30 Oct

Retailers Still Don’t Get Social Media

By Lisa In Articles, Blog, Business, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media / 3 Comments

This week Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the Eastern United States with lives lost and an estimate of hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Social Media once again proved to be a incredible tool for people to stay connected, organize evacuation strategies and share their experiences (even if there were some fake hurricane pictures shared on Facebook).

The fallout began when Retailers thought they could capitalize on the Twitter hashtag conversations and take advantage of the traffic online talking about the tragedy. I say “traffic” deliberately because it is clear that the retail philosophy was about traffic and driving sales, versus a sensitivity around people and what they were experiencing.

What this demonstrated to me is once again Retailers fail to understand the culture of the Social Media Community.

Social Media is about people and there is tremendous sensitivity towards other people when something terrible is happening – anywhere in the world.

Last year Kenneth Cole made the list of the Top Internet Scandals of 2011 when they tweeted about their new collection using the #Cairo hashtag.

This tweet caused outrage on Twitter causing Kenneth Cole to make a very public apology and many thought this was the tweet that other Retailers would learn from.

Apparently not.

Today in the wake of tragedy and destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy we saw other examples of misguided Retailers. I say misguided because I do not believe they intended to be so offensive – rather they fail to understand the culture of a community where communication is a two way street and behavior is called out by people quickly and fearlessly. This is not your 1980’s consumer who has no way to express their dissatisfaction with you.

American Apparel probably made the most tasteless sales pitch of them all when they decided to have a hurricane sale. They were quickly outed by Mashable for their lack of sensitivity and the flurry of responses they had caused.

And it continued when the Gap also made an attempt to redirect perceived lost sales caused by stores closures to their website. They were quickly called out by Scott Stratten, best selling author and Social Media expert best known on Twitter as Unmarketing for his strong beliefs that we should stop marketing, and start engaging.

Instead of taking their lumps and acknowledging they had behaved inappropriately, the Gap decided to rationalize their tweet and followed up by posting this:

I wish I could say that was the end of it but it was not.

Presidents Choice also committed a faux pas when they tweeted this (also picked up by @unmarketing and I am guessing may be one of many stories featured in his next book)

On a positive note – Presidents Choice did what ANY Retailer and or business person should do when they make this type of mistake. They owned it and they apologized.

The magic of this is that for the most part, the community is almost as quick to forgive as they are to call you out. We all get social media is still relatively new, and that people make mistakes. The very big difference is your mistakes are public and when you hide from them, or try and rationalize them – you make the situation worse.

Retailers really need to learn how to be human when it comes to engaging with other humans on Social Media.

None of us are perfect but it helps if you start with a conscience and ask yourself “Does if feel right to say this? Morally and ethically?”

I have been a retailer most of my life. I get wanting to drive sales and traffic – but not at the expense of your brand. Remember – brand is NOT your logo, brand is how your customers feel about you, the perceptions they have from all their experiences and interactions with you. Do you really want to damage that?

Social Media is one of the best ways I know for Retailers to connect with their customers, and at the same time, completely trip up the reputation they have worked so hard to create.

Don’t delegate your reputation to someone who doesn’t understand the value of talking to your audience. It’s far too important to be taken lightly and it is time for Retailers to realize that.

29 Oct

Shop Talk – Why Silo Marketing is Not a Good Business Practice

By Lisa In Blog, Business, Client Experience, Entrepreneur, Fav, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Marketing, Networking, Shop Talk, Social Media, Video / 5 Comments

This Silo Marketing has got to stop — it’s becoming an epidemic.

Facebook is not a strategy and neither is Twitter. Marketing should be part of your Business Strategy and should include how you engage, serve and interact with your customers.

You have many channels by which your customers interact with you on a daily basis and figuring out how to integrate all of them into an exceptional experience should keep you awake at night.

“Spray and pray” marketing is a thing of the past. Today’s smart business owners understand the need to look at the big picture and serve their customers well no matter the channel they choose to interact with.

We are all busy though and with busyness comes forgetfulness.

Having a Facebook and Twitter account does not excuse you from answering the phone when your customer calls.

And having a Facebook page that you never check is not helping you create better relationships with your customers either.

It all has to work together or your efforts will not pay off. How are you making it ALL work?

22 Aug

Are You Creating Community or an Audience through Social Media?

By Lisa In Articles, Blog, Business, Easy User Tips for Social Media, Entrepreneur, Fav, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Marketing, Networking, Social Media, The Social Business Academy / No Comments

When you get started using Social Media you will begin the exact same way as everyone else.

You focus on establishing your presence.

Most people do this by setting up their profile, filling out all the information about themselves, uploading a fancy photo, connecting with some people we know in real life and then learning all about the navigation or how things work.

This phase can be overwhelming or exciting depending on how easily you embrace technology. Regardless, your habits are all pretty much the same as everyone else when you get started.

After a bit the “comparison breeds misery” bug will set in. I am sure you can relate to what I am about to say: this is that phase where you start to compare with other people about how many friends, followers and connections you have. You start to notice how many people are interacting with others versus interacting with you.

You develop a heightened sense of awareness of how others are using Social Media for their business and suddenly you become acutely aware of your need to build an audience.

An audience is simply that — an audience. Your first step will be to collect some new friends, try some new approaches to getting people to comment on your posts. You will start to really hunt for people you know, and you might even try to connect with people you don’t know just to get your numbers to a certain level. You might even obsessively check to see how many people are commenting and liking your posts and steal the odd idea from a competitor.

This is the stage when you start to talk at your audience and you forget that they are people. People with feelings, thoughts, opinions and ideas of their own — just like you.

At some point (hopefully) this audience building phase will start to feel empty and not very rewarding. Counting friends can only stimulate you for so long!

Once this happens you will move into Community Building.

Community Building is by far the best thing you can do when it comes to Social Media.

You move from a place of comparison to a place of comfort. You realize that it is quality, not quantity that matters.

You realize relationships and connections are more important than the size of your audience.

Your orientation moves from trying to get comments and likes to really wanting to offer value for others and to stimulate real conversation.

This is when the magic happens.

This is when you no longer have to sell what you do because people who are part of your community who know, like and trust you will naturally self select your product or service when it makes sense.

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone skipped the audience phase? None of us like to be talked “at”, and we certainly don’t like to be manipulated for a comment or a like!

This week ask yourself: who are you trying to serve when it comes to the people you are connected to on Social Media? What can you do to be a better community leader who can help others?

If you step back and take a careful look at your habits I am sure you will see ways to build stronger community. I’d love to hear some of your ideas on how to best do this.

One great example of community building for me was the Ultimate Kindness Project. We have raised over $12,000 to help one woman and her son. That is the strength and power of a community that cares and comes together.

It started with Rebecca Happy who noticed me asking for digital product donations to support this cause. She reached out with the idea for Chris Lang and I to collaborate on a full day event and we made that happen.

Then Roger and Sarah from Living at One reached out and offered to support the initiative by offering up their venue for us to use. The very same day, reaching out to their community, Roger and Sarah secured two TV spots for us to talk about our project.

Next, Chris Lang is turned away at the border and cannot get into the country for the event and Roger steps up and offers to help out.

Together we market the event and almost instantly ten people sign up and more continue to do so each day. All to support a community cause.

Doesn’t this just feel way better than having an audience?

Audience = one way communication. You listen, I talk.

Community = two way communication. We talk, we listen, we support.

Which do you prefer?

08 Aug

Bring Your Inner Leader to Social Media

By Lisa In Blog, Business, Client Experience, Easy User Tips for Social Media, Entrepreneur, Fav, Featured, Featured, Human Resources, Leadership, Social Media, The Social Business Academy / 2 Comments

I recently had a conversation with a client of mine about Social Media and what it meant to build an online platform and we got to discussing the role of a leader. It occurred to me that most of us do not think of ourselves in term of leadership when it comes to social media.

We get caught up in the day-to-day tactics, and if we are entrepreneurs, the last thing to cross our radar is that our leadership skills are out there in public view for the world to see when it comes to Social Media.

When you work for a corporation all you hear about are leadership skills. It is your leadership skills that have a direct impact on the results of the organization.

You lead people. People take inspired action. Action generates results.

In the absence of leadership most people do not do what they are really capable of. That is why so many people suffer from time management challenges — it’s really not a time management issue, it’s a self-management issue, and well that my friends is our ability to lead ourselves.

Now let’s talk about Social Media.

You have an opportunity to lead a group of people in the Social space, in your industry yet most of the time people are more concerned with the tactics of how to get it all done and have not taken the time to think about how their leadership translates through what they are doing.

When I think of leadership, I think of values, character, integrity, passion and an ability to inspire and move others. What do you think of?

When I think of those things and I ask myself, am I acting in my highest self when it comes to how I demonstrate leadership through Social Media the answer is no.

I don’t think I am the worst leader out there but I also don’t think I have been conscious enough about how I want to be perceived in that role.

This is new territory for many of us and unlike the corporate world — you are never going to be crowned “Leader” on Social Media. It is a position you have to assume, it is a skill you have to demonstrate and the measurement of success will be seen by the influence and goodwill you build through your community.

This week I want you to ask yourself two questions:

1. How do I want to be perceived as a leader when it comes to my behavior on Social Media?
2. What is one thing I can do differently to “up my game” online?

For me, owning my leadership is an important part of taking action. I know that leaders are human, they make mistakes and they can be pretty incredible human beings. I have been blessed to work with some incredible leaders in my life and I have decided to “own my role” when it comes to leadership online.

There is no application process, there is no hiring committee. Anyone can apply for the job and can do a great job of leading their audience, adding value, demonstrating integrity and walking their talk.

I am putting a stake in the ground and choosing to approach all that I do from a leadership paradigm from now on and to be honest — yes it feels a bit scary to write this down and state it so publicly. What if I mess up? What if people criticize me? What if they compare me to others?

Isn’t that what happens anytime we are about to embark on something great? Fear creeps in and tries to stop us. Well I say forget fear, let’s do it anyway. I really wanted to say something else but my new leader requires me to use nicer language 😉

Here is the official memo from me to you:

24 Jul

5 Ways Women in Business Stand Out and Get Noticed Today

By Lisa In Blog, Business, Client Experience, Entrepreneur, Fav, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Marketing, Networking, Social Media, The Social Business Academy, Work Life Balance / No Comments

I love that American Express Open is celebrating Women in business and I wanted to share the Infographic that they created.

The vast majority of my clients are women and I love to celebrate their success.

Although I also work with some very smart men, I seem to attract a lot of women who want help with Strategy when it comes to Social Media. I think this is because we are so good at relationships, and we are natural born caregivers so we tend to always be looking at how we can help and serve others. This tendency can often minimize our ability to look at the big picture and strategize our business.

Women were made for Social Media. We are great at relationships, connecting, referring business and being social in general. Couple that with a great business strategy and your ability to create success becomes unstoppable.

Here are five things I see Smart Social Business Women doing online to really stand out.

1. They use Video. Women who use video as part of their marketing strategy to educate and communicate with their audience demonstrate a high degree of poise and self confidence. Don’t kid yourself, doing that first video was hard for all of us – even those who seem like it was easy peasy!

2. They use a Smartphone. Today’s woman business owner is a multitasking queen. She knows that she cannot get it all done if she has to sit glued to her computer screen all day and she makes the most of her time using her mobile phone so she can be connected, informed and engaged on the go.

3. They care about others. These women show up on Social Networks each day and offer advice, encouragement and support to those who need it without even thinking about it. These are the women who are always posting positive content demonstrating their desire to have a positive mindset and contribution in all they do.

4. They give back. Not only are these women smart, social and business savvy. They give back to their community. They regularly donate money to causes and are the first to share and rally their networks when someone needs support.

5. They are strategic, deliberate and not afraid to make money. This is my favorite part. If you pay attention you can see how they implement their strategy online to drive sales to their business. These women are on a mission to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with. They are not afraid to invest in themselves, and they are most certainly not afraid to close the sale. This is why they are successful and often inspire others to follow their lead.

Sandra Yancey of eWomenNetwork is Powering Tomorrow! In celebration of Woman-Owned Businesses, check her out on American Express Open Forum here!

24 Jul

Shop Talk – Is Your Home Address Private or Public?

By Lisa In Blog, Client Experience, Easy User Tips for Social Media, Entrepreneur, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Shop Talk, Social Media, The Social Business Academy, Video / No Comments

Business owners ask me this question all the time: “I work from home, should I put my address on Facebook or other social networks?”

This is an important question and something you should give careful consideration. You want to provide enough information for your clients so your business appears credible, and you also need to protect your privacy.

Today’s ShopTalk will focus on how you can manage this predicament. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one too!

19 Jul

A Special Message from Lisa

By Lisa In Blog, Business, Client Experience, Entrepreneur, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Social Media, The Social Business Academy, Work Life Balance / 6 Comments

Last week was such an important week in my life that I thought I would share some of the background as to why this year’s eWomenNetwork Conference was so significant to me.

I quit my corporate job towards the end of 2006 and opened my store Parlez Wireless. In 2007, I found out about eWomenNetwork and in 2008 I attended my very first conference in Dallas, Texas.

I remember sitting in the audience at that time wishing that I was one of the speakers and feeling in my gut that I had something to offer the people who were there.

My challenge — I owned a Canadian Wireless Store.

I left that conference inspired to step out and do something different. Around the same time, I discovered Social Media because it was becoming more and more important to the mobile world. BlackBerry had launched their first device with a Facebook application and I knew I needed to learn more.

When I started to explore the world of Social Media, I immediately saw such incredible potential for business owners. One day a woman pulled me aside and said “Lisa, we would pay you if you would teach us what you know.”

That conversation changed everything.

I took immediate action on that piece of feedback and that afternoon ten people signed up for a Social Media workshop I was hosting. Talk about building the plane while I flew! I didn’t even have an outline to teach and people were still interested in learning.

Fast forward to last week where it was announced at the eWomenNetwork International Conference and Business Expo that I am the new eWomenSocial Advantage, Chief Social Officer.

In 2011 I was a break out speaker for eWomenNetwork, this year a break out speaker, main stage speaker, and new business partner with Kym and Sandra Yancey.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that has presented itself in my life. I am however, not lucky. This is not about luck.

The day someone first told me people would pay me to learn, I took action.

When I decided I wanted to speak at the conference, I hired someone who could help me be skilled enough to do so. I looked for opportunities to speak at smaller events in preparation for what I desired. Once again, I took action.

When I was ready to speak, I took massive action. I called in every person I knew who could vouch for me to do so. I looked for ways to differentiate myself from the other 1400 people who applied to speak. I took tremendous amounts of action even when I was scared I would fail, and terrified that people would not think I was good enough. I stayed true to the path.

This year when Kym Yancey mentioned us working together I got on a plane and flew to Dallas to talk strategy – armed with the best outline of a plan I could come up with. I took the conversation extremely seriously and showed up prepared.

Leading up to the conference I experienced chatter in my head once again: “What if I was not good enough? Who am I to do this? What are other people going to think?”

This is the thing, we all experience negative self talk. Your power comes from acting in spite of your fear.

I am going to say that again because it is really important.

Your power comes from acting in spite of your fear.

It is the only way to eliminate the fear I call tension from your life.

The first step up onto the big stage on Thursday night, I tripped over my words I was so nervous. Friday night I got three hours sleep because I decided at the last minute to re-write my talk and for the first time ever, I did a keynote without slides.

Putting yourself out there is scary. It is frightening and it is liberating at the same time.

I also did something that scared me more than speaking. I wore dresses at the conference.

This might sound silly to you but 30 years ago when I was first diagnosed with Crohns disease I went from 80 lbs to 140 lbs in two short months. It ravished my young body with red stretch marks and shattered my self confidence. Once an athletic student, I now refused to get changed into shorts for gym and had a doctors note that excused me from the activity because it was so traumatic for me.

In my mid twenties I got over it to a certain degree and started wearing shorts in public. Up until last week, I have NEVER showed my legs in public for any type of professional gig. I have kept myself covered up, safe from criticism and judgement.

If you saw my legs you would tell me it was all in my head. And today — I would say you are right.

Two weeks before the conference I decided to embrace who I am and I bought five dresses for the conference. Scared to death of being judged but more afraid of my own inner critic, I did it. I wore those dresses, hose free and felt liberated.

Why am I sharing all this?

Because I want you to know the journey of stepping out in spite of being afraid. I am guessing you are afraid just like I was to step into your true potential.

I hope this letter inspires you and gives you confidence to just do it anyway.

A friend of mine, Ray Zahab from Impossible 2 Possible says “Limitations are 90% mental and the other 10% is all in your head.”

Get out of your head, into your heart and live that life you desire!

If you would like to see more photos of the fun that we had at the eWomenNetwork Conference, check out the eWomenSocial Advantage Facebook page!

11 Jul

Face to Face Matters

By Lisa In Blog, Business, Client Experience, Easy User Tips for Social Media, Entrepreneur, Fav, Featured, Featured, Leadership, Marketing, Networking, Social Media, The Social Business Academy / No Comments

Social Media has made it easy for us to keep connected to the people who matter and enables us to accumulate an audience full of people we may or may not know. One thing is for certain—Social Media will never replace the value of meeting, connecting and networking with people live.

Face to face interactions are critical for relationship building. I am amazed by how many people think they can replace this just by using social media.

You can’t hug someone on social media.

You can’t clink glasses and say “cheers”.

You can’t share a really good belly laugh.

You can’t have a really intense, life changing conversation.

You can’t pick up on body language and facial expressions from a picture alone.

You can’t always get the right vibe through Facebook. (Trust me, I know women who have accepted friend requests from other women who turned out to be men, and we won’t even discuss the “normal” person who emailed me and asked me to send him pictures of my feet.)

Tears, laughter, smiles, hugs, shared stories and vivid eye contact taking in another person’s every word can never be replaced by Social Media alone.

But Social Media can take a connection that might have only lasted a brief moment in time to a relationship that spans decades.

I know this to be true based on friendships I have formed with individuals I might not have had the ability to stay connected to if it were not for Facebook.

I love Social Media, I can probably give you a list a mile long as to why. But one thing I know for sure, you need quality one on one face time with people in order to strengthen and build relationships. Your soul needs it too.

Leadership

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Judith Cane

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