Frozen yogurt teaches brand power
Pasadena, California-based 21 Choices is one of the most successful frozen confection shops in town because of its powerful brand.

• Unlike corporate chains, TVs show cartoons and the teenage staff dances to Motown hits.
• Customer service is outstanding. When the line moves slowly, staffers hand out samples, coupons, and genuine apologies.
• If you don't like your flavor, you get a replacement for free!
• A sign by the front door lists regular customers by name.
• A handmade sign explains that, due to customer interest, the shop switched to compostable cups and spoons, which added to overhead and increased prices. No one seems to mind.

All these elements show the signs of a company with a good product and a fantastic brand: They create great customer loyalty, are able to charge a price premium, and continue to increase their market share.
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Getting started with social marketing
Interested in social marketing (blogs, Twitter, Facebook) but unsure how to jump in? Check out this article from MarketingProfs. It gives you the basics of not just how to get started, but why. Check it out!

This month's winner: Bridgette Swab!
Our VisoVerbo champ wins a digital print featuring this one-of-a-kind design. Have a favorite quote or saying? Send it in! If your quote is chosen, you'll receive a digital print of your custom design, suitable for framing! Check out your competition.

PowerPoint puts ’em to sleep
Long suspected, now proven: PowerPoint presentations put people to sleep. Not just PowerPoint; the study found that our brains can't process information properly if it's spoken to us while we're reading it.

What's behind it? The brain processes visuals differently from the way it processes words. If you're going to give a presentation, use PowerPoint or Keynote to present complementary images for your talk, not pages of bullet points that you read to your audience.

The same principles apply to any designed materials: Whenever possible, choose imagery that extends the meaning of your text rather than simply replicates it.
Source: Speaking & Marketing Tips blog