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.

Spam

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I am sure that we have all been a victim of a spammer at some point in our digital lives and most of us equate spam with email.  However, some of us may be perpetrators of spam and not realize it.  I see spam as being anything obtrusive, invasive and unwanted.  So, unsolicited emails selling me something or receiving an endless stream of email communications invading my inbox is spam in my eyes.

Now, I understand that in the digital landscape an email sales pitch is similar to a “cold call” in the physical space, but at least customize it and pitch something that is relevant to me.  Pitching a new VOIP phone system for my company is irrelevant to me as the only employee and one that communicates without the use of a phone primarily.

An endless flood of postings on a social media network is also spam in my eyes.  If when I view my timeline, feed, etc all I can see are postings from the same person and a lot of scrolling has to be done to see something else, I consider it spam.  I read this post the other day from Marc Ensign, “15 People Ruining Social Media,” and the Vanisher qualifies as this type of spammer in my eyes.  The Vanisher is not the only person that does this.  Rants sometimes take on this form as well depending on what network it is posted on.  I’ve seen tweet after tweet of one long rant broken up into 140 character bites.  For me, it’s spam.

In the past, I have been guilty of doing a bit of spamming.  At the time, I did not see it as such.  I would billboard, posting the same general message, several times a week or day.  My thought process was the more I posted it, the more people would see it and hopefully commit whatever action I was trying to get them to do.  The biggest problem with that, is that was all I was posting.  When I looked at my posting feed, I realized it was all the same.  It looked spammy and I would not follow me if I was someone else.  The second problem is that it’s annoying.  If they are annoyed, they are not going to do anything I want them to do.

From that point forward I started asking myself a few questions before clicking submit, send, post, etc.  “Would anyone care?”  “Does this add value to someone’s life?”  “Is this completely for my own gain, drivel and selfish in it’s motive?”  Then I apply the golden rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  If it still seems like a good idea, then I will click submit, send, post, etc.

Finding Out You Are Not as Smart as You Think

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I am sure this is something that happens to many of us, a moment when you realize you aren’t quite as smart as you thought.  This can happen when someone proves you wrong or when a great idea turns out to be a terrible one.  For me it’s often in the form of a “great idea” that someone else already thought of.  The moment the idea is born, I feel very clever and smart.  The moment I learn that I am late to the party, I feel a little dim-witted.  The moment that I realize that not only did someone else think of it, but so did others and a very long time ago, I feel the size of a peanut.

One example is the community of digital nomads.  When I came up with the idea to travel for extended amounts of time, while still working, I thought I was so clever.  I was also so very late with that idea and not very clever at all.  I found that there is a term for a business that can be operated from anywhere – location independent business.  There is also a term for the long-term or extended-stay traveler that works at the same time – digital nomad.  There was also almost an entire industry of travel bloggers that do just that.  Travel, work and earn money while seeing the world.  In this case, I was late to the party, but being late gave me an opportunity to see what worked and did not work for the individuals that were already doing it.  It made me more prepared when I travelled and worked.

In the above case it was actually a good thing that I was late.  I was late, but I learned something from being late.  The same can be applied to new products and services ideas.  If they already exist, being late will allow you to research the flaws and benefits of what is already existing.  It can help you to make a decision to abandon that idea or improve upon what already exists.  Aha…now I feel clever again!