Hotties Need Only Apply?

Abercrombie & Fitch recently came under fire in the media over CEO Mike Jeffries’ unapologetically audacious (and really, really stupid) comments about wanting only thin and beautiful people to wear his clothes. And even more recently, it has surfaced that the company’s “larger” (what, size 6??) female employees were forced to wear ill-fitting “men’s clothing” to work, it would seem as a mode of humiliation or punishment for being heavier than what the company viewed as an ideal weight.

Sounds callous and appalling, doesn’t it? But the kicker is, Abercrombie & Fitch doesn’t appear to be the only company that’s discriminating against the average-looking. There seems to be somewhat of a trend taking place – a trend toward some businesses believing it’s okay to hire based on aesthetics.  For the life of me, I can’t fathom anyone being okay with this demeaning and discriminatory policy. (Not to mention it being a potential lawsuit just waiting to happen!!) But, it is happening, thanks, in no small part, to websites like beautifulpeople.com. The way this site (which began as an online dating service) works, is that the only way one can become a member, is to be voted in, based on attractiveness, by existing members. 

What does this have to do with employers hiring hotties only, you ask? Well, the site recently added a new feature for employers looking to recruit beautiful employees only. The slogan on their website reads, “An attractive face is always a great first impression for any business.” 

I don’t know about you, but I think my first impression of any business that would integrate its hiring practices with such superficial frivolity, would be that I would not want to do any business at all with them.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to gander at a Johnny Depp look-alike as much as the next girl, but in a world where we’re seeing an increasing amount of discrimination and intolerance, do we really need to see it being carried over into the professional realm? Would I hire him solely based on the fact that he’s so hot? I think not.

Where do you stand? Would you hire someone simply because you like the way they look? 

How to Lose Friends & Alienate Clients: 7 Deadly Social Media Sins

The very purpose of using social media for business is to garner Friends & connections, to communicate and to network.  Social media have become an immeasurable tool for facilitating client relationship management as well as for your marketing initiatives.  But if you’re committing any of the following 7 deadly social media sins, your efforts might just be counter-productive.    

Deadly Sin #1:  Promoting Yourself / Your Business Relentlessly

I’ve blogged about this before.  One of the most appealing characteristics of social media is that they displace the traditional advertising/promotion model of in-your-face, unsolicited interruption.  As the name predicates, they’re social – a means of connecting with people on a human, personal level.  There’s no room for blatant self-promotion within the realm of the social.  Unparalleled customer service is more like it. The idea is to connect and engage with clients/prospective clients so that they become interested in using your products and services. It’s inbound marketing. People are engaging with you because they want to be engaging with you.  It’s interactive, two-way communication. So,:

Deadly Sin #2:  Getting Into It (And Not in a Good Way)

Because social media is about two-way communication, it’s inevitable that people are going to butt heads and encounter differences of opinion, just as we would in every-day, face-to-face interaction. The worst thing you can do, however, is to engage in a knock-down, drag-out with someone over a social media platform for all to see. And you do see it all the time, especially in comments sections.  But as a business professional, if this is the way you conduct yourself, your clients are going to take one look at your social media interactions and run the other way – fast!  Which leads me to:

Deadly Sin #3:  Not Minding Your Manners                                              

It’s a no-brainer, but you’d be astounded at the number of people who don’t pay any attention to manners and etiquette while using social media.  Just remember to use basic politeness when engaging.  Would you be boorish in a face-to-face meeting with someone?  Likely not.  So just because you’re sitting behind your computer monitor and no one can see you, doesn’t mean that you can forget about social graces.  Pleases and thank yous go a long way. If someone pays you a compliment, acknowledge it. If a less than satisfied client comments negatively, acknowledge that, too – politely.  Now, off to:

Deadly Sin #4:  Not Responding to Comments, Complaints and/or Criticism

By not responding to your clients’ comments, you’re essentially saying, “I don’t care!”  If a comment is positive and complimentary, a great, big “thank you” is in order, along with a little response about why you’re so pleased that he’s pleased and about how much you value him as a client.  If a comment is negative – in the form of a complaint or criticism – a full response is warranted just the same. Again, it’s crucial that you make the client feel important and relevant by addressing the criticism and doing whatever is in your power to rectify the situation.  I recently posted an extensive blog on how to respond to criticism: http://escomputers.blogspot.ca/2013/04/your-customers-comments-on-social-media.html  Damage control is critical. And remember, others will be able to see how you respond, so do it eloquently and with finesse. Snark is never a good idea!

Deadly Sin #5:  Spam, Spam & More Spam

Everyone hates to be spammed.  Don’t spam people!  Enough said.

Deadly Sin #6:  Not Steering Clear of Religion & Politics

Oh, this is a slippery slope, my friends.  The basic rule to bear in mind is that your religious and political views have no place within your business networking.  Remember, wars are fought over religion and politics. Everyone’s view is different and you will in no way be able to avoid ruffling a few feathers if you pontificate with respect to your views or if you comment on another’s.  Just stay clear!

Deadly Sin #7:  Not Fostering Your Relationships

It’s all well and good to garner plenty of connections through your social media endeavors, but what good are those connections if you do nothing to cultivate meaningful relationships with them? The beauty of social media is that they allow you a relatively intimate glimpse into the lives of the people in your network. They can provide you with invaluable information about people. Using this information to help you provide better service to your clients is what it’s all about. Take advantage of that – get to know people and let them get to know you. That’s how trust is built and maintained.  If your clients don’t trust you, what’s the point?

In Honor of Mother’s Day: Social Moms

This Sunday marks one of the most important days of the year – a day to honor moms everywhere – Happy Mother’s Day!

Social media might be something that moms used to watch their kids use, but it’s incredible how, over the years, mothers have become so adept themselves at using social media to communicate, shop and do business.  It’s also incredible how many social media campaigns are geared toward mothers and their needs & desires.  Let’s face it – Mom is by and large the person in the family who does most of the grocery shopping, home décor buying and kid-related shopping.  Social media have become a blessing insofar as they simplify the process of comparison shopping, of finding great deals and of learning more about specific brands.         

But over and above the usefulness of social media for shopping and keeping up with brands and trends, moms use them as a primary means of communication and networking.   Moms are connected on social media today more than ever before.

Here are some enlightening 2013 ‘Moms on Social Media’ statistics courtesy of Ali Salman, co-founder of Rapid Boost Marketing:

·         9% Study weblogs everyday. An extra 15% read weblogs every week, and 16% per month.

·         7% of Canadian Moms post their opinions on weblogs everyday, 8% every week and 10% per month.

·         6% of those who interviewed contributed on their own weblog every day. An extra 3% contributed on their own weblog every week, and 5% per month.

·         3% of Canadian Mom blog writers had written a post about a product or product.

·         12% of Canadian moms watch video clips published online every day. 28% watch video clips every week, and 31% click ‘Play’ per month.

·         8% of Moms in Canada post on Twitter, or reading Twitter posts everyday. Another 7% read Twitter posts every week and a further 8% examine Twitter posts per month.

·         Canadian moms are socially very involved.

·         63% have ‘Liked’ a business web page on Facebook or fb and 26% have mentioned on those pages. 19% had published about a product on their personal Facebook or fb web page.

·         15% Have a look at forums or forums everyday, with 9% definitely taking part. An extra 16% examine these social networks every week (11% participating) and 21% per month (12% participating).

·         58% Have a look at sites every day, with an extra 19% signing in every week.

Your Customers’ Comments on Social Media: Listen, Respond & Learn

Did you know that “56% of customer tweets to companies are being ignored.”? (source: AllTwitter) That’s scary.  One of the most functional aspects of social media platforms is their ability to provide you with insight pertaining to how your business is perceived by others.  Why would anyone want to ignore that?  More to the point, what’s the purpose of putting together and maintaining a social presence for your business if you’re not going to pay attention and use it to your advantage?  And yes, that includes reading and responding to customer comments, inquiries and most especially, complaints.  

No one takes particularly well to negative criticism and complaining.  And if you want to keep your head buried in the sand and not know what people are really thinking, then perhaps networking your business via social platforms isn't for you!  But, why not look at it this way:  Every negative comment, complaint and criticism you receive is an opportunity to glean valuable information and to implement positive change.  Feedback, whether positive or negative, is never a bad thing.

How to Respond to Negative Comments & Criticism

                                         

Let’s identify the different types of negative comments & deal with them accordingly:

1.  If a comment is negative but polite and offers some constructive criticism and/or suggestions as to how to remedy the issue at hand, that’s great!  Take into serious consideration what the poster is telling you and decide if it makes sense for your business.  Respond by thanking the poster for bringing the issue to your attention and for his suggestions, and validate him by letting him know that you will take said suggestions under advisement.

2.  If a comment is negative and carries an irate tone and the poster is lodging more of a complaint than criticism, again, you want to validate his feelings. Placate him. Start by letting him know that you’re sorry to hear of his less than satisfactory interaction with your business and that you appreciate his forthrightness.  Let him know that you value his business and that you’ll do what’s called for to remedy the issue.  It warranted, offer him an incentive to ensure that he remains a faithful customer (a partial rebate, service free of charge next time, etc.).  He’ll appreciate this, be satisfied and will likely want to spread the word that yours is a wonderful company to deal with!  Customer service at its finest.

3.  If a comment is negative, unconstructive, deprecating and/or rude, things can get a little dicier.  While you want to try to keep your customers happy, you in no way have to be subjected to rudeness and insensitivity.  You have two options in this case, and either one would be justifiable. 

First, you could simply delete the comment and ignore it.  Again, it’s written nowhere that you have to put up with someone else’s bad behavior.  (And, although it might be tempting, whatever you do, don’t respond in kind by letting him know what an @$#%!@#% he is.  I posted a few months back on how to NOT respond to customer complaints.)

The other option is for you to try to deal with this Neanderthal as you would the poster in point #2 above.  Try to placate him and let him know that you’re sorry that his dealings with your business were less than satisfactory.  You just might be able to calm the savage beast, but often, people like that are not to be satisfied no matter what you do.  In fact, more often than not, these people just want to get something for nothing, or simply love to stir up trouble. Bear in mind also, that this poster could be a competitor just trying to play hardball with you.

 

If, however, there is some merit to the poster’s outrage (someone in your organization made a real blunder), it might be worth investigating.  Only you can know and decide for sure if there might be something behind a poster’s emotional outcry.  If there is a serious internal problem (and I’m not saying that the poster is any more justified in being rude if that’s the case) it might be just as well that it was brought to your attention, even if it was in such a negative manner.

The moral of the story is that it’s never okay to ignore your customers on social media sites.  If you do, you might just wind up not having any customers to ignore!  

Want Your Posts to go Viral? On Social Media, Timing Is Everything

Ah, the busy life of the business professional – good for you if you’ve implemented a social media campaign strategy into your hectic schedule.  But, did you know that there are certain times of the day and specific days of the week that the content you post is more likely to go viral?  According to data put forth on Bitly.com, it’s true! 

The data indicate, for example, that on Twitter, “…posting in the afternoon earlier in the week is your best chance at achieving a high click count (1-3pm Monday through Thursday). Posting after 8pm should be avoided. Specifically, don’t bother posting after 3pm on a Friday since, as far as being a gateway to drive traffic to your content, it appears that Twitter doesn’t work on weekends.”

                                                                                                                           

This does make a lot of sense if you think about it – how productive, after all, do you think most people are after 3:00 on Friday?  The research furthermore maintains that the peak of Twitter activity occurs prior to the optimal time to post.  Twitter’s busiest time tends to be between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.  Should you post on Twitter during its peak hours, while there are more people clicking, it might raise the average number of clicks, however, your posts may not be receiving all the attention they deserve due to the fact that there will obviously be more competition for this attention. 

For Facebook, the data states that, “Links posted from 1pm to 4pm result in the highest average click throughs. The peak time of the week was on Wednesday at 3pm. Links posted after 8pm and before 8am will have more difficulty achieving high amounts of attention. As with Twitter, avoid posting on the weekends.”  It appears that Facebook traffic tends to peak around the middle of the week, from the hours of 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm and begins to fade more after 4:00 pm.  Moreover, the research contends that although traffic counts are comparable at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm, if you post at 7:00 pm, you will garner more clicks than you would posting at 8:00 pm.

With respect to Tumblr, one of our  favorite blogging sites, there’s currently a vast difference from Twitter and Facebook.  The data from Bitly show that posting on Tumblr after 4:00 pm stands to garner optimal results, and that, “…postings after 7pm on average receive more clicks over 24 hours than content posted mid-day during the week. Friday evening, a no-man’s land on other platforms, is an optimal time to post on Tumblr. Bitly traffic from Tumblr peaks between 7pm and 10pm on Monday and Tuesday, with similar traffic on Sunday. ”

So, there you have it – valuable information on optimal times to post on three of the most prevalent social media sites out there.  As you’re undoubtedly pressed for time on most days of your life, knowing what times it’s most worth posting will help with your strategy!