How is being the Mother of the Bride like Participating in Social Media?

Last month I watched my next-door neighbor enjoy her daughter’s wedding after nearly a year of planning. We’ve had countless conversations since the engagement and I know she was thrilled to come home and put up her feet after it was over. It was especially fun since the bride was friends with my daughter back in middle school and they were sorority sisters in college. I have watched her grow up!

Recently my own daughter became engaged, and while the wedding is too far off to start any serious planning, I have started to consider my role as Mother of the Bride. (known by many as M.O.B.) And here is what I know: walking the road in my support role for the wedding day there will be a lot of twists and turns, probably some good and bad surprises, and hopefully a wonderful result at the end. But most interesting was the sudden realization that there are a lot of similarities between this role and the role of social media.

How so, you ask?

1. You have to build relationships. This is where social media shines. Our communication models have evolved and businesses need to get on board with how to do business here. People have always bought from those they Know, Like, and Trust, and social media is just the perfect platform to do so. Prospects want to get to know us before buying, and you can outshine your competition and become the go-to person by building relationships in Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

   Now, in my role as MOB, I have to build new relationships with my future in-laws. They live hundreds of miles away, and I have never met them. In fact, it’s likely that I won’t meet them until the day before the wedding. So, I will pick up the phone, maybe use Skype, and get to know them so we aren’t strangers when we walk into the church together.

2. You have to have a plan. Many business owners don’t have any kind of business or marketing plan, and therefore, have no social media plan. Without a strategy to follow, you will likely end up making mistakes, wasting time and effort, and not get the results you desire.

   What I know for sure about weddings is that there are people out there called Wedding Planners. They can make the experience run smoothly and get the promised results. It’s likely my daughter will call upon her own planning and organizing skills to pull off her wedding, but there are certain steps you have to take, things to do, and we will all sleep easier at night and be a lot happier with each other by creating and following a plan.

3. It’s not about you. You’ve all heard that social media has its own 80/20 rule. Some say even 90/10. As a business owner, you get to talk about your company and its products and services only about 20 percent of the time. The rest of the time you are sharing information of value to your audience, plus entertaining and engaging them in conversations. You need to think of your audience first and foremost.

As MOB, it certainly is not about me, what I want, what I wear, or what I think is right. My opinion will be taken into consideration, but I just get a tee-tiny bit of input. Maybe 20%. Bottom line, it IS all about my daughter!

With careful planning, and a little bit of know how, we can all be successful in our social media (or wedding) endeavors.

(Wish me luck, and leave me some love!)

Stuck in business like that cat in a tree

The howling cat I could hear from inside my bathroom had me outside in a flash. It didn’t sound very happy, and was a continuous cry.  I see some cats occasionally crossing through the yard, but don’t currently have one, nor do either of my next-door neighbors. Still, I could tell the cat was close by. After a few moments, the cat was spotted half-way up a tree in the backyard of the house behind me and over one. It appeared to be hanging on for dear life. You could just hear the pitiful conversation it was having with itself and the world. Now, I knew that it would be fine if it ever got up the courage to just let go and drop, but how do you tell a cat that?

My husband had joined me outside and I pointed out the whereabouts of said mournful kitty. Just as we were discussing how long it was going to hold on, the little dear finally let go and dropped. One minute it was hanging on, and the next it was nowhere in sight.

Of course, as any good Social Media Evangelist would next do, I came inside to post about it in Facebook. As I was posting, it suddenly occurred to me how this was like what we sometimes do in business. (Did you wonder how I was going to tie all of this together?) We sometimes hold on to things for too long because we are afraid.

Here are 2 questions to ask yourself.

• What do I want for myself and my business so badly that I can see it from where I am?
• What am I holding on to that is keeping me from getting there?

As business owners we are constantly being presented with lots of options and directions in which to go. Have you ever not acted because you were afraid, even though the reward was great? Like our little kitty friend, it takes courage to leave the ground and seek out something appealing. It was probably chasing a bird or lizard and eventually got in over it’s head (literally) and didn’t know what to do next. It could have continued forward and would have eventually gotten to a branch where it could rest. This would have opened up greater views and opportunities to keep moving forward.

In my story, the smart little cat realized that in order to reach it’s real destination it needed to have even more courage than it had when it started it’s little journey up the tree. It recognized the decision that had to be made, gathered up some gumption, and let go!

So, I ask you again, are you clinging to something on your journey that is stopping you from the goal you so desperately want to achieve. Gather up your own gumption and JUMP!

I Don’t Have Any Goals

A number of people that I follow in Facebook and Twitter don’t call their new year’s business directions “goals.” I can see that. But I don’t really get hung up on the words used to describe what my plans are for the year, and I am just now getting things ironed out for 2010. Yes, that’s later than most, but I’ll consider it to be just in time for me.

One of my coaches last year said to make 3 different kinds of achievable goals:

1 Revenue goal – check.

2 Personal Best goals – interesting twist that I love.

3 Scary goals – wow. She described them as the kind of thing that makes you have to breath into a paper bag.From the looks of the things I have written down, I’ve got that covered pretty well!

This week I am doing a vision board for the first time and including items from all these areas. All I really know is that it is going to be a great year for my business, and the direction it will take may be fluid for awhile. I’m going to try to hold the shiny object syndrome to a minimum and just focus on what is right for me and steer clear of any copy cat routines.

This year, the scary goals are what I am most excited about. Go get your own paper bag and stick it by your desk. If you haven’t used it once in the next 3 months, get some bigger plans!

Hey – let me know what scary thing you are planning to do.

30 Days of Thanks – 19

Today as I drove down the interstate with Anita Baker playing on the XM, my sun roof open, glorious blue, fall skies, it occurred to me that this was my perfect kind of day. I was wearing my favorite suit with my heels and panty hose (egad. do they still make those?) and excited to be the speaker at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. It makes me very happy to go to a networking event. Call me crazy, but I love it so. I’d do this every day of the week. Love dressing up and meeting new people. Love sharing and helping other business owners. Love thinking about how they can use new marketing ideas to boost their businesses. Love the feeling of unlimited potential in the room. Today I am very grateful for networking events!

When To Stop Talking

I have several friends that prefer to communicate via text message, and that’s a nice change at times. As much as I love to talk on the phone, there is something really great about just sending a fast message to say, “Hi.” The problem for me comes in ending the conversation.

When you talk to someone on the phone, there are just a few ways to end the phone call. Usually, just a fast “goodbye” from both parties and you hang up. However, the text message conversation hasn’t been as clearly defined for me. For example, one of my friends and I text early in the morning before meeting to walk. Our schedule can vary somewhat day to day, so a message or two lets us know what time we are both able to leave. The text conversation usually goes like this:

“we walking today?”

“yes. how long?”

“10 mins?”

“perfect. see you then.”

At this point there could be another message or two. Possibly: “OK. See you.” Or maybe no additional messages. If there isn’t a response, does that mean the other person didn’t get my message? Or did they get it and not want to send me a response…?

What seems to throw me is the text conversation that ends with a “K.” Do I need to “K” back? Or if I get a “C U soon” do I need to send a “K” or a “C U2″? Or if they send me a smiley face does that require one from me? (hope not. I’m not a smiley face person!)

Is it just me? Or has this crossed your mind, too?

Smile When You Say That!

Last Friday my husband and I went on a short vacation. We drove to Branson, Missouri, and stayed in a condo on Table Rock Lake. All in all the trip was fine. We wanted to get away from work for a few days and relax. We were completely able to do that. This was our first time to stay in the area, and my parents drove the 75 miles from their house to join us one day.

I won’t bore you with the details, but my hubby and I were totally taken aback at the lack of customer service we encountered at this “resort.” It was surprising enough during check-in that we were almost afraid to call and tell them that our oven wasn’t working. (The breaker was tripped.) Besides being unfriendly, they didn’t know the answers to the most basic questions we asked about the area. The next morning I went to the Guest Services desk to get some ideas and was met with the most flippant person I have ever met. It made me laugh it was so bad.

This was compounded by the resort having no place to sit and enjoy the spectacular scenery from their property. We were on a hill above the lake, an island directly in front of the property, and lots of other hills like ours surrounding us. Totally beautiful. Some of the rooms had a lake view, but we were not granted one of those. So we would march out of our room, walk 100 yards down the parking lot, and go to the only grassy area there was (which was by two gigantic dumpsters) and stand in the 15 foot wide strip of weeds and admire the view. There was no landscaping, no food, no activities, and no internet. But we took the lemons and made lemonaid.

I guess the moral of the story is that there really must be a problem getting good help these days! I’m sure that management could do a much better job in training employees to smile and say “Welcome.” They could make sure employees knew that they really did have newspapers delivered to the property. (funny story) They could show them around the resort property, and the popular resort town and make them familiar with the kind of things guests would want to know. just saying.

How does all of this relate to YOUR business? Be helpful and give the best customer support you possibly can. Smile when you greet clients and tell them thank you. Smile even if you are on the phone. It makes a difference in the sound of your voice. If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell them you will find out and follow up with them. Treat others better than they expect to be treated. Be nice and apologize if they had to wait or if something wasn’t right. It’s just the simple “under promise and over deliver” policy.

Wishing you fabulous vacations…

Always Ask Questions

My mom taught me somewhere along the way that you should always ask questions when given the opportunity to do so. As an adult who has been in more training sessions than I care to remember, this has served me well. Not a class goes by that I don’t ask one, and usually so many questions, that other people probably get annoyed. But I figure it’s my time and money and I want to learn all I can.

Now, asking questions doesn’t just apply to a classroom situation. The same is true on a teleseminar or conference call. But the real proof is in a public forum or attending a lecture or a speech that someone is giving. For example, a few years ago, Doro Bush (daughter of President H.W. Bush) spoke at a luncheon I was attending. My friends at the table were somewhat surprised when I raised my hand to ask a couple of questions about security at the White House. It’s part of my nature to be formulating some questions during a presentation, because there is ALWAYS the opportunity to ask. Don’t you know I would be at that microphone at a Town Hall meeting?

The same should be true for you in business. Be listening and watching for the opportunity to ask questions. Seek out experts in your field and find a way to connect with them. Twitter is a great place to do that. Craft an online survey using a tool like SurveyMonkey.com. Talk to people in your target market and ask them what their issues are and what problems they have in their own companies, or with their clients. By asking questions you will get the information you need to craft a better solution for them. Without knowing what problem to solve, you may end up with a product or service that doesn’t solve any problem they have. Don’t assume you know what they want and need.

My challenge to you: ask a question at the next networking meeting, teleseminar, or presentation you attend. It’s a great way to stay involved with what the speaker is saying, and you might learn something REALLY interesting.

I’m a Sucker for Space

Tuesday night on the 10 o’clock news they announced that the space shuttle / space station would be flying overhead from 6:04 – 6:11 am the next morning. It would be traveling from the NW to the ESE and be the “bright moving light in the sky.” I happily went to bed thinking that I would try to get up for that rare vista.

Before I tell you what happened, we need to travel back in time to the fourth grade. I was in Mrs. Bryson’s class at Villa Del Rey Elementary in Baton Rouge. This was a year filled with astronomy. We learned all about nebulas, quasars, stars and space. We would go outside and count sun spots and watch them move around the sun. (I think paper plates were involved in that!) I can still remember the report I wrote on nebulas and the goofy drawing on the cover. Have you ever tried to draw a nebula? We went to the planetarium, we watched eclipses, and something in me really took hold.

My love of space continued to grow over the years. I can’t pass a planetarium without wanting to go inside. I look up at the stars every night we are out to see Orion, the Big Dipper, or Cassiopeia. Who wasn’t glued to the TV set watching Cosmos when Carl Sagan explained about the “billions and billions of stars” and how time and space were related? The family accepts my fascination, but usually doesn’t join in on those nights when I run out the front door every five minutes to “see what the eclipse looks like now.”

Fast forward to today. My husband laughs each time they announce the Pleiades meteorite showers, or a comet, or the planets all lining up at night. Because he knows I will be outside in the dead of night in my jammies with my head tilted back as far as it will go just to catch a glimpse of it. I have been known to get in my car and drive down the dark road near my house at 3am and stand outside my car to watch. And, on occasion, I am surrounded by other neighbors getting out of their cars in their jammies.

So, it was no wonder that a gleeful gal was seen dashing out her front door at 6:05 am yesterday in a bathrobe. There I was, standing in the middle of my driveway watching the shiny bright object slowly cross from the NW to the ESE. It was lovely. It was awesome. And it is now just another little secret tucked away among my space memories. I doubt many saw it here, which makes it even more lovely to me.

Did you see it?