Quote of the Moment"Those who say it can't be done shouldn't interrupt the people doing it." Archives
January 2018
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![]() “I want to send a friend request to someone I met, but I’m worried. What if my posts offend them?” I hear some variation of that at least once a week. How does one have a private life while simultaneously integrating every aspect of their business life onto social media? Some might tell you that it can’t be done. Others might say that it can be done, but not without putting everything you post through a series of filters first. I say you can indeed have it all, the private authentic social media life and the professional social media presence. Pish-posh the critics will say, but I promise it’s possible if you really want it. How? Have separate accounts for your personal life and your business life. All you need for most social media is an email address and a name. I have a personal account where I share the cute photos of my kids, my political and religious rantings, and my current hair struggles. Then there is the profile for my business, and I don’t mean a business page, but a full fledge profile. I use a variation of my business name for my profile name, my logo is my profile picture, I only add business associates to my friends list, I don’t post unless it’s relevant to my business, and I use that profile to manage the various pages I oversee to ensure there isn’t the dreaded personal post on a business page fiasco. This allows me to keep my personal Facebook life separate from my business Facebook life. Utilize privacy settings. I see this mistake time and time again. Social media users are so worried about leaving someone out, an old colleague or college roommate, that they forget that some things need to be limited to a smaller circle of trusted acquaintances, friends, and family. Play around with the privacy settings until you find what works best for you. I’m a huge fan of limiting who can send me a friend request. By keeping it to friends of friends it ensures that we have a shared connection, that shared connection will make it easier to determine which account I should grant the individual access to. Twitter and Instagram also have a variety of privacy settings at the user's disposal. Embrace LinkedIn. LinkedIn is my go to for connecting with business associates. LinkedIn isn’t where you go to share your dinner, unless you’re a chef. Or your political leanings, unless you’re a politician. LinkedIn is neutral online networking territory. While it lacks the openness of Facebook, it provides a safe social platform to connect and grow your network without sacrificing your own comfort or freedom of expression. Make who you are a part of your business. Please know before you do this that it will at some point turn away some clients. That’s the reality of living in a world full of people from different walks of life and backgrounds. If you’re ok with that reality then embrace it. While I limit Facebook, because that is where I do the bulk of my soapboxing, I don’t shy away from sharing my views and opinions on Twitter or Instagram when the use of those platforms coincides with something I’m doing in my personal life. I know that publicly sharing a photo of a protest poster I made or retweeting a political opinion may deter a client. I also know that by showing glimpses of who I am I also gain clients too because I’m being human. Even if they don’t agree with my stance they can respect that I’m willing to be open and honest, which adds to that human element that clients and customers want to see in a business and brand. The Bottom Line Use social media wisely. Take advantage of the options, utilize the settings, and every now and then let a bit of who you are shine through for the world to see and appreciate.
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Social Media IS People10/5/2015 In 1973, Charlton Heston shocked audiences with one iconic sentence: “Soylent Green IS people!”, over forty years later and that line still lives on among cinema fans everywhere. Soylent Green, of course, isn’t the only thing that is people- social media is, too. Packed full of all the vitamins and nutrients a business needs to thrive, social media is the present and future of marketing. It's where the people are, which everyone loves, but effective social media involves way more than setting up a Facebook page and twitter account. Businesses can’t reap the rewards if they don't use it effectively.
So, how do you make the most of social media? Be Human In the age of Donald Trump and largely untouchable corporations, consumers yearn for the ‘good ole days’ when they felt connected to the people behind a company. Social media makes it possible to connect with customers on a deeper level. At the end of the day, people want to do business with people NOT companies. When companies show their human side, studies show, customers are more loyal and that loyalty translates into long term profit. Be Consistent One mistake I see time and time again is inconsistency. In order to appear in newsfeeds and increase the likelihood of followers sharing your content, you have to be consistent with posting. Consistency keeps your company in the consumer’s mind and that translates into increased business. Be Engaging Consistency and engagement go hand in hand. Customers not only need to see your content on a regular basis they also need to connect with you too. Engagement shows you're human and that you care, which keeps your customers coming back for more. You can’t throw content out there and not respond to your customers when they bite. Well… you could, but then you wouldn’t be using social media effectively. If you won’t use it effectively you might as well not use it all. Be Responsive Nothing spells doom faster on social media than questions that go unanswered and reviews that aren’t acknowledged. Customers expect a faster turn around for questions asked on social media than those asked via a website or email. Not only do they expect a faster turnaround on social media, but the reviews you have -and your response to them- impacts customer acquisition and retention more than anything else you do. Responding to customers makes a difference and shows up in your bottom line. Be Prepared This is one very important lesson Dr. Palmer, and others, have learned the hard way. Showing your company’s human side means being human, perfectly imperfect in every way. Choices can lead to disaster without a plan in place on what's shared, how it's shared, and how you'll handle the inevitable missteps. Missteps can be a public relations win if you're prepared for them before they happen. Or they can bury you. The choice is yours. Get Help You can’t do social media alone. The well is too deep. The reality is if you’re trying to build and maintain a successful company you don’t have time to navigate the well effectively. Many try and they fail. Save yourself the headaches and learn from their failures. Hire someone with the skills you need to turn your social media presence into profit. You’ll be glad you did. Social media is a wondrous place full of people, changes, and profitable possibilities. If you do it often, do it well, and do it with quality help you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time.
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It’s that dreaded time of year again when well-meaning family and friends share the “Facebook Privacy Status”. I try not to laugh too hard when the message comes around because, as I mentioned the folks sharing it mean well. They truly do. The thing is most people aren’t aware of how social media works, nor are they aware of the various ways they can protect themselves online. As with anything online, once it’s out there you can’t take it back. So, the biggest way to protect yourself is to THINK before you SINK! Social media is an ocean and you are the little boat trying to navigate it. Always think about the consequences that could come with a particular post especially from a business/career standpoint.
Aside from thinking, what other ways can you really protect yourself on Facebook? Get Acquainted with the Privacy Settings Facebook privacy settings allow you to control a variety of things. From who can see your post to who can send you messages and friend requests. Facebook privacy settings are the first line of defense in protecting your privacy online. Be Mindful of Your Circle In the age of online social networking, it’s easy for our “friends” list to look more like the yellow pages and less like an actual representation of who our friends are. As hard it may be to fight the impulse to add the lady you met at the grocery store to your private page, I implore you to THINK before you SINK! While she may be a lovely lady that doesn’t mean she needs access to your Facebook page. Get to know a potential new friend through email or in person before you allow them to cross that online threshold. Because, not every friend request is from an actual friend. Haters live online too. Remember that. Stay Up-To-Date on Facebook Changes Facebook changes frequently. Some of these changes go unnoticed. Others crash the page and send users into a panic. The thing each change has in common is the fact that Facebook informs its users through their official channels. Monitor these official avenues of communication, because some of their changes can put your privacy at risk. It’s not Facebook’s job to protect your privacy, it’s yours. Acknowledge and Accept that Facebook Sells Your Information Whenever you browse a website, click the like button, or share a link that information is recorded. It’s why the ads that show on your side panel are of things you’ve looked at or liked recently. Facebook makes a lot of money through the information you freely give them. If you don’t want Facebook to have this information don’t like anything, don’t share anything, don’t do anything online! Which leads to the next point. Delete Your Facebook Account If you really want to protect your privacy online don’t use social media. That may sound harsh, but the reality is that there is no surefire way to protect your identity once you step into the world wide web. There are steps you can take in order to use social media wisely, but at the end of the day if it’s online it’s up for grabs. Social media is powerful, but in the wise words of Ben Parker “with great power comes great responsibility”. Use it wisely my friends and you’ll have a -mostly- enjoyable experience.
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Dancing with Anarchy7/1/2015 ![]() “There’s always a way, even if it means more duct tape and sarcasm.”~Rayven Change. We are in a constant state of it. Change is scary and beautiful. What does it take for change to happen, though? Time, mostly, but there is more to it. You need determination, innovation, and plenty of chaos. Change is anarchy. So, why professional anarchy for my website URL? Because, change is my business. Media is constantly changing. My job is to steer your through that change and produce results in the process. I live in and for the chaos that change brings. The fresh ideas and out of the box thinking. While I dance amongst the chaos I do it with finesse. When handled by someone well versed in managing chaos, change can take you from a media nobody to a media somebody. In this day and age, chaos management, or as I like to call it Professional Anarchy, is vital to the success of an organization. And why shouldn't your organization succeed? Don't sink under the weight of our changing world when you can hire a guide who isn’t afraid to look change in the eye and say “Let’s do this.” Is your organization ready to set the world on fire? Let's Do This! |