Or, maybe you’re an entrepreneur who has a super-useful product or service that, unfortunately, isn’t terribly exciting.

What techniques are brands and marketers employing to think outside of their products and get creative, even with a product that seems boring at face value? Take a look at four tips from companies who are making the boring more exciting:

1. Be visual

The majority of people are visual learners. Frontline Flea and Tick Spray uses bold, life-size print campaigns that catch the consumer’s eye. Telling someone to check their dog for ticks and fleas is one thing; showing a dog with human fleas is another. The idea behind the advertisement displayed in a Jakarta shopping mall is an out-of-the-box way to advertise a product that many pet owners might not think twice about.

Another brand successful at creating something visually appealing is CableTV.com. They developed an interactive infographic about The Walking Dead that details what goes on behind the scenes of the show, with everything from the makeup to training zombie walkers. Although this interactive graphic has nothing to do with the product of cable TV, it helps raise brand awareness without having to talk about the services themselves.

Career takeaway: Make your advertising campaigns visual. Consider using infographics, unique print ads and interactive tools and resources to educate readers.

2. Rock social media

Social media isn’t just a cheap form of advertising; it’s effective, too. Social media does more than share a brand message — it creates a sense of community, which creates loyal customers. But social media marketing is more than posting a status update or sending a tweet.

Successful brands understand the power of social media, no matter what product they’re selling. The Internet is full of companies with huge followings on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest selling uncool products.

Instead of posting a photo about a rake or a washing machine, Lowe’s turned to the video-sharing Vine app. The company posts short, informative videos that give customers solutions to their everyday problems. The videos use stop-motion animation to share life hacks like unscrewing a stripped screw. Lowe’s Vines are a fun way to bring their products to life, while also creating a way to share the brand message.

Dove is also doing social media right. Who would have thought a soap company would be successful at creating a unified community with more than 300,000 fans on Facebook? Dove shares insightful posts, and fans come to the page every day to rave about the product and share experiences.

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is one example of the company using social media to connect with a group of people. Since 2004, Dove has been on a mission to redefine beauty stereotypes among women and improve women’s self-esteem. Much of the campaign is run through Facebook and Twitter.

Career takeaway: Don’t just use social media; engage with your customer online. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Social media is meant to be social. Put a face to your organization and create a brand raving fans will want to interact with.

3. Have a story to tell

The key to standing out from the crowd is having a unique story about the people, experience and company history behind your brand. The marketing needs to be authentic and creative. Imagination will tell your company’s story in a way that’ll not only attract attention, but keep it, too.

FedEx Kinkos takes office supplies and paper and makes you look twice. Highlighters marking off a no-parking spot on a city sidewalk and whiteout being used to create a crosswalk are just some of the creative ways FedEx Kinkos uses to grab your attention and help consumers see office supplies as a part of daily life.

FedEx Kinkos takes simplicity to a new level, while still telling the company story: we sell office supplies.

Another way to tell a story in a creative way is to use humor. Swiss Life, a financial planning company, implements humor to tell the story of their products. Simple black and white campaigns with no imagery clearly, yet humorously, tell the company story.

Wouldn’t you want to bank with a company that uses phrases like, “I’ll love you till the end came unexpectedly”? The name “Swiss Life” alone tells you this is a financial institution you can trust (the Swiss are known for banking), so a creative twist on the products and services offered lends new life to an otherwise boring product.

Career takeaway: Be creative and use ingenuity. Be clever and outwit your competitor when it comes to telling a powerful story. Be sure to:

• Catch the consumer’s eye
• Put in a strong creative effort
• Draw consumers to your product
• Take people by surprise
• Use humor

4. Try celebrity endorsements

If your budget has some extra cash, celebrity endorsements can pay off big for brands. If you put a face to the name, your audience is more likely to remember you and your product. In many cases, the payoff can be immediate.

Verizon has successfully integrated Michael Bay into their fiber optics service (FiOS) commercials. Bay’s fame and the Transformer brand bring excitement to ordinary Internet service. The commercials are just as action-packed as the movies, bringing brand recognition to both Verizon and the Transformers franchise.

Sprint, Verizon’s competitor, has also turned to celebrity endorsements to sell phones. Cell phones can seem boring on the outside, but add in the creativity of reciting a text message with the name recognition of James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell, and you’ve got an advertising campaign worth remembering.

Career takeaway: Celebrity endorsements have the power to entertain, edify and even inspire customers. If you have the budget, go for a big name.

One of the biggest challenges of your career might be marketing a boring brand. Try some of these tips and you could be on the way to a remarkable and interesting campaign.

Elli Bishop is a writer for BusinessBee. You can follow them on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post 4 Fun Ways to Take Your Marketing Campaign from Boring to Exciting appeared first on Brazen Life.

High school can teach us plenty of lessons about how to win friends and influence people professionally. Here are seven shining examples that prove what goes on in high school hallways isn’t that different from what’s happening around the water cooler.

1. Fake it until you make it

Whether it was walking through the front doors of your high school for the first time or trying out for the school play, there were plenty of times in high school when you felt out of your comfort zone. The bad news is those feelings still happen in the professional world.

But the same advice you were given to overcome your fears and project confidence can still save your booty at the office. Don’t misrepresent your skills or knowledge, but don’t sell yourself short if you don’t know the answer to every question when you’re put on the spot.

Sometimes it seems like it’s better to get what you want now instead of later, but it’s not complicated. Be patient and don’t jump at the chance to be boss’s pet. An eloquent response that shares the knowledge you do have and promises additional research will buy you the time you need to get the information that’ll blow your boss’s socks off.

2. Tardiness isn’t tolerated

Even though most offices don’t have a tardy bell, you can bet someone is taking note of who shows up late and who skips out early. Attendance is a basic tenet of all schooling, and that’s because — like it or not — it matters. Forever.

Showing up on time is a sign of respect, courtesy and responsibility. You won’t get the keys to the executive bathroom if you always show up 10 minutes late.

3. Don’t be a mean girl

Bullying, petty competition and vicious gossip aren’t left behind with bad cafeteria food and unrequited high school crushes. Mean girls persist in the workplace, and it’s women picking on each other 80 percent of the time.

Whether you were poked fun of for your braces or you were the one who did the poking, tearing other people down never helps you get ahead. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) And like high school, trying to boost yourself up by making fun of someone else, spreading gossip or giving people the cold shoulder is a surefire way to lose respect, inspire distrust and become someone who coworkers avoid.

4. Prank at your own risk

Everyone loves the class clown, right? Well, maybe not. Pulling off the perfect office prank may be your Holy Grail, but it’s not always viewed in the best light. In high school, you might be able to get away with never taking anything seriously and humiliating others in the name of laughter, but at work, being known as the office jester can work against you.

If you can’t resist getting one over on your colleagues, prank judiciously and never cross the line into anything that leaves you or your company open to a lawsuit.

5. Where you sit matters

Where you sit on the first day might be where you’re stuck all year — and in the conference room, as well as the classroom, the seat you choose can say a lot about you. It’s a delicate balance between looking like a suck-up and seeming completely disengaged (slackers only in the back row!).

If you’re looking to move up the career ladder, be strategic. Observe what other leaders in your company do in meetings and follow suit. Sit near the person leading the meeting, sit up straight and take notes — no checking your email or sneaking in a round of Words with Friends.

After all, in the workplace, they don’t just take your phone away for the day; disruptive or inattentive behavior might put your job at risk.

6. Jump in and have some fun

Remember how your parents pressured you into taking up the trombone and joining the marching band? Do you also remember the awesome friends you made and how you can honestly start a story with “This one time at band camp”?

What you didn’t know when your folks coerced you into joining is that it’d make your life better. The same phenomenon happens at work. Look for opportunities to be on the party committee, help with a service project or bring that killer dessert you make to the next potluck. You’ll strengthen your relationships and gain clout with the higher-ups.

7. Focus on what you love

One of the best parts of high school was having more control over the classes you took. If you loved photography, you had a slew of classes to take, and you could even put your skills to work on the school paper or yearbook. There’s no reason to stop doing what you love after high school.

While not everyone can be the next Justin Bieber or Annie Leibovitz, you can still find ways to pay the bills and do what you love. Whether you become the unofficial office photographer or go into graphic design where photos are part of your job description, it’s important to find work you can be passionate about.

Even though high school may have felt like it lasted a lifetime, you’re going to be on the job for much longer, so make sure you don’t sell yourself short from 9-to-5.

What other high school lessons do you find applicable in the dog-eat-dog world of business?

Elli Bishop is a writer for BusinessBee. You can follow them on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post 7 Lessons You Learned in High School That Still Ring True in the Workplace appeared first on Brazen Life.

Don’t despair — you’re not the first person to find yourself in this pickle. Believe it or not, you can transfer plenty of skills from your field to your next dream job. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) And if you’re on the lookout for a drastic career change, quite a few unexpected jobs pay surprisingly well.

Here are six of the top transferable skills all employers want and how you can mine them from your experience, no matter how distant your ideal job seems from your current career:

1. You know how to keep lines of communication open

Whether your experience has been arguing criminal cases in front of a jury or fielding customer complaints at a call center, your communication skills will serve you well as a career changer.

Being able to clearly communicate your thoughts, ideas and suggestions is valued in every workplace. In addition, if you’re adept at reading people and tweaking your communication style to meet the needs of those you work with, you’ll become invaluable to whatever organization you want to join.

Think of what your colleagues, clients and supervisors would say about your communication skills, and translate that praise into your resume and interviewing plan of attack.

2. You can organize, manage and lead teams efficiently

Even if the only group you’ve had the chance to lead was your son’s little league team, your ability to lead a group, organize different players and manage unexpected situations — like rain or wardrobe malfunctions — will serve you well as you change careers.

Think back on your career for times when you were selected to lead a project, discussion or committee. Don’t rule out any time when you were able to take charge and facilitate a positive outcome.

Find ways to share examples from a universal perspective. Identify specific skills and outcomes rather than the tasks you performed. For example, you could say, “Led a team of 12 people to successfully meet and exceed goals for three quarters” rather than explaining the technical details of your work as an accountant, office manager or other specific position.

Your ability to broadly highlight your leadership and management abilities will put you at the top of the list in your new job search.

3. You naturally go the extra mile

Being willing to do more than you’re asked — as well as the ability to anticipate the needs of your boss, customers or colleagues — are key factors to success in any industry. Identify examples of when you went above and beyond.

It could have been taking on an extra project, putting in extra hours or extending your patience to help train the new recruit. Highlight those examples, and be as specific as possible without pigeonholing yourself in the field you’re leaving.

If you received any service awards or other acknowledgement for your efforts, be sure to include those details in an “Awards and Recognitions” section on your resume.

4. Your passion drives your performance

Chances are there’s something about the job you’re leaving that you feel passionately about — there’s a reason you chose it in the first place. Identify those core elements that drove you into this field and isolate their value to your new field.

If you chose journalism because you love telling stories, but you’re burned out on chasing ambulances and legislative upsets, maybe you can parlay that love into working at your local library, social media management or Web marketing. Find a company, hobby or interest you enjoy and translate your storytelling skills into telling that story instead of dissecting the traumas and tribulations of the world.

5. You’re a pro at wearing many hats

All the clichés about juggling and hats come into play when you’re switching fields. If your job gave you the chance to fulfill more than one role at your company — such as managing both the marketing and the HR departments — highlight that experience when applying for jobs.

These skills are crucial, especially if you’re drawn to working for a non-profit or becoming a teacher, two of the hottest fields for career jumpers. In smaller companies and classrooms, you need to be able to manage more than one task at a time without losing sight of your ultimate goal — or losing control of your charges.

6. You can be counted on

Believe it or not, your perfect attendance record and wasted vacation days can be a top selling point, no matter how big a jump your move from accountant to massage therapist seems. Just like clients need their taxes filed on time, clients also want a massage therapist to begin and end their $100 massage on time.

If you can be relied upon and don’t leave people waiting, you’re already on the road to success no matter what your career change is. But if you include “dependability” in the list of skills on your resume, make sure you have specific examples to back it up when you’re asked about it in an interview.

What other skills do you think all employers value?

Elli Bishop is the community manager for The Daily Buzz, the BusinessBee blog. You can follow BusinessBee on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

Get our best career advice delivered to your inbox. Sign up today!

The post 6 Appealing Skills to Include on Your Resume When You Change Careers appeared first on Brazen Life.