One of the nicest things we can do for someone is to provide encouragement. It’s wonderful to post inspiring messages on various Social Media platforms. But selecting one or a handful of people and encouraging them on a frequent basis is a whole other matter. This needn’t take a tremendous amount of time. Just a check-in from time to time to see what they’re working on in their personal and professional lives and letting them know that you’re thinking of them and wishing them the best in everything they’re doing. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Pick a person or five and let them know you care.
“Please” Works Wonders In Social Media
No matter how sophisticated technology gets, human nature stays the same. Maybe it’s my Jersey roots, but I don’t like being told what to do. But I don’t mind a polite request. When I receive messages from people by email, Social Media platforms or old school papyrus telling me to “like” their page or “follow” them or “connect” with them, it sounds like an order to me. And I don’t like orders. At the risk of sounding quaint, what would happen if these folks started their command with “please”? It would turn an order into a polite request or offer. And I’m betting that their responses would be more favorable. Always err on the side of being too courteous. Both online and offline. “But Kev, what does this have to do with Social Media and business? I’m trying to grow a business here!” Exactly. And people can feel that. They …
Female Olympians Finally And Social Media Not So Common Sense
The London Olympics are the first Olympics in history in which every country which is attending has at least one female athlete participating. Yes, reread that. Jeez Louise, it’s 2012, not 12. You can file this fact in the “it’s about friggin’ time” file. It only took a couple thousand years for some people to figure out that women are athletes too. Amazing. Another amazing thing is that a lot of people think they have to become Social Media experts. That’s like thinking that because you own a car, you need to become a transmission specialist. Leave the transmission to the transmission specialists and just learn to be a better driver. Leave the nuances of Social Media platforms (which are all gonna change tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow) to the Social Media specialists and focus on delivering better content. It’s not about the technology, it’s about the value. It’s not …
Bad Tweets Will Bite Cha’
Recently, an athlete from Greece was not allowed to compete in the London Olympics because of a racist tweet she posted on Twitter. This is an example of what I mean when I say that we can’t out-run our character. In a more and more interconnected world, it serves us well to strive to become better people. If only for selfish reasons such as being able to pursue your life’s goal of competing in the Olympics. As Dale Carnegie taught many years ago, “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” Those types of actions have always caught up with us. They just now catch up with us at the speed of light on fiber optic cables called the internet.
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Put In The Good
As you go through your day you’ll hear people talking about all the bad things happening in the world. Shootings, wars, and so on. Yes, these things exist and always will. People sure love their iPads, iPhones, Androids, Bluetooths, and every other electronic leash that’s been invented. And yet they forget that these tools will connect them to whatever they want. Apparently they want a lot of negativity. These amazing tools will also connect you to unlimited sources of inspiration and goodness. We choose what we put into your heads. Just look around and you’ll see all the choices people are making. It’s right in front of you when you look at folks and when you hear what comes out of their mouths. And what doesn’t come out of their mouths. Choose to put positivity in on a daily basis. Putting it in multiple times each day is even better. …
Facebook Is A High School Reunion Whenever You Like
I attended my 30th high school reunion in New Jersey yesterday evening. In the old days, last century, getting together for high school reunions was the time to learn all about what was happening in your friends’ lives because except for reunions, you were pretty much out of touch with most of your high school friends. Now, with Facebook and other Social Media platforms, you can have ongoing conversations and stay in touch with your classmates as much or as little as you like. And getting together every ten years is just the in person time that you get to spend with these folks. I think that’s nice. It’s great to be able to walk up to someone you haven’t seen in ten years or longer, and know what’s happening in their life and the lives of their kids, grandkids, spouse, etc because you take a sincere interest in them. …
You Are Blessed
2012 has been a rough year so far for Colorado with the massive wildfires which burned over 500 homes and a madman who went on a shooting spree early yesterday morning. Regardless of how many horrible things happen, we should remember that the beautiful things happening all around us every day far outnumber the terrible things. At the risk of sounding like a Kum-Ba-Yah moment, it serves us well to take a minute and count our blessings. The moment in the morning when your eyes open from sleep and you realize you’re blessed with another day. The first kiss of the day with someone you love. The giggle of your child. The taste of your first bite of breakfast. The breeze in your face when you walk out the door. The convenience of a bike, car, train, plane, boat or your legs to get you around. The joy of watching …
Old School Face Time Before Apple FaceTime
After a speaking engagement in Parsippany, NJ yesterday, I went out to lunch with a group of the attendees and we had some great discussions. One of the conversations was about how most people are so focused on electronics that they forget offline ways to build and enhance relationships. As you’re connecting with folks on Social Media platforms, don’t forget that no amount of Facebook posts, LinkedIn status updates or tweets are equal to a face to face coffee or lunch meeting. Make sure you’re scheduling face time into your week. Invest in old school relationships. You’ll completely differentiate yourself from the folks with the Blueteeth in their ears who think that being too busy to meet with someone is some kinda badge of honor. Yeah, it’s a badge all right….
Personalize Everything
It takes so little to be above average. In a more and more interconnected, over-caffeinated, hyper-competitive, Mach 5 with your receding hairline on fire world, it’s easy to forget to make personal connections. And most people just hit the Like button on Facebook, Accept Connection button on LinkedIn and Follow button on Twitter. If someone walked up to you in real life, stuck out their hand and introduced themselves to you would you look at them, ignore their extended hand and just turn around and walk away? If you did, your mother would smack you. Don’t be a Social Media drive-by Liker, Friender or Follower. That’s what the masses do. By the way….watch what 95% of society does and do just the opposite. Always, and I mean always, personalize everything. Send a personal note saying thanks, asking them how they heard of you and how you may be able to …
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Small Biz Can Be Big Biz
Society programs us to think that we have to always be bigger, faster, stronger, etc. This is especially the case in business. But this isn’t true. It may have been in the past, but it’s not now. It would serve people well to revisit from to time why they are doing the things they’re doing as business owners. Did they get into business to build the biggest, most profitable, etc, whatever? Most of the time they didn’t. They got into business to earn a good living providing a product or service they have a passion for at a fair value to people who are desiring it. When you get seduced into thinking that your company has to be the biggest, most profitable, etc, many mistakes will follow because your decisions will be built on the wrong foundation. As the world becomes more and more interconnected and niched, you can do …