December is here which means that we have just a few more weeks before Christmas morning. A time of presents and toys and new electronic gizmos and...wait a second...what is that day all about again?
Agape Studios has dedicated this season to Operation Christmas which is designed to raise funds to aid those afflicted by famine and drought in Africa. This famine is one of the worst they have seen. Animals that usually weather famines just fine (elephants and camels) are dying off. Snake bites are becoming a larger problem because all of the snakes have moved into populated area (the only place where there is any hope of finding water). People are dying while we enjoy our Nintendo Wiis and eggnog. Please take a moment to watch the following video that we created to learn a little bit more:
$450 Billion spent on Christmas...only $6 Billion to end world hunger. It's a sobering thought.
Please donate a portion of what you spend on Christmas to help these people. Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of Jesus' birth. How do you think he would spend his money on Christmas?
Donations can be made to Journey Church (www.journeysalem.com); PO box 12203; Salem, OR 97301 or at Agape Studios; 189 Liberty Street NE; Studio 205; Salem, OR 97301.
Thanks everyone and have a blessed Christmas!!
John and Marianne
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
XBOX…WHAT XBOX???
A few years ago I learned a tough lesson: eBay should only be used for Christmas presents if you are buying them at least a year ahead of time. That way, when you get burned (notice I didn’t say “if”), you have time to correct the problem. My boys desperately wanted an Xbox and I decided that there was no reason to buy them a brand new one. The Xbox 360 and PS3 had come out and a lot of people were trading up…meaning that lots of people were unloading their old Xbox consoles. Excellent! That just means a great deal for me. Boy was I wrong.
To make a long story short, I never got the Xbox that I bought through eBay. Through a lot of headaches and hair-pulling I was able to file a grievance and get SOME of my money back, but the threat of a ruined Christmas was the truly devastating part of the experience. I did, however, learn an important lesson: Know who you are working with.
Not that long ago the majority of business was done face-to-face. Thanks to technology, that is no longer the case. More and more we are dealing with virtually unknown people; but that can be a real opportunity for those that can REVERSE the trend. Instead of technology pushing you further away from your customer, what if it actually allowed more of your customers to meet you face-to-face? How is that possible? Through website videos.
A video on your website can allow your customers to meet you, hear you talk about your product or service, and get a higher level of comfort. Video is the fastest growing segment of the internet and can allow you to stand out from your competition. Let’s say that you sell widgets and you have 3 principal competitors. The odds are that your customer WILL visit your website, and the websites of your competitors, before they make a buying decision (studies show that 87% of people go online to research a product before they purchase or even visit a brick-and-mortar store). If customers can feel a connection with you, something that most websites (including your competitors) probably won’t do, then you have a much better chance of grabbing the customer. In fact, they may not even look at your competitors’ websites if they feel a strong enough connection with you.
To this day I RARELY buy anything off of eBay. I prefer to work with someone that I can meet “face-to-face”.
To make a long story short, I never got the Xbox that I bought through eBay. Through a lot of headaches and hair-pulling I was able to file a grievance and get SOME of my money back, but the threat of a ruined Christmas was the truly devastating part of the experience. I did, however, learn an important lesson: Know who you are working with.
Not that long ago the majority of business was done face-to-face. Thanks to technology, that is no longer the case. More and more we are dealing with virtually unknown people; but that can be a real opportunity for those that can REVERSE the trend. Instead of technology pushing you further away from your customer, what if it actually allowed more of your customers to meet you face-to-face? How is that possible? Through website videos.
A video on your website can allow your customers to meet you, hear you talk about your product or service, and get a higher level of comfort. Video is the fastest growing segment of the internet and can allow you to stand out from your competition. Let’s say that you sell widgets and you have 3 principal competitors. The odds are that your customer WILL visit your website, and the websites of your competitors, before they make a buying decision (studies show that 87% of people go online to research a product before they purchase or even visit a brick-and-mortar store). If customers can feel a connection with you, something that most websites (including your competitors) probably won’t do, then you have a much better chance of grabbing the customer. In fact, they may not even look at your competitors’ websites if they feel a strong enough connection with you.
To this day I RARELY buy anything off of eBay. I prefer to work with someone that I can meet “face-to-face”.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
It's Alive!!
That's right! The Agape Studios Blog/Vlog has come to life! We are really excited as this will give us the opportunity to show off more of our work and let people know when their projects are done.
We will also be throwing in some insights on photography and videography that may just help out anyone that is interested in either.
Also, we would love to send out an invitation for everyone to become a fan of Agape Studios on Facebook.
Thanks everyone!!
We will also be throwing in some insights on photography and videography that may just help out anyone that is interested in either.
Also, we would love to send out an invitation for everyone to become a fan of Agape Studios on Facebook.
Thanks everyone!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)