A Publication of WTVP

Workplace Incivility Hits Hard

Did you know that 83 percent of customers who witness incivility among employees or between managers and employees will report what they saw to friends or family members? According to a study conducted by Christine Pearson and Christine Porath, authors of The Cost of Bad Behavior, after witnessing such acts, 55 percent of customers aren’t as willing to use the company’s products and services in the future. This shows that not only does bad behavior result in a negative public image, it also affects the bottom line.
Source: carolboryblog.com


No Battery, No Work

Those in the computer industry agree that laptop screens are the key culprits in draining users’ batteries. Microsoft claims that the screen uses 43 percent of a laptop’s stored battery. Naturally, the brighter the screen, the quicker the battery will drain. So, as Small Business IT Weekly (sbitweekly.com) suggests, “Moral to the story: turn down the brightness on your screen.”


A New Way to “Rent” Movies

The homepage at Lendaround.com makes a good point: “If the average U.S. home contains 13 DVDs, and the average Facebook user has 164 friends, that’s 2,132 movies. How many of your friends’ DVDs have you seen?” Skipping the rental store and dealing directly with friends can save both time and money, and LendAround helps you accomplish this. Unlike most online swaps, this one is set up as a network of just your friends, so you always know who you’re lending what to. It also keeps track of who has which movies, and how long they’ve had them. So if you’re looking for a cheaper way to “rent” recent blockbusters, this might be the site for you.


Literate Leaders

So just what are Peoria’s young leaders reading? Take a cue from this year’s 40 Leaders Book Club. With a nice mix of fiction, nonfiction, spiritual and children’s literature, you’re sure to find something that will keep you engrossed for a while.


My Favorite Movies

40 Leaders Under Forty alum MATT GEORGE (’06) has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations in the Peoria area, and currently serves as executive director of the Cancer Center for Healthy Living. The former executive director of the Jeff George Foundation, he and his cousin, Jeff, the former Illini and NFL quarterback, have raised money for leukemia and cancer research all over the country.

  1. It’s a tie—Godfather 1 and Godfather 2—Probably the only sequel just as good as the original.
  2. Goodfellas—Best characters ever.
  3. Caddyshack—Ted Knight and Bill Murray are classics. Noonan…
  4. National Lampoon’s Vacation—One of my favorites.
  5. Anything Clint Eastwood—The guy is just cool!

Capture the Eye of Consumers

The holiday season is a high-stakes, cutthroat market for retailers, and online retailers are no exception. There are a few things you can do to up your A-game and carve out a bigger slice of the season’s online sales pie.

It may go without saying, but research is key. Michelle Sharp, account group manager at IMPAQT, a Pittsburgh-based search marketing agency, suggests that tapping into data-rich resources to gain perspective on your industry and products will give insight to online costs, top industry keywords and top site-traffic keywords. At the very least you should focus on the buying trends from October through January and base your campaigns on your findings. Setting a realistic budget for your company, too, will be helpful when cost-per-click inflation occurs during the holiday season.

Have you ever compared your organic versus paid rankings to see if one can help the other out, or to see what your trends are with site traffic to pinpoint opportunities? If not, try it. Sharp says there are many ways to use search engine marketing (SEM) effectively and cut costs, so think outside the box. Remember that timing is everything when executing your promotional calendar, and make sure to note how many shopping days occur during the season to establish realistic expectations and allocate your budget correctly.

Always keep your consumers in mind when putting together your landing pages. If you’re cross-selling, use a category landing page. Make everything as simple as possible for those interested in your product. Include as much detail as possible because it will make or break your SEM campaign. Sharp suggests that you gain access to “share of voice” and “lost impression share” reports from search engine representatives so you can make adjustments.

Online, opportunities come and go in a snap. Plan ahead on your payments to search engines so that you have funds at your disposal to jump on any opportunity that may present itself. Doing so will prepare you for anything and help you get ahead this holiday season. iBi

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