MARCH 2020
Tree Hugger HERALD
770-637-3707 | TreeServiceDigital.com
We Know You’re the Expert
And Our Marketing Will Prove It
In my line of work, people often ask me: Why? With all the marketing experience I have and all the different types of marketing that exist, and considering that just about every single type of business needs some form of marketing to survive, people often wonder why I landed on the business of marketing specifically for tree services. Well, I have a simple but meaningful answer. I’ve been working in digital marketing for over 10 years now. I started doing it for a real estate investment company and was instantly hooked on the art of generating leads. I enjoyed working in real estate, but I quickly became fascinated with other ways I could implement my marketing chops. So, I decided to branch out and do my own thing. I started my own agency, and we offered web marketing services for a wide variety of industries and businesses. It was a lot of fun, but there was also a realization that was creeping up on us. When it comes to online marketing, at some point, you realize that you can’t serve every niche of every single type of business successfully because every type of business is different. You can spend time getting to know a business, develop some useful systems, and get really good at marketing for it, but when a brand-new business walks through your door that you’ve never worked with before, you have to start that process all over again. It gets exhausting and
to be honest, a little frustrating. Having learned this, I decided to instead focus on a single niche that we’d not only seen success with previously but that had also been incredibly enjoyable to work with. Tree service was an easy choice. My previous agency had done some great work for a very small handful of tree service businesses, but what stood out to me the most were the people who owned and operated them. I grew up with a dad who owned a plumbing company, so I was no stranger to the “work with your hands” environment, and that’s exactly who tree services people are. They get out there every single day, do the hard work their community needs, and understand the importance of their jobs. The consideration they put into their work is incredibly interesting and always admirable. Today, we work with tree service businesses all across the U.S. that have big teams and can do larger jobs. But as with any size of business, keeping your doors open is all about making the phone ring. The more people call you, the more work you’re going to get. It boils down to simple statistics. But if people don’t know to call you, then those statistics fall flat. Our goal at Tree Service Digital is to make your business stand out among the other options in your area. Our marketing strategies work to position you as the
go-to service in your community and the expert in your field. That’s because we know you are the expert in your field — now it’s time for everyone else to know it. Our mission in 2020 is to help over 100 contractors triple their business over the next 12 months. That seems ambitious, but with the right tools and teams in place, trust me when I say it’s possible. I’m a small-business owner myself, and I understand how important it is to bring new people into your world so you can grow. I understand the struggle because I’ve been through it myself. But if you’re willing to put yourself out there and take a chance, then we’ll put ourselves out there and do our best for you. We know what you’re all about, and that’s why we do marketing solely for you.
–Wesley Smith
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TreeServiceDigital.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com
What Is ‘Decentralization’ and How Will It Change Social Media? BREAKING DOWN FACEBOOK
IS EMAIL CLUTTER DRAGGING YOU DOWN? Improve Productivity by Cleaning Up Your Inbox
Nowadays, getting locked out of your Facebook account often means losing access to your Spotify, Tinder, or any of the other sites you can sign into through Facebook. The amount of personal data social media has access to grows all the time, and it can affect your private and professional network. Thankfully, a few tech CEOs, such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, believe social media decentralization could give users greater control over their personal information. Social media decentralization was once a pipe dream for activists, but Dorsey has recently revealed his hopes for redesigning his social media software to put the power back in the users’ hands. Zuckerberg also admitted in a Harvard interview that decentralized software is “quite attractive.” Currently, Facebook and Twitter live in relative anarchy. Their sheer size makes them nearly impossible to audit or manage, which makes falsified information and propaganda infamously easy to pass around. This anarchy also makes it much easier to conceal illegal activity. In an age where identity theft, financial fraud, and selling user information are more digital than ever, it’s important that users and businesses alike have full confidence in the security of their online pages where clients interact with them — especially if information, goods, or services are exchanged. A decentralized system could split the massive, unregulated wilderness of Facebook and Twitter into user-managed “neighborhoods.” Rather than relying on one centralized server that holds over 2.45 billion users, businesses and individuals could host their information on their own computer. This would give businesses and individuals much greater control over their information and how they share it. That’s not to say there aren’t risks associated with decentralization. If unprepared, private hosts could be left defenseless against hackers. Some critics even suggest that a push to decentralize could just be an attempt by Twitter and Facebook to dodge responsibility by moving data off of their own servers.
Do you cringe every time you open your email, preparing yourself for a barrage of unanswered messages? If so, then it’s time to take tidying up your inbox more seriously because poor organization results in far worse problems than simply missing out on happy hours with coworkers. According to psychology professor Susan Krauss Whitbourne, mental and physical clutter can impede productivity. It may also have long-term effects on our ability to process information. One University of Toronto researcher has even found evidence that mental clutter may worsen age-related memory loss. Since most people can cite their digital inbox as a source of stress, starting there is a big step toward organizing your mind and your life. Plus, you can declutter it in just one hour by following these steps. 1. Sweep away the junk. Begin by going through your emails from oldest to newest and deleting anything you know you won’t need. When you see an email you want to delete, search to find others from that sender — it’s likely there are multiple you can trash right away. 2. Categorize necessary messages. Create folders to organize the remaining emails. You might use a time-based system, like “First Quarter of 2020,” or descriptive names, like “Receipts” and “Current Projects.” Choose a system that works for your personal preferences. 3. Respond to urgent emails. Have unanswered emails that can’t be filed away? Use the two-minute rule: Immediately respond to anything that will take less than two minutes to answer. For the ones that need more effort, put them on your to-do list and schedule a time on your calendar to respond. 4. Maintain a healthy email habit. Now that your inbox is in a manageable state, develop habits to keep it that way. Check your inbox when you get to work and follow the steps above. Once a week, set aside a few minutes to sort through and organize anything you missed. The more time you devote to decluttering your email first thing, the more time you’ll have to accomplish bigger and more important goals.
While decentralization offers solutions to some the problems of social media, it’s
an approach that requires cautious implementation. Only time will tell if decentralization’s benefits outweigh its risks.
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TreeServiceDigital.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com
Is That Picture Worth $1,000? How to Avoid Copyright Infringement for Your Business
We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and for businesses, this is especially true. Images used on a website and in marketing materials contribute to a specific vision and encourage customers to buy into a service or product. However, obtaining and using those images requires much more than a quick search on Google. To make the biggest splash while avoiding heavy penalties that can tank your business, follow these tips when searching for images. Presume all images are protected by copyright. Never assume that an image you find while browsing the internet is free to use. It may be easy to download one you like and use it on your website, social media account, or blog, but it can have devastating consequences. Someone who wrongfully uses copyright material worth at least $2,500 may face up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines according to federal statute. Play it safe by assuming every image or photograph you find online is protected by copyright law. Always ask permission for use. Even if an image isn’t under copyright, you still might not have permission to use it. Find the source of the image, and inquire about using it for your own business. The image itself may have certain conditions you need to meet before you can use it. For instance, a licensing agreement may require you to pay a fee, give credit to the original creator, HAVE A Laugh
or guarantee the image’s use as-is without further alteration. In other instances, ask the photographer, designer, or artist for permission to use the image and agree to include a watermark or a link to their website. Find and use free images instead. Several websites, such as Pexels, Pixabay, and Morguefile, provide hundreds of photos for businesses to use for free and without worry of copyright infringement. Creative Commons is also a great resource to consult. This nonprofit provides free licenses and tools that make copyright material easy to understand. You may need to meet some agreements under a Creative Commons license, but afterwards, you can access and use numerous photos.
PUZZLE
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TreeServiceDigital.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com
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Inside This Edition 1185 Hightower Trail #501673 Atlanta, GA 30350 770-637-3707 TreeServiceDigital.com
1.
Why We Do What We Do
2.
‘Decentralization’ in Social Media
Productivity Lagging? Check Your Inbox! Avoiding Copyright Infringement for Your Business
3.
Have a Laugh
4.
The Science Behind Gut Feelings
Heads or Tails? The Scientifically Smarter Way to Make Business Decisions
You have two options in front of you. They both sound great, are backed by research, and could transform your business for the better, but you can only choose one. Which do you commit to? When you’re faced with two equally worthwhile options, science says the best way to make a decision is to flip a coin. When you flip a coin, you’re not really leaving the decision up to chance; you’re actually calling on your intuition to guide you. The practice is often regarded as unscientific, but there’s a lot of research to support making intuitive decisions. Friederike Fabritius and Hans W. Hagemann, authors of “The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier,” explain how we develop that “gut feeling.” Intuitive decisions are driven by two structures in your brain: the basal ganglia and the insula. The basal ganglia are connected to movement and building habits. The insula, part of the cerebral cortex, becomes engaged when you experience pain, feel love, listen to music, or even enjoy a piece of chocolate. Neuroscientists believe the insula is responsible for self-awareness, particularly for recognizing changes in your body.
about it. If you make a conscious decision that agrees with the subconscious solution of your basal ganglia, your brain gives off a subtle reward. The decision doesn’t have to be logical to feel right — that’s your gut feeling. However, if the conscious and subconscious parts of your brain don’t agree, your insula detects the discrepancy and registers a threat. It’s the “I have a bad feeling about this” response. Fabritius and Hagemann note that gut feelings “represent the most efficient use of your accumulated experience.” According to the authors, flipping a coin is the best way to really listen to your basal ganglia and insula. Your subconscious brain has already made a decision; flipping a coin helps you test your intuition about each option.
If the coin lands on heads and you feel relieved, then heads is the right choice. However, if the coin lands on tails and
you’re uncertain or want to flip again, then that’s your intuition saying the other option is the better choice. So, the next time you’re caught in a pickle, grab the nearest quarter and put your intuition to the test.
When you have to solve a problem, your basal ganglia start working on a solution, even if you aren’t consciously thinking
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TreeServiceDigital.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com
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