How Non-Profits Inspire & How Businesses Can, Too

Recently, Performance Inspired, Inc. released a survey that ranked the country’s 25 most inspiring companies. Out of 2,175 respondents came answers like Apple, Target, Starbucks, Microsoft, Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Google. Somehow, despite being large corporations, these businesses managed to touch and inspire their consumers in a way we often see non-profits do.

Consumers will be loyal to companies whose beliefs align with their own. That’s why mission statements like Starbucks’ “To inspire and nurture the human spirit” and Microsoft’s “Your potential, our passion” hit us so hard. They make us feel like we’re helping serve a higher purpose by being their customer.

If you want your business to inspire, you’ve got to find a way to associate yourself genuinely with an inspiring cause—and then follow through. Make your customers believe in something they previously didn’t think was possible. You must be innovative if you want to be truly inspiring. What’s inspiring about buying food? Not much. But buying whole, organic, sustainable food makes us feel good. Your mission should, in some way, change the world for the better once completed.

How many companies tell customers that they are genuinely appreciated? Just a phone call, a thank-you note, or something to let them know their business is important can make all the difference. The key is to do so without trying to make a sale, because that will tell the customer what you really care about is their money—and not them.

Make your customer feel like they are part of something that’s changing the world. Ask them to join you in your cause. Find something customers will be enthusiastic about within your business or its endeavors and then get customers involved.

Lastly, communication. If you’re doing some great goodness for the world, shout it out for everyone to hear. Give people a chance to experience what helping the world looks like through pictures, missions, stories—the more you can provide, the better.

The Benefits of Computer Glasses

Many of us spend a good portion of our time on the computer—whether it’s at work, or surfing the web for a few hours several times a week. The more time we spend on the computer, the bigger the chance we have of suffering from Computer Vison Syndrome (CVS), which includes symptoms like eye strain and blurring vision.

It’s difficult for our eyes to constantly focus and refocus on the computer screen, on our keyboards, on documents, and more. It’s also hard on our eyes to constantly be exposed to blue light—light emitted from our computer screens, which suppresses melatonin and can make it difficult to sleep if exposed at night.

A good option for those who spend a lot of time on the computer is to invest in computer glasses, which help your eyes focus on the screen and can dramatically reduce eyestrain. Because it is difficult for our eyes to focus on the computer screen at times, we compensate by moving in closer to the screen, tipping our heads back, and straining our eyes. This can result in headaches, further blurred vision, and pain in the neck, shoulders, and back.

Computer glasses are “high tech computer eyewear designed to protect, enhance and optimize your vision, “ according to the major technology eyewear company Gunnar. Using a yellow-tinted lens, computer glasses help filter out harsh blue light and UV rays, improving contrast and making it easier overall for our eyes to focus on the screen.

There are an array of lens designs, coatings, and tints available for computer glasses. For those that already wear glasses, occupational bifocal and trifocal lenses can be customized to support your computer usage.

There are several options for purchasing computer eyewear. Over the counter, non-prescription glasses are available for varying prices, though it is highly recommended to meet with an actual eye care professional to get all the benefits of computer glasses. 

Social Media For Businesses from Rocky Top Marketing Group

Everyone’s online these days. Particularly, everyone’s using social media to connect to others—both personally and professionally. Social media can be a great asset to business, but if used improperly, it can also have a negative effect. If you’re planning on integrating it into the workplace as a communication tool, it’s important to have a set of guidelines in place.

Beside a set of “rules,” you’ve also got to model the behavior you want to see from your employees. Don’t have it managed by someone who can’t represent your company’s culture and brand correctly.

Keep in mind that if you’re not letting employees use Facebook at work, you shouldn’t expect them to check up on work e-mail at home or in off-hours. Have your policies or rules based around job performance.

If you’re planning on using social media, encourage employees to engage with each other and with customers. Just make sure they have some tools to guide them. Train employees how to use these tools and convey what you hope to see.

Build these principles and guidelines around a culture of trust and responsibility. It’s okay to use examples of worst-case scenarios, but also include best case scenarios. It’s important that employees know how their social media usage impacts the company as a whole, both positively and negatively. Don’t point fingers if someone’s misused social media in the past—start fresh and clean, and ready to do things right.