Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!
You would think, given everything that has transpired regarding restaurant reviews in digital media over the past decade, that restaurant managers/owners would take the hint that the customer’s experience at their restaurant IS their brand. However, I guess there are some hold-outs that simply don’t get it. Especially since Yelp seems more than willing to shield them if they play the old “Mafia protection game.”
With the addition of live streaming we now have the ability to share all video, AND “all content,” in so many more ways, via more apps, with story-telling and engagement at the core. I find that I need to use this ability more, but also see so many using it way too much. So… standing out in a positive way is not easy. I have decided to make use of video here and there, make it something special, and when I think it adds value, instead of bombarding people constantly. You need to see how you can tell stories, create narratives, build relationships, communicate with consumers, and create learning for your organization… but pay attention to your relationships and connection nodes, and be sure to evolve as you go, and don’t lose sight of what was working before and still does. If you are only focused on the Money… You risk completely overlooking the People.
Always remember what is crucial in marketing is achieving your goals without doing damage to your brand. Customer experience is what will grow and sustain your brand over the long-term. So… if video content for social media facilitates that, cost-effectively, then by all means it is important. If not… then it most certainly is not.
Your Brand/Business is what you do; your Reputation is what people Remember and Share.
#RetailRelevancy #FollowThePath… #NoLetUp!
Previously posted at TedRubin.com
Whether you’ve got a handful of dedicated, vocal connections or a large, diverse group of followers, every single one of us has a “social bubble,” a finite group of people who connect with you and stay connected to engage in some way. The size of your bubble depends on how you approach social, what your goals are, and how willing you are to truly engage, but there’s no doubt that your bubble is one of your most important assets on social media.
One of the secrets about just being nice is that it can be pretty easy when you make it a focus at the start of each day. There will always be people who test your limits, but you’ll also get a ton of positive feedback from people who appreciate common courtesy. But what about those moments “in the wild,” when you’re out doing your thing, focused on the task at hand, and maybe a bit tuned out to the world around you? In those moments, being aware of what’s going on around you (the act of self-awareness) can make a big difference in how your actions are perceived by others, and whether you make a positive or negative impression.
It’s no secret that online retailers have had a major impact on the brick-and-mortar retail world, and this has mostly been bad news for the big, traditional retailers that do most of their business in-store. From a consumer standpoint, why go to the mall, a big-box retailer, or even a grocery store, when you can spend less time and money buying what you need online?
Remember the first time that traditional retail stores were supposed to disappear due to competition from online outlets? Amazon introduced the Kindle, a bunch of bookstores eventually closed, and plenty of pundits envisioned the same thing happening in a host of other retail niches. Take a walk through the downtown of any busy city, and you will quickly see that reports of the death of traditional retail were greatly exaggerated. It’s not just that traditional retail can still thrive, but that we have access to a more diverse, eclectic mix of small business than ever before!
How long does it take to acknowledge the existence of someone you know who has reached out to you directly with a question or comment? I get that people are busy, and that we all get plenty of spam online. I also get that high-level executives feel like their very valuable time (more valuable than yours, of course) should not, under any circumstances, be wasted. I even get that sometimes a note from a friend or acquaintance slips through the cracks even when you have the best intentions to respond.
You will find no shortage of opinions when you visit your favorite social media platform, and you’ll also find no shortage of opinions about social and communications platforms in general. There is no arguing with the fact that at the most basic level, social and comms platforms can be very useful tools in both marketing and our everyday lives. Whether you see them as more than that ultimately depends much more on you than on the platforms themselves. It’s how you see them – and most importantly how you use them – that determines your experience.
Maintaining relationships can be hard work, and we all have our little pet excuses that pop up when we may not be in the mood to put in the effort on a given day. The easiest excuse? I need to do this just right to accomplish my goal, otherwise it won’t be worth the effort. But… when was the last time someone interacted with you “perfectly?” What would that even look like? The truth is that “real trumps perfect every time,” because it’s the only consistent way to create trust. Period.
It’s that time of year for plenty of posts on how to “transform” yourself for the new year, and setting goals to better yourself is certainly a worthy pursuit no matter when you do it. But I can’t help thinking that sometimes, we get so caught up in trying to live up to other people’s expectations that it’s easy to lose sight of what makes us unique as individuals. Whether online or out in the world, we live in an era when those expectations are always on display, and our mistakes, mishaps, and embarrassing moments are more public than ever.