December 2013 - Kim Vallee

5 tips for publishing content that matters to your fans

By Kim Vallee Business December 13, 2013

Don’t let what happened to Formula 1 happen to you. I watch Formula 1 racing since the mid-1990s. I saw its progression from being an entertaining sport where the drivers and team owners spoke their minds to an aseptic corporate communications machine. I lost touch. I stopped reading the news. These days, I watch the races that I pre-recorded the day before. I recalled when I stayed up late to see the start of the race live. Frankly, I missed the time when I couldn’t wait to read the F1 news before, during and after each race.

Sadly, this is what many marketers and business people are doing online. They lack personality. They feared to show their human side. They try to appeal to everyone. They fail to tell stories that resonate with their customers — current and potential customers. I think all this is a mistake.

Keeping the advent calendar manageable

By Kim Vallee Family December 8, 2013

I’m impulsive when it comes to the little things in my life. I feel that it enables me to better adapt to the situation. This is why I will decide around 5 o’clock what I will cook for dinner. The same goes with the activities for my son’s advent calendar.

Want less stress? Fix your bottleneck!

By Kim Vallee Business December 7, 2013

Like most people, you are probably rushing from morning to night. You can accomplish a lot by determining what will be the focus of your day every morning, by sticking to what’s on your to-do list, and by limiting interruptions and other distractions. But it might not be enough. It is easy to forget about the little things or the things that…

Kids learn critical-thinking skills and more by visiting an art museum

By Kim Vallee Family December 5, 2013

A recent study involving nearly 11,000 students and almost 500 teachers in a rural community — Bentonville, Arkansas, to be precise — shows that kids acquire important skills when they are exposed to arts. This research suggests that students actually retain a great deal of factual information from their tours. And this is contrary to current museum education beliefs and practices.

How smartphones transform the in-store shopping experience

By Kim Vallee Business December 3, 2013

Smartphones have become the shopping companion of the majority of people who enter a store. A study, done in conjunction with the Google Shopper Marketing Agency Council and M/A/R/C Research, states that 84% of smartphone shoppers use their phones while in a physical store. It’s huge!

As a retailer, you need to be ready for it. By ready, I mean that you need to embrace that fact and see how you can make it easier for shoppers to buy at your store. First, you need to understand how shoppers use their smartphone as their shopping companion.