Negative Nellie: Who, me?

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In general I try to focus on the positive side of life and tend to disassociate myself with people that are perpetually negative.  I feel I am happier overall with my life because of this.  However, I find that as I brain dump onto my blog, the tone feels a bit negative at times.  Some of my posts are spawned from vents and/or frustrations I find within marketing and small business practices.  As a result, they feel to have somewhat of a negative tone to me and I want to be careful that I am not using this platform as a negative outlet for my thoughts.  I do not want to become an online negative Nellie.  It is not who I am in real life.

The reality is that anyone that stumbles upon my blog or reads it regularly (not sure if anyone does), will only have the perception of me that they see here.  I want to make sure that perception is truly authentic to who they would meet in real life.  While some would argue that the personal spin that I take with my blog is improper for business, I believe it is proper because I am what I am selling.  Me.  Colleen the designer, Colleen the marketer; Colleen the business person has the same values, ethics, perspective, etc as Colleen the person.

In order for me to show you the real and authentic Colleen that exists in person, I have to accurately portray myself online and in my blog.  If all you read are vents and frustrations with a negative tone; that is who you will think I am.  I want to do better.  I must do better.  I pledge to do better.

One Size Does Not Always Fit All

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I’m tired of the one size fits all approach…to everything; marketing, life, relationships, business, networking, etc.  Maybe it is because I always seem to be that 1% that it does not fit or work for.  For instance, I apparently have a watermelon-sized head.  No one size fits all hat or adjustable ball cap ever fits me.  At least not without an accompanying headache from it being too small.  As it relates to business, I have fallen prey plenty of times to messages and strategies from marketing gurus that just did not work for me.

I was gullible.

I can admit that it was gullible of me to believe that there truly are universal blanket approaches that will work for everyone, including me.  Can you blame me?  We are bombarded with advertisements, blog posts, books and messages that tout ways to get more followers, traffic, brand recognition, business, customers, etc, everyday.  We see them online through social media and offline in television commercials.  For the brand or individual that originated the messaging, it works.  People like me say, “Yes, I want that and need to know that!”  Then, I am disappointed when I realize that while it was a great strategy, it was not a great strategy for me.

Moving forward.

I cannot knock the methods for not working for me because they will work for someone else and perhaps a whole bunch of someone else’s.  What I can do is try not to fall prey again.  When I feel myself getting excited about a new marketing strategy, I evaluate the why and how of it’s effectiveness.  Then, I check to see if I have the why’s and how’s within my business and self to apply that same principle.  If I don’t, I keep moving.  If I do, I will implement the strategy for a three-month period of time and then measure the results against what I was previously doing.  If the results are good, I continue; if the results are bad, I discontinue the approach.

While it is hard (for me) to resist trying a strategy when it is coming from someone that is a credible and authoritative individual on the subject, I have to remember that I too am an individual.  Evaluating the effectiveness and validity of the strategy as it relates to me and my brand keeps me from banging my head against the wall for falling prey, again.

Don’t Think Like You; Think Like Them

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You are not the customer.  The customer is the customer.  Even if you would be a user of your product or service, you are biased.  You think it is great, awesome, stupendous and the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.  The customer might like it and even love it, but maybe not with the same enthusiasm that you have.

When you market, where you market, and how you brand should not be based on what you think would be nice, look good or a good place and way to do so.  It should be what the customer would like, where they would be and how they would like for you to do so.

Turning Down Work :: Saying No

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Sometimes I have to say “no” and turn down work.  Sometimes it is because I know that with my current workload, I cannot realistically complete the job and give it the attention it deserves.  Sometimes it is because the work is outside the scope of services that I offer (even if I may be somewhat knowledgeable about it).  Sometimes it is because I do not feel that I am a good fit for the potential client, or them for me.  Almost all of these reasons seem crazy to some of my peers, both professional and personal.

“Why not just work longer hours?  Could you take on more then?”

I currently stick to a schedule and work 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.  I could take on more work when my workload is heavy, if I relaxed that schedule and worked longer hours and on the weekends.  However, doing so would increase my stress level and throw off the work/life balance that I so desperately need in order to stay sane.  The industry that I work in can be very stressful as it is with deadlines, rush jobs, and a general “I needed it yesterday” urgency.  Setting boundaries and giving myself a reprieve is a necessity for me.  If I am completely stressed out and fatigued, I’m really no good to anyone and I do not think it is fair to my clients if they cannot get my best.  If I cannot give my best, I need to turn the work down.

“If you know how to do it, why not take on the request?”  It’s more money!”

As the head of a company of one, I am responsible for all aspects of my business.  There are marketing strategies and services that I do on my own for my business that I have been asked at times to do for a client’s business.  I turn it down and refer them to someone else, because although I may know a little, I am not an expert.  I would be a wolf in sheep’s clothing parading as something I am not for the sake of money.  It’s just not me.

“Whaddaya mean you aren’t a good fit?  You can do the work, right?”

Sometimes, I am just not a good fit for a client.  I know that I am not the right freelancer for everyone, in the same way that Wal-Mart is not for everyone.  Some might prefer Target or another store.  Because of my introverted nature, I operate primarily, through digital channels.  This means most communication is via email, meetings are virtual and projects are managed through an online system.  For someone that prefers meeting in person and communicating via phone primarily, I am not a good fit.  While it is true that I can perform the work that they need done, my work and communication style contradicts the way they would like to work with someone.  I am not a good fit for them and the reverse is true as well; they are not a good fit for me.

Although it seems like I am turning down money, it creates space for projects and clients that are a good fit.  It also means that the work I do for them has my full attention and they are getting my best.  Instead of having a workload that consists of projects that I don’t like because it’s a service I don’t offer; projects that are extremely stressful for me because of my introverted nature; and fatigue inducing projects that have me burning the midnight oil; I have projects that actually make

What Perception Does Your Social Media Give About Your Brand?

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It’s a new year and many of us are reviewing our marketing strategies for the new year…or you have already done so.  Social media has become a large part of how brand’s market themselves and/or how they connect and engage with their customer base.  Because social media gives viewers a perceived snapshot of a brand (this applies to individuals/personal accounts too), I think it is important to periodically review your accounts from a viewer’s perspective as well as a marketing perspective.

I  periodically scroll through my timeline on my Facebook, news feed on Twitter, Instagram feed, etc to look at things from a viewer’s perspective.  I look for the different things I look for as a user when I decide to follow a brand.  Sometimes I feel that I would not follow myself based on what I see.  This is primarily because of the speed of change within social media.  The criterion I may have had 6 months ago, may no longer be the criterion I have now.

I ask myself, what perception would I have of me if I was someone else viewing my profile and my posts.  Sometimes I think positive things, sometimes I think negative things.  Here are some of the questions I ask myself:

  1. What is the overall tone of my posts? (too sarcastic, snarky, positive, boastful, etc)
  2. Am I billboarding too much? (post after post of self advertisements)
  3. Am I providing any value? (specifically to my audience or in general)
  4. Are people wanting to connect and engage with me?
  5. How prompt are my responses?
  6. What visual representation of my brand am I giving? (photos)
  7. Am I talking to people? (or speaking at them)
  8. Would I follow me?
  9. Would I unfollow me?
  10. Do I appear spammy?
  11. How am I perceived at a glance?
  12. If I were following me, what would I think about me?

Depending on how I answer some of these questions, I may work to make some changes.  Sometimes I am unsure and I will ask a few peers for their opinion of me based on my social media profiles alone.  I think it is good for brands to not just review the numbers/statistics and strategy, but also review the perception that is being presented from a viewer’s standpoint.