Loft107 — Content, Communication & People

There Is No Red Pill – The Choice is Yours

April 21, 2010

People and companies are often searching for the magic red pill. They want something or someone to miraculously rewrite the game with them as the heros.

Here is the newsflash: There is no red pill.

There is a conscious choice to take a tough and often unpopular route. It is the daily dedication to this continued choice, on a daily basis that will take us to new heights and help us achieve more than we have ever done before.
So here is the 2nd newsflash: There are red pills all around us. We just have to want to see them, and pick them up. Everyday.

How do you pick up a red pill?

Choose to do something, however small, that you have never done before.
Figure out the next step towards a goal that seems beyond your reach.
Do another tough task on a road that is taking longer than you thought at first.
Help a friend a colleague make a brave decision
Realize that you need help, and ask for it (this is tougher than it seems)
Allow yourself to dream. Then set a concrete plan to turn you dreams into a reality.

Start now, not tomorrow, not later.

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Defining yourself is even tougher

August 19, 2009

When I ventured out on my own, I got a few gigs writing website content for a number of companies. One of the things that became very clear is that the “about us” section (or whatever you call it on your site) was one of the hardest pieces to write.

The real difficulty did not sink in until I had to write my own About page. Defining yourself and your online identity is tough.

So I decided to share a few thoughts about this process with you.

The about us page must capture the essence of the company.

This requires 2 things:

First, the company has to be able to convey its identity, messaging, differentiation etc. Then, I got tasked with “dressing it up” and presenting the information in a simple yet appealing fashion.

In a sense, the written description becomes a mirror for the people in the company. It reflects the the identity and personality and a few short paragraphs.

And in many cases, the looking glass reflects the flaws and imperfections.

The business model that does not quite make sense. The unique selling point, that is not very unique. And the messaging that, to say it bluntly, does not say anything.

With this acknowledged, the real work can begin.

photo credit Sebastian Fissore

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Social Media – in other people’s words

August 18, 2009

Every so often, I ran into an article, presentation or video that is simply great.
So rather than try to do a better job, I will just present the original.
Hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later
View more documents from Marta Kagan.

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LinkedIn at your service

July 20, 2009

LinkedIn is different than, and maybe should not even be grouped together with, other social media tools. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for social media tools. But LinkedIn is very focused on business. And more importantly, using it regularly it is not time consuming.
Here is how I use LinkedIn.
Whenever I have a meeting, [...]

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Why LOFT 107

April 5, 2009

So why did I name my agency Loft107?
In architecture, Lofts are typically wide, open spaces that are defined into living areas. A good job provides the functionality required by the loft dwellers. However, it is creativity that transforms good to great.
The same rule applies to marketing.
You operate within the constraints of a specific company, product [...]

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