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When You Simplify Your Social Media Posts We All Win

April 30, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Today I was scrolling through the New York Times and an article caught my eye. The article, No the Best Doesn’t Win, is about the Simple Secret to Success, and had to do with simplification (no big surprise there!). In the article, Shira Ovide explains that “It just works” are magic words. In a discussion about Zoom, Ms. Ovide explains that video meetings don’t seem like rocket science, but it’s hard to make something seem easy.

Remember Google Hangouts?

Despite doing about a year of Google Hangouts, it was never easy. First, you needed to log into Google Plus (remember Google Plus?). Then there were the minutes of searching for the Google Hangout. Once you got a hangout going, it was fun. But you’d have to close down everything else because it was such a memory hog. And very often it just didn’t work. Maybe Google heard our pleas, because recently they released Google Meet.

Social Media is the Same Way

You want your social media posts to be easy for your audience. Easy to read, easy to follow, and easy on the eyes. Give them a simple choice as a Call to Action. Do you agree? Yes or no? are both simple examples of calls to action. Don’t make them read ten thousand words before they get to the point, because you will lose them. Social media posts should be easy. Give them a short quote to entice them to read further. And maybe tell them why they’d want to read more. By the way, you might like Ho w to Create a Wonderful Blog Post in an Hour. Yes, it’s possible to make a simple post in an hour.

Our Attention Spans Are Shorter

Back in the day, you could post nearly anything and people would read it. But now? The interwebs are crowded with blog posts, Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, and articles all over. Videos can’t be too long unless they’re very compelling. And articles can’t be too long, either. Unless you have an interesting story, or a humorous point of view, most people won’t read all the way to the end. They scan.

We’re Visual, Too

Any graphics that accompany an article, blog post, or social media post need to be simple and enhance your article. They don’t need to be too literal, but they do need to have something that compels your reader to want to know more. Here’s an article you might like: What Happens When You Hire a Professional Blogger.

Are Your Social Media Posts Simple–Yes or No?

Let me know in the comments! (And did you see what I did there?)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: simplicity in social media, simplification

Organizing Your Social Media So You Can Have a Better Life

April 23, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Everyone says you need to know your why before you feel motivated. The reason you want to organize your social media is so you’ll have more time. Hence, you can use that time to have a better life. There are lots of different ways to organize your social media. Here are some suggestions.

Block out Your Time

I like to check Twitter first thing in the morning. So I group all my Twitter accounts together and do it that way. If you have some task that you can group together, you could do the same thing. Using a block of time, whether it’s 15 minutes or three hours, will make you more efficient. For instance, you could schedule a week’s worth of Facebook posts all at once. See how long that takes and put it right on your calendar. You might like Time Management for the Tired and Frazzled.

Have Daily Topics

If you struggle with what to post, you could always have a daily topic prepared. Think of five things you would like to post and then attach that to a day of the week. There are already people who post certain things on particular days, and you can use already-existing daily topics, such as #MotivationalMonday or #ThrowbackThursday. I’ve always liked #ThankfulThursday myself. You may be able to create on particular to your business.

Outline Several Ideas for Your Blog Posts

While you’re writing an article for your blog, try to think of future topics for yourself. It’s good to always have five at least five. That way, you won’t have an excuse when you’re writing and run out of steam. Just jump to the next topic and continue there for the alloted time. You might also like How to Come up With a Year’s Worth of Blog Content.

Connect the Dots

You don’t have to share the same things across all your social media platforms. If you do, you might want to reshare that content using a different image, a different quote, and at a different time. For example, create something on Twitter with a hashtag that you then share on Facebook without a hashtag and using a different image. Put that same content on LinkedIn, but write a bit more. Experiment and have fun with it!

What Will You Do with Your Extra Time?

Why, focus on your hobby, of course!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: blogging, organizing, Social Media, time blocking, time management, writing

How to MacGyver Your Social Media

April 16, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

During the past few weeks I’ve heard the word MacGyver used several times. Before Covid19, I’d rarely heard the term used, and never as a verb. If you look up MacGyver on Wikipedia, you find this: “With skills that are only limited by his creativity, Mac saves the day using paper clips instead of pistols, birthday candles instead of bombs, and gum instead of guns. And those sound exactly like the types of skills we need right now, as we’re all making do with whatever we have around the house. As far as social media, clients don’t want to appear tone-deaf, so they’re asking to limit salesy posts. For social media managers, it’s more work, and it’s also a creative challenge. We’re using the virtual version of paper clips, birthday candles, and chewing gum for content creation.

Pivot to Sensitivity and Away from the Hard Sell

Right now, nobody wants to hear about diamond rings and cruises (especially not cruises!). They’re in a kind of survival space, where they want to hear about things that will help them survive in the long term. And as the crisis wears on, we’re moving up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The first week, everyone was dazed and bought all the toilet paper and bleach. The second week, all the frozen vegetables and eggs were gone. By the third week, the stores had replenished some of their supplies. By now, in the fourth week, we’re seeing more products on the store shelves. By the way, you might like Maslow’s Unbelievably Strange Hierarchy of Social Media Needs.

Using Virtual Duct Tape

For those of us scrambling to create good content or social media posts, we feel like we’re stapling and taping stuff together in the hopes that the content will be good. None of us was prepared for Covid19. What do we do now? For me, going back into the archive of content and reusing those posts that are soothing and calming works well. Now that we’ve been in lockdown for a month, this is starting to feel more normal. And while we’d like to go back to the way it was before, that will never happen. Perhaps it’s a good thing that it won’t, since we’re more focused than ever on helping each other. Wouldn’t that be a good thing to continue?

Photo by Lenny K Photography

Improvization and Inspiration

Since it seems that MacGuyver’s main strength is to improvize, many of us probably feel in alignment with him right now. Whether we’re looking in the frig trying to figure out what to make with three eggs and some pickles or avoiding a trip to the store, we need to be inventive. I’ve seen some wonderful examples of creativity lately. For example, people in my neighborhood have stocked our Little Free Library with canned food, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Kids have been making inspirational drawings in chalk. Adult makers have been sharing patterns for masks, personal protective equipment, and 3D-printed widget to help doctors. People have been cooperating, for the most part, and helping each other. If that’s part of the “new normal,” then I’m all in.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: MacGyver, Social Media

What to Write about When You Have Nothing to Write about

April 9, 2020 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

Here it is 9:00 p.m. the night before your blog post is due, and you haven’t written one word. You need to get up early the next day for a meeting, but no pressure, right? Also, there’s a full-scale pandemic going on that has you more than a little freaked out. What to do? Here are some ideas.

Go Back and Review

Now’s as good a time as any to reread some of your older writing. There was that whole series on social media and clowns, for instance. That was a fun series. Then there were a bunch where you wrote about Einstein, Tesla, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Social Media Needs. Do any of those have ideas that you could expound upon? Or are the times we’re living in just too somber? Well, you know what they say: one person’s somberness is another person’s circus! Or something like that.

Do a Best of Post

Here is where you could pick two or three or ten(!) of your favorite posts. For me, I’m going to pick just one. My favorite post is the one I wrote about Twitter lists. Why? I think the language is sharp and concise, and it was a joy to write, even though I edited it a million times. You probably have a favorite post, too. Or maybe a few.

Revisit

There might be a post that nobody read and you can’t figure out why. Did you ever pour your heart out writing something and feel that nobody even noticed? That happens sometimes. Could it be the timing? Maybe people were busy with some big event in their lives and didn’t have the time or inclination? Maybe the writing wasn’t up to your usual caliber. Or maybe the images in your post weren’t compelling. Try to see what happened.

If You’re Really Stuck, Ask a Friend

Reach out and ask a friend what to write. You’d be surprised what your friends know about you. And right now, they’re probably home since they’re all sheltering in place! So there’s that.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: writers block, writing

Strong Goals During the New Normal That Will Calm You Down

April 2, 2020 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

The events we’re going through right now have the power to shape us forever. None of us will be the same after this. Even if we don’t get sick ourselves, we all know someone who knows someone. Or we know someone who narrowly escaped being sick. So why have new goals at all, you might ask? For one thing, you’ll feel more in control if you have goals.

First Look at Your Old Goals

Did you have resolutions for New Years that are now out the window? Why not rewrite them, since you’re at home anyway? For instance, one of my New Years goals was to make my own clothes. Hahaha! As if that’ll ever happen now. But instead, I’m making masks for healthcare providers to use. You might need to pivot in a similar way. You might like: How to Make Stretch Goals That Make You Stretch.

Lowering the Bar Might Help

Some days, getting out of bed, making coffee, and making breakfast might be all that you can handle. Or calling up an elderly neithbor or two. Making that big goal a bit smaller could be just the ticket. Everyone’s expectations need to be lowered right now, since for many even going to the grocery store isn’t happening the same way it used to be.

Photo by Frank-Martens

Be Kind to Everyone, Including Yourself

One of my friends said it best: be sure to vote for Team You. That is, hang out with people who nurture and support you. If people don’t support you, leave their orbit. Maybe try being around them later. So maybe take some of your goals off your list entirely. Try learning to bungee jump next year instead of this year.

Be Introspective

One thing that’s really good to do right now is to meditate on what you want from your life, your career, and your family. Why not consider writing in a diary, or restarting the diary that you haven’t written in for awhile? You might even want to start a gratitude journal. We’re all getting more alone time, so why not take advantage?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: expectations, goals, gratitude journal, kindness

How to Maintain Your Humor During Difficult Times

March 26, 2020 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Have you felt a little depressed and anxious lately? Welcome to the club! It’s a pretty big club, and nobody wants to be the president. In fact, nobody wants to be in the club. People would much rather pretend they weren’t in the club. Some would prefer that no such club existed. But exist it does.

Realize You’re Not Helping by Adding to the Hand-Wringing

There are already plenty of Chicken Littles, running around squawking about the sky falling. One of the big issues is nobody knows what’s going to happen. The science isn’t all in yet. We get plenty of new stories every day. It’s all anyone is talking about, actually. Nobody thinks the virus is going away any time soon, but complaints about being bored really don’t help. What to do instead? Post inspirational photos and messages. For instance, have you seen the posts that Arnold Schwarzenegger is making, with him and his mini-horses (“fueling up with Whiskey and Lulu?”) Some may say they’re tone-deaf, but I think they’re wonderful.

Photos by Hot Rod Homepage

Don’t Repeat Rumors

There are so many rumors right now. And the hoaxes and conspiracy theories are everywhere! Social media amplifies the craziest rumors and theories, with people believing they’re real. Please check with Snopes or the World Health Organization or some other legit source. Also, you probably don’t want to overshare right now. More about Oversharing. What to do instead? Tell the truth in as clear and succinct a way as possible. There’s already enough chaos!

Stay Away from Stories

That is, making up a weird story about what’s happening doesn’t help anything or anyone. Saying it’s the end of the world, even if you think Armageddon is here, just adds to the confusion.

Unless They’re Funny Stories

On the other hand, gentle humor, pictures of your cat, and National Puppy Day are all perfectly legit right now. It seems like we’re all balancing the extreme seriousness of the situation with sillier-than-normal memes, videos, and stories. If you need a list of Hashtag Holidays, SproutSocial has a pretty good one. And maybe you’re making up your own holidays, too.

How Are You Dealing with These End Times?

I’m joking! But really, if you’re staying at home, how are you keeping your sanity? Let me know with a comment!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor, positivity, sense of humor

This Is What Happens When You Work from Home for the First Time

March 19, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Think about when you did anything the first time. And this time (that is–right now!) you were probably forced into working from home, too. Am I right about that? Nobody who works in an office (especially the extroverts!) suddenly wants to work from home. Beyond the usual stuff of needing your technology to be set up, here’s what it’s like to work from home.

You Might Get Lonely

Yep. I said it. To prevent loneliness when you work from home, you’ll need human contact, even if it’s virtual. Luckily, we have Zoom and telephones. You can have a virtual conference, a meeting, or just a talkathon with friends. You can even use it as an extension of a hobby. My knitting group will be having a Zoom Knitathon this week. For more about hobbies, see this: A Good Hobby Will Make You Feel Delighted. Another way to be around people is to join Twitter chats! My chat #DigiBlogChat is on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm PDT. We have a different topic every week, and it’s free! Here you go: How to Join #DigiBlogChat.

You Could Overeat

If you’re bored because you’re not used to working from home, you might eat all those frozen Girl Scout cookies you’ve been saving for a special occasion. After all, it’s Armageddon now, right? So what the heck! And that wine? You’re not supposed to hang out with groups, so you might as well drink it yourself. If you’re one of those people hoarding, how about hoarding some halfway-healthy stuff? “When I recognize that I want to eat something more out of boredom versus actual physical hunger, I brew myself a cup of hot tea.” says Alissa Rumsey, R.D., C.S.C.S. Read more things nutritionists do when they might eat out of boredom. Turns out that nutritionists are a lot like you and I.

You Might Get Less Exercise

If you’re not getting up to hit the water cooler or grab a coffee from the breakroom, you’ll probably need to make a conscious effort to get exercise. It’s easy to sit in one spot all day long sulking or not moving. And since you might not be able to go to the gym right now, you’ll have to figure out something else. How about hiking? Or walking around a lake? There are lots of ways to get exercise without going to the gym. Cycling is another way.

More Time with Pets

And by pets, I mean cats. And dogs, too. My cats love to get on my desk while I’m trying to work. They cover up the calendar and sprawl across the desk. Sometimes they try to take my glasses and knock stuff onto the floor. Having a cat is usually so much fun!

Zero Commute

Another plus of working from home is not having a commute. Of course, you might wear the same pajamas all day, too. (I’ve been guilty of that.) That could be a plus…but also a minus, depending upon how you feel about it. What are some of the plusses and minuses of your working-from-home routine?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: work from home, working from home

A Good Hobby Will Make You Feel Delighted

March 12, 2020 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

As I write this week’s blog post, the world is reeling from the Corona Virus panic. Nearly every news story is about how events are being cancelled, new sanctions are being imposed, and more people are getting sick. It’s enough to cause anxiety and worry for even the most calm people among us. What to do? How about delving into a hobby instead of going to that conference–since it’s just been cancelled?

Hobbies Take Us on a Mini-Vacation

For me, there’s nothing like a hobby to get away from the stress and stop thinking and worrying over things I have no control over. When I knit something, listen to a podcast, or cut out pattern pieces to sew, I’m a million miles away. Time disappears and I forget to eat. If you still need to be connected, you might like How to Use Social Media and Keep Your Mental Health.

Hobbies Make Us Happier

If you tend to overwork, having a hobby can definitely make you happier. Not only do you learn something new, you often get out into the community through your hobby, too. For instance, I’ve met loads of wonderful women through knitting. We meet for coffee, knit, and kvetch about everything under the sun. Having more social connections leads to greater happiness in many studies. You can read about some of my stretch goals (which include sewing and knitting) here: How to Make Stretch Goals That Make You Stretch.

Hobbies Give Us More Dimension

If all you have to talk about it work, isn’t that a little one dimensional? Last week I was at Window Works (a client of mine) for the Women in Construction Luncheon in San Francisco, and met a woman engineer. She asked me what I do when I’m not working. It turns out that she’s a ballroom dancer! Along with being a structural engineer, she enters dance competitions. Besides being ultra-cool, having a whole other hobby makes her more interesting.

Why Not Have a Hobby?

Jaime L. Kurtz Ph.D. in her article Six Reasons to Get a Hobby, says “Consider the possibility that you’re not as busy as you think.” We all waste time on social media, Netflix, and “doing something close to nothing, but different than the day before” as Prince once sang. But having a hobby seems to have gone by the wayside. And if you have a structured hobby, she says, chances are you’d finish up that work so you could scoot off to your book club meeting. Without a hobby, work expands to fill the time we have. And active leisure is invigorating, says Kurtz. Wouldn’t you agree?

What’s Your Hobby?

Do you have something that you love to do when you’re not working? What is it? Leave me a comment and thank you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: free time, hobbies

How to Cure Writer’s Block: Ten Best Ways

March 5, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Every writer experiences writer’s block from time to time. Sometimes it’s because you’re using all your creativity up (at least that’s what some friends say). Others cite exhaustion. No matter the reason, there are ways out. Here are some ideas for you!

Brainstorm

Once you’ve brainstormed, you may be able to pick a topic from all the ideas you have. As my friend, Randy Clark says in How to Defeat Writer’s Block, “You may have to play with the steps to fit your style, but if you follow the basic structure, you’ll defeat writer’s block too.” Randy writes thousands of words every week, so he’s a good one to listen to.

Mind Map

I’ve written about mind mapping before. It’s a lot of fun, and you get to engage your creative side, too. Read more about Mind Mapping in How to Come Up with a Year’s Worth of Blog Content. Mind mapping doesn’t even feel like work, so you might be able to trick yourself into thinking that you’re playing and cure your writer’s block. And if you’re a visual learner, which most people are, mind mapping will really appeal to you.

Dream Your Way out

This might sound crazy, but here’s something that works for me. Leave a notebook and pen by your bed. Think about writing right before you go to sleep. When you wake up, write down the first thing that comes to your mind–often your brain will work while you’re sleeping and you’ll be surprised. The trick is to be nonjudgmental as you write. That is, don’t think about it too much.

Ask Friends

Ask a few friends what you should write about. Or ask your mom what you do–that could lead to a few laughs. Or you could ask your friends if they have a clear impression of what you do in your business (or whatever you want to blog about). No? Ask them what would help clarify your role or your business. Take that idea and run with it.

Rewrite an Old Post

Did you write something that nobody read or commented on? How about rewriting it? You could also turn it into a video! You could even do a blog post about why you think nobody read that post.

Add Uplifting Images

If you’ve written something without any images, add an image or two. Or use a different featured image. Since we’re all visual creatures, sometimes the image is more important than the words, unfortunately. And a positive image can change the feel of a piece of content.

Read What You Don’t Usually Read

Yesterday at a concert, I found an old copy of The Whole Earth Catalog, published in 1971. What a treasure it was! Lots of little reviews of books (many for under a dollar), notes, little drawings, stories that continued from page to page. I must’ve spent a good 90 minutes flipping through the old weathered pages.

Respond to Someone Else

You might get inspiration from someone else’s video or blog post. Mention them in your post, and make sure to let them know you’ve written about it. For example, I wrote a post recently about oversharing (with a thank you to Mitch Mitchell).

Crowdsource

Ask your social media connections what they’ve done about writer’s block. Adopt the best ideas. To crowdsource using social media, you could ask your connections on Facebook, put it on Twitter, create a video and post it on YouTube, and so on. One of the most excellent examples of crowdsourcing I’ve seen lately is the way the Netflix show Diagnosis uses it. Check it out.

Write about the Block

You might want to run straight into the fire by writing about your writer’s block (I know–so meta, right?)! Sometimes you’ll see a way out by exploring your own feelings, triggers, and fears by answering your own questions. Is there something I didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: cure writer's block, overcome writers block, writers block

Focus on Lifestyle When You Have a Difficult-to-Sell Service

February 27, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

When your service is particularly difficult to sell, you need to get people to know, like, and trust you. That process takes time. I’m thinking of services that have a very long sales cycle, such as real estate.

What Does Lifestyle Mean?

Lifestyle is describing your client’s daily activities. That could mean hobbies, where he or she shops, what colors they like, and so on. Ideally, you know a lot about that person and could even make a drawing of how they like to dress, right down to their favorite pair of shoes. You might even know if they have a hat they wear all the time. In this article from American Express: 7 Excellent Ways to Attract New Customers, former OPEN Forum community member Nicole Beckett, president of Premier Content Source says “Have a crystal clear picture in your head of exactly who you’re targeting.” And goes on to say “Think about what makes those types of people happy, sad, scared, relieved, and then think about how you can make their lives a little easier.”

Ideal Client Profile

There is some controversy over whether an ideal client profile means a fictional person. I prefer to think of a composite of the best traits of your best clients. If you could take those traits and put them all in a blender, that would be your ideal client profile. No need to name names! Which client has the best attitude? Who comes up with great content to share? And who has beautiful photos? You get the general idea. Not clear on your ideal client profile? You might want to check out Who Are You Writing For? Target Audience and Social Media.

Realtor Example

Say you’re a realtor. There are some very clever realtors out there–and the real estate market is very saturated. But you don’t have to just talk about real estate. You could talk about your clients’ lifestyle. Say your typical client is in her 50s and wants to retire soon and enjoy home-cooked meals and traveling. Talk about the local sights where your clients would locate, fun cooking events, and so on. Anything that lets your ideal clients get to know you personally helps them to know, like, and trust you. You might like this article: Why the 80/20 Rule Works for Your Social Media.

Harley-Davidson

Today I was watching a video about the Harley-Davidson brand and how they’ve become a lifestyle brand. Their ideal client, however, has been an older white male (Baby Boomer) motorcycle rider. How can they pivot and welcome younger riders into the Harley universe when they’ve become so associated with just one type of rider? After all, they’ve had some of the most loyal fans ever! What other brand can boast of loyal fans who get their logo tattooed onto their bodies? But to change and be inclusive of women, younger riders, and people of color? That can’t be easy!

Do You Focus on Your Client’s Lifestyle?

Why or why not? Leave me a comment! And thank you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: client lifestyle, ideal client, lifestyle, lifestyle focus on social media