by Miriam Hara | Dec 21, 2015 | Content, Interactive, Social Media
My mom taught me so much, at a time when there was limited technology, no cell phones, no internet and of course no social media. The social lessons she taught me apply today and I have interpreted them as so that have become my social media takeaways. My mom passed on earlier this year and I think about her every day, and if truth be told, many times a day. As we approach the end of the year I wanted to re-run a previous blog post with slight updates in honour of my mom.
We are all part of a global community comprising of a mishmash of cultures and societal differences. It has become increasingly important for each one of us to implement a code of conduct for our social media interactions. What are the key social media takeaways that would make up a social media engagement code of conduct?
I am reminded of the social rules my mom taught me growing up – with a slightly digital twist!
Here are a few of my Mom’s ‘social media takeaways’ that I live by:
Be helpful. The social media channel has allowed all of us to be part of a larger community – a global community. There are no borders or boundaries. As such, we have opened ourselves to different people’s perspectives and experiences. If someone needs help from LinkedIn, a Group Post or Facebook and you can offer expertise, an opinion or an alternate point of view, do it – not to sell, but to assist. Pay it forward. Like everything else in life, it’ll come back to you!
If you don’t have anything nice say… The last part of this rule of social engagement is ‘don’t say anything at all’. But in the digital space, if you’re not saying something nice, at least be positive and constructive in how you say it. Or go back to Mom’s rule and don’t say anything at all – just click away!
The only thing you can control is your own behaviour. Not everyone is going to like you, want to be your friend or even have the same values as you. That’s true no matter what space you engage in. Understand this and respond to negativity with kindness. If you can’t do that, then disengage. There’s no need to add undue stress to your life. You are not going to change anyone. You have choices, exercise them.
Be mindful. Think about the subjects you discuss and how you discuss them. The immediacy of social media makes it easy to jump right in and text/post/comment the first thing that pops into your head. Although, it’s not conducive or good conduct to just blurt out whatever you have on your mind.
The Social media takeaway that my mom nurtured in me was respect in all ways and modes of interaction. Governing how we interact on the digital space, both on a personal or business level is no exception. Mom’s rules of social conduct for face-to-face interactions really makes senses for social media engagement conduct as well.
Thanks Mom.
by Miriam Hara | Oct 30, 2015 | Content, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Have brands achieved brand trust through their social media communities? Is the race over?
It seems that we only blinked, but most of us in marketing can now say social media as a platform has been around for a considerable time. Over the last decade if not longer, brands have actively participated in the race to gain social media brand trust with their communities and ultimately their customers. The ever-changing demands to “get it right” have not only propelled the creation of new specialist areas within marketing departments, they’ve created a ‘pioneer ship’ for business in general.
This begs the question whether brands have achieved brand trust through their social media communities. Is the race over? Are brands there yet?
There is no quick and easy answer and the jury is still out. Brands are now more familiar with how to use social media, although not all have acquired the fine distinction of leveraging it. We’ve gone from digital ad campaigns to blogging, to content creation, and visual communications like vlogging — all in the realm of social media. But have we achieved brand trust?
In many boardrooms the underlying concern with any campaign or communication initiative is how to leverage the social media platform. I question whether this is the right question. Isn’t the basis of social media, in its pure context, a platform to develop relationships? Aren’t all relationships built on the aspect of trust? It seems that the term “leverage” implies quite the opposite. Are we looking for leverage or are we building brand trust?
Brand trust through social media is not easy to attain.
In the 90s, marketing departments were touting that consumers were savvier than the 60s, and 70s, and 80s. Now, consumers are not only savvier, but also more demanding of brand personality traits that were at best an image-association in the past.
The delight and wonderment of instant gratification and knowledge has now turned into entitlement. Consumers expect knowledge and information instantly. There are millions of domain sites ready to fulfill that expectation. The Internet has made it so.
What the Internet has also enabled, more so through the social media platform, is niche marketing. Just as consumers have virtually millions of sites at their physical fingertips, marketers and businesses have masses of niche marketing channels to choose from.
As with any great opportunity comes some risk. Developing brand trust through digital niche initiatives takes skill. In order for brands to develop social media trust, marketers must acknowledge that there are real and present pitfalls and realities in developing brand trust:
Be True
If you can’t be honest and true, even at times at the expense of your brand (and how risky is that?), you can’t build social media trust for your brand. Social media trust is only built by the perception of its community. In order to achieve greatness in the eyes of the community you must be perceived as impartial — providing value and knowledge without any ulterior motive and without expectation of return.
Brand Karma (You’re so vain)
Some people just walk into a room and people naturally gravitate toward them. Some people try to be vivacious and exciting and fail. The same thing applies for brands. Some brands have it, some brands don’t. That’s what I call brand karma, something a brand naturally has and exploits. The reality is that no one wants to be with a wannabe. They want to be in with the “it” crowd, the ones that define what the “it” is all about.
Mediocrity Sucks
Average means you’re the best of the worst and the worst of the best. Who wants to be associated with that? In today’s fast-paced environment people want the best, the greatest, the most fabulous information on what to do, what not to do, and how to get it. Offer that and your brand will be well on its way to building the brand trust it deserves and wants so badly.
Make a Stand
What is your brand about? What isn’t it about? Place a stake in the sandbox that is on the virtual beach and preach it — day in and day out. You don’t need to be Sally Field (does any one remember Sally Field’s infamous acceptance speech?). It really doesn’t matter if not everyone likes your brand. It matters that the community you seek loves your brand. That’s an important distinction.
You want it when?
Throw out the 3-year plan, or even the 5-year plan for that matter. There is no time agenda for achieving the brand trust factor. It’s ironic that in such a fast-paced environment achieving social media trust for brands is a painstakingly slow process. Building brand trust has always been about consistent messaging. The situational aspects may change, but the context and the ‘how to build’ it and alas, lose it, are very similar.
So, marketers and social media gurus, are some brands already ‘there’? Has anyone achieved brand trust through their social media What do you think?
#SharedWisdom
by Miriam Hara | Oct 6, 2015 | Content, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
When someone comments on content in your Social Media post, your response to that comment is as important as the original content you posted. Tread carefully! Your Social Media responses are content too!
Sharing expertise, providing information and responding are at the core of Social Media.
Sharing expertise, providing information and responding are at the core of Social Media. Good social media initiatives create value. Great content = Great Value. So what makes for great content? Useful, thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas that resonate with your core group. Great Content = introductions to people. Introductions lead to engagement and the start of beautiful business ‘friendships’.
… the essence of Social Media is not about selling, it’s about sharing.
Social Media is the gifting of expertise or information with no expectation of a return. Yes, Social Media helps you develop and cultivate brand awareness, so there’s a big return on that, it’s true. But the essence of Social Media is not about selling, it’s about sharing. It’s about giving back, or if you will, paying it forward. So give back!
When a reader responds to your Social Media post, that reader is engaged. Conversation is now flowing two ways. Congratulations. Your Social Media effort was successful. But you can’t stop there. You must give those responses the respect they deserve. Remember, you’ve started a friendship and friendships must be nourished and nurtured. So respond!
Ignore Social Media responses at your peril!
Ignore Social Media responses at your peril! Content is King, but royalty can still get into trouble. Remember what happened when the British Royal Family was slow to respond after Lady Di’s tragic death. Public opinion turned against them and for a long time! People want responses, emotion, authenticity; they wanted to feel the love. When your brand takes the time to respond to comments on a post it shows a little business love and a lot of respect. So respond.
Great content without follow up?
Great content without follow up? Save your money and don’t even bother starting the process! Posting or tweeting and then not responding to questions, messages, thoughts, the sharing of ideas. What’s the point?
Building Identity Loyalty Through Social Media
Social Media takes effort, even after you’ve created content. You need to spread the word, create buzz and add to buzz. You need to search out like-minded people and see what they write about and introduce yourself. You need to respond to them too. Everything on social media is a conversation, including Social Media responses.
… people are often as interested in responses to content as they are in the content.
It’s also important to remember that people are often as interested in responses to content as they are in the content. They like to see how brands respond. So when you do respond, remember that it’s your brand speaking. Answer thoughtfully, honestly and respectfully.
A community isn’t built on one-way interaction.
Social media is about being part of a community. A community isn’t built on one-way interaction.
- Be prompt with your responses, answer in a timely manner.
- Not every comment will require a response, but be discerning. Read closely to see if it does.
- Not everyone might agree with your Social Media Posts. That’s okay. Social Media is a conversation. Agree to disagree. But like mom taught you … be nice about it!
- Feel free to ignore obnoxious commentary and truly obnoxious commentary can be deleted. It’s about respect — and it runs both ways — if someone is being truly disrespectful, with nothing valuable to say, then there’s simply no room for a real conversation.
- Responses can also be an opportunity for learning? Is there something to be learned from the comment? A point of view, idea or suggestion that you’ve never thought about?
Bottom Line.
Bottom Line: Social Media responses are content too. Put thought into each response.
Had a unique experience with comments or your response to a comment on a Social Media Post? Share it with us!
For a quick review or a primer on creating content, download our free e-book: Content Creation Understood. In it, we share a little content expertise and some suggestions, including a few do’s and don’ts, for content creation.
by Joyce Turner-Gionet | Sep 30, 2015 | Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Marketing
“On the Journey of Learning.”
I saw this tagline (above) on a big yellow school bus passing me on the highway through Toronto. It’s a beautiful line.
Learning is a journey. If we’re open to it and up for the adventure, it can be a tremendously satisfying lifelong learning journey, with plenty of personal benefits, besides the knowledge we gain.
… when’s the last time you went out of your way to learn something?
The kids have been back in school almost a month now, but what about the rest of us? Are we still on the journey of lifelong learning or did we hop off the bus somewhere en route? When’s the last time you learned something new? More precisely, when’s the last time you went out of your way to learn something?
I’m not talking strictly about job-related learning here, although that’s a wise pursuit that can pay off in spades. I’m also talking about lifelong learning for the sheer joy of it.
Some of us embrace learning? For others, it’s a chore! As kids we naturally love to learn. Think of the number of times you’ve heard a child ask the question: “Why?” Why are there no more dinosaurs? How big is the tooth fairy, why can’t I see her and what does she do with all the teeth? Why are the neighbours’ kids allowed to stay up later than me? Why? Why? Why? Somewhere along the way, many of us lose this ravenous curiosity. Obviously, it’s not because we know everything. Mostly it’s because we get busy. Other, equally important things take up our time: our families, our friends, our jobs, our outside commitments, keeping up with the demands of the day-to-day, our health, even our worries. In our quiet times, learning something new is not often high on the priority list.
Many creative types embrace lifelong learning; it’s part of their nature …
If you’re from a family of learners, it helps. If, as a child, your curiosity was encouraged and your questions respected and answered, it sets you up to be eternally curious and lifelong learning follows naturally. Many creative types embrace lifelong learning; it’s part of their nature — they’re open to new experiences, they think outside of the box, they ask questions, they’re naturally curious.
18 things highly creative people do differently
If you work in the marketing field, you will fully appreciate just how critical it is for you to be open to lifelong learning. Take a year, 6 months or even a few weeks off and something changes, updates, evolves or a completely new social media platform arrives on the scene! Blink and you miss it! Look at the rapid evolution that has taken place in digital marketing alone. Once upon a time, in the olden days (ooh, maybe 5 years ago) digital marketing and social media were considered specialist areas. Now ‘digital’ is a key element in any marketing and communications strategy. It’s our professional responsibility to keep ourselves up to date and relevant as much as we can in order to provide informed, educated guidance to our clients.
We’re never too old to learn and it’s never too late.
My father never touched a computer, but he read the paper, front to back, daily, until just before he died at 89. A world traveller as a young man, he continued to scour the atlas, look up facts in his beloved Pears’ Cyclopaedia and was always up for the challenge of a cryptic crossword. A few years ago, a good friend of mine was in the late stages of cancer. She too was a seasoned traveller and the most committed and eclectic lifelong learner I’ve ever met. She researched constantly for pleasure, taught herself a number of languages and like my dad, could hold an intelligent, thoughtful conversation on a great many subjects. She called me late one night from the palliative care ward in Sunnybrook Hospital: “I feel out of touch with the world. I need to research. Can you bring me a laptop.” That conversation has stayed with me; it remains inspirational. We’re never too old to learn and it’s never too late.
It’s not important what we learn. It’s not important how we learn, because we all learn differently.
The 7 styles of learning: Which works for you?
What’s important is that we continue to learn. It helps to surround yourself with people who like to learn. Lifelong learning is intensely, personally satisfying. It increases our confidence. It makes us more interesting as people; we become better conversationalists. It keeps us in touch with what’s going on in the world. It helps sharpen our thought process. Studies reveal that learning can keep us healthier; it can elevate our mood and make us happier and help stave off illness, particularly age-related illness like Altzheimer’s. 10 benefits of lifelong learning.
The greatest thinkers, people whose ideas change the world, embrace lifelong learning.
A little ‘lifelong learning’ inspiration:
“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
– Eric Hoffer (American moral and social philosopher)
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
– Mahatma Gandhi (Leader of the Indian Independence movement)
“The best way of learning about anything is by doing.”
– Richard Branson (Humanitarian and founder of the Virgin Group. Interesting fact: Battled with dyslexia, a reading disability.)
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin (A founding father of The United States of America; helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.)
This one is a particularly interesting comment on learning: “It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.”
– Claude Bernard (French physiologist, responsible for the concept of homeostasis.)
It’s the start of a new school year for the kids. What about the rest of us? What are we going to learn this year? I’m a foodie. On a personal level, I’ve promised myself I’ll learn more about herbs and spices and which ones work best with which foods!
Tell me what you’re learning. #SharedWisdom
by Joyce Turner-Gionet | Sep 9, 2015 | Agency, Branding, Business Success, Communications, Creative, Design, Interactive, Latest, Marketing, Social Media
Rah-Rah, Google! Give us an ‘E’ (but make it crooked!).
Gotta LOVE that crooked ‘e’ in the new Google logo. It’s so Google! Irrepressible, playful. I hear it’s annoying people. They want to straighten it. Personally, I think it’s perfect. Think about it. Leaving the ‘e’ crooked speaks volumes about Google’s personality.
Not everyone agrees with me, Twitter Users Think Google Copied Heineken with its new logo’s crooked ‘e’ (Google kind of admits it.)
All done in house, the rebranding is a composite of three elements: the word mark, a four-colour ‘G’ monogram and animated dots that represent the Google search engine in ‘thinking’ mode. For those who’ve been under a rock, or enjoying the last days of summer up at the cottage, here it is:
New Google Logo
New Google Dots
New Google Monogram
Here’s a reminder of the old Google logo:
1999 – 2015
Here are some Google logo ideas that presumably didn’t make the cut
Here’s why Google did the rebranding …
Says Google … (from the official Google blog)
“So why are we doing this now? Once upon a time, Google was one destination that you reached from one device: a desktop PC. These days, people interact with Google products across many different platforms, apps and devices—sometimes all in a single day. You expect Google to help you whenever and wherever you need it, whether it’s on your mobile phone, TV, watch, the dashboard in your car, and yes, even a desktop!
Today we’re introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens.
Read everything Google said …
Are we impressed?
I asked a few graphic gurus and marketing types across the industry for their opinion on the rebranding:
“Google, with an upper case G … it’s all grown up!”
“The lower case (previous) logo was approachable. With this new logo, Google has maintained its approachability, but made it more mature. More established. The colours and the playfulness with the dots has added to its “fun” nature … almost showcasing its “magic”. Turning questions into a found result. The use of an uncluttered, streamlined font adds to the contemporary nature … the G, unencumbered, is almost futuristic.
More importantly, I love the Alphabet name … the idea. It’s the basis of communications. With letters and building blocks, imaginations soar. What else can we develop? Where else can we go? It offers the ability of each letter to have its significant place in the sun!”
– Miriam H, Chief Creative Officer at 3H
“… suits their position as a search engine (wayfinding system)”
“Overall, it’s a thumbs up from me. The font they used is called Product Sans and was one they created specifically for the new logo and overall rebranding with the animated dots and icons. Similar to the new-ish Twitter icon, it was (mostly) created using only circles and semi-circles. I think it has a much more ‘current’ feel and suits their position as a search engine (wayfinding system).”
– Lindsay S, Senior Graphic Designer
“They’re still leading the way, now with their very own font.”
“It has retained its simple look and colour palette, while bringing a more accessible and contemporary feel. The font also has a uniqueness, a quirkiness, which demonstrates Google’s lighthearted, forward-thinking approach. They’re still leading the way, now with their very own font.”
– Jayne B, Integrated Marketing Manager
“fun and playful”
“I loved the way they presented it, the animation is fun and playful. I like the sans serif font more than the previous serif font. They’ve had the same logo for a long time. The previous logo was dated and the trend is towards sans serif fonts. Nice and chunky. It was a smart move since Google is now owned by Alphabet company. A new beginning for Google and the new logo is a great start.”
– Craig C, Senior Graphic Designer & Mixed Media Artist
“Just another logo”
“Just another logo. Cultural relevance? There’s a lot of talk about this, but I really don’t think it changes much.”
– Jason H, Photographer
“… reminiscent of the avant garde style of the TTC subway signs that came out in the 1950s”
“The new direction of the Google logo makes it easier to display on smaller devices, the switch from a serif to sans serif will make displaying on smaller screens much cleaner and simpler, it will also scale nicely. The thickness also lends itself to displaying more clearly on mobile screens. The change in the Google Icon, the New “G”, now reinforces the colour coding that Google has progressively moved towards, so now even the icon hints towards the growing suite of properties and product offerings. It seems to be a successful step in streamlining the branding of the complete picture of essential elements that Google is trying to put forward. I find it clean, modern and simple, reminiscent of the avant garde style of the TTC subway signs that came out in the 1950s and are still used for everything in the TTC Subway System. I like it.”
– Kyle M, Digital Designer
“Google’s big enough to be brave”
“Rebranding is never easy. You can’t please everyone and it always opens you up to negativity, particularly for a global giant like Google. Not everyone likes change but Google’s big enough to be brave. The clean, linear font ties in beautifully with the Alphabet name that came out of the overhaul of Google’s corporate structure. The company’s new url abc.xyz gave me a chuckle. Nice, clean, modern logo.”
– Mark A, Marketing, PR & Social Media Consultant
“It’s not a WOW logo, but …”
“It’s simple. The colours are very basic. It’s not a WOW logo, but I think that’s the way it should be for Google. Google is not just a company name, it’s a verb, it’s part of our culture. The logo doesn’t need to be beautiful, it needs to be recognizable and it still is. Just like ‘Google Doodles’, the logo gets changed in those but we always recognize it.”
– Yukari Y, Senior Designer
What do YOU think of the new Google logo? Does the crooked ‘e’ bug you? Let me know!
A HISTORY, FROM A TO … no Z, because Google is far from finished changing the world:
From Gizmodo … The Evolution of Google’s Iconic Logo
From Time Magazine … A History of Google Doodles
by Miriam Hara | Aug 28, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Business Success, Communications, Content, Interactive, Latest, Management, Marketing, Social Media
In life, we need a plan. To create rich content, we need a plan.
There’s a lot of buzz around content and content creation. For those new to content and content creation, it can get confusing. What is content? In a nutshell: content = information. Rich content = great information.
I’ll give you an example of what’s meant by content (information). As an ad agency, there is:
- The content (information) our clients hire us to create using a variety of vehicles: billboard ads, print campaigns, outdoor advertising, videos (including YouTube videos), TV spots, radio spots, advertorials, brochures, packaging, websites, Social Media, etc. … you get the idea.
- Then, there’s the content (information) we create for the agency: our internal marketing and advertising. This could be news and views delivered via our website, blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, pins on Pinterest, Instagram, posts on LinkedIn and on business-to-business sites, etc.
Rich Content – What’s its job?
Content’s job is to add value and provide insight. To do this, it must be engaging. To be engaging, it must be informative and interesting (i.e. ‘rich’). To be effective, it must be targeted. This is important. 3H’s content reach is wide-ranging and eclectic. We speak to our clients, to large corporations, small businesses, executives and non-executives, the business-to-business market, people in the creative field and students (particularly those in the arts and communication). A content piece may not (and likely, will not) resonate with all of these people, all of the time. So at 3H, we vary the content regularly, to make sure there’s something for everyone. And we’re strategic with our content. We put it in places where the people we want to see it, will see it.
Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How?
A helpful way to plan for engaging content creation is to think the way a news editor or journalist thinks when developing a piece. Answer the four “W” questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And answer the ‘H’ question: How?
Who?
Define your target market(s) — the people you want to speak to, the ones you want to engage with your content.
What?
What do we want to say to our audience? This will also help establish a tone for your content and a voice for your organization. Your business is unique; tone and voice help get that across.
When?
When will we reach our audience? Plan to reach out regularly, in the same places, so that not only do they expect you, they search you out. Appear sporadically and you’ll lose your audience. Be flexible and adaptable: if you notice your audience gravitating to new places (and with the pace of technology, this happens regularly) — be there for them.
Take advantage of established media events, things such as Earth Day, Labour Day, Heart Month, Diabetes Month, Valentine’s Day, etc. If your business is geared toward any of these things, piggy back your content on the media excitement.
Every business experiences an ebb and flow. Make the most of slower times to come up with new ideas for content.
Create events, unique ones that belong only to you. Then wrap content around these events. Content is about engaging your audience. Give them a reason to get excited, to celebrate and to connect with you.
Where?
Where will we reach our audience? Where do they hang out? If you’re not sure, do a little research.
Why?
Why do we want to create rich content? Sounds pretty basic, I know, but it’s important. Why do you?
As you plan moves along, the “why” should stick around. You’ve implemented a plan, but don’t set it and forget it. Review. Regularly. How is your content being received? This leads to important answers to questions, such as: “Why is this type of content working well for us, but this other type isn’t?” The success of your content is measurable. For example, you can measure the progress of your Social Media efforts with metrics (The 5 Easy Steps to Measure Your Social Media Campaign). You can measure response to your website Five Keys to Success for Measuring Your Website.
You can measure it by the comments and feedback you’re getting. If you’re never getting any feedback, start asking why?
A good plan has legs
A good plan has legs, it evolves; it can take you to new places with new insights so that your content consistently delivers value. Gives your audience a reason to keep coming back.
A good plan needs a good team
Content creation should not be the sole job of the content creator(s). I’ve said this before: Everyone in a company can and should have input. It makes for a much richer, collaborative and enjoyable experience and ultimately, content will benefit, in quality and quantity.
HOW?
How will you do it? It’s all about fiber …
- Meaty and rich content.
- Make it regular.
Add value! Provide Insight!
If you don’t feel comfortable or confident enough to create your own content, hire a content creator. It really is that important!
STICK TO THE PLAN!
(If it’s a good plan.) If the plan’s not working, find out why and fix it. Then … STICK TO THE PLAN!
Want to delve deeper into Content Creation? Download our free eBook: Content Creation Understood. 21 short snappy insights (we call them biz-isms) that will help you wrap your head around creating great content.
