Thanks, riseabovethestatic.comIs it really that simple? 3 steps away from buzzword avoidance in the workplace?
Great dialogue yesterday in the Corporate Communications and PR community, courtesy of Mark Ragan and Ragan.com. The point of the article – the Social Media Gurus are going too far with buzzwords. Way too far.
(We agree – to a point. We’re guilty of using the phrase “Holistic Social Media” – but that’s a story for another day.)
This got us thinking…can you really avoid buzzwords? Maybe, just maybe. Here’s a 3-step plan.
1. Write for the 4th Grader. A couple weeks back, Dave from Area 224 was preparing remarks for the Lake County Social Networking group. Working from home, he got a visitor — a 4th Grader who wanted to know what he was up to. Most of the slides got the expected eyeroll — the ones about Transparency and Accountability, for instance. However, the “your blog should be your nerve center” slide? That one passed the test.
2. What’s Your Point? Really. If you know the point you are trying to get across before you start communicating, you can probably figure out a better way to say it.
This brings us to the greatest commercial ever.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjTIm-vSKg
Their point?
“If ever you’re not satisfied with one of our tires, please feel free to bring it back. Thank you, Discount Tire Company.”
3. Brevity. Staying with the Discount Tire Company theme…people won’t boo you if you take an hour-long meeting and shorten it to 10 minutes. Mark Twain once said something to this effect:
“My apologies for writing you a long letter; I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
If you have to explain, say, “engagement” in the corporate communications or social media vernacular, you’re probably going to have a rather long definition. And you’ll have to talk in circles to get there – since everyone has a different idea when it comes to engagement.
Meanwhile, the prospect you want to turn into a customer is online, looking at your website, and they have questions about your product that they want to ask you.
Do they want you to engage with them? Or do they want you to just answer their bloody questions?
So, while you’re convening the next meeting of the Corporate Engagement Advisory Council…
Yesterday was all about Quora. Today, we talk up QR Codes. Is this the year?
Social Media Hall of Fame
Over there is a QR Code. Created in maybe 1 minute.
Try it out, will ya? Snap a photo, follow the link.
WHY?
This could very well be the year that these things reach critical mass. Consider these numbers as reported in this morning’s Vancouver Sun:
Mobile shopping is exploding with one-third of shoppers surveyed using mobile phones to visit retailer websites, according to a ForeSee Results survey.
Another 25 per cent of shoppers surveyed said they plan to use their smartphone for mobile shopping, according to ForeSee’s survey of 10,000 visitors to the biggest U.S. e-commerce websites during the Christmas 2010 shopping period.
Yes, there will be one. Are you worthy of election?
Thanks, ChrisL_AK on Flickr
An annual rite of January, the Baseball Hall of Fame Election, got us thinking – when there’s a Social Media Hall Of Fame, who will get in? Where will the Hall be built? What will the induction ceremony look like?
Some Thoughts:
1. The Social Media Hall Of Fame will be reserved for those retired from Social Media. Like the Baseball Hall of Fame, where you have to be retired from the game for five years, it doesn’t make sense to put people in who are still active.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does this a little differently, electing people and bands after they’ve been in the business for 20 years. It’s also in Cleveland, which, we’re told, rocks. Bringing us to point two…where?
2. The Social Media Hall Of Fame will be located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Why? Social Media Hall Of Fame induction should really center around the authentic. Those who are truly authentic focus on the Truth or face the Consequences.
3. The Social Media Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony. Unlike the People’s Choice Awards or the MTV Music Awards, the Social Media Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony must include things like Bacon, Slime (from Nickelodeon), and maybe a really schmaltzy host. Not Steve Harvey, but possibly Wink Martindale.
Is this beginning to sound like a really bad idea?
Ah, there’s the point of this post: we all want recognition for our efforts. We all want to get there honestly. We all want, maybe, an occasional star-studded event.
But yesterday’s election of two Hall of Famers – Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven – may have taught us a little something about the craft. The love of the game. Living in the moment.
Are we waiting days, months, years for the recognition we truly deserve?
We may keep waiting – especially in this modern world of craziness.
Danny Brown talked on his site about longevity at the workplace, and how the Japanese have companies that have been around for decades.
There won’t be a Social Media Hall Of Fame.
There will be little victories – in business, in life. You may throw 120 pitches one game, you may get shelled in the first inning of the next.
Don’t keep waiting for your induction. And don’t focus too too much on “Social Media” or getting into a “Hall Of Fame.”
Thanks, @scoobymooGreat little meme courtesy of Olivier Blanchard. Our turn to play along.
The idea was to get marketers, brand communicators, startup people, businessy types to answer a James Lipton-style Q&A. You can see Olivier’s take here: The Brand Builder Q&A.
What is your favorite marketing/business word?
Launch.
What is your least favorite marketing/business word?
TIE: Ninja, Rockstar, Guru.
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally about marketing/business?
Passion. I’d rather watch Dick Vitale scream at a basketball game than see another person in business lumber through another day above ground. I love it when business people have the same passion about their work.
What turns you off about marketing/business?
Lack of authenticity. Lack of tact. Arrogance.
What’s your favorite curse word when you see really bad marketing?
For the love of Mike.
What sound or noise do marketers/business people make that you love?
A-ha!
What sound or noise do marketers/business people make that you hate?
Does inactivity make a sound?
What profession other than marketing should marketers attempt – to become better at marketing?
Writing.
What profession should marketers never try?
Metallurgy.
If marketing heaven exists, what would God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Thanks, life123.comIt has arrived. That wisdom that comes with a birthday that is divisible by 10.
What’s crazy is that I find myself ruminating on the past 10 years – thinking back to how turning 30 made me “legitimate,” and started a decade of, well, lots of stuff.
Is ruminating the right word?
Well, the very last thing I want anyone to do is be subjected to a load of crap on this site. So, instead, here are a few things I’ve picked up in the past decade:
Your significant other is likely definitely smarter than you.
Trust your gut.
If you have to choose between two or more opportunities: take the job (or gig or client engagement) that pays more money.
Some people will never get what they deserve. Get over it.
Often, the job that no one else wants is the job that provides the best opportunity for you.
Don’t be afraid of failure. (I ran a startup called U Sphere; it went under. People still ask me about it, want to know what I learned.)
Ideas are like water: the only way you’ll know if your idea is worth anything is to try to do something with it.
Remove toxic people from your life.
Working by yourself has its pluses and minuses. Consider both.
Don’t get hung up on what you name the product or service or business. Give it thought, sure, but there are more important things to worry about.
Avoid companies that are traded on the pink sheets.
Pick up the phone.
Don’t leave a voice mail message unless you absolutely have to.
Don’t read your own press clippings, if you have any.
When launching a business, think about sales cycle. If you call a prospect and they ask you to call back “next year at this time,” you are in the wrong business.
Put the Blackberry down when you’re eating dinner. (Kid #1 told me this in 2005. Stuck with me.)
The direct route is the best.
Being a Cubs fan is torture. Think long and hard before subscribing.
Being a Bengals fan means you don’t have to worry about watching the NFL playoffs.
A plus for someone in your circle does not necessarily mean a minus for someone else. Happiness is not a zero sum game.
If your business card is not a conversation piece, then you probably don’t need to hand it out.
Guys: on a two-button sportcoat, button the top button. On a three-button sportcoat, button the middle button.
If the boss asks you to lie, don’t do it. You may well lose your job, but you’ll be able to live with yourself.
If the other side in a negotiation won’t tell you who they are, who they are working for, or what they want with you, move on. It’s not a negotiation, anyway.
Adoption is just another way to build a family. Doesn’t make adoptive parents or kids any more or less special than anyone else. Just different.
Corporate America loves to say they’re “entrepreneurial.” However, at the end of the day, Corporate America hates hiring “entrepreneurs.”
Empathy is a nice trait.
So is politeness.
Belt and shoes should match.
You can wear an inexpensive suit – but if you add a pocket square, you’ll make it look much more expensive than it is.
Socks are an extension of the pant. Same color is best.
Your children may think someone else has a cooler job than you. That’s okay.
The best emails are sometimes the ones never sent. Ditto for tweets and Facebook posts.
Some people don’t want to have kids. Asking them why they don’t have kids is not cool.
Ditto people who are single.
The best way to build a business is to actually build a business.
Never turn down a chance to sit with a VC person, even if only for 10 minutes. And don’t waste their time: be succinct.
Life’s about way more than business. Maybe your passion is business, maybe it’s something else altogether.
Faith, Hope and Love are very important things.
The greatest of these, without a doubt, is love. (Yes, that’s Biblical.)
I’ve made connections, made friends, learned a ton, and am so very grateful for your time, your thoughts, your comments, and you just being you. All of you. You know who you are.
