Category Archives: Technology

Business: Why Vine Videos?

vine-mobileVine videos are the newest online phenomenon that can do wonders for your business. Why? Because they’re social, intriguing and best of all short. These thirty second visual teasers are just enough to spark our curiosity without revealing too much, too fast. Vines can be easily shared on all social media platforms. What’s even more handy is that these can then be plugged into a Twitter stream in a matter of minutes.

Today, there is a vast number of content creation tools that offer businesses like yours a tremendous opportunity to network, share and generate buzz around your product or service. By engaging with your potential audience you can help open doors and garner curiosity about your brand. Vines are going viral as we speak with nearly a half a million info beats shared daily.

Why Vines?

1) They are simple, intuitive and engaging. Vines are a fun way of delivering your message to your market segment and making an instant impression. Anyone can create impactful videos that vary in complexity and style. All you have to do is think about your brand in a succinct fashion.  

Timing:  

2) Online content must be short and sweet. Paraphrase, edit, reshape. When it comes to impactful videos, often less is more. Besides, if you’re subjecting anyone to a thirty minute video they’re likely to start chewing on a pencil, playing with their hair or worse frantically picking their nose. Tell your story within the first fiveteen seconds and make it count.

3) Be SmartPhone Smarter: Anyone can use their smartphones to create hilarious videos but how do you stand out from the crowd? Learn, advance and adapt what you know. Your know-how can be the difference between a good video campaign and a great one.

Take a look at Lowe’s short video series called Fix It In Six  It offers helpful tips and tricks for the do-it- yourselfers. Each six second tit-bit offers a hands-on solution to an at home dilemma. This video manages to do a superb job at telling it like it is while cleverly allowing prospective clients to feel like they have saved the day.

The video is presented beautifully with a clear message. Vines like this can be used in business as a unique visual representation of your values, ideas and motivations done in a snapshot that caters to your markets needs, aspirations and lifestyle. So don’t miss out. Make Vine part of your marketing strategy.

In the meantime visit us on twitter @wizof_biz for more creative marketing tips. You can also check out our blog for topics like crowdfunding, outsourcing for business, creative marketing, funding options and much more!

The WizOf.Biz Team

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Five Amazingly Inspiring Business Videos From TED Talks You Should Watch!

ted-talks-e1359603955392TED Talks (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a beloved ideas sharing conference that is now presented worldwide to a viewership of over one billion. The amazing thing about TED in my opinion, is that the guests who share their insight, truly showcase the cultural,visionary and creative depths of people everywhere. The series, fulfills our collective desire to connect and inspire each other. In short, what a brilliant excuse, for innovators,artists and business and technology experts to come together in order to challenge perspectives and offer infinite possibilities for learning.

Here are five of my picks for best TED business videos  that will knock your socks off! Each one of these makes an insightful and compelling argument in support of a more creative and inspired future in business and entrepreneurship.

1) The Puzzle Of Motivation

Professional analyst Dan Pink, takes a close look at the intricacies of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. He brings into question the value and effectiveness of traditional reward systems. Quite simply, based on plenty of scientific evidence,says Pink, the  traditional financial incentives of carrots and sticks used to motivate employers do not work.

So why do most businesses today, continue to employ extrinsic motivators of carrots and sticks as a way to incentivize workers? The answer according to Daniel Pink, is, there continues to be a disconnect between “what scientists know and what businesses do.”

2) How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Simon Sinek, talks about what he calls The Golden Circle of why, how and what. Sinek examines  the idea that people generally don’t buy into what you do but rather why you do it. If those you hire, believe what you believe, they will work tirelessly towards that purpose.

Simon puts forward Apple Computers, Martin Luther King and The Wright Brothers as examples of a company and people, whose primary focus was on the purpose of their idea not necessarily the value. In other words, people want to know what you believe in, not what you’re selling. Great leaders share their stories about their passion, not their need for increased cash flow. Companies need to learn to communicate from the inside out, to make their message purposeful and inspiring.

3) The Era of Open Innovation

Charles Leadbeater is a U.K. based author who works and has published a series of books in areas of Social Entrepreneurship and innovation. His latest book entitled Innovation In Education: Lessons From Pioneers Around The World, looks at the very real movement towards worldwide efforts in education and innovation.

Anyone across the globe, regardless of their socio-economic background or cultural stature, can, and has embraced innovation and Enterpreneurship as a way of learning and moving towards the future of creative thinking. Innovators are no longer defined as the elite, rather we are beginning to see innovation emerge amongs those living in less than favourable conditions and representing an array of previously untapped communities. Take a look at this TEDTalk video for a complete overview of Charles’ Beater’s presentation.

4) Let’s Raise Kids To Be Entrepreneurs

Cameron Harold, discusses how crucial it is that as a society we focus more on teaching our kids exactly how to be entrepreneurial. While in schools, we do make sure that children learn math, numbers and even basic business skills, Cameron says, but do we really prepare them for what it means to have an entrepreneurial mind? Can they grasp the concept of innovation and creative thought? The faster we can show young kids how to become true Entrepreneurs, the faster, we as a society can become smarter.

5) What to Help Someone? Shut Up and Listen! 

Ernesto Sirolli, is an internationally known leader in the area economic development and sustainability. He is also the Founder of the Sirolli Institute,a non profit organization dedicated to teaching business leaders in the community, how to manage and maintain entrepreneurial initiatives.

His TED Talk discusses just how often we in the Western world are compelled to jump in headfirst to “help” others maximize their resources and improve potential for Entrepreneurship.

The problem with this approach, is we do not stop to listen to the specific needs and ideas of communities. Instead we impose our own perspectives and completely ignore the entrepreneurial spirit of others. It is time for us to “Shut up and listen!” says Sirolli, after all, “we can not be successful alone.”

Find out how WizOf.Biz can help you sharpen your entrepreneurial objectives and lead you to fantastic business breakthroughs with practical advice and innovative strategies. We look forward to working with you. If you’re in the mood for more insightful posts, videos and business advice check out our blog or look us up on Twitter @wizof_biz

 

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Institutional Knowledge Preservation in the Future

Bina48

What if there was a way to take all of your personal characteristics and experiences and preserve them? How about a way of preserving institutional knowledge and passing it down generations?

Well, you can. Take for example entrepreneur Dr. Martine Rothblatt who had commissioned a project, run by roboticists Dr. David Hanson entitled Bina48, which would allow for all of her husband’s characteristics to be preserved in an android.  

A Financial Post article by Dan Ovsey, on the Future Face Of Institutional Knowledge Preservation confirms, that when technology tycoon Bruce Duncan, and the Executive Director of the Terasem Movement Foundation and supervisor of the LifeNaut Project Dr. David Hanson get together, anything is possible.

The LifeNaut project, allows people who wish to have their knowledge and experiences preserved in alternative forms such as avatars, androids and clones, to do just that. This, many argue, is the future of knowledge preservation and a way to hold on to our human experiences. A three-day conference recently held in Toronto such as Ideacity, served as the perfect opportunity for Duncan to introduce Bina48 to its participants.

The passage of information within an organization and through generations is vitally important.  It is what allows the continuation of a business and an continuity required to ensure trust and success.  Technologies such as Bina48 are going to revolutionize business and enable exciting new businesses and new ways to grow on our existing knowledge.

I invite you to read the full interview and their discussion on the future of Bina48. You can also check out the WizOf.Biz blog for more exciting posts.

Image courtesy https://www.lifenaut.com/bina48/

 

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