what and how you put content into the world. As Kathy Klotz-Guest says, “We all have a personal brand whether we think about it that way or not. So, let’s be intentional about it.” If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s critical to devote at least some time each week to strengthen your brand. Your brand is one of your biggest assets. Being a true influencer can take your business to places you never thought possible. You can become someone who can lead others in your industry which can result in speaking engagements, higher premiums, more sales and publicity. Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to offer. You’re unique. Only you are you. You have unique: Experiences Strengths Beliefs Perspectives Skills Insights ...that set you apart from everyone else. These are incredibly valuable and distinguish you from your competitors. You offer unique value that no other person can offer. No one else can bring to the table what you can. No one else has your unique combination of skills, insights, and experiences. The more valuable the content you share, the more you demonstrate that you’re an expert who should be trusted. With every piece of content that you share: Social media posts Blog posts Emails Videos Inspirational graphics Meditations Affirmations Audiobooks Podcasts ...you establish yourself as an expert in your field; as someone who really knows what they’re talking about; as a thought leader in your arena. Demonstrate your knowledge and insight into a watching world. You’re proving just how much value you offer and that you’re the go-to person in your industry. Connect with other influencers, share techniques and platforms to expand your reach. See Intellifluence.com When you’re known as the expert in your industry: It attracts your ideal audience - the people who need your help the most. You get more referrals from others in your industry and related industries. You can charge a premium price - the kind of price that only an expert can charge. Tony Robbins is a prime example of this. For years, he has been sharing the same message of self-empowerment. Everything he says, every video he puts out, every book he writes has the same brand message: you can develop into a powerful individual and I can help you to do that. Over time, he has established himself as one of, if not the go-to person in the self-development arena. The results? He attracts huge audiences of people who want to fulfill their potential. Millions of people read his books and follow him on social media. Tony can charge a premium price for his services. Why? By consistently building his personal brand over many years, Tony Robbins now has people flocking to him for advice. Do you want to experience the Tony Robbins effect? Do you want to be known as the go-to person in your industry? Then it’s absolutely essential that you begin building and sharing your personal brand today. Find a step-by-step process for building your personal brand here. Avoid waiting any longer to build your personal brand. Get started on it today! Your audience needs you. Get out there and start serving them. You’ll be glad you did! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Who wouldn’t like to be charismatic? The person who lights up the room? We all know someone that seems to have a magical power over other people. This person can attract and influence people in a way that is hard to describe, but you know this type of person when you see them. We all know what charisma looks like, but it’s not easy to figure out what charismatic people do that sets them apart from the rest of us. The good news is that you don’t have to be born charismatic. Charisma can be learned, and not be fake! You can boost your charisma significantly with some time and dedication. Before you know it, you’ll be the one that everyone wants to invite to their party. Increase your charisma by incorporating a few simple strategies into your life: 1. Smile. Smiling is cheap, easy, feels good, and is a good way to put others at ease. We feel better when we deal with someone that is smiling versus someone that is scowling. People will feel more comfortable around you if you’re smiling, and you appear more open to communication. 2. Listen. We love people that listen to us. Hardly anyone can pay attention long enough to have a decent conversation anymore. If you want to be popular, listen to others when they’re talking to you. They’ll leave the conversation thinking that you’re a great conversationalist! 3. Have great eye contact. Maintaining good eye contact is another way to make someone feel important. Ensure that you’re not looking around while interacting with someone. Give them your full attention. 4. Give an authentic compliment. Remember that being charismatic is largely about making others feel good in your presence. A compliment is an easy way to make someone feel great. Just be certain that your compliment is sincere. Most people can tell a fake compliment from a real one. 5. Ask questions. Another way of showing interest is to ask questions. It’s also an easy way to keep a conversation going. Most people love to talk about themselves and will be excited if you show interest in them. 6. Let your grooming speak well for you. It’s hard to be considered charismatic if you look like you haven’t bathed or put clean clothes on for a few days. Your grooming and clothing are one way to demonstrate your status to the world. When you look sharp, others think more highly of you. 7. Show confidence. Confidence shows that you are at ease and helps to put others at ease, too. We’re naturally attracted to confident people. Confidence is challenging to fake, so this one might take some work! 8. Be enthusiastic. Have a life that excites you. Allow your enthusiasm to show. A negative and grumpy person will struggle to demonstrate charisma. There are only three things you really need to do to be more charismatic: be interesting, be interested, and make others feel good in your presence. You’ll notice that all of these tips address at least one of these three items. You don’t have to be born with amazing people skills to implement these strategies. You just have to practice. You can be more charismatic tomorrow just by choosing one strategy and begin applying it. One day at a time. It may take time for it to become natural, but it’s worth the journey. Just remember what Maya Angelou said, "People won't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel." Mastering these items will make you one of the most charismatic people you’ve ever known! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Productivity is important because it relates to income and time. The more productive you are, the more money you can earn in many situations. You can also save time. That time can be spent on anything you like, including making more money! There are many obstacles to productivity, such as a lack of focus, a lack of intention, a lack of stamina, or too many distractions, to name a few. Hack your brain and increase your productivity with these strategies: 1. Set an intention-Visualize success. Most people can’t focus because they’re not truly clear on what they want to focus on or for how long. Give yourself a fighting chance by choosing a specific task for a specific amount of time. For example, you might decide you’re going to work on your tax return for 30 minutes. Set a timer and do your best for those 30 minutes. Your brain will do its best to give you what you want if you give it clear instructions. 2. Meditate. Meditation helps to build focus and calm your mind. Meditation is incredibly popular right now, so there is plenty of free information on how to meditate effectively. Educate yourself and get started. It’s simple and effective. 3. Take regular breaks. Experiment with break frequency and duration. The best option for most people is either 25 minutes of work and a five-minute break, or 50 minutes of work and a 10-minute break. Discover what works best for you and then stick with it. Timers can be powerful tools. 4. Avoid giving in to temptation. Most of us give in to the temptation of distraction far too easily. It’s a very difficult habit to break. We quickly go from feeling bored or stressed to amused. It feels good to check email or read a text. The most productive people are able to overcome the urge to break their attention from their work task. It’s important to avoid these distractions during your breaks, too. It’s too hard to get back on task, and your breaktime magically extends from five minutes to 25. Learn how to say “no” to your urges. 5. Alternate high and low-focus tasks. Many people report greater productivity when they alternate between cognitively intense activities and those that require less intellectual effort. It’s similar to interval training in the gym. Lower-level activities might include returning calls and emails, or other routine work. The lower-level activities give your brain a rest and the chance to recover. Soon, it’s ready for another round of more intense activity. 6. Drink plenty of water. Most people are partially dehydrated. The solution is to drink plenty of water. That doesn’t mean you must chug 20 ounces of water every hour. But, a 20-ounce bottle of water every few hours would be beneficial to most. So many metabolic processes require water that you’re not at your best if you’re dehydrated 7. Develop a positive mindset. A positive outlook on life makes you more productive. Studies show that mindset affects productivity. Work on having a positive outlook and you’ll accomplish more each day. You’ll also be a lot happier. Productivity should be important to everyone. Time is your most valuable asset, so do what you can to maximize it. We can all be more productive, but it doesn’t happen by magic. It must be a priority if you want to see real results. Dedicate yourself to maximizing your productivity. Give your brain every chance to be your ally on this important journey. Would you like a partner to work with you on your marketing and branding? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

You're scrolling through Instagram, ready to check out a cool brand you saw advertised. You tap the link, but instead of a sleek, user-friendly experience, you're greeted by a website that looks like it belongs in a 1998 flip phone commercial. Tiny text, clunky buttons, and sideways scrolling – yikes! Over 50% of all website traffic now comes from mobile devices [Statista, 2023]. If your website isn't optimized for various mobile screens, you're losing customers faster than you can say "mobilegeddon." Here's the Wake-up Call You Need: Mobile-first is the new standard. People are ditching desktops for smartphones and tablets. In fact, by 2025, it's predicted that mobile internet usage will surpass desktop usage globally [Statista, 2023]. If your website isn't mobile-friendly, you're essentially shutting the door on a massive chunk of your potential audience. A bad mobile experience = A bad brand impression. Think about it: if someone has a frustrating time navigating your website on their phone, they're likely to associate that frustration with your entire brand. A study by Google found that 53% of mobile website visitors abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load [Think With Google, 2020]. That's three seconds to make a good impression, or you risk losing a customer forever. Mobile drives sales. 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device [Statista, 2023]. If your website isn't mobile-optimized, you're missing out on a huge sales opportunity. A mobile-friendly design with clear calls to action and a streamlined checkout process can turn those website visitors into paying customers. And apps.... don't get me started. Make sure "Easy" is your middle name. Don't wait for your competitors to steal your mobile thunder!  Revamping your website for mobile-first is no longer an option, it's a necessity. By prioritizing a seamless mobile experience, you'll ensure your brand shines on every device, keeps customers engaged, and drives sales success. The future of web design is mobile, so jump on board or get left behind! Want to learn more? Contact Neon Lizard Creative today! https:www.linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative

No matter what kind of business you own, everything you do, say and provide reflects on you personally and professionally. Having a brand reputation that precedes you helps close a sale before you ever arrive. How to Build your Personal Brand Step # 1: Determine who you really are. Building your personal brand is about sharing your authentic self with the world. Ask yourself: What unique skills do I have? What am I most passionate about? What are my core values? What unique experiences have shaped who I am? How can I most effectively serve my core audience? What do I have to offer that no one else does? Step # 2: Decide what you want to accomplish. Once you’ve identified the core of who you are, it’s time to think about what you want to accomplish with your personal brand. Ask yourself: What would I like to accomplish, both personally and professionally? What do I want to be known for? If I could be the world’s foremost expert on a topic, what would it be? What key message do I want to communicate? If I could only give one piece of advice, what would it be? What is the “personality” of my brand? Step # 3: Identify your target audience. There is a core demographic of people who will resonate deeply with you, your brand, and what you offer and the type of person you love to work with, that's the CLIENT YOU CAN BEST SERVE. This core demographic is your target audience. To identify your core audience, ask these questions: Who can I most effectively help? Who will benefit most from my skill set and knowledge? Who am I most passionate about serving? Who will resonate most with me and my brand? It can also be helpful to create a persona for your ideal client. This should include demographic information, desires and aspirations, as well as pain points and challenges that they face. Step # 4: Determine your Unique Service Proposition. Your USP is simply your brand summed up into a single, powerful compelling statement that describes exactly what you do for your audience. A USP typically looks something like this: I help (target person) to (achieve X) so that they can (desired outcome). Your USP doesn’t have to say everything about your brand, but it should get right to the heart of who you are and how you help your audience. It may help to give your USP a unique name that will stick in people’s mind. Don’t skimp on this step. Creating your USP gives you a high degree of clarity about what your brand is all about. Step # 5: Start treating yourself as a brand. In every communication with your audience, whether a blog post, email, podcast, social media post, etc., you stay true to your brand message. You constantly speak about the problems you solve, constantly encourage your audience, constantly voice the message of your brand. This also means: creating a strong, compelling website to serve as your home base for all your online activities. It means creating a media page or media kit on your site for media inquiries. It could mean not answering emails yourself, but having an assistant answer them. Step # 6: Optimize your website. Your website functions as your “home base” of sorts. It is one of the primary places people get to know who you are and what you do. Your website also functions as one of the primary ways you turn visitors into paying clients. Optimizing your website includes: having a professional logo designed, showing off your USP, using professional photos, using testimonials, presenting a clear call-to-action, creating a compelling “About” page, creating a services page, giving away free resources, creating a contact page. Step # 7: Develop your content strategy. The primary way you’re going to build your brand is by creating strategic content, such as blog posts, videos, social media posts, emails, affirmations, and podcasts. Each piece of content you share with your audience should serve to build your brand. Try using the “Pillar Method” for your content. The Pillar Method involves creating longer pieces of content i.e. blog posts, that function as pillars, of sorts. These pillars pieces are then cut up into smaller pieces of content that are shared across a variety of social media platforms. Using this method allows you to repurpose a single piece of content in a variety of ways. Step # 8: Constantly add value to your audience. It’s essential that you constantly give value to your audience without asking for anything in return. The main thing people should take away when interacting with your brand is how much value you provide. There will be times when you ask for a sale or ask someone to become a new client. The main emphasis, however, should be on adding value to your audience. Step # 9: Build a tribe. One of the best ways to build your brand is to build a community of people who can share ideas, support each other, and reach out to you directly. You create a tribe of passionate people who care about the same things you do. You become a bigger fish in all of their ponds. Some simple ways to build a community include: starting a private Facebook group where people can encourage each other and share ideas, hosting live events where you can interact personally with your tribe, or creating a membership site where people can get exclusive access to you. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Your self-image is the way you view yourself. You might view yourself as a parent, construction worker, friend, blonde, sports fan, intelligent, impatient, and middle-aged. But you're more than your career, gender, and age. You're more than your parents' opinion. You're a unique person with nuances that are unique to you! When who you are aligns with what you do, you're living authentically. But most of us view ourselves as one way and live another. Authentic people act honestly and congruently. The benefits of this congruency are enormous: success, self-esteem, respect from others, and inner peace. Those who live lives misaligned with their values, beliefs, and attitudes suffer from more anxiety, guilt, and shame. It might seem easier to live up to the expectations of others in the short term, but the long-term costs are significant. Follow these steps to determine your true self and live life on your terms: 1. Identify your core values. An authentic self-image is one that is aligned with your values. By knowing your values, you'll understand what is important to you. Once you're aware of your values, you can build a self-image and life that are more meaningful and enjoyable. Make a list of your values. Create a long list and include everything that you think applies to you. Then, reduce your list to the ten values that are most important to you. You might struggle to narrow your list to just ten, but ten values are plenty. 2. Determine if you have any conflicts. For example, you might say that adventure and freedom are two of your most important values, but what if you also strongly favor responsibility and security? Those values could be in conflict. When you're faced with an inner conflict, you're likely to shut down and do nothing. If you've ever been paralyzed while making a decision, it's possible your values were in conflict. Think back to when you've struggled to decide and see if it's true. Do you have any values listed that aren't really priorities for you? We often carry around perspectives instilled by our parents. Here's a news flash: they may have been wrong. Take the time to determine your values for yourself. Disregard what society says you should value. You're an individual. 3. Create an action plan for each value. Imagine one of your values is frugality. You could create a budget and savings plan that incorporates that value. You might plan to start clipping coupons, visiting less expensive stores, and searching for free entertainment options available on the weekends. 4. Make a list of activities you enjoy that align with your values. For example, if generosity is a priority, you could find an enjoyable way to spend your time helping others. If health is a value you cherish, you could join a soccer team or a yoga class. Find your favorite sport and participate. 5. Evaluate yourself at the end of each day. Think about the instances when you failed to live according to your values. Likewise, contemplate the times you were able to live according to your values and self-image, particularly when doing so was challenging. Create a self-image that is in alignment with your values. First, it is necessary to identify and choose your values. Next, construct a life that allows you to live those values consistently and to thrive. Authenticity eliminates many common emotional ailments in life, but it's not always the easiest choice. Be bold enough to choose the person you want to become and live accordingly, not only in your personal life but also in your business. The benefits are enormous. What are your values? Are you living your true "brand style?" Would you like a partner to work with you on your marketing and branding? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

If you have more to do than you have time to do it, you’re not alone. Regardless of how much society advances with new technology that’s supposed to enable us to do more in less time, there never seems to be enough time to do everything that needs to be done. So how can you save time? If you could essentially add another hour or two to your day, how would you use that time? While you can’t actually add time, you can free up additional time with these techniques: 1. Eliminate unnecessary tasks. Maybe you have too many things to do! Take a detailed look at your life and determine if there are any tasks that you’re doing that are unnecessary. There are bound to be a few things you can eliminate from your life without suffering any negative impact. EOS has a method," Keep, Kill or Combine".... let's change that to Keep (you do it) Kill (quit doing it), and Outsource (hire someone else to do it). If you are decent at it but hate doing it, outsourcing is a great option. 2. Outsource social media accounts. Social media platforms are valuable, but they are also great timewasters. By outsourcing your social, you are free from having to create content, create ads, remember to post, and more. Sounds like nirvana. Consider outsourcing your business social media accounts to a professional service like NLC. Perhaps personally avoid social media altogether and try picking up the phone once in a while to check in on your friends, family, and business associates/clients the old-fashioned way. I think we've forgotten how to do that these days! 3. Disable notifications. Do you really need to be notified of every text, email, and app activity in real-time? Turn all of it off and take a quick peek every few hours to see if you’re missing something important. 4. Avoid perfection. Some tasks require a high level of attention. Others do not. It’s not necessary to clean out your junk folder with the same level of perfection as a surgeon performing a liver transplant. Ask yourself how well a task really needs to be done and perform it at an appropriate level of effort and detail or hire a VA. 5. Ask yourself how you can do this task better and faster. Are you sure you’re taking the best route to work? Are you cleaning your house efficiently? Think about every task you do regularly and search for a more efficient way of doing it. 6. Delegate. It’s possible to delegate much of your life. No one can eat, sleep, or exercise for you, but you can pay others to do many things for you. Imagine how much time you would have to further your business if you delegated mundane tasks. Some people will clean, do laundry, mow grass, drive, shop, cook, do your taxes, and build your new deck for you Agencies like NLC can manage content, design, production of web, print, trade show, social, and more. You might even have a partner or children that can carry some of your load. 7. Schedule your day. A decent plan is lightyears better than no plan at all. Think about what you need to accomplish and make a list. Stick to your list, and you’re bound to get more done in less time each day. Perhaps a time block so you have focus time, phone call time, and meeting times segregated for efficiency. 8. Track your time. Where are you wasting time? How are you spending all of your time? You might be surprised where your time is going if you’ve never looked hard at it. I use ScreenMonitor because I am terrible at tracking time, and it takes a screen capture every 10 minutes so I can remember what I was doing. Spend a couple of days logging your tasks and how much time you spend on them. Pay particular attention to the time spent on electronic devices and other amusing activities. 9. Consider your mealtimes. Eating takes more time than people realize. You have to shop for the food, cook it, eat it, and clean it up afterward. If you eat three meals a day, that’s a lot of time. Some meals are much quicker than others. A sandwich and an apple eaten on a paper plate is less time and work than roasting a chicken, making mashed potatoes, and washing pots and pans. Shop for foods that are easy to prepare and have minimal cleanup. Also, shop as infrequently as possible. Each trip to the store can take an hour or more. Use a delivery service. Nowadays we have full meal delivery, precooked and needs to be heated. My family uses HelloFresh so that we always have a nutritious meal and all the ingredients available. (Now, it is just getting someone to cook it!) Check out all the options! Everyone gets the same 24 hours each day to live life. Whether your 24-hour day is easy and carefree or extremely busy, it’s also helpful to find additional time to use as you see fit. You can’t make a day last longer, but you create additional hours by being effective, efficient, and by reducing unnecessary tasks and responsibilities. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.