Tips To Minimize Job Hunting Stress

by Nathan Newberger

The job hunt is not an easy process and being in between jobs just adds more stress to your life. Who needs that? While you may not be able to get rid of all the stress, you can eliminate a lot of it.

These 6 tips will help you get rid of unnecessary job search stress. 

1. GET ORGANIZED
You should NEVER be stressed because you cannot find something. This goes beyond keeping track of resumes and cover letters. Other essentials like diplomas, certification certificates, and forms of identification should always be easily accessible. Most people agree that the creation of an employment portfolio is the best solution. One easy to access container of all your essentials will relieve pressure when searching for information or gathering materials prior to an interview. 

2. STICK TO A SCHEDULE
The most successful job seekers admit that finding a job is a full time job. Just being busy creates a stressful atmosphere. Creating and maintaining a schedule lets you visualize what you need to get done and when you need to get it done. Often times we create stress in our minds. A schedule quantifies how busy you actually are not how busy you think you are. Moreover, you can monitor how well you follow your schedule to determine how efficiently you use your time. 

3. TAKE A BREAK
All work and no play can make you a dull person, and make you go crazy. Under excessively tense conditions, recreation plays a vital role in maintaining composure. The beauty of the schedule is that it not only lets you see when you need to get work done, but also when you don’t need to get work done. Fill your free time with fun, relaxing activities that take your mind off worries. Finding a job is a full time job, but it should not consume 24 hours of the day 7 days a week. 

4. KNOW WHERE YOU STAND
People also create stress by not evaluating where they stand with a prospective employer. They tend to assume that they are not in good standing with a company or interviewer, which only creates more tension and worries. Take time to stop and think about correspondences and other interactions. Pay attention to the tones people use as they write or speak. Reflect on the impressions you make from a phone interviewer. A second round of interviews probably means you made the cut and are in the running for the job. Serious contemplation of these types smaller things will remove uncertainty, thus remove worry. 

5. AVOID REPITITIVE STRESS
You can improve efficiency and free up time, but recognizing opportunities to reuse work you have already done. This does NOT mean using generic cover letters and interview questions. However, having templates that can be modified to custom fit companies and situations is worthwhile. The key is to reduce the amount of work you have to do, without sacrificing the authenticity of the impression you leave. An employment portfolio can make this recycling even easier. Just remember that everything you say or write to a possible employer should reflect your personality and your thoughts on working for that particular employer. 

6. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
As it comes down to the wire, the most stressful part of a job search for many people is the most confrontational part of the process: the interview. An interview is, in some respect, an employer’s way of testing you. Just like you studied for tests in school, you can study for interviews. This is more than just doing background research on a company. Think about possible questions the interviewers might ask you and think about how you would respond. Many people find it helpful to actually go through mock interviews with friends or family. Find a preparation method that works for you. Whatever it may be, use it. If you can eliminate the anxiety of an upcoming interview, you will perform better and feel better. 

CONCLUSION
If you ever find yourself stressing out over your situation, think back to these 6 pointers. Stress reduction is incredibly helpful, so let it work for you.

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Building Confidence: What Should You Be?

Question: What is the best personality or the best identity for you to assume?

Answer: Anything you want to be! A cheerful friend, a businesslike executive, a caring listener. Whatever is best at the time. Different circumstances require different attitudes.

For example, to be a bossy manager at work might be appropriate, but you might drive your spouse crazy if the identity continues at home. To be a rowdy sports fan at a game is great, but not what you should be when asking for a raise.

The reason people have trouble determining who or what they should BE is because they don't start with HAVE.

"Children in the West are commonly asked `What are you going to BE when you grow up?' It is a silly question and can drive any child up the wall. Because it's the wrong question—hits the wrong end of the cycle."

"He is also asked, `What are you going to DO in life?' That's just as bad. It is quite difficult to answer."

"If we asked children, `What do you want to PRODUCE in life?' we could probably get a workable answer. From that he could figure out what he'd have to do to produce that and from that he could know what he had to BE. Then, with a little cooperation he would be able to lead a happy and valuable life."

"A lot of people and businesses fail because they don't do this." — L. Ron Hubbard

Example: A young man likes to cook and make people happy. He may decide the product (HAVE) he wants to produce is: "Properly fed, happy people who pay a lot of money for the dining experience at my successful restaurant."

Based on this decision, he works out his career by listing the steps (DO) which include enrolling in a cooking school, working at several restaurants for the experience, saving money, and so on. His planning is accurate and efficient. The young man then works out the best identity for the job (BE). He needs to BE a successful restaurateur: proud, charming, service-oriented, smart and wealthy.

To put his plan into action, this young man starts the cycle with BE and assumes this identity as the first step. He strolls around BEING a successful restaurateur from day one. He's proud, charming and service-oriented. He even feels wealthy.

He can then easily DO the steps needed to get what he wants to HAVE: a successful restaurant with happy customers. He accomplishes this much faster and more easily than a person who cannot BE a successful restaurateur until he owns the restaurant.

If you want success and wealth, BE wealthy or successful before you get there. It’s fun!

Assume a wealthy identity. Test drive a big new Mercedes. Stroll through a $10-million building as if you own it. People will want to be around you. Bankers will try to lend you money. You'll feel great!


Exercise

While this exercise focuses on making money, you can do this with any goal.

1. Take out a blank piece of paper. At the bottom of the sheet, write down how much money you want to earn per month, one year from now.

2. Above the dollar amount write down what you need to produce (HAVE) that someone would pay you that much money for. What final product must you produce that is worth the amount of money you want to earn?

For example, a plumber wants to earn $8,000 per month in profit. He calculates his overhead costs and determines he needs to produce or HAVE "$20,000 per month in high-quality plumbing work to happy customers who refer."

A dental receptionist who wants to earn $3500 per month might determine she needs to produce much more than "scheduled patients." She talks to the dentist and decides she needs to produce "a dental practice that doubles in productivity through my clever scheduling so I can earn $3500 per month."

The partners of a law firm decide they want their group to bill and collect $500,000 per month.

What do you need to produce to earn the money you wrote in step 1? Write this down.

3. In the middle of your sheet of paper, write down what you need to DO to reach that level of productivity. This is planning at its finest; you start with the final result and work backwards.

Before you achieved the above product, what would you do? Before that? Before that? Plan your steps from this future point in time back to the present.

For example, the plumber needs to DO more promotional actions, delegate responsibility to his assistants and make sure every customer is completely satisfied.

The dental receptionist needs to organize the schedule better, make more reminder calls to patients and keep the doctor busier.

The law firm needs to hire more associates, attract wealthier clients and win more cases.

4. At the top of the page, write what you need to BE to accomplish the plan and obtain the final product.

The plumber might need to BE a responsible manager and not a fun-loving worker. He may decide he needs to BE a successful business owner.

The dental receptionist needs to BE the boss of the patients’ and doctor’s time, not just be a receptionist. She needs to BE a successful manager.

The law firm needs to BE the most powerful law firm in town. It moves to the biggest building in town, hires the best decorators money can buy and gives an overwhelming feeling of strength.

Whatever you write at the top of your paper is what you need to BE. It's the most effective identity you can assume. BE THIS PERSON RIGHT NOW.

Now that you are BEING the correct identity for this goal, DO the action steps. You will then HAVE the money or goal.

Use this exercise in other areas of life. For example, to HAVE a successful marriage, what should you DO and BE? What do you need to DO and BE to HAVE a cheerful family, a successful business, a happy life?

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tips for better work environment

These tips for creating a better environment at work will improve your relationships with your coworkers, increase your chances for a job promotion, and generally help you achieve your career goals!

Before the tips, a quip:

“The secret for joy in work is contained in one word: excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it,” said Pearl Buck.

You can be excellent at what you do, but if you hate going to work, you’ll suffer in lots of ways – and so will your colleagues and family. These tips for a better work environment will help you professional and personally. And for more info on succeeding in the business world, click on The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval.

8 Tips for a Better Work Environment

1. Pull your own weight in the office. “Working well with others goes far beyond likeability,” writes Julie Morgenstern in Making Work Work. “It’s about creating a pleasant, cooperative, energetic environment that ensures everyone gets the work done.” Working well with others will improve your work environment, and help you achieve your career goals. Morgenstern says working well with coworkers means being available, reliable, adaptable, respectful, clear, and fair.

2. Write thank-you notes to your coworkers. When you receive a gift from a colleague – whether it’s a stock tip or a baby gift – write a little thank you note. It’s a classy touch that people remember. Even the smallest of positive exchanges makes your work environment better, which will help increase your job security.

3. Don’t have sex with your colleagues! Getting involved with a colleague is – usually – just setting yourself up for trouble. Of course, you won’t know what kind of trouble until you’re already drowning in it, such as stalking behavior (yours or theirs), sabotage at work (yours or theirs), or jealous partners (yours or theirs). Plus, it’s just not a professional way to make your work environment better…so to improve your work environment, go somewhere else for love!

4. Be flexible with change. One of the most noteworthy compliments I received from a boss is that I adapt well to change. She loved that. Change is difficult, but since it’s inevitable, your best bet is to roll with it. Plus, changing the way you do things is very healthy for your brain. If you can adapt easily to change, you’ll enjoy a better work environment, improve your relationship with your boss and coworkers, and be more likely to achieve your career goals.

5. Be sincere. You’re giving off positive energy when you sincerely thank an assistant, make eye contact with a bicycle messenger, and treat a stranger with respect. The more positive vibes you emit, the more positive ripples will return to you. Treating people with respect is an effective way to create a better work environment and achieve your career goals.

6. Treat everyone equally. Have you ever let a stranger take the taxi cab or held the door for an older person walking an inch a minute? You’re being nice. The power of nice erupts when that stranger is the president of a company you’re wooing or the elderly woman sits on the board of your organization. Getting along with people at work goes beyond your behavior in the office.

7. Remember that people get promoted. The bike messenger could be training to be an investment broker, the secretary studying law, or the assistant being groomed for a promotion. Being nice to a “nobody” could translate to winning a client’s account or getting a stock tip. When you treat everyone with respect and kindness you’re not creating a better work environment, you’re setting yourself up to achieve your career goals. Like any investment, getting along with people at work could pay off big-time in the long term – or within days.

8. Ditch the negativity. Negative vibes, complaints, gossip, and comments definitely don’t create a better work environment. Negativity spreads like wildfire, infecting not just your work life but your home life too. To achieve your career goals and improve workplace communication, get and stay positive. Be real, but make sure your positive comments outnumber your negative comments by 10:1.

The source of the last 4 tips is from Thaler and Koval’s book, The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness.

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55 Tips to Manage Work Stress

by Celes 

Work stress exists no matter which line of work, industry or company you are at. Here are 55 tips which can help you manage it better :) . I personally applied almost all of the tips below when I was working at my previous job, which was highly demanding and challenging – including tip #55, though it definitely wasn’t due to stress! ;)

1. Be clear on your career objective. What are you planning to achieve out of all of this? Is it in line with your purpose in life? This is what keeps you going every day.

2. Go to work early every day. Have a head start.

3. Put first things first. Be clear on your Quadrant 2 tasks.

4. Have a to-do list on hand with the tasks you need to finish.

5. Refer to the list throughout the day to ensure you are on the right track.

6. Jot down all other tasks that comes to you in a notebook. Deal with them when you are free.

7. Do not skip lunch. It is not good for you. Besides, you can’t deal with your work effectively if you don’t have energy.

8. Do not eat lunch at your desk. Get out for some fresh air.

9. Lunch out with co-workers. An excellent time to destress.

10. Cultivate meaningful relationships with your co-workers.

11. Be helpful to your co-workers. You will feel good for giving.

12. Get a mentor in your company or elsewhere. He/she is more experienced and can dispense valuable advice.

13. Be a mentor to someone at work. Helping someone with their problems gives you new insight to yours.

14. Be clear on your boss’ expectations of you. Discuss/review your work plan regularly.

15. Be on top of your deliverables.

16. Develop a genuine friendship with your boss.

17. Talk to someone about your problems. Do not keep them bottled up inside.

18. Be on time for meetings/discussions/appointments.

19. Come prepared for meetings/discussions/appointments.

20. Anticipate potential issues.

21. Prepare contingency plans for those issues.

22. Think opportunities, not problems.

23. Be big picture focused. Look at long-term vs short-term.

24. Gain additional perspective by looking at your situation from another person’s shoes.

25. Adopt the 80/20 principle. Do not fuss over the less important 20%. Check out the 3-part series on The 80/20 principle which covers what the 80/20 principle is, why it’s so crucial and how we can apply it.

26. Focus on what is actionable in a situation.

27. Delegate work where possible.

28. Learn to say no if a task is not a priority.

29. Move on if there is nothing you can do.

30. Leverage on your co-workers’ expertise and knowledge.

31. Escalate problems to your boss when they are beyond you.

32. Identify sources of your stress and work a solution.

33. Reward yourself when you accomplish something.

34. Establish a social network at your workplace.

35. Maintain your social circle outside of work. Your life does not revolve around work.

36. Breathe deeply and calmly all the time.

37. Develop a good posture. It makes you look better, lets you think better and prevents back pain in the future. Check out the article on Benefits Of Having A Good Posture (And 13 Tips To Getting One).

38. Meditate daily to clear out mental clutter.

39. Listen to your favorite music as you work (using earphones of course).

40. Exercise. Set aside a regular time every week for it.

41. Make your desk conducive for your work. Have an organizing system, put personal photographs, remove unwanted clutter, etc.

42. Take a break from your computer every once in a while. Go to the toilet, go to the pantry, etc.

43. Get a fruit to snack on when you are hungry.

44. Have a water bottle/mug by your side. Many working adults don’t drink enough water every day.

45. Look ahead at your daily/weekly schedule to know what is next.

46. Be the master of your time.

47. Make a commitment to leave work on time.

48. Do what is needed for today and leave the rest for tomorrow. Work will always be there.

49. Get enough sleep every day. Aim for minimum 6 hours. It will go a long way the next day.

50. Rest if you are sick. You are not superman, and even superman has down times.

51. Do not overcommit your resources.

52. When the going gets tough, remember all this is part of the job - you are getting paid to do this.

53. Focus on what you love about your job.

54. Unwind after a day of hard work. Take time out for a vacation.

55. Quit your job. If all previous 54 tips don’t work and your work is simply too much for you, quit it. There is no point in leading a life of misery.

Bonus tips!

1. Do things one at a time. At Michael Jordan puts it “Step by step, I cant see any other way of accomplishing anything”.

2. Detach yourself from the situation. People become stressed and anxious because they attach themselves to the issue and the outcome. Recognize that these are separate from you and view them objectively.

3. Do your best and the rest will follow.

4. Shift your locus of control inward. Do you normally blame the external environment for what happens, or do you take responsibility? When you assume control of whatever happens, even if it may seem it is not within your control, you will become much more equipped to handle what occur.

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Beauty Tips for Working Women

Women of 21st century no longer sits at home, she works as hard as a man does. Eventually, women have proved that not only she is a good homemaker but also as strong as a man. She work harder as a man works and sometimes work better than man. Today’s women are very demanding and want a productive career, family, relationships and good lifestyle. She work hard day and night yet she make sure that she looks beautiful. So here are some Beauty Tips which will rejuvenate your looks and make you feel strong all day long.

The first in the list is the blemishes and dark spots. Try to vanish these blemishes and dark spots. Try to cover those blemishes and dark circles and try to cover it up with some make-up powder or concealer stick. It would take only 2 minutes of your precious time to take care of all the problems on your face.

Make use of mascara or an eye shadow to give your face a refreshing look. Expressive eyes are always an advantage if you are on a limelight or if you meet a lot of people daily.

Apply Lip-gloss on your lips and then see the difference apply some lip-gloss of a good company on your lips and be assured all day long you can also apply lipstick but a lip-gloss is much easier to apply.

Don’t let your hair hide your beauty. Always make use of pins and hairclips on your hair and you could transform into a professional working women in just 30 seconds.

Spray some soft-scented body sprays or perfumes to give you a boost. Put on some hairspray and gel. Applying them will keep your hair settle all day long. Spray gels or hairsprays are easier to use and becomes handy in busy situations.

As the summers are on peak, the use of sunscreen is essential. Always use the sunscreen while stepping out on the sun. This will protect your skin from getting burn or from tanning.

After coming home from a long day at work always clean your face by an Astringent lotion or by Rose water (Gulabri). This will clean your face from the dust and pollution making you fresh and rejuvenated.

Don’t skip meals and most importantly breakfast. Eat healthy food to remain fit. If you don’t eat healthy food then not only your body will be unfit but your face will also be sulky.

In this hectic life, all the time women are feeling stressed out and constantly complains about the aches and pain. Visiting doctor regularly from your busy schedule will make you feel healthy and also keep your face charming and serene.

These beauty tips are certainly beneficial for working women and are easy and effortless to follow. All of these tips are quick to apply and will only take 5-10 minutes. Remember if you are beautiful outside then you will feel confident inside and will face the world ways in a graceful way.

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18 Ways to Stay Focused at Work

Over the years I have worked at many client sites and a variety of office layouts. On one project in particular, we had as many as 80 people in a project team, seated via an open plan arrangement. It was pretty difficult trying to stay focused in an environment like this. These days, the projects I’m on are typically smaller, but there are still a number of distractions which frequently interrupt my working groove. So what are some of the things we can do to minimise such interruptions and distractions?

Here’s my list of 18 ways to stay focused at work:

1. Write out a daily task list and plan your day. There’s nothing like a task list sitting next to you to keep you focused. When you have a list of the things you need to accomplish in a day, having that close to you constantly reminding you of what needs to be done is a great way of keeping on track.
2. Allocate time slots colleagues can interrupt you. In a busy work place, people are moving and talking all the time. If you play a role in a team where others need to interact with you, try allocating a time slot they can interrupt you. Instead of having people stop by your desk every 10 mins and asking you questions, let them know of a time in the day, say between 2-4pm you can be interrupted. At all other times, you can really get some work done.
3. Apply time boxing. In a previous article, I wrote about the benefits of time boxing. Instead of working at something till it is done, try working on it for a limited period, say 30 mins. By that time, the task is either completed or you allocate another time slot, perhaps in another day, to pick it up again. This way, you keep your work fresh and engaging throughout the entire working day.
4. Setup filters in your email. If you spend a lot of your time communicating and planning in front of your computer, chances are you deal with emails on a frequent basis. Setting up filters in your email client can be a great way of sorting out what’s important and urgent from personal stuff which can wait. Instead of dealing with a single Inbox with hundreds of unread email, you only need to deal with smaller folders categorised by project, priority and context.
5. Do not check personal email in the morning. Checking personal emails can be very distracting even with filters setup. This is especially true when your friends send you links to interesting articles, jokes or videos on YouTube. If you’re not careful, you can get side tracked for hours. Instead of checking your personal email as soon as you get in, try starting work straight away. This will build up some momentum as you ease into your work day. You should check your personal email only after you have a few tasks completed or underway. Also, if you don’t want to perpetuate a particular distracting email thread, just don’t reply to it until after work.
6. Set your IM status. If you use Instant Messenger, when you don’t want to be disturbed, make use of the status and set yourself as being away or busy. Your friends and colleagues will honour that. They can either send you an email or look you up later when you aren’t as busy.
7. Listen to the right types of music. Music is a great way of settling into the working routine. In addition, having music can drown out office noises like printers and background chattering. Be careful though, depending on personal preference, some types of music are not particularly conducive to productive work. For me, I can’t work when listening to songs with lots of lyrics because the words interrupt my thinking process.
8. Use the headphones but leave the music off. Some people prefer to have absolute silence when working. I think that also depends on what kind of work you are doing. If you’re doing some serious planning or something computational, having music blasting in your ears may not be the best thing for keeping focused. Try using headphones or ear plugs to block out the background noise but leave the music off.
9. Fill up a water bottle. Keeping yourself hydrated is pretty important for all sorts of health reasons. Instead of going to the water cooler with your glass every hour, try filling up a water bottle at the start of the day. This does a couple of things – firstly, it limits the starts/stops associated every time you get up for water and secondly, it avoids being sucked into lengthy discussions around the water cooler.
10. Find the best time to do repetitive and boring tasks. No matter how much you try to avoid it, you’re going to have to face doing things which are either repetitive or boring. For these tasks, I find it is best to choose a time in the day to work on them. For example, I’m more alert at the start of the day, so it’s better to work on things which require brain power early. Working on boring tasks that can be done via auto-pilot are better left towards the end of the day when I’m usually tired.
11. Bring your lunch and have it at your desk. I’m not suggesting you do this every day, but if you really have to focus and are trying to meet a deadline, having your lunch at your desk really helps. The normal one hour lunch break can really interrupt any momentum you might have built up during the morning. I find when I’m eating lunch at my desk, my lunch breaks are shorter and I can get through a few emails while I’m eating. After I’m done, I’m straight back working on the next task.
12. Don’t make long personal calls. Most of us have a good separation between our working and personal lives (or a least try to). I think we can all agree we should avoid having work intrude on our personal time as much as possible. The reverse of this also applies. Try limiting the time you spend doing personal things during work as they can be distracting and draining on your motivation. For example, you do not really want to be thinking about your weekend away with your spouse when you really need to get things done.
13. Clean up your desk. Some of you may have desks which can only be described as ordered chaos. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you can find what you need without too much digging around. However, if you can’t, I suggest cleaning up your desk. That doesn’t mean having an empty desk, it just means having neat stacks of paper, all filed in the correct location. It also helps tremendously having all the things you need easily within arms reach. For example, if you need a place to write, having your pen and notepad close by and easily accessible is incredibly useful.
14. Get a good chair. If you sit for long hours at your desk and I’m sure some of you do, you might find it helpful to get a good chair. I find it’s pretty hard to stay focused when my neck and back are sore because I have a bad setup at my desk. A good chair can eliminate this, allowing you to work for long stretches without breaks and physical distractions.
15. Use shortcuts on your computer. If you find you do the same thing with your computer more than once throughout the day, you might find it helpful to look for ways in which you can do them without too much manual repetition. For example, if there’s a project folder you access all the time, try adding a shortcut to your Explorer or Finder so you can get access to it with a single click, instead of expanding folder after folder in the tree panel.
16. Close programs you’re not using. As a software engineer, I use a lot of programs important to my work. However, in most cases, I only need a few applications open at the same time. Instead of Alt-Tabbing constantly and fighting the computer to locate the program you need, try only having the applications you need open. Close everything else. For example, if you have already located a file and no longer need a particular Explorer or Finder instance open, close it. There’s no reason to leave it around at all.
17. Limit time on Digg, Delicious, news sites and blogs. I don’t think I need to say too much about this. There are so many sites on the Internet worth looking at, including this site . Digg, Delicious, news and blogs are great from an interest perspective, but they can really take you away from the work you should be working on. Try to limit going to these sites during the working day. If you really have to, try doing it during your lunch time. No, you don’t need to have your finger on the pulse every single minute of the day…
18. Change your mindset and make work fun. For me, I find it difficult to stay focused on doing things I’m not by nature interested in doing. In most cases, there’s probably nothing I can do about it. However, be mindful of the fact that your perception of work is something you can control. For my last tip here, I suggest you try changing your mindset or turning work into a game. An unfocused mind, is an unchallenged mind. So make things fun!

I hope these tips will take you closer to more focused and productive work days. If you are still in need for more tips about staying focused, you can take a look at a previous blockbuster smash hit article I wrote entitled 11 ways of staying focused. In that article, I approached the issue from a top down, rather than bottom up perspective.

Ok, good luck! If you like this article, tell your friends, Digg it or add it to your Delicious bookmarks.

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Outdoor Billboard Advertising: 10 Issue To Things In Your Campaign

Outdoor Billboard Advertising – One of the Most Difficult Advertising Strategies

Outdoor billboard advertising is one of the most difficult of all advertising simply because of the variables that surround its success or failure.

Size, location, and the message must create a call to action either by calling a phone number or visiting a web site. This is why many small business owners look to outdoor advertising companies for help and guidance.

Outdoor billboard advertising is most effective when it is part of a larger advertising campaign that also includes display advertising in newspapers, radio and television advertising, and website campaigns. Compared cost-wise to other forms of advertising, outdoor advertising rates are favorable due to their exposure level.

The most effective billboards are ones that cause the viewer to go, “hmmm.” Many famous (and highly effective) outdoor billboard advertising strategies could fill the halls of many mansions but they have one thing in common: creativity. Some of the most creative ideas can be found at Billboardom


1. Outdoor Billboard Advertising Needs to Be “To the Point” – and Memorable for Passing Motorists

Think about this: how much of a billboard can you read going 60 miles per hour?
Effective billboards have a message that has “punch” such as a shorter version of a slogan. “I'm Thinking Arby's,” “Got Milk?” and a variety of other “mini-slogans” add just the right of information to make it identifiable with a brand name.

In fact, part of a comprehensive advertising campaign is to create slogans for the company that promote name recognition and company branding.
Some of the most memorable outdoor billboard ads have the fewest words and three or less graphics.


2. Outdoor Billboards Need to Have Lettering that is a Minimum of 1 ½ Feet Tall

Even if your billboard is close to the road, you still need to stick to this rule for maximum visibility. Remember that the speed limit of that particular stretch of road will either allow for more or less time for your message to be read. If your outdoor billboard is further from the road or higher up from the ground, the lettering should increase in size accordingly.


3. Large and Powerful Graphics Make Billboards Memorable

A huge photograph of a hand holding a hammer says, “Strength” without words. The hammer itself can be used to portray a building company but can also project, “our workmanship is solid” for many types of businesses and industries.

A graphic such as this should be the same height as the billboard area for the most effectiveness. Remember the adage, “a picture says a thousand words” to help guide you in finding a great graphic or visual effect to say the words instead of cluttering the billboard with text.
Dare to be different with the use of graphics.


4. Contrasting Colors Make Billboards Stand Out

Your graphics and text must stand distinctly apart from each other in order to be seen and remembered. Along these same lines, a website domain name and phone number that tie into the graphic's message helps the most important information – the call to action – easy to remember.

A short and easy-to-remember domain name and phone number in bright yellow against a dark background helps the eye to register the information to the brain in a glance.

Just because all the text and graphics are very large on a billboard does not mean they will be seen and responded to. Because the elements are larger, it is even more important to use high contrast with graphics and text.


5. Billboards that Speak the Language of the Community Get Results

If your business appeals to a younger market, the edgier you can get, along with “street talk.” While many business owners may not fit into that crowd, their audience might.

How you, as a business owner, may phrase a statement in “proper language,” the use of slang and deliberately misspelled words can let your customers know that your business is progressive and not adverse to change and innovation.

On the other hand, if your customers consist of another type of audience, speak to them in the language they are accustomed to. “Yo, heads up” may not be very appealing to an audience who relates better to, “We're New….and Better.”



6. The Way The Eye Travels is the Way Your Billboard is Read

The eye travels from left to right. You want to be sure that your billboard's message goes in the order you intend.
Make sure that your message doesn't lose the viewer in lack of order or sense.

Your graphics and text should have a natural flow so that the eye travels naturally from the most important element to the next. There should be a natural flow from element to element with the most important being what stands out the most: is it the text message or the graphic?

Again, color and contrast help to determine an easy flow where there is a specific order and the message is absolutely identifiable with your business.



7. Dare to be Drastic and Different with Your Billboard Advertising

Most of the time, it's risky to be daring in business and errors in judgment can cost a business hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Gather ideas from friends and family as to what their most memorable billboard signs have been. Creativity is the key so that your billboard stands out from the rest of the signage along the roadway. Think outside the box and include humor, a headline of great interest, and graphics that lead the readers to call or click to your business.



8. Create an Advertising Message on your Billboard that Beats the Competition

Consumers are exposed daily to every suggestion, nuance, and saying that advertising executives can dream up for any type of advertising campaign. The problem is, how can you make your message convey how your product or service outperforms the competition?
This is the time for a very good writer and thesaurus to come into play if you cannot afford an advertising agency's expertise.

Come up with a better way of saying why your business is better in the fewest number of words. In fact, this is the very method used when creating a slogan and you can start with a longer slogan and shorten it to a catch-phrase for your billboard.



9. Offer Something for Free on Your Outdoor Billboard Advertisement

Insurance companies and other similar businesses are notorious for proclaiming, “Call for a Free Quote Today!”
Today, more than ever, consumers are not only comparison-shopping for great deals but also value for their money.

If your business offers a guarantee of work, trade-in products, humanitarian contributions and charities it donates to that people are passionate about, fit this information into your billboard message.



10. Call to Action is the Goal of Outdoor Billboard Advertising

The goal of your outdoor billboard advertising is to establish new customer relationships. By using the tips provided here, the goal is to create a billboard advertisement that entices potential customers to contact your business for more information.

By utilizing the steps outlined above, you will be well on your way to achieving more traffic and inquiries for your business.

Outdoor billboard advertising can be quite expense so adequate time and care needs to be taken into the choice of graphics, colors and their placements, and a unique message that portrays a solid business that portrays customer satisfaction and beats the competition with its products and services.


Important Points to Remember when Doing Outdoor Billboard Advertising:

• Create billboard messages that are to the point.
• Create letters and graphics that are adequate in size and height for visibility.
• Create billboard messages that can be easily seen and their messages understood quickly.
• Be creative with graphics, text, color, contrast and concepts.
• Be sure to relay an offer and a call to action for more information by phone or website.

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