Category: Marketing

Presentation Matters

I went to a fancy restaurant recently.

The presentation of the food
and the ambience
was amazing,
absolutely beautiful.

The food was average.
But everyone raved about it
because it looked so pretty.

Presentation matters.

Pay attention
to your packaging,
to the appearance of your products,
to the state of the spaces
your customers see.

It WILL make a difference
to your customers’ perceptions
of your business.

One Social Media Company

I’ve seen quite a few posts
from people
thrilled to have
all their social media platforms
owned by one company.

Speaking as someone
who has lost
one of her social media platforms
for no valid reason
(and yes, that social media platform
was owned by that one company),
you don’t want one company
to own all your social media platforms.

When you give banned
from one platform,
you’ll be banned
from all of them.

And, if you are running a business,
there is a good chance
you WILL be banned
from one of your social media platforms.

You could get hacked.
You could receive a complaint.
You could be selling
a product/service
that social media platform owner
doesn’t approve of.
Heck, you could be a person
that social media platform owner
doesn’t like.

Poof.
All your contacts
on all your social media platforms
are gone.

Ensure all of your social media platforms
aren’t owned by one big company.

Mitigate your risk.

And ensure you own
at least one online contact point.

If You’re Arguing On Social Media…

Yesterday,
I was a heartbeat away
from arguing with a stranger
on social media
about something non-business related.

I caught myself
in time.
And I realized…

I should be funneling
that energy
into my business.

Arguing with a stranger
wouldn’t accomplish
anything.

I was unlikely
to change his mind.
He was unlikely
to educate me
in any way.

All it would be
was a time suck
and an energy drain.

I closed social media
for the day
and I worked on my business.

When you find yourself
arguing
with strangers
on social media,
that’s a sign.

It is time
to get back to work.

Expectation Of Support

Haters recently
targeted the social media account
of a zoo
because their employees
participated in
the local
Pride parade.

I EXPECT a zoo
to support
LGTBQIA2S+ causes.

Many of the
animals and plants
and other nature
they care for,
promote
and protect
qualify as LGTBQIA2S+.

It would be hypocritical
if zoo employees
didn’t march
in the Pride parade.

Support the causes
your customers/prospects
expect you to support.

F*ck the haters.

They will never support you.

Don’t try to please them
That’s an impossible goal.

Delete Old Problematic Posts

A stranger looking for a fight
found an old post of mine.
He posted a harsh comment.
Then he directed
his equally awful friends
to the post.

I deleted the post.
And I blocked
all of them.

Everyone in my circle
had already seen the post.
It hadn’t interested them.
It no longer served
any purpose for me
and for them.

There was no incentive
for me to keep it.
And there was no incentive
for me to engage
with the fight-seeking stranger.

Delete problematic
social media posts
if they no longer serve
any purpose for you.

A Temporary Upgrade

I go on cruises
regularly.
I usually stay
in the least expensive cabin.

Recently, my cabin
was upgraded
for free.
It had a balcony
and was larger.

It will be VERY challenging
to go back
to booking
the least expensive cabin.

Temporary upgrades
WORK.

They will shift
some of your customers
to the more expensive option.

Offer a temporary upgrade
to your loyal customers
as a ‘reward’.

Evaluate the results.

Expand that marketing
if you see positive results.

Caring About Numbers

The average person
sucks at math
and
they can’t visualize
percentages.

If we say
16% of reinfected kids
develop
Long COVID,
for example,
people see a low percentage
and think
it isn’t that high.

But if we say
1 in 6 reinfected kids
develop
Long COVID,
people will freak
the f*ck out.
Because they CAN
visualize that statistic.
They realize
it’s a HIGH number.

We should remember this
when we promote our products.

If you want people
to visualize the statistic
and to care about it,
don’t use percentages.

Time Check

Fifty Shades Of Grey
was published 12 years ago.

If you’re targeting
21 year olds,
they were 9 years old
at that time.
This is NOT a valid
reference for them.

It is a book
their parents read.
They didn’t read it.

Time flies,
especially when you’re busy
building a business.

Ensure your popular references
are still valid
for your target market.

Perform a time check.

Helping Others If You Want Help

An author was complaining
bitterly
that no one shared
his book release post.

I scanned his social media history.
He hadn’t shared anyone else’s
book release posts.

I blocked the author.

I only want generous writers (businesses)
associating with my readers (customers).
The relationship
should flow both ways.

People are more likely
to help people
who help others.

If you want help,
help someone.

If you want shares,
share another person’s post.